POULTRY FOR EVERYBODY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10237, 13 May 1911, Page 6

POULTRY FOR EVERYBODY.

(By "Cock-o'-the-North.') I gave the .constituenrt parts of an egg, and eaid I would explain the term nuibritive ratio in my Last. To arrive at the nutritive ration of 'an egg proceed as follows:—The constituent parts to be considered are: Protein 15 per cent., fats 11.5 per cent., the water and mineral ash being left out. Now when trying to find the strength (or ratio) of a food or any article used as such, protein is divided into carbo-hydrates to find it. There are no carbo-hy-drates in an egg, but fat is just two and a quarter times as efficient for the purpose of producing heat and energy as carbo-hydrates, hence when trying to find the ratio of <a food containing both fats and natural carbo-hydrates the (fats are multiplied by 2J, and are added to the carbo-hydrates, the protein being divided into both when combined in this imianner, in a food (or article) such as an egg where ' fats exist-, but aio oarbo-hyclrates. The fats are still .multiplied by 2J, and reduced to carbo-hydrates, and then divided 'by the protein. Thus the fats of an egg 11.5 x 2£ would give 25.9 of carbo-hydrates into which we have to divide 15.0. Of course many good men and hard-working, comsciieaitiou's persons would not be capable of doing this, as they have never learned, but by following the simple method of making the protein 150 instead of 15.0, and the carbo-hy-drates 259 instead of 25.9, the whole affair resolves, itself into a sample long division isum, and the result is obtained just as correctly. There is no need of splitting hairs; all you require is to get ais near as possible (roughly) to the .strength of the ra»-

Ition you are using; thus 150 into 259 would go once, and there \vould be practically two-thirds of a part over, and these two-thirds of a part would be carbo-hydrates, hence the nutritive ratio would be 1 of. protein, to 1 2-3 of carbo-hydrates, or one part of flesh .forming matter to 1 2-3 parts of ffiat forming matter. Now, to onake the matter perfectly clear, let u,s take an ordinary oombimation of .foods saich as are fed on most poultry farms, such' as pollard, two parts bran, one part for mash, and wheat, .maize and oats (equal parts) for evening. Now pollard 'contains in one pa,rt 15.6' protein and 69.4 of carbo-hy-drates (plus fats multiplied by 2£). Using two parts of this the quantit-

ies would (be doubled of course. Bran contains 15.8 protein, 55.2 oarbo hydrates plus fats, so that in the mash there would be contained a total of 46.8 protein and 194.0 of carbo-hy-drates. Now follow the. plan given above, and divide 1940 by 468, and we get 4 1-5, so that the strength in ratio of the imash is one protein to 4 1-5 of .carbo-hydrates, and describe diin figures thus 1-4 1-5. Now wheat contains 11.9 protein, and 76.6 of carbo-hydiiates and fats combined, this being always the case with me, and 'when I mention carbo-hydrates readers will understand that I include the fats multiplied by 2j. Oats (short white) contain 16.8 protein and 62.2 carbo-hydrates, and maize 10.3, protein 81.6 carbo-hy-drates,, or a total of 39.0" protein, No. 226.4, op 2264 divided by 390, equals. 5 4-5, or the whole day's ration would read thus: 420.4 divided by 85.8 (or 4204 divided bj 858, equals 4 6-9—l-4 6-9. Now once having learned the way to arrive at the ratio of any ration one may be feeding, or thinking of feeding the next thing is what the birds re- ' quire, and what to use'in balancing the ration .so that it will do its work properly and yet not be needlessly wasteful or extravagant.

There are »umherless combinations of food advocated by various writers ranging from 1-3 strength to l-4£ strength. Many of these are arrived at by' calculations of the effects of various strengths of foods by comparison and in, very many cases are brought out by scientific men ■who have never in their .lives fed fowls or any other animal, and only write what should be but what we poultry men know is mostly not practicable.

A ration, fed to a bird which is resting, i.e., which the owner is allowing to rest after a year's heavy laying, and prior to bringing her on again to lay for breeding purposes, would need to contain about one part protein to 5 or 5J parts carbohydrates, but the same bird as a pullet when laying heavily would probably lay splendidly on- a nation of' one part protein to 2f parts carbohydrates, while the same bird again when required only for the production of eggs for breeding would be well fed on a ration containing one pant protein to 4£ parts carbo-hy-drates. The first woidd be called h wide ration, the second a very nar-

row ration, and the third an ordinary narrow ration.

How to mix these in proper proportions, and to put the proper ingredients in the various mixtures, wild be explained in succeeding articles.

(To be continued.)