The wheat was increased during the fourth and fifth periods in
the case of the chickens to one ounce each. During the second period
one of the chickens fed nitrogenous food, and during the third period
another of the same lot were taken ill and removed from the
experiment. Both seemed to be suffering from impacted crops, as the
stomach and gizzard in each case were found to be empty.
The fact that the sick chickens disliked the nitrogenous ration, and
since the first period the amount of food eaten by the hens and
chickens of Lot I had continually decreased, led to the belief that
their food might be too nitrogenous, and as during the last days of
the third period one of the hens in Lot I was also ill, it was decided
to discontinue the use of cotton seed meal and to use linseed meal
instead. The hen recovered soon after the change in food.
The supply of skim milk running short in the last two periods, water
was used instead in mixing the ration of the lots fed nitrogenous
food.
At the beginning of the fifth period one-half of the linseed meal in
the ration of Lot I was removed, and cotton seed meal substituted.
This combination seemed a happy one, for on this ration both hens and
chickens made large gains.
At the end of the experiment little difference could be seen in the
hens of the two groups; but the two lots of chickens were in striking
contrast. While the chickens fed on nitrogenous food were large,
plump, healthy, active, and well feathered, the chickens fed on a
carbonaceous ration were in general much smaller, sickly, and in
several cases almost destitute of feathers.
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