The Value of Sour Milk for Feeding Little Chicks

Abstract

The value of sour milk for feeding little chicks seems to come from the actual food value in the milk rather than from the development of acid in souring as has been very commonly supposed. This evidence is quite plainly brought out by the following experiments: To prove the value of acid, experiments were conducted to compare sour milk containing 1% acid, Bulgaricus milk containing 1 to 2% acid and sweet milk containing no acid, all of these were conducted with check lots getting no milk. In all experiments records were kept showing mortality and gain of chicks, grain consumed and milk consumed. The chicks and grain were weighed each week. The milk was weighed out and what remained weighed back twice or three times each day. The results were not in accordance with the claims made for Bulgaricus milk of high acid content. In fact it made little difference . . .