New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 575 



SECOND EXPERIMENT WITH CAPONS. 



Two other similar lots of capons were also fed these contrasted 

 ratio'ns for about five months. These were from a lot of young 

 birds that had been hatched under hens and grown by the ordi- 

 nary methods. The food and care had been alike for all until 

 after the cockerels w^ere caponized and separated for this feeding 

 trial. The capons were of the same breeds used in the trials just 

 reported. Record of feeding was not begun until some days after 

 the cockerels were caponized. There were 12 capons in each lot 

 until January 30, and then 8 for the rest of the trial. At the 

 beginning of this trial the capons in the two lots averaged exactly 

 alike in weight, a trifle less than 5| pounds each. 



Rations. 



Lot No. Ill was fed the ground grain ration like that fed to 

 Lot No. I, and Lot No. IV was fed the whole grain ration like that 

 fed to Lot No, 11. With both rations the nutritive ratio was nar- 

 rower at the commencement of the feeding trial and wider toward 

 its close. The average nutritive ratio was the same for each lot. 



Relative Food Consumption and Gain. 



During the whole time of feeding, Lot No. Ill having the ground 

 grain ration consumed 13.4 pounds more water-free food than Lot 

 No. IV having the w^hole grain ration and gained 12 pounds more 

 in weight. Lot No. Ill made one jjound gain for every 8.3 pounds 

 of water-free food consumed and Lot No. IV made one pound gain 

 for every 10.1 pounds of water-free food. 



During the last 8 weeks there was very sloW' increase in weight 

 with both lots. During the first eleven weeks Lot No. Ill con- 

 sumed 15 pounds more water-free food and made 3 pounds more 

 gain in weight than Lot No. IV. One pound gain v/as made for 

 every 6.8 pounds of water-free food by Lot No. Ill and one pound 

 gain for every 6.9 pounds by Lot No, IV, The cost of food for 

 each pound gain made by Lot No. Ill was 7.2 cents and for Lot 

 No. IV, 7.8 cents. 



