REPORT OF TEE POULTRY MANAGER 219 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



It is not our purpose at the present time to discuss more fully tlie question of foods 

 and their functions in the animal economy, for that has already been done in the report 

 of the Chemical Division of the Expt. Farms for 1900, p. 166-7, to which the. reader 

 may be referred. Tb.ere are probably one or two points, however, in connection with 

 poultry feeding that might be einpliasized here. They are, first, the desirability of 

 variety in foods, and, secondly, the advisability of a certain amount of exercise. As to 

 the first of these, variety of food (apart from the question of quality) is essential towards 

 keeping the appetite keen, promoting digestion and maintaining health. This has been 

 demonstrated by the supplementary use of green food as furnished by the sodded run in 

 summer and beets, mangels, or cabbage in winter. Respecting the second, the value of 

 "exercise, it may be stated that assimilation must be preceded by digestion and that for 

 vigorous digestion in the fowl there must not only be grit supplied, but a strongly 

 muscular gizzard to do the grinding, which can only be developed by exercise. Further, 

 though the function of the gizzard i)roper is to grind the food, its first division, or 

 rather tlie part of the digest. ve track between the crop and the gizzard secretes a fluid of a 

 digestive \alue and is the true digestive stomach, and we may well suppose that this 

 important function can only normally proceed under normal conditions, which for poul- 

 try certainly include exercise.. The present investigation has, we are of opinion, fur- 

 nished data subtantiating this contention, for as will be seen further in this article, 

 chickens with a limited run made better use of their food towards flesh production than 

 those confined in coops which allowed no exercise. 



BREED TEST. 



To ascertain the relative merits of certain breeds for fattening. 



This comprised eight well knovrn breeds and a pen of crosses, as follows : Barred 

 Plymouth Rock, White Plymouth Rock, Faverolle, Silver-gray Dorking, Orpii gton, 

 Pdiode Island Red, White Indian Game, White Wyandotte, cross of Baried Plymouth 

 Rock and Light Brahma. The experiment was begun in June and continued for six 

 weeks. 



It was found impossible to obtain chickens for the whole series of exactly the same 

 age, but the majority — as wid been seen from the table — were two months old when 

 placed in the feeding pens. 



The chickens were fed in pens 8 by 14 feet (divisicfhs of the Farm Poultry House) 

 connected with outside runs 8 by 48 feet, partly sodded, partly gravelled, to which the 

 fowls had access throughout the day. The food, served twice a day, was placed in small, 

 water-tight, V-shaped troughs and onl)'- given in such quantity that it would be imme- 

 diately consumed. 



In this series whole grain (wheat) was fed as part (from ^ to ^, as a rule) of the 

 ration ; in subsequent experiments all the food was in the condition of meal, it beinf^ 

 found, as will be ^hown by one of our experiments, tliat ground grain gives more profi- 

 table returns for fattening birds. 



Ration — Ground oats 4 parts. ] 



Groi nd barley 3 „ V Protein ratio l:.3-94. 



Meat meal 1 m J 



Skim-milk Sufficient to make the 



whole into a ma5^h. 

 The mixture of oats, barley, and meat meal was valued at 1^ cents per pound. To 

 the skim-miik ihe value of 15c. per 100 lbs. was assigned. 



As stated, the above was supplemented by an evening feed of whole wheat, valued 

 at 1 1'^c. per lb. 



A strict account of all food consumed was kept and the chickens were wei-died at 

 the close of each week of the experiment. 



In table I. We present data respecting (1) breed, (2) age, (3) sex, (4) weight at 

 beginning of test and at end of each following week, (5) gain in live weight durin" the 

 six weeks, and (6) average gain per chicken per week. 



