REPORT OF THE POULTRY MANAGER 



227 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Table VIII. — Pen versus Crate. 



No. 7 — Silver-Gray Dorking. No. 8 — Barred Plymouth Rock, 



Barred Plymouth Roch. — Commenced October 19, age of chickens (all cockerels) 

 three months. Experiment continued for six weeks. 



The six chickens in the crates, though weighing 1 lb. 5 oz. more at the beginning 

 of the experiment than the six fed in the pen, weighed 2 lb. 8| oz. less than the latter 

 birds at the end of the feeding period, six weeks. In other words, the birds in the pen 

 made an aggregate gain of 3 lbs. 13| oz. more than the crate birds. 



Dividing the total increase in weight into the cost of the food consumed, we find in 

 the case of the pen-fed birds 5-7 cents as the cost per pound of increase, while for the 

 crate-fed birds this cost was 6-8 cents. 



Both tests, it will be observed, have from the standpoint of economical feeding, 

 given marked results in favour of pen fattening. 



Proportion of Edible and Non-edible parts, calculated on weight of chickens as killed. 



All the birds were excellent table fowl, but the pen-fed presented the finer appear- 

 ance as to colour and size. Though it was difficult for some of those who tested tlie 

 dressed meat to note any difference as regards juiciness, the majority considered the 

 pen-fed fowl as the better in this respect. 



lG-151 



