DIVISION OF POULTRY 973 



r 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



No. 5. The remainder showed relative high gains as follows: 14, 13, 17, 18, 2, 1, 8, 

 6, and 3. 



The cheapest gains, according to the number of pounds required to make one 

 pound of gain were: First, No, 14, requiring 3-4 pounds of feed for 1 pound of gain. 

 Then came Nos. 13 and lY equal, with, 3-9 pounds of feed to make a pound of gain, 

 after this No. 18, with 4-5 pounds each, and No. 1 with 4-Y pounds. 



The most palatable foods were Nos. 13, 14, 17, 18, 2, and 1 in order named, and 

 the most unpalatable were the mustards and the lambs quarter. In fact, any ration 

 that contained either of the mustards in small or large proportion, or the lambs 

 quarter, if not boiled, were so distasteful that the birds would not eat them until after 

 they had been crammed, and then only sparingly. 



Unfortunately only a small sample of feed in the case of rations Nos. 9 and 10 

 (mustard) and 13 and 14 (wild buckwheat) were supplied, but in both instances it was 

 ample to prove its purpose. 



On the mustards the birds failed so rapidly that it was tiseless to continue the 

 feeding of this ration beyond the time stated. 



And in the case of wild buckwheat, Nos. 13 and 14, the gains were so pronounced 

 and the birds so voracious for the feed that there was no disputing the desirability of 

 the ration for fattening or fleshing. 



On ration No. 4 one bird died on the seventh day, and feeding was discontinued 

 on this account, the ration being palpably unsatisfactory. Ration No. 5 proved equally 

 so, one bird dying on the fifth day, when the feeding of the mixture was stopped. 



In the instance of No. 15, the feed was discontinued on the eleventh day on 

 account of the death of one bird and the result of continuing further being obvious. 



We note, however, from the pathological analysis that in no instance did death 

 result from " poison," but rather from mal-nutrition. 



And although the mustards, Nos. 9 and 10, were so strong as to scald or blister 

 the human skin the birds kept in fairly good health and were the speediest to recover 

 and put on flesh when their feed was changed. 



The difl'erent pens were kept on their respective diets for periods that were con- 

 sidered sufiicient to prove their value or otherwise, and were then, if necessaiy, brought 

 back to their good health and marketable fitness on a fattening ration of equal parts 

 corn meal and ground oats mixed with skim-milk. 



It was remarkable to note in this stage of the feeding that the birds that suffered 

 most severely, or where the ration might have been expected to prove fatal, as in the 

 case of the mustards, the " rebound " was very rapid. 



It was clear that the mustards, far from being poisonous, had had a stimulating 

 effect on the digestive organs. No harm was therefore done in feeding the screenings, 

 either collectively or individually, though no profit would accrue in some instances. 

 The gains, however, were remarkable in the case of Nos. 13 and 14, and if it is 

 possible to obtain screenings in some parts of the West where wild buckwheat pre- 

 dominates or exists in large quantities, it is no doubt an excellent medium for the 

 preparation of a fattening ration of undeniable usefulness. 



Where it was possible to obtain an opinion on the merits of the different rations, 

 as to their effect on the palatability of the meat for human consumption, it was 

 reported that though in some eases there was a marked difference in flavour, in no 

 case was it actually objectionable. 



Nos. 13 and 14 again show up advantageously in this respect as no noticeable 

 difference could be traceable from this ration, the flavour of the meat being apparently 

 quite satisfactory. 



It is evident that where the small " black seeds " were eliminated, as in No. 1, 

 scalpings, the ration is both palatable and fulfils its mission, and can be fed very 

 profitably on account of its low cost. 



Ottawa. 



16—03 



