DITISIOy OF POULTRY 987 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTAL FARM, AGASSIZ, B.C. 



REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT, P. H .MOORE, B.S.A 



POULTRY. 



As reported last year, the poultrj^ work at this Farm was just reorganized, and a 

 capable man, in the person of Mr. V. Kuhn, was given charge of the details of the 

 work. Considerable progress has been made during the year and there is. now a good 

 foundation for future work. 



All the yards and paddocks have been put in good form, and three colony houses 

 for chick rearing have been built. In these, coupled with a few small, old ones, the 

 chicks for this year's work were raised. At the close of this year, four lighter and 

 more improved but cheaper colony hou^^es were built for the coming season's work. 



From this year's hatching, after culling very closely, there were 235 White Leg- 

 horn pullets and 24 Barred' Plymouth Rock pullets to put into the pens. All chickens 

 were raised on a clover range and were hopper-fed during the season. One pen of 

 twenty-four Barred Plymouth Rock was purchased locally. These were Avell grown, 

 useful birds, but not show birds. Another pen of eighteen Barred Plymouth Rocks also 

 purchased locally were not so well grown as either the Farm stock or the first pen 

 purchased, but they were a m'uch better type than the other pens. Twenty-nine year- 

 ling hens were selected from the White Leghorns on hand, and twelve cockerels were 

 kept for breeding. 



This made the flock of laying and breeding stock 342 birds. Besides these there 

 were a pen or two of Rhode Island Reds and off -type specimens of other breeds, which 

 were forced for eggs and sold as meat in the early spring. These being well matured, 

 just paid for their food with eggs, but they gained weight and brought a higher price 

 per pound than they would have if they had been sold in the autumn. This number 

 filled everj'^ available house on the plant. 



The experiments conducted were mostly of a general character, and any report 

 made will be one of progress rather than of results. A few other experiments were 

 started, but they are not far enough advanced to warrant any comment as yet. Until 

 another year we shall not have our stock uniform enough to allow many comparative 

 tests, and those reported this year should be read with thi^ point in mind. 



With the exception of two pens., the layers were fed a dry mash from hoppers, 

 and wheat, or wheat two-thirds and cracked corn one-third, in the litter. The corn 

 was mixed with the wheat in the late fall and fed during the cold or damp, cool weather 

 in winter. The dr.v mash con-isted of the following: — 



Lbs. 



Wheat bran 100 



"Wheat shorts 50 



Feed flour 50 



Fine cracked corn 200 



Giound oats 200 



Foy bean cake 50 



Beef scrap 50 



A small amount of skim-milk was fed during the winter, but the quantity avail- 

 able was not great. ]*.[angels were fed during the winter for green food. In the 

 spring the pullets had to be used for breeders, for only twenty-nine old hens were 

 kept. The results of the hatching work will be seen in the following tables.. 



