Si£vi:n Mkthods of Fkedinc Youxg Chickens. 559 



In feeding the wet-mash rations and the variety ration, great care 

 must be taken that the chicks are not overfed, and that they do not 

 get spoiled or moldy food. After the first three weeks, there is less 

 danger of overfeeding on the variety ration. 



IV. FATTENING EXPERIMBNT FOR SUBSEQUENT SIX WEEKS* 



At the end of six weeks the account of each flock was closed and 

 each was put on the fattening ration. In order that there should be 

 no ill effect from a sudden change of ration, the chicks were at first 

 given their accustomed food with a small proportion of the fattening 

 food, the latter being gradually increased until at the end of the first 

 week, when the chicks were seven weeks old, they were having only 

 the fattening ration. 



The ration 

 The fattening ration was as follows : 

 Ground food — 



Ground hulled oats i part (by weight) 



Com meal i " 



Ground buckwheat i ** 



Cracked grain mixture — 



Cracked hulled oats i * 



Cracked com 2 " 



Cracked wheat 3 



u 



The chicks were given one feeding per day of the cracked grain scat- 

 tered in the litter, and two feedings per day of the ground food mixed 

 with sour skimmed milk until crumbly but not wet. Grit and beef 

 scrap were fed in hoppers. 



Effect of ration 



Flocks 55 (cracked grain, bran) and 56 (cracked grain) readily accepted 

 the new ration. Flock 57 (cracked grain, dry mash) became accus- 

 tomed to it after the second week, and 58 (dry mash) ate readily after 

 the third week of fattening. Flocks 59 (powdered milk mash), 60 

 (skimmed milk mash), and 61 (variety ration) never liked the ground 

 feed of the fattening ration. The chicks which had previously been 

 given no wet mash were eager for the moist food, and those which had 

 been accustomed to the wet mash were eager for the cracked grain. 



♦ This part of the experiment was in charge of A. T. Moir, Assistant in Poultry 

 Husbandry. 



