ANIMAL PEODUCTION. 



273 



tlie 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 3 vv-eeks there is less 

 danger of overfeeding on the variety ration." 



At the end of (i weeks all flocks were gradually accustomed to a fattening 

 ration, and the results are shown in the following table : 



Siuiiinanj per flock for 6 wcck.s of fattening. 



Ration. 



Cracked grain and bran 



Cracked grain 



Cracked grain, dry mash.. 



Dry mash 



Wet mash, powdered milk 



Wet mash, skim milk 



Variety ration 



All flocks 



Number 

 in fatten- 

 ing ex- 

 periment. 



90 

 85 

 97 

 94 

 107 

 102 

 110 

 G85 



Number 

 died in 

 (i weeks. 



Average 

 weight 

 chicks 



marketed. 



Pounds. 

 1.093 

 1.204 

 1.153 

 1.114 

 1.204 

 1.137 

 1.139 

 1.150 



Total 

 amount 

 food con- 

 sumed. 



Pounds. 

 250.8 

 243.1 

 201.4 

 260.8 

 280. G 

 271.4 

 286. 5 

 1,854.6 



Total 

 cost food 



con- 

 sumed. 



$5. 58 

 5.38 

 5.83 

 5.86 

 6.21 

 5.82 

 6.32 



41.00 



Total 

 cost 

 labor. 



Total 

 cost per 

 pound 



gain. 



$0. 108 

 .097 

 .094 

 .109 

 .107 

 .118 

 .113 

 .106 



Some of the conclusions drawn from marketing the chicks are as follows : 

 " Squab broilers are not profitably marketed in September and early October. 

 Dry picking of broilers by amateurs is too expensive as a market proposition. 

 Broilers should be of proper size to meet the demands of summer and fall 

 trade, which requires a dressed weight of a ]b., or of 1* lbs. each, to be served 

 whole in the former case as a squab broiler, or in halves in the latter instance. 



"The cost of rearing a chick to 6 weeks averaged $0,098 for all flocks, or 

 $9.80 per 100 chicks. The greatest cost per chick was in the cracked grain ra- 

 tion flock, $0,104, and the least in the variety ration flock, $0,094, a saving for 

 the variety ration of $1 on 100 chicks to 6 weeks old. . . . Since this experi- 

 ment was specifically a broiler-raising proposition, it would be impossible to de- 

 cide from this data which ration, of the 7 tested, would be best for rearing 

 laying stock." 



Feeding' and management of poultry for egg production, J. S. Jeffrey 

 (North Carolina Sfa. Bui. 211, pp. -'i3-6.'i, figs. 8). — A discussion of the requisites 

 for profitable egg production, with a report of experiments in feeding fowls from 

 which a number of conclusions are drawn, including the following: 



" The best i-esults in egg production during the first period were obtained 

 from the two pens fed a mash containing meat meal and bone meal. During 

 the second period the best results were obtained from the pens fed skim milk. 

 Rations which gave the lowest cost per hen for feeding did not give the greatest 

 profit per hen during either feeding period. . . . 



" Pullets were slower in developing and in coming to laying maturity on a 

 ration containing cottonseed meal than on one containing meat meal. Hens 

 did better than pullets on rations containing cottonseed meal ... As far as can 

 be judged from the work done, the main objection to cottonseed meal is its 

 lack of palatability. 



" High protein meat meal, although readily eaten by the fowls, did not give 

 satisfactory results either in egg production or development of the fowls. . . . 



" Hens fed skim milk during the second period not only laid more eggs at less 

 cost per dozen, but gained more in weight and came to molting time in better 

 condition than those on any other ration. 



" Bone meal did not seem to be as necessary when skim milk was fed, as 

 pens 13 and 24 gave good returns during the second period. The mash for 



