ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 71 



Report of manager of poultry department W. R. Graham {Onlario Ayr. Col. 

 and Expt. Farm Rpt. 1902, pp. 1S9-146). — Brief statements are made regarding the 

 poultry kept at the station farm, the eggs laid, and related topics. Considerable 

 attention lias been given to hatching liens' eggs and ducks' eggs with incubators, very 

 poor results, it is stated, l)eing obtained with ducks' eggs. The desirable character- 

 istics for market poultry are also discussed and 3 feeding experiments are reported. 



In the first test different breeds were compared when fattened in crates under uni- 

 form conditions. Twelve Barred Plymouth Rock cockerels, weighing together 37 

 lbs., gained on an average 2.1 lbs. each in 4 weeks, requiring 3.2 lbs. of grain per 

 pound of gain. Eight high-grade Leghorns, weighing 18.25 lbs., made an average 

 gain per fowl of 1.28 lbs., the grain required per pound of gain being 3.4 lbs. The 

 ration fed to all consisted of barley meal, corn meal (oi chop) , shorts (or middlings), 

 finely ground oats, and animal meal 2:2:2:1:1 mixed with about 1.5 times its weight 

 of skim milk. 



In the second test the merits of cooked food only (rolled oats, barley, and corn 

 meal 2:1:1 fed with a cramming machine) was studied. In one instance 12 grade 

 Plymouth Rock cockerels, weighing together 35.75 lbs., were fed 103 lbs. of the 

 cooked feed (equivalent to a])0ut 34 lbs. of uncooked grain) in 2 weeks and made a 

 total gain of only 5 lbs. "At the end of the 2 weeks the birds were very thin and 

 sickly, their digestion being very bad. One of them died. The others were turned 

 out on a grass run, and 2 of them died the second day they were out. " The remainder 

 improved in health after a time. After a week on raw feed the cooked grain mix- 

 ture was given for 7 days to 12 Plymouth Rock chickens having a total weight of 62 

 lbs. They all lost in weight and 3 died. " The remaining 9 were placed on uncooked 

 food the next week, and made a gain in weight of more than three-quarters of a 

 pound each." 



When the cooked grain was fed to a lot of 200 chickens for a week the majority 

 lost in weight, although a few made small gains. A few of the best chickens were 

 marketed, but were in poor condition and the test was discontinued. . 



"The chief difficulty with the cooked food appears to be that it damages the 

 chicken's digestion. Some of the birds that were put on the grass run after being 

 fed on cooked food, [had] not recovered ... 3 weeks after being turned out. 

 Cooked food can, no doubt, be fed to advantage in conjunction with raw food, 

 but an all-cooked ration that is of a forcing nature appears to be entirely unsuitable 

 for fattening fowls. These chickens were practically a total loss. Those that were 

 turned loose never fully recovered." 



In the third test, using 8 lots of 20 chickens each, the relative value of a mixed 

 grain ration wet M'ith whey, with skim milk, and with water was studied. In 2 

 cases in which the ration was mixed with water, animal meal, equivalent in amount 

 to 12 per cent of the grain, was added before mixing. In one instance the grain and 

 skim milk ration was supplemented by milk. 



Considering the test as a whole, the lots fed grain mixed with skim milk, grain 

 mixed with 12 per cent animal meal wet with water, and grain wet with skim milk 

 and given milk to drink in addition made i)ractically the same gains, namely, 20.5 

 lbs. per lot on the first, and 20 lbs. per lot on the last 2 rations mentioned. The 

 smallest gain, 9 lbs., was made ])y the lot fed grain mixed with water. The grain 

 required per pound of gain ranged from 2.45 lbs. with the lot fed grain wet with 

 skim milk and given milk to drink in addition, to 7 lbs. in the case of the lot receiv- 

 ing the grain mixed with water. The cheapest gain, costing 3.9 cts. per pound, 

 was made with the former lot and the' most expensive, costing 9.8 cts., with the 

 latt<?r. 



The author's principal ccmclusions were in effect as follows: Where a white skin is 

 in demand for dressed poultry the skim-milk ration is the most satisfactory. The 

 most economical gain was made when skim milk was given to drink, in addition to 



4678— No. 1—03 6 



