Journal of Agriculture . [8 Jan., 1908. 



coop did much better than those in the open, while those fed on mangolds 

 and ground oats were the slowest to improve. The birds fed in the 

 regular way gained about if lbs. each. About 3,000 chickens were fat- 

 tened at the Experimental Station, and the average cost for each pound 

 of flesh gained was slightly over 3d. per lb. 



An ex2:)eriment at Reading (England) made by Professor Brown pro- 

 vides some very interesting figures on the cost of rearing. Four lots of 

 chickens were chosen, numbering 30 White Wyandottes, 30 Faverolles, 30 

 Buff Orpingtons, and 30 cross breds (15 Houdan and Buff" Orpington 

 cross, and 15 Indian Game and Buff" Orpington cross). The test started 

 from the time the chickens were hatched, and during the whole period the 

 birds were all kept under exactly the same conditions. For the first eight 

 weeks thev were fed on cracked wheat, canarv seed, millet, dari, 

 cracked maize, hemp seed, buckwheat, rice, meat, grit, &c. The birds 

 were treated naturallv all through, and when thev were 5 weeks old they 

 were removed from the brooders and placed in houses without perches, 

 remaining there until the end of the test, which lasted 13 weeks. 



NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL METHODS OF FATTENING POULTRY. 



An interesting point is the comparison of the weights of the birds of 

 each breed at the end of each successive week, as gi'"en in the following 

 table. It will be seen that there was very great \'ariation in the growth in 

 different weeks, although generally speaking, there were similar fluctuations 

 in growth by all the breeds in the same Aveeks. Thus the fourth week was 

 a period of considerable growth in each case; again the eighth week was 

 marked by a great increase in weight, while comparatively small increases 

 occurred in the first three weeks, and in the fifth, sixth, and seventh weeks. 

 From the table we find that whilst in pure-breds, both Faverolles and Buff 

 Orpingtons started with a smaller weight than the White Wyandottes, after 

 the ninth week they forged ahead, and stood above at the end of the 

 period. Nearly all the time the cross-breds were in the rear, although there 

 were no deaths amongst them. (One bird in each of the other sections died 

 during the test.) 



