FEEDING CHICKS FROM WEANING TO MATURITY 



67 



[Purdue Experiment Station Report on Feed Consumed by 

 White Plymouth Rocks in Growing Period 



At the Purdue University Agr. Experiment Station 

 La Fayette, Ind., in 1916 and 1917, records of the consump- 

 tion of feed and of the weights of White Plymouth Rock 

 chickens at intervals during the entire growing period 

 were kept for two large lots 'of chickens, nearly 200 being 

 in the first experiment, and about 250 in the second. The 

 chickens in each case were kept all together while the}' 

 required brooding. When they no longer needed heat, 

 the pullets were placed in one lot and the cockerels it. 

 another, about one-third of the cockerels having been 

 caponized. The records for the cockerels were kept for 

 24 weeks. At the end of that time those m the first ex- 

 periment averaged 6.4 pounds each; those in the second 

 experiment 6.46 pounds each. The capons were kept until 

 41 weeks old, and averaged to weigh when sold in the 

 first experiment, 9.91 pounds; in the second, 9.37 pounds. 

 The records for the pullets were kept for 28 weeks, at 

 which age about half of them were laying and the average 

 weight was: in the first experiment, 5.56 pounds; in the 

 second, 5.73 pounds. 



Considering the numbers of birds involved the re- 

 sults in these two experiments are remarkably uniform 

 and the weights show good work on the part of the 

 grower. Both in these figures and in those in the pre- 

 ceding report, it should be noted that, with the averages 

 as given, a great many individual birds are considerably 

 above the average, and of course about an equal num- 

 ber considerably below it. 



CON)*rMPTION OP DIFFERENT FEEDS IX POUNDS 

 PER BIRD 



Cock'ls Capons 



8.44 



t Experiment No. 1 1916 



Feed Chicks Pullets 



Cracked corn ........................ 1.44 



Cracked wheat ...................... 0.19 



Whole wheat .......................... 1.25 



Steel cut oats ...................... 0.19 



Ground oats .......................... 0.24 



Shorts ...................................... 0.24 



Bran ......................................... 0.24 



Corn meal .............................. 0.24 



Meat scraps ........... 1 ................ 0.24 



Milk .......................................... 7.6 



Charcoal .................................. 0.08 



Grit ............................................ 0.1 



Ground bone .......................... 0.08 



Corn .. 



1.1 

 1.5 



15 

 1.5 

 0.8 



17.0 

 0.1 

 0.1 

 0.1 



10.2 



7.75 



!L~35 

 1.46 

 1.46 

 1.46 

 1.14 

 15.87 

 0.10 

 008 

 0.06 

 7.77 



10.5 



o'.'i'i 



2.38 

 1.61 

 3.10 

 0.91 



31.70 

 0.09 

 0.19 

 0.19 



12.00 



The full amount of feed consumed by each pullet in 

 28 weeks is found by adding the figures in the columns 

 for chicks and for pullets; the full amount for the cockerels 

 for 24 weeks, by adding the figures in the columns for 

 chicks and for cockerels; and the full amount for the 

 capons for 41 weeks by adding to the figures for cock- 

 erels those in the column for capons. The figures in the 

 column for pullets show the average consumption for 

 each pullet from the time of weaning at 9 weeks, to the 

 age of 28 weeks, the time they were on the range. The 

 figures in the column for cockerels show the average con- 

 sumption of each cockerel, and of each capon, from 9 to 

 24 weeks. The figures in the column for capons show the 

 average consumption of each capon from 24 to 41 weeks. 

 None of the figures include green feed of which the birds 

 consumed large quantities on range. 



Experiment No. 2 1917 



Feed Chicks Pullets Cock'ls Capons 



Cracked corn 2.3 4.7 



Cracked \vheat 0.1 



Whole wheat 0.92 3.4 2.6 2 8 



Steel cut oats 0.1 



Ground oats 1.32 



Shorts 0.4J> 1.6 1.8 2.74 



Bran 0.49 1.6 1.8 1.42 



Corn meal 3.97 



Meat scraps 0.24 1.0 1 1 0.8 



Milk 6.54 30.6 15.4 50.5 



Charcoal 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.02 



Grit 0.06 0.08 04 0.18 



Ground bone 0.05 0.2 0.1 0.22 



Corn 5.2 6.45 



Prepared feed 7.45 7.0 2.8 



Whole oats .. 1.89 14.76 



These two experiments are especially interesting and 

 valuable because of the remarkable uniformity of results 

 secured with quite different rations. As will be noted, the 

 second experiment was made in the year 1917 when war 

 conditions were sending prices of feeds up and making 

 it difficult to get feeds. The ordinary rations used for 

 chicks at Purdue are given in Nos. 10 and lOa in the 

 lists of rations for chicks in this book. As to feeding in 

 the latter part of the 1917 season the report says: 

 "During the summer months the grain rations were 

 changed to meet the feed-cost conditions. When the prices 

 of corn and wheat became so high, a prepared scratch 

 feed was purchased in large quantities; later, oats were 

 used as the only grain. When new corn became available, 

 soft corn on the cob was purchased at a reasonable price, 

 and used as grain. During the last three weeks of both 

 experiments the capons were fed a wet mash to insure 

 a good finish." 



Ontario Experiment Station Report of Feed Consumed by 

 Growing Chicks 



"We were able in 1909 to keep an exact record of the 

 birds grown in a pasture field and of those grown in an 

 orchard. The chicks in the pasture field were hatched 

 during the first two weeks in May. Three hundred and 

 forty-five birds were grown to maturity or to a size 

 suitable for fattening. We began to remove the cock- 

 eiels from the fields to the fattening pens on August 25th ; 

 The pullets and cockerels held for breeders were all taken 

 from the field by the 22nd of October. The breeds were 

 Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks, Leghorns, etc. 

 They consumed 4,304 pounds of grain; of this about one- 

 third would be dry mash, nearly 300 pounds chick feed, 

 and the balance wheat, corn, and hulled oats in the pro- 

 portion of two and a half, two, and one. There was five 

 per cent of beef scrap added to the dry mash. The birds 

 were weighed when taken from the field, weighing 1,341 

 pounds, or one pound of chicken representing 3.2 pounds 

 of grain. Some of the breeding cockerels weighed over 

 seven pounds, and the Leghorn pullets did not average 

 three pounds in weight. We removed most of the cock- 

 erels at about three and one-half pounds weight, or when 

 they would fatten most economically. 



"The chickens reared in the orchard varied more in 

 age. The first were hatched on the 25th of April and the. 

 last on July 6th. Most of the birds were hatched in May. 

 We sold 218 as broilers from this lot during July. The 

 later cockerels were removed to the fattening crates as 

 was done with those grown in the pasture field. Most of 

 the pullets were taken out about the first of October, and 

 by the first of November practically all had been re- 

 moved with the exception of about 100; these were cock- 

 erels held as breeders, and the July chicks. We raised 

 in this field 733 chickens at a cost of 8,649 pounds of 

 grain. A pound of chicken equaled 3.34 pounds of grain, 

 or nearly the same as. the pasture-field chickens. The 

 figures mean that a farmer can in his field raise a four- 

 pound cockerel for thirteen or fourteen pounds of grain." 



What the Average Farm Flock of Chicks Can Get From 

 Farm Range 



In both of the above instances the flocks of chickens 

 were larger, and also more limited for range in one sense 

 than the average farm flock which roams where it 

 pleases. These experimental flocks had good range, as far 

 as vegetable and animal feed supplies were concerned, but 

 got little or no grain from their range. At the Ontario 

 Station the chickens are given new land each year, land 



