POULTRY FEEDS AND FEEDING 



and by the lack of something to do. In some cases it is 

 probably brought about by allowing the birds to become 

 too hungry due to irregularity in the time of feeding. If 

 this vice becomes widespread it is difficult to stop and may 

 result in big losses in a fattening station. A chicken 

 which is being picked, if not removed from the crate, 

 will stand still and allow the other chickens to pick it to 

 pieces. The chickens which are picked should be removed 

 from the crates just as soon as noticed, and if only slight- 

 ly picked may be dressed for market but make an unde- 

 sirable grade of dressed poultry. No absolute remedy for 

 this vice has been found but the use of rations containing 

 a large proportion of milk and the use of care to see that 

 the chickens always have plenty of feed have been found 

 beneficial. The addition of about 4 pounds of salt to the 

 feed or 10,000 chickens may be of some help in preventing 

 feather and flesh picking. 



Grit is not usually fed in fattening chickens commer- 

 cially as sufficient grit is available to carry the chickens 

 through the short fattening period. If the birds show 

 any tendency to go off feed it is advisable to materially 

 cut down their feed and to furnish them with some grit. 



LENGTH OF FATTENING PERIOD 



Chickens are usually fattened from 6 to 17 days under 

 commercial conditions, the length of time depending on 

 the size and price of the chickens and on the weather. 

 Early in the season the small chickens are fattened for 

 the longest periods, usually from 13 to 17 days, and they 



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