POULTRY FEEDS AND FEEDING 



are fed from 7 to 14 days from the troughs as in crate 

 fattening, and are then crammed twice daily from 7 to 

 10 days until they begin to go off feed, when they are 

 marketed. The operator gauges the proper amount of 

 feed to force into the chicken by holding his hand on its 

 crop. If the crop is not almost or entirely empty at the 

 next feeding time the bird is not given any additional 

 feed. The rations with milk advised for crate fattening 

 can be used to good advantage in cramming, but the 

 feed should be made thinner for the latter purpose, mix- 

 ing it to the consistency of cream. 



BEST TIME TO MARKET POULTRY 



It usually pays the poultry keeper best to sell his 

 poultry as soon as it is in shape for market. Leghorns 

 are usually sold most profitably as small broilers weigh- 

 ing from one to two pounds. The early broilers from 

 any of the breeds bring the highest prices while later in 

 the season it may pay to keep the chickens for roasters 

 if one has sufficient room and a good range. The pro- 

 duction of broilers and roasters is as a rule a side issue 

 to the raising of pullets; therefore the prime object 

 should be to give the pullets the best possible growing 

 conditions, which usually makes it necessary to sell the 

 cockerels as broilers. 



On general farms or poultry farms where a large 

 amount of good range is available and where there is 

 possibility of picking up a considerable amount of waste 

 food, it may and often does pay to keep chickens up to 



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