POULTRY 



659 



ter gains were made on the meat ration 

 than on the all vegetable ration. 



The West Virginia station reports an 

 experiment in which grain and green 

 bone was fed in comparison with grain 

 alone for broilers. In 120 days the gain 

 on the green bone ration averaged 3.8 

 pounds per fowl and 1.92 pounds per 

 fowl on grain ration alone. 



Age affecting gains — Chicks three 

 months old at the Michigan station 

 made a pound of gain for each 2V2 

 pounds of grain fed. From about four 

 and one-half months old it requires 5.8 



Fattening chicks in crates — The Eng- 

 lish fatten chicks extensively in crates 

 just large enough to hold three or four 

 birds. The bottoms are slatted and 

 raised up off the ground for purposes of 

 cleanliness. In a test of this method at 

 the Maine station, the gains were not 

 quite so rapid as when the chicks were 

 allowed more liberty in small yards and 

 less labor was required in feeding them. 



Sometimes when crate feeding is 

 practiced, the chicks are removed from 

 the crate and fed with a cramming ma- 

 chine. The chickens will stand cram- 



Fig. 416 — CAPONS DRESSED FOR MARKET 



to 6.6 pounds to produce a pound of 

 gain. Chicks at the Maine station 95 

 days old gained 1.4 pounds in 21 days, 

 1.7 pounds in a month, and 2.3 pounds 

 in 35 days. With birds 161 days old, at 

 the Michigan station it cost from 14 to 

 15 cents to produce a pound of gain, 

 while birds 100 to 130 days old cost for 

 a pound of gain 5 to 8 cents. Plymouth 

 Rocks made the most rapid gains of a 

 number of breeds tested for over seven 

 years at the Canada experimental farm. 

 Under forced feeding pure breeds made 

 more rapid and cheaper gains than 

 scrubs at this farm. 



ming from 10 days to two weeks and 

 under this method will fatten very rapid- 

 ly. In 10 days at the Ontario agricul- 

 tural college 25 chickens in pens ate 40 

 pounds of grain and 40 pounds of milk 

 and gained 5 pounds. Another like lot 

 fed with a cramming machine consumed 

 50 pounds of grain and 10 pounds of 

 milk and gained V-fa pounds. The 

 crammed chickens brought 3 cents a 

 pound more on the market, being 

 plumper and more attracticve. 



Caponizing — This method of handling 

 cockerels by castrating is not extensive- 

 ly practiced in the United States. The 



