﻿THE COMMERCIAL FATTENING OF POULTRY. 15 



DETAILS CONCERNING THE FEEDING. 



LENGTH OF THE FATTENING PERIOD. 



No comparison can well be made from these tables between the 

 lots fed different lengths of time. For instance, in Experiment B 

 (Table 4) the 17-day lots show the cheapest gains, and the cost of gams 

 happened to increase as the length of the feeding period decreased; 

 but this was due either to the difference hi the weight of the birds or 

 to the time of the year when they were fed, and not to the number 

 of days fed. The small birds were fed for the longer feeding periods 

 and during the best weather for fattening, while the large birds were 

 fed for the shorter periods, during the poorest part of the feeding 

 season, which condition, produced the cheapest gains on the lots fed 

 for the longest feeding periods. The cost of gain on a given lot 

 increases directly with the length of the feeding period. 



In this experiment shortening the length of feeding earlier in the 

 fall would undoubtedly have cheapened the cost of gain, but as the 

 manager wanted to produce an especially fine quality of flesh, he 

 considered it advisable to feed for the longer period while the chickens 

 did well in the feeder. When the results showed that the lots were 

 losing by being kept on feed 14 days, the period was shortened as 

 quickly as possible without complicating the labor problem in the 

 packing house. This shows the need of planning for the increased 

 cost of gain in the fall, and preparing for it by shortening the length 

 of feeding previous to the period of low gains, as the labor can not 

 be handled economically if an abrupt change is made. 



Again, in Experiment C the best length of feeding period can not 

 be determined from a comparative study of the feeding, on account 

 of a variation in the size of the birds and in the weather conditions 

 for lots fed the same number of days. A comparison of the results 

 at the various stations shows that the common practice of feeding 

 broilers and springs for about 14 days during the first part of the 

 feeding season and separating the lots of roasters and broilers about 

 the middle of September, while gradually reducing the feeding 

 period of the roasters, is the most profitable practice, unless there is 

 a special reason for feeding the lots longer in the fall. 



FEEDING TWICE AS AGAINST THREE TIMES DAILY. 



Comparing the feeding results secured in Table 4 (Experiment B, 

 Station 1 ) with those in the other tables, we find that the feed at this 

 station was apparently more efficient than at any of the other sta- 

 tions. Practically the same gains were secured, both with less daily 

 consumption of feed and less feed per pound of gain. Various factors 

 might have influenced these results, but it would appear that by feeding 

 twice instead of three times daily the grain was used more efficiently 



