﻿18 BULLETIN 21, U. S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGEICULTUKE. 



A ration consisting of 60 per cent steel-cut oats, 40 per cent corn 

 meal, with three-fourths of a pound of tallow and half a pound of 

 fresh meat per 100 head daily, mixed with buttermilk, gave very 

 good results, producing extremely fat chickens. The oats were soaked 

 in buttermilk a couple of hours before feeding. 



A test was made of cooked meal obtained by adding boiling water 

 to corn meal and allowing this mixture to stand for 12 hours. Some 

 condimental foods were added to this feed, and milk was kept before 

 the birds during the day, but the results were not particularly satis- 

 factory. 



Another test was made with low-grade flour in place of the steel-cut 

 oats, and this produced almost as high gains at $2 less cost per 100 

 head on feed. Table or cottonseed oil which cost 45 to 55 cents per 

 gallon was tried in place of tallow. Chopped green alfalfa was added 

 to the ration, but alfalfa has a tendency to color the flesh if fed up to 

 killing time. None of these extra feeds appear to be either necessary 

 or economical. 



THE FEED AS AFFECTED BY CHANGES IN THE WEATHER. 



The milk was heated before mixing with the feed at the different 

 stations as soon as the weather turned cold in the fall. The consist- 

 ency of the feed depends greatly on the weather. During hot weather 

 the mixture should be made so that it will run rather than drip. Ih 

 cooler weather it can be mixed with less milk to good advantage, but 

 should drip freely. When thick condensed buttermilk is used, the 

 feed can be mixed to a thicker consistency than with ordinary butter- 

 milk. The monthly average of the per cent o*f buttermilk to total 

 feed at Station 1 (Experiment B) was as follows: July, 67 per cent; 

 August, 70 per cent; September, 68 per cent; October, 65 per cent, 

 and November, 66 per cent. The daily variation in the per cent of 

 milk was quite marked, especially in July and August. 



NUMBER OF BIRDS JN EACH COMPARTMENT. 



From 8 to 12 birds were placed in each compartment of the portable 

 batteries at Stations 2, 3, and 4. Twelve birds were too many, as the 

 birds scratched each others' backs through attempting to feed at the 

 same opening. Ten birds gave good satisfaction at all of the stations, 

 but 8 birds seemed to do better at Station 4 during hot weather. Ten 

 birds in a compartment allows nine-tenths of a foot of floor space per 

 bird in the battery. Later in the season, when the birds were larger, 

 only 8 birds were placed in each compartment. Batteries of the size 

 mentioned (2 feet 4 inches wide by 3 feet 1 inches long) will hold 80 

 broilers or medium-sized springs or 64 large springs or roasters with- 

 out crowding, but in very hot weather it may pay to place only 64 

 head in each battery, if enough floor space is available. 



