﻿THE COMMERCIAL FATTENING OF POULTRY. 25 



MIXING MACHINES AND OTHER LABOR-SAVING DEVICES. 



The horizontal mixing machine described in Bureau of Animal 

 Industry Bulletin 140 was improved by adding one-third more blades. 

 After this change had been made the feed was mixed more quickly, 

 and the operator could put the dry grain directly into the feeder 

 without previous mixing. Another mixer installed at Station 3 was 

 made on the same plan as the previous machine, except that the 

 blades were arranged as a spiral on the shaft so that in mixing the 

 feed worked toward the center from either end. A mixing machine 

 is a good investment when one is fattening a large number of chick- 

 ens. The use of labor-saving mechanical devices in fattening sta- 

 tions has enabled one man to care for 4,000 to 5,000 birds. Results 

 secured at these stations show that mechanical features can be used 

 to good advantage in handling poultry commercially, provided the 

 stations are kept clean. Mechanical features, besides saving greatly 

 in the amount of labor, make it possible to use unskilled help in a 

 fattening station. Similar features might be used to good advantage 

 in handling poultry under commercial conditions other than fattening. 



ADVANTAGE OF THE PORTABLE FEEDING BATTERY. 



On comparing the results in 1911 at Station 1 (Experiment B), 

 where stationary batteries were used, with those secured at the other 

 stations, we find that the average pound of gain was produced with 

 the smallest amount of feed (3.33 pounds) in this experiment, while 

 the lowest cost of gain was made in Experiment C, due largely to the 

 differences in the price of milk. The cost of labor (per pound gain) 

 in Experiment B averaged considerably higher than at any other 

 station. This increased cost was due to the method of handling the 

 chickens, as the stationary feeding battery involves more handling of 

 the birds than the portable feeding battery (described in Bulletin 

 140) ; also to the fact that the manager of this feeding station was a 

 higher paid man than the other managers, and to the cost of an extra 

 man employed to go through the batteries daily, or every day during 

 the poor feeding season in October, November, and December, to 

 remove all the birds "off feed" or sickly. The portable feeding bat- 

 tery unquestionably saves labor and eliminates some of the bruising 

 of the birds caused by rehandling where stationary batteries are 

 used. 



EXPERT LABOR. 



An expert manager, who is paid higher wages than the regular 

 labor about a feeding station, is a necessity in the average feeding 

 station, unless the manager of the packing house understands how 

 to fatten chickens and watches the work closely enough so that he 



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