﻿26 BULLETIN 21, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



can successfully direct ordinary help which shows some adaptability 

 in feeding chickens and has had some experience in that work. 

 Under ordinary conditions such help, if well selected and properly 

 advised, may secure very good results; but in case of emergency, 

 such as an over-supply of chickens, or extremely hot or cold weather, 

 the expert manager easily proves his extra worth, as it is impossible 

 for the manager of the average poultry house to always be on hand 

 during such occasions. Conclusions drawn from the season's work 

 show that in these cases the cost of the expert labor, combined with 

 the different methods of handling the birds and the extra labor of 

 picking out sick birds and "cripples," made the labor cost per pound 

 of gain considerably higher than at any of the other stations, the average 

 cost of labor per 100 pounds of gain at the stations being $1.41 at 

 Station 3, $1.58 at Station 2, $1.75 at Station 4, and $2 at Station 1. 



GRADING POULTRY. 



Two grades of dressed poultry were made at Station 1 — fancy, or 

 No. 1, and choice, or No. 2 — with a very small per cent of culls which 

 are not included in these tables. The variation at this station for 

 each successive 20 lots was as follows, the figures given representing 

 the No. 2 grade: 7.9 per cent, 13.5 per cent, 13.4 per cent, 14.8 per 

 cent, 14.7 per cent, 12.8 per cent. 



Four grades were made at Station 4, classed as Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4. 

 The No. 1 grade included all fancy dressed poultry which plainly showed 

 the effect of milk feeding, particularly a bleach, which is so characteristic 

 of milk-fed poultry. The second grade was made up of well-bleached 

 poultry, not as well fleshed as the first grade or which had undesirable 

 market features, such as black or feathered legs, dark pin feathers, 

 or not neatly dressed. The third grade included the well-fleshed 

 birds, which were not well bleached, while the fourth grade bore the 

 same relation to the third as the second did the first. The per cent 

 of the several grades was as follows for each successive two weeks 

 during the season: No. 1, 39, 25, 21, 35, 39, 45, and 24; No. 2, 9, 6, 

 5, 8, 10, 10, and 8; No. 3, 35, 44, 49, 35, 34, 38, and 13; and No. 4, 

 17, 25, 25, 22, 17, 7, and 55. The per cent of fancy grades varied directly 

 with the per cent of gains in the feeding station, high gains producing 

 a large per cent of the No. 1 grade. 



SHRINKAGE IN DRESSING. 



The shrinkage in killing and picking without drawing at Station 1 

 averaged 11.4 per cent for lots 1 to 20; 13.5 per cent for lots 21 to 

 40; 13.4 per cent for lots 41 to 60; 14.3 per cent for lots 61 to 80; 

 15.4 per cent for lots 81 to 100; and 15.1 per cent for lots 101 to 113. 

 The lowest shrinkage was in the broilers, and gradually increased with 





