6 BULLETIN 657, T. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



as flesh, depending upon the character of the ration and the animal. 

 It is the aim, when feeding to produce flesh, to deposit in that form 

 as much ms possible o^i the ration fed. 



Table 5. — Pounds of feed per pound of gain in live weight. 



Feeding 



period. 



Feed. 



Ration 

 A. 



Pounds. 

 16.08 



Ration 

 B. 



Ration 

 C. 



Days. 





Pounds. 

 3.28 

 4.93 



Pounds. 

 3.08 







4.61 



4 



Water 



20.06 







Total feed 









36. 14 



8.21 



7.69 











27.56 



3.34 

 5.01 



3.16 





Buttermilk (10 per cent solids) 



4.74 



8 



i Water 



34.37 







Total feed 









61.93 



8.35 



7.90 











17.64 



3.40 

 5.09 



3.10 







4.66 



11 



■ Water 



22.00 







Total feed 









MO. fit 



8.49 



7.76 











19.54 



3.55 

 5.33 



3.16 







4.75 



14 



i Water 



24.37 







Total feed 









43.91 



8.88 



7.91 









Table 5 shows that of Ration A 43.91 pounds were required to 

 produce a gain in weight of 1 pound. Of Ration B, 8.88 pounds were 

 required, and of Ration C, 7.91 pomids. Expressed differently, it 

 may be said that only 2.28 per cent of the wet feed of Ration A was 

 retained in the form of chicken flesh, while 11.26 per cent of Ration 

 B was so retained, and 12.64 per cent of Ration C (Table 6). 

 Table 6. — Percentage of 'wet feed retained as gain in live weight. 



Feeding 



Ration 



Ration 



Ration 



period. 



A. 



B. 



C. 



Da vs. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



4 



2.77 



12.18 



13.00 



8 



1.61 



11.97 



12.66 



11 



2.52 



11.77 



12.88 



14 



2.28 



11.26 



12. 64 



RATE OF GAIN. 



Practical experience has led many of the commercial chicken 

 feeders of the United States to feed young birds for a 14-day period. 

 Sometimes a shorter period is substituted, some feeders claiming that 

 the rate of gain decreases steadily in the second week. An analysis 

 of the data obtained during these experiments shows that in Ration B 

 there is a decrease in the amount of flesh deposited as compared with 

 feed consumed, 8.21 pounds of feed per pound of gain being required 

 during the first four days and 8.88 pounds during the last four days 

 of the 14-day period (Table 5). This does not hold, however, for 

 Ration C, which gives an evenly continuous utilization of feed 



