TO FINISH AND UUESS CAPONS 69 



"Chickenf? and capons can be fattened to best 

 advantage by confining them in small coops for three 

 or four weeks previous to killing. The ordinarj' coops 

 used for fattening purposes are made six and one-half 

 feet long b}' sixteen inciies square, inside measurement. 

 Each crate is divided into three compartments and each 

 compartment usually holds four chickens. The crates 

 are made of slats about one and one-half inches wide 

 and one-half inch thick. The slats run lengthwise of 

 the coop on the top, bottom and back, the front being 

 upright, with a small door arranged in each compart- 

 ment. This coop we have found easily cleaned and 

 convenient. Small T-shaped troughs are arranged in 

 front, from which the fowls are fed and watered. All 

 our experiments tend to show that this is the best way 

 to fatten fowls. They do better than when at large, 

 or when confined to small pens. 



''The feed should be of ground grain dampened 

 with skimmilk or meat broth. Of eight different 

 rations tried here for fattening purposes, we have found 

 the following two the best: (a) Two parts ground 

 corn, two parts ground buckwheat and one part fine 

 ground oats, all by weight; (&) two pounds ground 

 corn, two parts ground oats and two parts cooked pota- 

 toes, all by weight. Ration a is relished by the birds 

 and has made more rapid gains than bj but b ration 

 is less expensive and has produced gain at a less cost 

 per pound, while a has produced the most gain. la 

 districts where buckwheat can be i^urchased for about 

 thirty-five to forty cents per bushel, a would be a very 

 advantageous ration to use. 



"Our method is to feed these rations from the 

 small V-shaped trough for two weeks, after which the 

 birds are forced by the use of the cramming machine. 

 The machine-feeding lasts for about ten days. Kice, 

 plump, fat chickens can be produced without the 



