90 POULTBY FEEDING AND FATTENING 



fill it for aljout every tliird bird. "When I had finished 

 the lot, some were heavier than wlicn originallj' put 

 in, and some were not. For the third lot, I bouglit 

 bolted corn meal "where previous]}- I had used common 

 coarse meal, and to the mixture of one-third bran and 

 two-thirds meal, I added a little charcoal. To my 

 surprise, the birds did much better tlian before. In 

 fact, they all gained, though some of them precious 

 little. Of tlie twenty-one birds, I lost seven. I was 

 so anxious to give them a square meal that I not only 

 filled the crop, but the windpipe also. 



I made more coops and kept at it, for the market- 

 men gave me great encouragement in the way of prices 

 for those I fattened, and I saw the good dellar ahead 

 if once I could cut out the loss. I kept losing birds, 

 Ijut at length I awoke to the fact that I was feeding 

 each bird the same amount of food. So I changed 

 about, and ganged the amount of feed by feeling of 

 the crop. The percentage of loss decreased perceptilDly, 

 and by constant patience and untiring energy I grad- 

 ually lessened that loss so that to-day it is about 

 nothing; in fact, with most lots, none at all, and in 

 cases where they do die it is a Ijird that was sickly at 

 time of cooping up. I now make better than $30 on 

 each 100 birds fattening three weeks. I have had lots 

 of birds gain three pounds or more, and the gTcater 

 number two pounds, the first two weeks. The birds 

 never look more healthy than when they are ready for 

 market. Their feathers are sleek, their combs red, their 

 eyes bright, and tliey are well filled out. They gen- 

 erally bring six cents per pound more than other 

 chickens. 



With regard to the coops, it took but one lot to 

 convince mo that there should lie a part of the bottom 

 left off at tlie back for the drojipings to' go through, 

 otlierwise it made an unsightly mess. I have the coops 



