88 POULTRY FEEDING AND I-'ATTENING 



tened. But after fattened it Ti'OTild sell for at least 

 four cents more per pound than before fattened. In 

 the first instance at twelve cents per pound, forty-eight 

 cents; in the second ninety-six cents; but cost of feed 

 for three weeks is twelve and one-half cents, cost of 

 time three and one-half cents, leaving a net profit of 

 thirty-two cents. 



It is but the difference between actual cost and 

 selling price that must be considered in business, and 

 this is the real reason why the cramming machine is 

 of such benefit to poultrymen. 



I started fattening by cramming, because I had 

 known from many years' experience that much of my 

 market poultry was not in condition to command the 

 highest price. Furthermore, a market poultryman who 

 was in a position to know told me that if one could 

 fatten poultry successfully by cramming, there was more 

 money in that line than in any other, as there was 

 always a dearth of fancy poultry in the market. I 

 finally started to make a cramming machine, but had 

 no literature on the subject, nor anything to go by. 

 From a coffee pot and a baking powder can, I rigged 

 up a reservoir and cylinder for holding feed. A spout 

 was soldered to the can and a stout wire with a cap 

 used for a plunger. This was connected to a foot lever 

 forcing out the feed. 



I constructed a coop with the front and partitions 

 of wire, divided into seven stalls, and put in seven birds. 

 These were fed on one-third bran and two-thirds coar-^e 

 corn meal, but they did not gain in weight. The pump 

 broke many times, and it was changed this way and that 

 until finally perfected. It took longer to feed these 

 seven birds than it does now to feed 300. 



Before the next lot of birds was put in, the coops 

 were changed somewhat, and the windows darkened. 

 I got the pump to working better, but had to stop and 



