270 FEEDING 



upon the experience and judgment of the feeder. The 

 birds can be easily injured. It is also easy to get them off 

 their feed by lack of judgment as to the amount of feed 

 given them. The most practical method of putting an aver- 

 age flock into good condition is by pen or flock feeding. If 

 this does not produce enough flesh, they can be finished off 

 for two or three weeks in the crate. 



Commercial Fattening. — Some of the best poultry raised 

 in America are fattened for market in the large fattening 

 establishments of the Central West. The birds are low- 

 grade stock picked up on farms, especially in the South, 

 and shipped by the carload to fattening establishments. 

 Two or three weeks of forced feeding put the majority of 

 them into prime condition. When fat enough they are 

 dressed and shipped by cold storage to the centers of con- 

 sumption, New York City and Philadelphia being the 

 heaviest receiving points. The poultryman with only a 

 few birds to sell will find it to his advantage to fatten them 

 up. Plump birds are in greater demand, and bring a higher 

 price, and have a finer flavor, than poor ones, to say nothing 

 of their appearance. 



LABORATORY EXERCISE 



Exercise No. 67. — A Comparison of Flock and Crate Fat- 

 tening. — Secure ten nearly mature cockerels. Divide them 

 into two flocks. Allow one flock considerable yard room. 

 Confine the other flock in a very small area. A box or crate 

 will suffice. Feed both flocks according to the method sug- 

 gested for crate fattening. Weigh the flocks at the beginning 

 of the feeding period and each day for four weeks. Deter- 

 mine the efficiency of close confinement vs. some range. 

 At what time was the greatest gain in weight made? Keep 

 a record of the feed consumed and determine the efliciency 

 of the fattening process. Poor birds will show a greater 

 gain than fat ones. 



