398 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



These figures involved nearly 44,000 birds fed under 

 packing-house conditions, and represent a fair average for 

 birds of this weight. The stock used was of all sorts and 

 conditions. 



With smaller numbers and high-grade stock the producer 

 that sells dressed birds may secure greater and somewhat 

 more economical gains than are secured under packing-house 

 conditions. 



Pierce and Lippincott,* using a ration composed of: 



1 part ground corn 



X part ground oats (hulls removed) 



1 part ground barley (hulls removed) 



1 part beef scrap 



8 parts buttermilk 



which was fed to grade Barred Plymouth Rock cockerels 

 averaging between 3j and 3J pounds, seciured an average 

 gain for twelve birds of over 50 per cent, in a two-week 

 feeding period at a cost of less than 4^ cents per pound 

 gain in one test, and a trifle over 5 cents at the then pre- 

 vailing prices in the second test. The results in detail are 

 shown in Table XXXVIII. 



Bittenbender and Lippincott^ found that while the addition 

 of 5 per cent, mutton tallow or beef suet to a basal ration of 

 oat flour for crate fattening slightly increased the gains and 

 lowered the cost of gains a little, the flavor of the resulting 

 flesh was comparatively poor. When meat scrap formed 

 25 per cent, of the solid portion of the ration it imparted a 

 noticeably strong taste to the flesh. When the meat scrap 

 was replaced by corn meal the flavor of the flesh was ex- 

 cellent. It was also found that when green clover and char- 

 coal were put before the birds, two or three times a week, 

 they ate of them greedily, brightened up considerably after 

 each feeding, and consumed more of the regular ration. 



MitchelP tested rations containing varying proportions of 

 corn meal, low-grade flour, oat meal, pea meal, buckwheat 

 middlings, and wheat middlings, and found that their efii- 



' Unpublished data, Iowa State College. ' Ibid. 



' Missouri State Board of Agriculture Bulletin, vol. xi. No. 2. 



