266 



Poultry Rearing and Fattening. 



[AUG., 



ing period. Through the courtesy of the manager of the 

 society in question, I am enabled to give a table of figures 

 showing the results of some experiments which have recently 

 been made with a view to ascertaining the value of various 



foods for fattening : — 



Coop 

 No. 



Number 

 of 



Cockerels. 



Weight 



on 

 1st day. 



Weight 



on 

 Uth day. 



Weight 



on 

 2 1st day. 



Total 

 increase 

 in 



21 days. 



Foods Used. 







lb. oz. 



lb. oz. 



lb. oz. 



lb. oz. 





I 



6 



24 2 



28 8 



32 12 



8 10 



Equal parts barley meal, 

 ground oats, and fine 

 sharps, wet with skim 

 milk ; and one ounce 

 of fat each day per 

 bird for last seven 

 days. 



2 



6 



24 6 



28 8 



31 6 



7 0 



Equal parts ground oats 

 and Indian meal, wet 

 with skim milk ; and 

 one ounce of fat per 

 bird, each day for last 

 seven days. 



3 



6 



24 4 



29 10 



34 2 



9 14 



One part ground oats, i 

 one part Indian meal, 

 and two parts barley ; 

 meal, wet with skim j 

 milk ; and one ounce 

 of fat per day to each 

 bird for last seven 

 days. 



4 



6 



24 2 



27 0 



3° 4 



6 2 



Equal parts ground oats 

 and Indian meal, wet . 

 with water ; and one 

 ounce of fat per day 

 to each bird for last 

 seven days. 



For these trials the birds selected were of mixed breeds, such 

 as I have described as common in the south-east of Ireland, 

 and they were all cockerels, in good health, and as nearly as 

 possible uniform in size and weight. It may be noted that the 

 cockerels in coop No. 3 increased in weight by over i| lb- 

 each in the twenty-one days, whilst those in coop No. 4 

 increased by only 1 lb. each. The difference is probably 

 attributable mainly to the fact that the one lot had food mixed 

 with milk, whilst the other got no milk, but had the food mixed 

 with water. The gain in weight by coops Nos. 1 and 2 must be 



