1907.] The Value of Poultry Manure. 



721 



It is interesting to note that the manurial products in com- 

 parison with the weight of body in each case for one week work 

 out thus : — 



A. Produced manure equal to 26-3 per c.nt. of body weight. 



^' " 5' 29-5 



„ „ „ 30-8 „ 



D. 52'2 .-■ 



from which it will be seen that where fattening foods are used 

 there is a great increase of manure, and, as shown below, not 

 alone in the shape of moisture, as the excrement is richer thin 

 under ordinary conditions. 



The figures with reference to D would oii'y ap^ly to a very 

 short period, as such birds are as a rule not fattened for more 

 than three weeks. But tho£e relating to A, B, and C . enable 

 us to form an estimate as to the annual production, although 

 that might be modified to some extent by the season of ihe 

 year, but in the tests made at three periods the differences were 

 small. Taking the two birds which would be ref.resentative of 

 breeding or laying stock, we fnd that on the Lbove basis A 

 would produce in twelve months manure of the total weight of 

 94 lb. 4 oz., and B a total weight of 88 lb. 9 oz. ; or, to put it 

 another way, rather less than twenty-four fowls of the weight of 

 A would yield a ton of moist manure in a year, and twenty- 

 five fowls of the weight of B would give nearly the same 

 quantity in that time. In respect to the dry matter, A would 

 produce in twelve months a total weight of 38 lb., and B a total 

 weight of 36 lb. Thus fifty-nine fowls of the weight of A 

 would produce a ton of dry matter in a } ear, and nearly 

 sixty-three of the weight of B a ton in the same time. Cur 

 observations with adult stock show that the quantity produced 

 varies with the size of the bird. It would add to the value of 

 these observations if lighter and heavier birds respectively were 

 tested, and it is hoped that this will be done at some future 

 time. But it is interesting to note that the hen B gave, in 

 relation to her own weight, 2'8 per cent, more manure than did 

 the male A, and it is probable that as light- bodied fowls are 

 more active and better foragers the differences will not be so 

 great as might be anticipated. Thus a farmer who has a 

 hundred hens and six males would obtain from them in tl:e 

 course of twelve months four tons of fresh manure. In tl.e case 



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