6l2 



Cost of Feeding Chickens.- [Jan., 



grains. They were placed in a large grass run, where there 

 was an abundance of natural food, and remained there until 

 the end of July. The house in which they were accommodated 

 was roomy, and had an open-fronted shelter. 



Cost in First Four Weeks. — In an experiment made in 1905 

 (Journal, August, 1905, p. 257) the cost of chickens at one 

 month old was found to be as follows : — 





Per 



25 





Chicken. 



Chickens. 





d. 



d. 



Cost of egg 



i-43 



•• 35-75 



Cost of working incubator 



CT2 



5-0 



brooder 



0*2 



5'o 



Food cost, 4 weeks 



i;oi 



25-25 



Total cost, 4 weeks 



2-84 



71*0 



Food. — The food placed in the hoppers, of which there were 

 two, consisted of the following : — (a) Dry mash, consisting of 

 20 lb. bran, 10 lb. toppings, 10 lb. Indian meal, 1 lb. linseed 

 meal, and \ lb. clover meal ; a total of 41J lb. Cost, ys. 3d. 

 per cwt. (b) Meat (Spratt's crissel) ; costing 265. per cwt. 



The albuminoid ratio of the dry mash is 1 : 5*36, and of the 

 meat 1 : 0*41, or taking the respective quantities consumed, 

 an average of 1 : 3 ■ 74. As the food was renewed in the hoppers 

 as required, the weekly consumption is not shown, but only 

 the total quantities. 



The quantities of food consumed from 7th May to 30th July, 

 when the experiment was concluded, a period of twelve weeks, 



are given below : — 



Weight. Cost. 

 Lb. d. 



A. Meal 171 J ... 133 



B. Meat 63 ... 175*5 



C. Grit 47 ... 15-0 



281^ 323* 



Grit was also kept in a hopper constantly before the birds. 

 Thus the total cost of feeding the twenty-five birds for twelve 

 weeks (age four to sixteen weeks) was £i ys., or an average of 

 nearly is. id. per bird. If we add the cost up to four weeks 

 old we get a cost of is. ^\d. per bird, or 32s. 10 \d. for the 

 twenty-five. 



