24 BULLETIN 1385, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
quantity of feed, which is determined by the pressure of the feed in 
the crop as noted with his right hand. Little feed is given in the 
first few feedings, but the quantity is increased as the period goes 
on and as the crop becomes distended and its capacity increased. 
Particular emphasis is laid upon the point that a bird must not be 
fed until the crop is absolutely empty. If any feed remains in the 
crop from one feeding time to the next the bird is replaced in the 
crate without feeding. The birds are fed twice a day, as nearly as 
possible 12 hours apart. 
This process under first impressions might appear cruel, but when 
handled by a skillful operator it seems to meet with the entire ap- 
proval of the chickens receiving the treatment. After they have 
been on feed for two or three days they become as anxious for the 
feed from the machine as they do when fed in the crates. If per- 
formed by an unskilled operator, it is true that there is danger of 
tearing the tongue or throat and choking the bird with feed going 
into the windpipe instead of the esophagus, or too strong a pressure 
on the treadle may cause a burst crop. A skillful operator feeds 
from 200 to 300 birds per hour. 
Experiences with cramming of poultry in the United States have 
not been generally satisfactory because of inability to procure skilled 
feeding labor at a reasonable price and inability to obtain an in- 
creased price commensurate with the increased cost of the finished 
product. 
GAINS I\ FEEDING 
The gains in flesh obtained by the Sussex feeders are approximately 
the same as those obtained in the United States on the same-sized 
birds and under the same temperature conditions. Because the birds 
are taken oil' feed as soon as the judgment of the crammer indicates 
they are ready for killing, it is usually impossible to get accurate 
weights unless the birds are marked and weighed individually on 
their entrance to the crates, and this, of course, is not ordinarily 
done. The rate of gain is approximately one-half pound per bird 
per week during the whole feeding period. The heaviest gain usually 
comes in the second week of feeding, while the birds are yet eating 
from the trough. Thus, assuming that in three weeks 1 time a gain 
of V/2 pounds is made on the bird, the gain might run 6 ounces the 
first week, 10 ounces the second week, and 8 ounces the third week, 
the last week being on the cramming machine. Exceptional birds 
gain more. It is not uncommon to put over 2 1 / 1 > pounds on a bird 
in three or four weeks' time with a combination of crate feeding and 
cramming. No definite costs as to feed, labor, depreciation, and in- 
terest are available, but it seems fair to assume that unless a much 
higher price is obtained for the superfatted poultry the profit would 
not be enough to pay for the extra labor and feed. After the end of 
the second week of feeding, the chicken does not seem to be able to 
transform its feed into flesh or fat with anywhere near the same 
efficiency as in the earlier parts of the feeding period, even though 
the quantity is increased by cramming. 
DRESSING 
After the birds are removed from the fattening crate they are 
placed in small coops and taken to the dressing room. The dressers 
