6 BULLETIN 657, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
as flesh, depending upon the character of the ration and the animal. 
It is the aim, when feeding to produce flesh, to deposit hi that form 
as much as possible of the ration fed. 
Table 5. — Pounds of feed per pound of gain in live weight. 
Feeding 
period. 
Feed. 
Ration 
A. 
Ration 
B. 
Ration 
C. 
Days. 
[Grain 
Pounds. 
16.08 
Pounds. 
3.28 
4.93 
Pounds. 
3 08 
1 Buttermilk (10 per cent solids) . ... 
4.61 
4 
<^ Water 
20.06 
Total feed 
36.14 
8.21 
7 69 
27.56 
3.34 
5.01 
3 16 
Buttermilk (10 per cent solids) 
4.74 
8 
i Water 
34.37 
Total feed 
61.93 
8.35 
7 90 
17.64 
3.40 
5.09 
3 10 
Buttermilk (10 per cent solids) 
4.66 
11 
22.00 
Total feed 
39.64 
8.49 
7 76 
19.54 
3. 55 
5.33 
3.16 
Buttermilk (10 per cent solids) 
4.75 
14 
\ Water 
24.37 
Total feed 
43.91 
8.88 
7.91 
Table 5 shows that of Ration A 43.91 pounds were required to 
produce a gain in weight of 1 pound. Of Ration B, 8.88 pounds were 
required, and of Ration C, 7.91 pounds. Expressed differently, it 
may be said that only 2.28 per cent of the wet feed of Ration A was 
retained in the form of chicken flesh, while 11.26 per cent of Ration 
B was so retained, and 12.64 per cent of Ration C (Table 6). 
Table 6. — Percentage of vjetfeed retained as gain in live weight. 
Feeding 
Ration 
Ration 
Ration 
period. 
A. 
B. 
C. 
Days. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
4 
2.77 
12.18 
13.00 
8 
1.61 
11.97 
12.66 
11 
2.52 
11.77 
12.88 
14 
2.28 
11.26 
12.64 
RATE OF GAIN. 
Practical experience has led many of the commercial chicken 
feeders of the United States to feed young birds for a 14-day period. 
Sometimes a shorter period is substituted, some feeders claiming that 
the rate of gain decreases steadily in the second week. An analysis 
of the data obtained during these experiments shows that in Ration B 
there is a decrease hi the amount of flesh deposited as compared with 
feed consumed, 8.21 pounds of feed per pound of gain being required 
during the first four days and 8.88 pounds during the last four days 
of the 14-day period (Table 5). This does not hold, however, for 
Ration C, which gives an evenly continuous utilization of feed 
