IS BULLETIN 21. U. S. DEPAKTMEXT OE AGBICtTLTUBE. 
A ration consisting of 60 per cent steel-cut oats. 40 per cent corn 
meal, with three-fourths of a pound of tallow and half a pound of 
fresh meat per 100 head daily, mixed with buttermilk, gave very 
good results, producing extremely fat chickens. The oats were soaked 
in buttermilk a couple of hours before feeding. 
A test was made of cooked meal obtained by adding boiling water 
to corn meal and allowing this mixture to stand for 12 hours. Some 
condiment al foods were added to this feed, and milk was kept before 
the birds during the day. but the results were not particularly satis- 
factory. 
Another test was made with low-grade Hour in place of the steel-cut 
oats, and this produced almost as high gains at $2 less cost per 100 
head on feed. Table or cottonseed oil which cost 45 to 55 cents per 
gallon was tried in place of tallow. Chopped green alfalfa was added 
to the ration, but alfalfa has a tendency to color the flesh if fed up to 
killing time. None of these extra feeds appear to be either necessary 
or economical. 
THE FEED AS AFFECTED BY CHANGES IX THE WEATHER. 
The milk was heated before mixing with the feed at the different 
stations as soon as the weather turned cold in the fall. The consist- 
ency of the feed depends greatly on the weather. During hot weather 
the mixture should be made so that it will run rather than drip. In 
cooler weather it can be mixed with less milk to good advantage, but 
should drip freely. TVlien thick condensed buttermilk is used, the 
feed can be mixed to a thicker consistency than with ordinary butter- 
milk. The monthly average of the per cent ctf buttermilk to total 
feed at Station 1 Experiment B was as follows: July, 67 per cent; 
August. 70 per cent: September. 68 per cent: October. 65 per cent, 
and Xovember. 66 per cent. The daily variation in the per cent of 
milk was quite marked, especially in July and August. 
NUMBER OF BIRDS IN EACH COMPARTMENT. 
From 8 to 12 birds were placed in each compartment of the portable 
batteries at Stations 2.3. and 4. Twelve birds were too many, as the 
birds scratched each others* backs through attempting to feed at the 
same opening. Ten birds gave good satisfaction at all of the stations, 
but S birds seemed to do better at Station 4 during hot weather. Ten 
birds in a compartment allows nine-tenths of a foot of floor space per 
bud in the battery. Later in the season, when the birds were larger, 
only 8 birds were placed in each compartment. Batteries of the size 
mentioned 2 feet 4 inches wide by 3 feet 10 inches long' will hold 80 
broilers or medium-sized springs or 64 large springs or roasters with- 
out crowding, but in very hot weather it may pay to place only 64 
head in each battery, if enough floor space is available. 
