American Agriculturist, July 19, 1924 
Fattening the Surplus 
't Pays to Put “Finished” Poultry on the Market 
L. H. HISCOCK 
47 
of the most 
perplexing poultry 
problems at this time of year is the 
sposal of all kinds of surplus stock, from 
|the old hen and rooster down to the 
broiler. The question that arises in con¬ 
nection with any market birds whether 
|] ie y are sold live or dressed, is, whether 
Ito fatten them or not. Is there actually 
profit in the fattening of birds? Shall 
same ration can be used 
by adding twenty 
pounds of beef scrap and mixing it with 
water. In either case it should be fed 
sloppy, the purpose being to make them eat 
it and drink it both, which saves watering 
the birds. Grit, of course, is not necessary. 
Starve the birds a day before feeding them 
and then feed them regularly morning and 
night all they will eat up in half an hour. 
sell them live weight or pick and dress Any surplus feed should be removed, as it 
[them? 
As a general rule it pays to take pams 
lin fattening any chickens, old or young, 
efore disposing of them. How much 
(profit there really is in the process is 
dependent, largely upon two factors: the 
[length of the fattening period and the 
method used in the course of actual 
[fattening. 
A Bit of Experience 
will tend to destroy their appetites. 
If, for any reason, the birds fail to eat 
well, omit a feeding. Broilers will stand 
this process for ten days or two weeks; 
old hens two weeks or longer. As the 
birds will shrink it is wise to be able to 
market them immediately when the 
fattening period is up. 
So much for the concentrated fattening. 
It is an excellent method where a good 
market is handy, and especially where 
birds are to be sold dressed. The soft- 
Not long ago the writer was _ going . . , 
through the same problem: does it pay ness of the legs from lack or exercise and 
•' " of the flesh in general is enough to satisfy 
a customer. Once a customer, always one. 
Ito fatten broilers? To satisfy my own 
curiosity and to simplify the problem as 
m uch as possible, I bought sixty-six 
[broilers that weighed 152 pounds from 
friend of mine. They cost $57.76. 
I] put the birds in crates to fatten them 
and began disposing of them slowly at 
the end of ten days; they were all sold 
at the end of a month; all birds were 
killed and sold in New York dressed at 
sixty cents a pound. The cost of the 
feed was $8.90. The combined weight 
Where Pen Fattening is Practical 
In many cases, however, such a method 
is not convenient, because market facil¬ 
ities are uncertain. It will pay in this 
case to pen fatten birds. Simply confine 
them to a very limited area and use the 
rations above mentioned. To carry the 
birds over an indefinite period it is wise to 
make a few changes. Instead of feeding 
of the birds sold was 1743 4 pounds, or the fattening ration in batter form, feed 
a gain of 2234 pounds, an average of a it mixed real stiff. See that the birds 
third of a pound per bird. The actual have water, grit, and some form of green 
labor income (I made no charge of the food. Often times a big box affair with 
labor involved) was $37.05/or practically wire top can be made so that it can be 
fifty-six cents a broiler. moved about the lawns, thus insuring the 
It may seem as if I had neglected one birds fresh ground and a liberal amount 
• '■ 1 of green food. If the birds seem to go 
back on their feed, vary the ration. To 
do this, give them grain for a day or two, 
I of the most important cost items when 
I failed to keep an itemized account of 
I labor. As a matter of fact, the main . „ ~ . 
part of the labor in the experiment above or give them a feeding ot moist, stiffly 
was in the picking of the chickens. The * 1 -'- 1 ~” : -^ 
fattened in crates which 
I broilers were fattened in crates 
involved the mixing of a sloppy, wet 
mash twice a day and the cleaning of 
dropping pans. The actual time in¬ 
volved was fifteen minutes. Birds fat¬ 
tened in crates require no grit, green feed 
or water. 
Crate Fattening Most Efficient 
Of all fattening methods, crate fat- 
mixed growing or laying mash. These 
little changes will keep them in good con¬ 
dition, and with a keen appetite, and will 
enable you to have good, marketable 
birds on hand all the time. 
So much for some of the factors in 
poultry fattening. It is all right to 
mention methods, but, after all, the best 
check on this particular problem is a 
Weigh the birds when 
pair of scales 
you shut them up and again before you 
I tening is the most efficient. It produces dispose of them. If the gain they have 
the best gain and the best quality birds, made does not offset the cost of the feed 
by a liberal margin, then check up on 
the details, for there is profit in this part 
of the poultry business. 
birds which really should bring better 
prices, although often it is necessary to 
| convince a buyer by a trial shipment. 
These crates are simple affairs to make, 
the frame being three feet long, fifteen 
I inches high, and twenty inches deep. 
The top and one side is covered with 
lath or slats; the back and one end may 
be solid boards with the opposite end 
containing a door. The bottom is 
covered with one inch wire mesh, the 
purpose of the wire being to keep the 
birds from moving around, while the -- , , , , 
slats on the one long side should be placed second year at least. The sou ot the o 
far enough apart to permit the birds to run should be broken up and a crop 
put their heads through to eat. Along grown on it. , 
this side fasten a wooden trough a couple Many brooder chicks that are starte 
and kept confined in a very small run 
Fresh Ground to Avoid Trouble 
S TARTING and growing chickens_ on 
the same ground year after year is a 
fertile cause of disease and trouble in 
chicks. The farmer does not put the same 
field in oats year after year. He rotates 
his ground. The colony houses for chicks 
should be moved to fresh ground every 
of inches high. 
In regard to rations in the experiment 
already mentioned 
above, I used those 
recommended by 
the Cornell Univer- 
sity experiment sta¬ 
tion: fifty pounds 
of corn meal, 
twenty pounds of 
white middlings, 
and ten pounds of 
finely ground oats. 
To feed this ration 
mix it to about a 
pancake batter 
consistency with 
buttermilk, sour, 
skimmed or whole 
milk. If milk is 
not available, the 
contaminate the 
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