16 
ee 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Another experiment was with 73 chickens 
They Were a good average’ lot, chiefly ordinary 
yard stotk that had! been graded up’ by 
ure bred! roosters ; they weredivided into fot'r 
ts. Tt was’ endeavored! tp’ hayé each chicker’ 
Weigh’ as nearly 34 lb'as possible at the’ com- 
ihencement’ of éxperiment. One lot was tréated 
4s ordinary farm’ chickens, being allowed to: run 
out and’ get all'the exercise théy wished’ to'ta e: 
another’ lot was‘in a shed, the birds having no‘ 
dutdobr exercise ;- the third lot in erates;- which: 
Will be fully deseribed later on; the fourth’ lot in‘ 
. Similar ¢rates, but during the last’ ten’ days of 
the 6xperiment the chickens were fed by the 
cratiming: machine, . 
The chickens were al¥ fed with similar food; . 
6 food being one part each maizemeal, oats'and! 
Barléy. During the’ last ten days alittle’ fat was’ 
Also fed’, 
The result of the expériment was as folluws— 
. Lot lv Lot 2: Lets. Lot 4: 
‘ 7 : Cramined. Crates. Shed! Loose’ 
Weightat beginning: 
ofexperiment ..: 70 75 64 «6 
eight at close of 
6sperimebt (thrée t os : 
weeks), 106% 934 GTA. FH 
Gain’... 35+ = «184 Se 15% 
The’ following experiment will show what 
Miany a farmer will gain’ by fattewing. It will be 
géén that 134 chickens gained in‘ weight 3804 Ib 
Yn four weeks. The chickens were in’ a healthy 
but: very lean condition wher placed in the fat- 
Sening crates, and were fed out of a trough 
throughout the fattening perivd. ‘Phe cFraumuing 
wachine was not used. 
Bre.d' of chickens: Plymouth Rocks and 
Orpingtons. 
Period No. I nyeR Gain in: Meal, opine 
Week cuites, WEES Welent, O e 
Commenced 131 491}. = = 
Mgt... 131 65s 162% 262 438% 
2nd: 13t 6772 23h 227-4353 
3rd... 131 756% 794 286 464 
4oh ...- 131 827 TO} 286 534 
Average'gain in weight per chicken, 2 lb oz; 
¢o8t of feed per ib of grain. 23d. F 
At cramming machine is not an absolute neces - 
sity for fattening poultry ; first class chickens 
canbe turned out withont its aid, provided that 
the owner understands his work. At isiampossible 
to fatten fowls when Tunming at liberty (unless 
i is the game fowls, which fatten naturally ), but 
®fortnight’s confinement in a coop and liberal 
feeding of soft foods wilt > wonders The con- 
Snement: is heeessary beeause fowls at liberty 
will walk about, develop muscle, and harden ¢h 
flesh ; the fowl in confinement dves nothing bm 
stand still, eat and sleep. It is, of course, very 
unnatural, and its health and appetite suffer 
after a time, but before this stave arrives the 
bird is killed. All fowls are allowed to fee i 
themselves first in the fattening eoops; when 
the machine is used, it is for finishing theny off, 
_ The fattening cvops should be made as fol- 
Jows :—6 feet long, 16 inches wide, and 20 inches 
high, inside measurements. Fueh €rate is divided” 
by two equal partitions ints ‘tree compartinents,! 
each of which holds four or five chickens, es 
cording to size. The frame pieces of the cc ops 
are 2 incnes wide 
and Zof an inch thick. Th ¢ 
frame is covered with battens, Which are placed 
Jengthways on three sides (bottom, back, aud 
tcp), and up-and-down in front, 
The battens for the bottom are % of an inch: 
wide and of an inch thick 
have found that 3c1.eh wire mesh streichea 
across the bottom 
ds better than this. ‘The 
Back, top, and front batters are the same width, 
Lut only of an inch thick ; the spaces betwen 
the battens in front are 2 n 
the chickens to feed from t 
S he trough. ‘The lop 
battens are 2 inches apar 
b, and the bees ones 
- J, yersonally, ° 
eves wide, to ena! le - 
ly¥inches The top battens are cut above each 
partition, and six strips 2 inchs wide are nail ed 
under them; the three doors so formed are 
hinged to the rear corner piecé. The coops ara 
placed on stands 15 inshes from. the ground. 
The droppings from the chickens are received’ 
non sand or other absorbent materiai. light 
Y-shaped trough! 21 inches wide inside is’ placed’ 
infront of each crate; and curried on two brackets 
nailed at erch end of the evop: The boston of 
the trough is 4 inches above the’ floor, and the 
upper inside ede is! 3 inches from the crate. 
They may’ be 
according’ to’ the season’ of the yeary 
The birds shotld! reniain in the fattening’ 
days. Some’ chicks: will’ fatten more readily 
than’ others: _ Thess should be picked ott a 
- weelt before 
ished, and during this last weels 
it is'well to’ add 2' oz’ of mutton fat each teal’ 
per birdto’ the backward ones. Before’ the 
chicks‘ are placed in the’ 
well! dusted with’ sulphur, to kill any lice Do 
not’ give any food for the first twenty-four hours 
after placing. birds in the coops. - Et is necessary 
to feed tlie birds lightly during the fitst few 
days. They should be fed three times a day, 
but do not give them quite as much’ as they 
can consume ; fresh’ water twico daily, and grit 
two or three times a week. After the birds 
have been in the crates five or six days they 
should be given, twice a day, as‘ much food’ as 
they will eat. Twenty minutes’ after feeding, 
the troughs should be removed. ‘Fhe chicks 
should be starved thirty hours: before killing. 
This will prevent the food remaining in the 
cro> and intestines. Several hours after the 
last feed allow the chic eis’ what water they 
wish to drink, then take it away, and give them 
no nore. A satisfactory fa tenivy ration is one 
that is palatable, and will, at the same time, 
produce a white-colored fleshy, One of the best 
of these would be cat dust, which is the fine 
flour or dust obtained from making oatmeal or 
rolled oats, and is now, in most cises, mixed 
with pollard. This substance, mixed with skin 
milk to the consistency of porridye, and fed’ to 
the birds with the addition during the last ten 
days of 1 ov of melted mutton fat to each bir !, 
is one of the most satisfactory rations that could 
be given. Other rations would be 2 parts second- 
grade flour, 2 parts ground barley. 1 part pollard ; 
equal parts ground oats, ground barley, ground 
wheat ; 2 parts ground oats, 1 part ground 
barley, 1 part ground wheat, } part ground 
maize. All of these should have the addition 
‘mutton fat during the last ten days. 
The following table shows the difference in 
vue weights of representative chickens killed 
before being fattened and similar chickens killed 
after being fattened for thirty-six days :— 
Weicur oy Turer 
HICKENS, 
Before After 
Fattening, Fattening- 
Lb. 02. 02. 
With feather off ;., Bap Oac8 16 4 
© Ready for cooking 5 il 6 
After being cooked and \ 
left cool for two days 3 8 9 2 
Hones is, ty. fp il pey lol 
Edible portion Posen ae OF 7 6 
This shows that there were three,times nfore 
edible portion from the fattened chiekens than 
from the others, and every ounce of it was of 
better quality. 
‘The value of ehareoal must not be under- 
estimated. It is of much help in keeping fowls 
in health, and preventing looseness of the 
bowels. Feed it, powdered, in the feod two or 
three times a Week, 
wil fitten faster if fed on charecal. Chareval 
is ut a inc licine, strictly sperking It is an 
placed under cover ot outside}: 
crate for a period’ not éxceeding twenty-one’ 
crates they should be’ 
It has been found that chiekens for mark ¢ — 
May 15, 1566 
absorbent, and as snch' takes up the poisonous’ 
gases in the system‘aud curries themoff, It is 
practically har.nless in any amount. f 
The above article, taken from Bulletin No. 7 
of the Department of Ayriculture of Tasmania, 
contains such precise directions for fattening 
poultry for expor: thit we shall not be surprise | 
to hear that many who hive up to'the present 
taken little trouble about it will bow mike 
the experiment. The Queenslind Depirtment 
of Agticulture and Stock nas: fairly shown the’ 
way in the London market; its poultry expert: 
is prepared to do’ everythiny necessary to'assist’ 
shippers with’ advice, so’ that’ thy birds may’ 
arrive in’ good saleable condition and at the! 
season wheh' the best prices are’ obtainable! 
The matter thus lies in'the hands of the poultry 
breeders themselves. 
Get a Move Oh 
Now that winter is not far off, poultry farmers* 
and fanciers would do wall to “out a move on” 
and'get things to'rights, Whitewash thd honges' 
and take good cara to fill up all the cracks, etc. 
Most poultry farmers will be aware that eggs are’ 
the things that pay mbst in winter, therefore’ 
do’ sleep, Gt to worx aad'do' your utmost, and 
prepire to get as many of these small but precious 
articles called Winter Eggs as’ possible: Remem- 
ber eggs in winter are worth 24. each—twice the 
valu of summer. eggs, so yow have no reason to’ 
growlif you have to doa httle extra! work, and, 
besides: it will keep you warm, so it is worth’ 
going for, If you’ want plenty of eggs in winter’ 
xive the birds” plenty of exercis3, Keep thenr 
Scratching, and that will keep them warm, and- 
warmth in winter goes a long way if your aim is: 
esgs. Keep the’ houses snug, still don’t forget: 
veutilation, Mind, fresh, clean water and plenty’ 
of grit. Throw some ground wheat, maize, or’ 
oats andngst’ the straw in the scratching shed the’ 
night bsfore, and they will come out in the moro- 
iig and get to work straight away, and by the’ 
time the warm masly is ready they will have’ 
warmed: themselves up well, through scrat-hing: 
foc ground wheat, ete.—then the mash they get: 
doe3 not go to keep up warmth, but to help the’ 
egz-production. Another thing that will help 
egg-production in winter is to keep the house 
absolutely clean, and also have the floors hgh 
and dry, and by all means do not let any damp- 
ne-s' collect on the floors or anywhere inside the’ 
house. J,'I'., in “‘ Australian Hen.” 
‘All about Eggs, 
Grade them, 
Gather cften. 
Pack carefully. 
Market quickly. 
Shade the nests, 
Feed for flavour, 
. Gather regularly. 
Have c.ean nests. 
Provide clean watery 
Cockerels tor fertility. 
Brand your cases plainly. 
Rank food taints the eggs. 
Set eggs for table fowls now. 
Don’t change agents .0 often! 
Market pullets’ eggs separately. ; 
Aim for the best © fancy” customers. 
Regular marketing brings reputation, 
bask Baines 
.. Hairdresser and Tobacconist... 
UNLEY ROAD 
A CHOICE STOCK OF 
CIGARS CIGARETTES: AND TOBACCO 
To Seleet from. 
