A. J. MACDONALD AND S.
BOSE
111
The weights of the cockerels and pullets in Group
1 were slightly- heavier at the first weighing (3
weeks) than those in the other three groups and the
differences in weights became greater at each
weighing until the cockerels were removed at seven
weeks. At seven weeks the average weights of
the males and females in Group 1 were 14.1 oz.
and 13.3 oz. respectively. The corresponding
weights of the males and females in Groups 2, 3
and 4 were 9.8 oz., 9.7 oz.; 10.4 oz., 10.4 oz. ;
10.7 oz. and 10.3 oz. respectively. At this
stage the males and females in Group 1 were
significantly heavier than those in the other three
groups but there were no significant differences
between the weights of the birds in Groups 2, 3,
and 4. The pullets in Group 1 were significantly
heavier than those in the other three groups at
each weighing until the end of the experiment.
At 25 weeks the respective weights of the pullets
in Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 58.4 oz., 51.3 oz.,
50.1. oz., and 51.7 oz. At no stage in the ex-
periment was there any significant difference bet-
ween the weights of the birds in Groups 2, 3 and 4.
Food consumption. Table IV gives the average
food consumption per bird in pounds for each group
for each period of four weeks and the correspond-
ing food consumption in pounds per pound of live
weight gain.
TABLE IV
Food consumption
Period
1. 1-5 weeks . .
2. 5-9 weeks . .
3. 9-13 weeks . .
4. 13-17 weeks . .
5. 17-21 weeks . .
6. 21-25 weeks . .
Average food consumption per bird (lb.)
Group 1
1.68
3.03
5.22
5.76
4.49
4.34
Group 2
1.25
2.78
4.80
4.64
3.87
4.46
Group 3
1.37
2.49
4.10
5.26
4.16
4.44
Group 4
1.24
2.75
4.13
5.19
3.77
4.80
Food consumption in lb. per lb. live weight
gain
Group 1
4.57
4.62
6.35
7.59
9.74
9.47
Group 2
5.35
4.84
6.66
7.04
10.00
9.11
Group 3
5.39
5.00
6.14
8.15
11.30
8.60
Group 4
5.12
4.72
6.50
7.70
9.90
8.46
During the first five periods, the average food
consumption per bird in Group 1 was slightly
greater than that of the corresponding birds in
the other three groups. The birds in Group 1
were, however, heavier throughout and during
the first two periods they made slightly better
utilization of the food consumed. Over the
whole six periods, however, there was no appre-
ciable difference in the efficiency of food utilization
in any of the groups.
Protein consumption. Table V gives details of
the protein percentages contained in the foods
consumed during the six periods from 1-25 weeks
TABLE V
Percentage protein consumption
Period
1. 1-5 weeks . .
2. 5-9 weeks . .
3. 9-13 weeks . .
4. 13-17 weeks . .
5. 17-21 weeks . .
6. 21-25 weeks . .
Group 1
14.3
14.4
13.3
13.8
14.0
14.4
Group 2
14.4
14.2
14.2
14.4
13.7
13.2
Group 3
14.6
14.5
14.3
14.2
13.7
13.6
Group 4
14.5
14.4
14.3
14.1
13.5
13.2
There was very little variation in the percentage
protein consumed by the four groups during the
first two periods. Group 1 consumed somewhat
smaller percentages of protein during periods 3
and 4 than Groups 2, 3 and 4 but in periods
5 and 6 the figures were reversed. In Groups
2, 3 and 4 the percentage protein consump-
tion decreased more or less steadily from the
start to the finish of the experiment but the per-
centage consumptions were very similar for all
three groups during each of the periods.
Mortality. All the groups had a good health
record throughout but Group 1 handled better at
all stages and had a slightly better bloom than
those in the other groups. The mortality per-
centages from 1—25 weeks in Groups 1—4 were
2.5, 3.7, 2.5 and 2.7 respectively.
EXPERIMENT 2
In experiment 1, cereals plus separated milk to
drink during the early stages of growth in conjunc-
tion with cereals plus separated milk and water
during the later stages of growth gave, as in former
experiments, better growth results than cereals
plus soya bean meal and salt. Soya bean meal,