The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-11-06
The Poultry Yard.
PREPARING POULTRY FOR MARKET

Il.
Prof Jas. W. Robertson, Canadian
Commissioner of Agriculture, has
issued a bulletin, "Pointers for Poul-
try Fatteners," " which contains prac-
tical information for farmers and
poultrymen desirous of fattening for
market. It says:
1. Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte,
DOrking, Cochin, Brahma or Indian
Game chickens, or crosses of these,
are more easily fattened than chick
ems of lighter breeds. They should
be put up at from two and one-half
to three and one-h half pounds each
English buyers object to black legged
poultry.
2. The most profitable period for
fattening is about for weeks.
3. Be careful not to overfeed chick
ems during the first week. Feed
lightly three times a day. Remove
any feed left in trough half an hour
after feeding Keep the trough clean
and sweet.
4. After first week give chickens
all they will eat regularly twice a
day.
5. The oats must be ground very
fine. Oats ground as for horse feed
are not suitable.
6. Feeding skim milk whitens the
flesh, which is desirable.
z. Put little salt in the feed.
8. Give water in the trough twice
day.
9. Give some form of grit twice
week. Sifted gravel will do.
10. Feed tallow during last ten
days. Begin on one pound per day
to 20 or 100 chickens, increased to 1
pound to so or 70 chickens.
II. To prepare tallow. Weigh
quantity required for three days,
melt it. and thicken while hot with
ground oats. Mix one sixth of this
paste with the morning and one
sixth with the evening feed.
II. Rub a pinch Of sui phur under
both the wings and tail of the chick
ems to kill the lice.
13. Do not feed with the cram
ming machine longer than two
weeks.
IA. Do not feed fowl by machine
until it's crop is quite empty.
Is. Remove foot from pedal of
crammer before fowl is pulled away.
Is. Keep a record of ground oats,
and of skim milk fed to fowls per
week, and also their grain in live
weight per week.
II. One gallon of milk weighs
practically ten pounds.
18. To record feed consumed per
week: Weigh each new bag of meal
before commencing to feed from it,
and place the weight in book. At
the end of the week, add together the
weights of bags Of meal fed, and also
weight of meal taken from last bag.
10. To obtain record of gain in live
weight of fowls: Weigh each crate
empty and mark the weight upon it;
weigh crate when fowls are placedin in
it, and again on each succeeding
week, at same time of day and be-
fore feeding. To prevent any injury
to the toes of the chickens between
the Stats and the scales, place two
or three thicknesses of bags on the
scales.
90 If a chicken gets off it's feed,
remove 1t from fattening pen for a
few days, allowing it free run.
21. Do not allow fowls any food
thirty-six hours before killing,
%. Kill chickens by dislocating
the neck, Or by bleeding in the roof
of the mouth. Use care so that no
outside blemish is made.
%. Dry pluck at once, while the
fowl is warm. Pluck clean, leaving
only a ring of feathers an inch and
half around the neck.
"A. AS soon as plucked, place
chicken on shaping board to give ita
compact, square shape.
25. When cool, wrap in clean
paper, and pack tightly in shipping
case to prevent injury from knock
ing about.
26. See that fowls, paper and cases
are kept perfectly clean.
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