Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-01-09
Oh cken Feeding for the
Market.

without serious loss accrulng
through shipment-although It
present livestock service is to
long continue, the above state
r1ent will need qualification.
Chickens, however, cannot be
shipped for any distance after
lattening, without mourning ser
lous loss; and this fact has led to
the development OF an industry
in Iowa that is little known to
most Iowans.
Leon, Iowa. furnishes al inter-
estrng illustration, and the meth
DDS in vogue here are to be found
in most other cities in I'll e state
where large poultry-packing
plants are located.
Leon has branch house Of
Swift & Company, Chicago.
Sixty thousand pounds plucked
poultry per week is the capacity
of the ablishment, and during
the fall months it is pushed to
the limit. All poultry is s'augh-
tered, dry picked at onct, cooled
from twentv-four to iorty eight
hours at a temperature OF about
A degrees F., then graded,
packed in neat boxes, aud ship
ped out in refrigerator cars to
the various market centers.
The supply is bought from local
parties, and is also shipped in in
carload lots from all parts of
southern Iowa and northern
Missouri. 1t is necessary to have
chicken "stockyards,' where a
liberal supply may be held on
hand to insure steady slaughter
ing operations; and as the larger
share of the chickens received are
by no means in choicest market
condition, a system of chicken
feeding has been developed which
is very profitable.
A building 200 feet long, forty
feet wide, and about fifteen feet
high furnishes the shelter neces-
sary. Herein, by a skillful ar
rangement OF coops-which ma y
he illustrated in some future is
Sue-1O,OO chickens are given ac-
commcdations that are health
full, and arranged with specialize
gard to economy of labor; SO
arranged that three men care for
the 10, 600 birds with ease. The
aim is to keep the pens full all the
timeif shipments arelarge enough
and they usually are.
The chickens are put in small
lots-ten in each pen. They are
fed for approximately two weeks
The lighter classes-those under
three and a half pounds each
are usually plainly fed all they
will eat; heavier ones are fed IN a
special manner for about the
same length of time.
The feed used, after long exper'
fenced with different fatteningra'
tions, is as follows: Eight and
o1e-half pounds Underground
unbolted corn meal; seven pounds
finely ground oatmeal (the same
oatmeal that men use for break
FAST; two and one-half pounds
Swift's A. grade tallow, and
thirty-seven to thirty-eight
pounds of sour butternilk OF
skim milk-buttermilk much pre-
ferred. The tallow is melted and
thoroughly incorporated with
the meal, which has been mixed;
the buttermilk is then added
This makes a rich-colored feed,
about the consistency of rich
cream; and the pr portions Civ.
EN- are followed in mixing all the
feed-6fty-ive pounds of the mix
ture being sufficient for a days
feed for 100 birds from three to
four pounds in weight. On this
feed the birds gain rapidly, the
increase in fourteen days amount
ing to from Is to 40 per cent OF
their beginning weight, varying
according to individuals.
Plymouth Rocks and their
grades prove the most satisfac-
tory and profitable feeders, as