The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-10-11
. FLORIDA FARMS z
= AND FARMERS =
y . o e % . . &c 9 .

II one should suggest to the average
farmer that poultry should be fattene6
before going to market he would prob
ably receive the reply the poultry
the adivsability of fattening fowls be-
fore marketing them. Most of the
mems we get are too fat, anyhow, with
out extra fattening." When a hen
mas access to all the corn she can eat
she Is apt to become very fat-too fat
TO lay and sometimes too fat to live
but we doubt if fat Of that kind is
especially desirable in a dressed fowl.
A FOWL with a thick layer Of internal
lat contains less nutriment than one
properly fattened, as the mass Of fat
is not palatable as food and must be
removed.
Whether it is the practice to sell off
the young cockrels as soon as they
will do to go or to Gull the undesirable
ones later in the season, a distinct
gain may be made by the fattening
process, If intelligently done.
The object in fattening is to increase
the edible parts and improve the quail
ity Of the flesh as well as to add to the
weight of the fowl and make 1t more
attractive when dressed.
When a fowl is fed heavily on a
fattening ration for two or three
weeks there are globules of fat be-
tween the layers of flesh. These glod-
ules prevent the drying out of the It's
sues when the fowl is cooked, besides
giving it better flavor, and making
the meat more digestible.
Experiments carried on at the Onta-
rio Agricultural college at Guelph,
Ont, prove to those who conduct the
experiments that IL is possible to add
Is cents to the market value of each
fowl by some method known as crate
fattening. They also inform us that
there is little to be gained by trying
to fatten scrub stock. Pure bred stock
than the scrubs. In foreign countries
the process Of crate-fattening is large
ly practiced as well as in Canada. and
1t is becoming much more common in
the United States Of late years.
A splendid trade can be worked up
by one who is prepared to practice the
process on a large scale, and who is so
situated as to cater to a market where
his efforts win be appreciated. But we
are chiefly concerned with the farmers
poultry. Whether we shall sell our
surplus stock as spring broilers at one
and one-hah or two pounds each from
April until July, or sell them as roas-
tiers later in the season depends upon
the local market demands and the
prices which prevail.
In recent bulletin issued by the
animal husbandFy department, Wash
ington, D. c., four methods of fatten-
ing practiced in this country are men
tioned-pen-fattenin crate-fattening,
understanding and machine-cram-
ming. Generally, the farmer would
give preference. to the method which
requires no great outlay of either time
or work. The most common method
now in use is to confne the fowls to
quiet, dark houses or small yards and
feed heavily on corn, or better still, a
large quantity of soft food, for two
or three weeks.
The South Shore roasters, which
bring top prices in the Boston market,
are crowded into small, cheap houses,
fifty birds in houses eight feet square,
where corn, beef scrap, grit and water
are kept always before them. These
methods are improved upon by the ad-
dition OF soft food to the ration. In
crate-fattening the fowls are confined
in crates holding about a dozen fowls,
each crate being divided into two or
three compartments containing from
four to six birds.
The object in combining them so
closely is that they may have little
room to exercise. The less exercise the
more easily they will take on fat. The
crate described in the bulletin men
toned is six feet long, eighteen inches
high and eighteen or twenty inches
wide. Other dimensions recommended
differ slightly. If these crates are to
be placed out Of doors the top, back
and ends are made solid. If placed
under shelter they may be constructed
entirely Of lath OF Stats. The bottom
being made Of lath, the coop may
easily be kept clean.
Ordinary packing boxes may be used
for fattening crates by removing the
solid bottom and front and replacing
them with lath. Each compartment
has a door which slides up and down
A V-shaped trough is placed in front
are fed three times each day, or pos
sibly three times each day at first and
later twice a day till they are finished.
Soft food should always be used for
fattening, as it digests more easily
than whole grain. The ingredients of
the food may depend upon food avail
able and costs Of the same. It must
contain some protein to maintain the
health, but should be high In fat and
carbohydrates.
At the New York experiment station
they feed the following ration to fowls
in the crates: Cornmeal, 10 pounds;
5Uckwheat middlings, 10 pounds; oat
-four, 10 pounds purchased from oat-
meal factories); beef scrap, 1 pound
These are mixed to the consistency Of
batter with buttermiIk or sour skim
milk and allowed to stand twelve
hours before feeding.
Feed all they will clean up twice
daily for two or three weeks. Sour
milk or buttermilk is used instead of
sweet milk, as II is less apt to derange
the digestive system. Feed grit twice
a week and water twice daily. Some
times little salt is added to the food
and green food may be given once a
week
Another ration recommended is equal
parts by weight Of oat -four, cornmeal,
barley meal, with 20 per cent beef
scrap. This is mixed with buttermilk
at the rate Of two pounds milk to one
pound dry feed.
1t is claimed that the fatteaing
fowls will not eat all they can digest
so examining is recommended to hur-
~ the process. The method known as
handcramming may be used with q
few fowls. but would be too tedious
where many are fattened.
The food is made into pellets one
or two inches IN length and one-halt