The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-29
FATTENED POULTRY
BEST FOR MARKET
Easy to Increase Weight and
Get Better Price Feeding
in Crates or Pens.
CAN ADD POUND A WEEK
BY DR.. T.. j. CLEMENS,

- DEs
Poultrymen will never be able to real
ize the largest returns on their product
until they nave made a careful study OF
the market and have learned how to sell
to the best advantage. Skill In selling IL
Just AS necessary as the production OF
high grade poultry and its preparation
for market In the best possible way
The individual producer must care
fully study his w market and learn
its exact needs. His profits will depend
in a large measure on the methods ne
will take to supply the peculiar demands
existing in his own market. II Is essen
tial that the poultryman cultivate the
acquaintance OF many OF the dealers and
consumers who handle his products and
win their confidence. Not until he has
done this is he really In a position to
sell his product to the best advantage.
Probably the pulk of market poultry
Is sold through commission houses and
IL often pays to sell even high grade
poultry in this way. seeking a house
which has a reputation for catering to
an exacting particular trade. The ten
dency of producers to sell to home buy
ers at any price Instead or shipping
direct to the better markets results In
low prices and small profits and dis
courages the production OF high grade
poultry.
Many producers ind customers among
high class hotels, restaurants. clubs
summer resorts. &c. Local markets are
often we'll worth cultivating. There are
many people in the smaller towns and
villages who have had no opportunity
TO learn what specially fatted poultry Ia
like and who will be regular customers
at good prices when they learn the DIFF
ference between the tender, juicy meat
OF the carefully prepared. especially fed
fowl and the dry. tasteless poultry OF
the ordinary market.
II never pays to market poultry In
this condition. The producer who sells
poor fowls loses In the lower market
price received for the entire carcass.
He loses the profit which he might real
lie on the extra flesh that could be
added at a cost OF one-third or less OF
its market value. He loses indirectly
through the reduced consumption result
ing from lack OF quality, which makes
II more difficult TO sell his products In
the future.
1t is a waste OF money and a loss Of
time to attempt to market range fed
fowls. Their flesh is tough. coarse
grained and lacking in flavor. II is
next TO impossible TO build up a regu-
lar trade in this class of poultry.
Table poultry produced by ordinary
fattening IL much better than the or
binary grades, although most of the fat
tening is not of the highest order. BY
this method he gains secured during
the period of a week or ten lays are
so much more profitable han those Sc
cured later that most of the producers
confne their efforts to this method. al
> though IL Is known that the highest fin
ish cannot be secured without longer
| feeding. Fowls so fed may be called
half fatted fowls. as distinguished from
!, fun fattened fowls, where three or more
: weeks are employed in the process.
The advantages gained By spcc!a! fat
I tening are so great n the methods so
easily practised that there is no excuse
for producers to market al but these
E specially fattened fowls. Fowls fed high
in close confinement with specially Sc
; lected foods will have soft muscles and
! the fat will be deposited In the muscular
: tissues rather than In iiakes and chunks
of solid fat in the abdomen. In special
=, fattening the water In the flesh of the
fowl is replaced by fat and in cooking
!, this is blended with the flesh, further
! so:tening the tissues and improving the
flavor.
Not only Is the quality OF the flesh
improved, but the total weight is in.
creased at a low cost. Under ordinary
conditions the gain secured in special
fattening will cost less than that Sc
: cured in any other period of the fowls
growth. There is therefore a larger
; profit on the gain secured while the
' process increases the market value of
q the entire fow1 by several cents on the
pound.
e The common methods OF fattenlng
E fowls are Feeding on the range or In
4 the genera, icck. pen feeding and crate
feeding.
e Any method Of fatteninS Is better thar
4 none, but gains secured in feeding fowls
on range are much smaller and more
q expensive than those secured by other
3 methods, and the quality is distinctly
inferior. Fowls that are at liberty will
waste a large amount OF food given then
a in unnecessary exercise they are no,
likely to eat as well. and 1t is impossible
To fatten them or soften the muscular
-, tissues, as Is done when the fowls are
, fed in confinement. Fattening In oper
= range is expensive and unsatisfactory.
y Pen feeding is the most popular method
OF fattening chickens on a small scale
and while fowls so fed cannot be as wei
y finished as in crate feeding. there are
l conditions under which the use OF TIL,
method is recommended. Fowls will
4 generally make somewhat smaller gains
in pens han in crates. The quality OF
the flesh produced In pen fattening is
I not as good. however, because the fowls
: take more exercise, and it Is doubtful
1 whether there is less work in pen feeding
5 than there is In crate feeding.
\ Fowls that are to he fattened in pens
= should be closely confined for two or
| three weeks. For this purpose small
r colony houses, house pens or box stalls
may he used, allowing one and one-hali
4 square feet floor space for each fowl
2 Not more than nifty fowls should occupy
n one pen. The pens should be cleaned
2 regularly and thoroughly and well venti
[ lated, but not necessarily well lighted
2 in fact. only sufficient light need be sup,
piled to enable the fowls TO see to ea'
p readily, Except at feeding time IT is Al
advantage to have the pen somewhat
darkened, as this tends to keep the fowl,
quleter and to restrict their exercise.
The hoor should he covered with alb
sorheut litter and enough troughs shoult
y he supplied to enable all the fowls to ca
u the same time. II H. "A good plan 4
l have the troughs elevated So the fowl
I viii not xcratch 1t fun of litter. Thre,
weeks Is long enough to keep fowls II
u a fa,tening pen and care should be takel
! that no feed gets in the litter, as t.,
u object Is to fatten the fowls with a
little exercise as possible.
IN craze feeding the fowls are con
fined to small crates or cages, with wir,
! or stat bottoms and open fronts. Foa
is placed in truughs in front of IN,
Il ,oouS. Under ordinary conditions IN,
larges. gains will he secured by thi