The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-23
Timely. Advice to the Anna teur About Best Methods of Rearing, Feeding and
 Marketing for Profit.
 How to Feed and Fatten to Get Biggest Prices
BY REESE V. HICKS. Manager International Poultry Farms Browns Mills. N. J.. and Former President of the American
 Poultry Association.
Copvrigl,t 1915.


 There Is plenty of room for amateurs in the raising of broilers and roasters for summer markets. The demsnd is always great and the supply never sufficient Some breeds are better than others for this purpose. and it is important to make right selection. Some common mistakes that can be easily avoided are pointed out and alternatives suggested.
 "HERE are comparatively few plans
 devoted exclusively to raising broil- CTS and roasters for market. The majority of poultry plants are devoted to producing eggs for market or breed ing for exhibition stock. These turn only their surplus stock into broilers and roast CTS. Thus it is that the majority of the broilers and roasters that reach the mar ket go as by-product of the egg farms and of the exhibition breeding farms and the greatest source, the average American farm. The plants that do cater to the brooder business are mainly those which have worked up a special private trade. The majority of these plants that make a speciality of the broiler business make it point to hatch out the eggs intended for broilers early in the winter, some as early as November and some in Decem- Der. as the broilers bring better prices in the early spring and late winter months than any other time of the year. Three Classes of BrOilers
 Broilers may be divided into three classes: Sauab broilers, spring broilers or friers, and large broiers or small roast CTS.
 Sauab broilers have been in demand only for few years. and have become quite a delicacy In the centers of popula- ton. They should weigh from three- quarters of pound to one and one quarter pound. The best average is. per haps, a pound If they weigh over one and one-quarter pound, they belong ln | the spring broiler class, or friers. These may go as high as two pounds. The | largest broilers are from two to three 1 pounds Any broilers over three pounds 1 should be classed as ''roasters,' as they are too large to brol successfully. The | roasters run from three pounds to the size of full grown fowls, often as high as 10 or 12 pounds However the largest demand is for casters that weigh three and one-half to five pounds. The 'sof' roaster" is a term given to any young tender fowl to be used for roasting. They | should be young and tender, and the, bring the best prices on the market They usually run in age from six tt nine months.
 The age at which fowl can be mark eted in the various ella sses of broler and rcasters depends very much on th' breed as well as how they have beer pushed along. It is very important tha they be marketed early as possible because the prices are better early, and in addition. the longer they are kept tn more they cost, and with some varietie they are liable to become "stringy' am tough
 l American Varieties Popular
 Much depends also on the breed use' for brolers and roasters. It is essentia that the breed be of quick growtl and develop rapidly. In America, yellov skin and yellow legs are favored by tn majority of markets. This means tha the varieties known as the America varieties such as Plymouth Rock' Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds. mak the best coasters as well as broilers. Fo the large roasters and soft roasters' th Light Brahma has long been fasorite
 owing to it's large growth and the fac
 that it holds the tenderness of It's fes
 until it Is well advanced toward maturity White Wyandottes are also used by som farms for soft roasters For squab broil
 CTS by far the largest proportion ar
 young cockerels. mainly Leghorns, tha come from the commercial egg farm.
 When the matching season is over som farms take advantage of the low price O
 eggs and load their ncubators with egg from which they hatch chicks that ar later used for broilers for the broile market These late chicks do not re auire any different treatment from earlie
 hatchcd chicks. except that Of shade |
 climates where there is extreme heat II the middle of the day. Generally tn later matched chicks grow rapidly to tn broiler stage and as grain Is usuall cheaner at this time of the year thai any other these matches usually giv troilers that can be produced at lowe cost than any other time of the year. l is true that the market is higher earlier but later broilers make good filters, es
 pccially when one is raising poultry on
 email scale.
 Directions for Feeding
 Young chicks should not be fed for tn first 4S hours. whether of early or lat hatches. After that they should be Ted little oatmeal or bread crumbs. Owing t' the high price of oats this year. littl
 bread crumbs or a good commercial chicl feed should be given the first lew days
 They should be fed five or six times daily a little at each time, so that they vii clean it up quickly. After they are fou or five days old they should have mash
 composed of cornmeal. bran and mid dIjncs or low grade four equal parts o
 each. After they are 10 days old. 10 pc
 cent meat scrap should be added to thu mixture and the cornmeal increased 5 her cent. This is for growing broilers 10 the market. and this course of feedinI is designed to fatten them.
 Il When the young broilers or roaster
 are within 10 days of the size when the.
 gre to be sold on the market the. sho,,ld he confined in a smaller pen fol fattenina purposes. Before this the. should be given the same treatment, care range and attention as the other growing
 chicks. but 1t Is important that the las 1O days or two weeks of their lives b.
 given to fattening them By the tern
 .sfattening' is not always meant put ting on surplus fattening substance bu
 making the lean meat fill with fat, SC that 1t will be delicate and toothsome.
 All poultry should be fattened for mar ket s 1t is usually waste of money tt II allow the produce dealer to buy FOWLS a tow prices. and then make the dualit, better by fattenin9 It Is especially i'm rortant that they be fattened where the, are dressed by the producer. and- thef
 sold to a private trade. The length O.
 time required to fatten fowl depend on the age of the fowl, time of year oore and feed, as well as the feed ant
 kind of fowl The best results are ob tatned when they are fattened for \ days ar two weeks Young fowls mak
 better but slower gains than the Leg
 horns and smaller breeds. The smalie
 breeds should not be fattened over l days. In many plants the cost of fatten ing is estimated at cents pound gain ! but owing to the high price of feed a
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