Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-24
Small, Fattening Coops.

Small, Fattening Coops.
The cockerels will do better and fat
ten more quickly if they are confined in
small coops or houses, so that they can
exercise but little. IT the fowls can be
kept from exercising at all, except to
walk a few steps around inside the
coop, all the better. 1t is exercise that
makes muscular tissue. and when birds
are being fattened for use on the table
as little muscle and as much soft flesh
as possible are the things that are de-
sired.
A dozen cockerels may be confined in
a fattening pen six feet square. The
writer has seen fifty barred Rock cock
erels fatening in a coop 10x12 feet. OF
course. the ventilation has to be excel
lent and the coop must be kept scrupu-
1ously clean II such number Of cock
erels is to be kept in a single fatten-
ing pen. but these conditions can easily
be attained.
The cockerels will not fight or develop
that the association Of several of the
| fowls in a single coop tends to keep
them all contented and in good health:
whereas II an effort is made to fatten
single cockerel in coop to himself the
| bird often seems to become lonely,
drops off in his eating and loses weight
| instead of gaining.
How to Feed.
The fattening ration should be mixed
fresh for every feed. as If it is allowed
to stand from one feed to the next. es-
pecially in hot weather. the mixture
fern ents and sometimes molds. when 1t
! Is, Of course. UNIT for use
Using equal parts of corn meal and
wheat niddlings make very soft, wet
mash. with sour milk if 1t Is to be had.
or with water II the milk is not avail
1 a
should be such that it will drip from
| the end Of mixing paddle or spoon.
II shallow earthenware vessels are
available in which to feed the soft mash
or cruel, SO much the better as these
can be cleaned easily and do not sour
from continued use. II such vessels are
not available. however. use wooden
| troughs or metal feeding pans. being
day during hot or warm, muggy
weather
If the cock erels being fattened are
about eight to ten weeks old. give each
about six to nine ounces of the mash A
| day. For the ten weeks old fowls 1t
| is usually safe to feed three ounces OF
| the wet mash in the morning. three
ounces at noon and three ounces in tho
evening per bird. After two three
| Gays 1t will be possible to tell II this
quantity is too much or too little. Usu-
| ally 1t will be found that the fowlS
will clean up the entire quantity. how
4 w
| Do not, however. make the mistake OF
giving more at a feeding than the
cockerels will clean up in half an hour.
as 1t is not good practice to feed so
much that the fowls leave some from
one feeding to the next
| Use Some Cracked Corn.
| 1t will be found that hopper filled
with cracked corn and placed in the
fattenine coop will aid materially in
the fattenins process. The cockerels
| will eat at this between feelings. so
that their crops will be kept filled all
the time. day and night.
Plenty Of clean, fresh. cool water
must be provided for the fattening
| cockerels II the water is repIenished a
drink all the more of il. and plenty of
drinking water Is an essential Of quick
and economical fattening.
Sour milk once a day. instead of some
| Of the water, is another great help In
| bringing the fowls to proper market
| condition In the shortest possible time
| If sour milk is to be had. give the
cockerels as much as they will con-
/ sumo OF It in the morning. instead Of
the water. Then at noon and in the late
| afternoon give them all the cool, fresh
water they want.
| Ten Days Usually Enough.
| From time to time out not oftene-
than every second or third day the
| cockerels in the sattaninc coon NAV
be given some green stuff. such as lawn
| clippings. clover, beet, turnip or radish
| tops lettuce or something OF the kind
I Do not make the mistake Of feeding too
much of the green feed however. as II
makes a bulky feed and reduces the
| Quantity of fattening mash the fowl.
are able to consume.
! Neither is It good practice to feed
table scraps or such material to cock
10 hat NJ
sct or for the home table Such feed
.an DO uaed to better advantage II given
% the pullets or TO the laying hens.
A usual thing ten DAYS Ia two
fatten the cockerels. II the birds are
taken from the range in good. heel,hy
condition they should add nj least
hree-quarters OF pound Of the tinest
soft flesh in ten days, while the mus
cular flesh they carried when taken or
/ the range will have become sostened
! and made much more toothsome when
/ served fried or broled
II the cockereis while fa.tenjpp sean,
| 10 go OFF their feed and take on a donv
! appearance turn them out of the fat
| tening coop FOR day or two 1t may
| be they have been given more masb
| than has been good for them and Ai in
consequence have DEVELOPED a sort ~
| indigestion. II this is the caae n.r.
| sistence in the effort to fatten them
| will make the trouble worse. end &c.
| rious epidemic may develop tina. win
end in the sickness and death Of many
i II not all. Of the fowls often cock
erels that have heen overfed recover
almost over night IL turned out for
little exercise.
Cockerels fattened as described here
are not only OF immensely better table
quality than the usual unfattened birds.
put the increase in weight and quality
brings return OF materially higher
price. Birds SO fsttened, IL sour milk
Is used in the mash are the milk fed"
poultry. widely advertised at prices
several notches above the price Of or
binary table poultry
r.rx NS.1 Mt