Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-15

When we visit the markets in town
our attention is sometimes called to
the variety Of dressed poultry Of
are well grown, nicely fattened, juicy
looking carcasses, while in neigh
boring stall we see others, scrawny,
skinny and emaciated.
If we stopped to investigate lit
tie, We would, in all probability. find
that the scrawny carcass covered
with little meat and that of poor
quality came directly from the farm.
while the plump. palatable-looking
chickens are products of the pack
ing houses. which before being
slaughtered were put through fat
tening process. or better still. flesh
ing process. The former term is the
one used to describe the special feed
ing of fowls or chickens to grow the
greatest possible amount of flesh and
to distribute throughout this flesh
quantities of fat globuleS which give
to the meat that rich. juicy flavor
SO greatly desired by real epicures.
Why leave this fattening to the
packer? Why not do this work on
the farm? Why not procure the
right foodstuffs and feed them in
the right way and send our chickens
to market in the best possible mar
ketable condition and thus secure
better prices and greater profits? OF
course. there are poultry keepers who
feed literally and who put on the
market a really first-class product.
but 1t is only here and there that a
serious effort is made to put the
chickens to be sold in what is known
n ia orlx az q vriy hi
condition can be had with but little
added effort on the part of the farmer.
The cockerels should be culled out
at an early age. Those weighing from
one and a quarter to two and a quar-
ter pounds usually make greatest
They should be put into pens and fed
especially prepared foods.
The method of penning, usually
practfced in the packing houses, is to
put the chicks to be fattened in crates
made of laths or of heavy wire on
wood frame of one-by-two-inch ma
terfaL A satisfactory homemade crate
which will answer every purpose is
six feet long and two feet wide. Made
entirely of laths nailed upright to an
upper and lower frame as suggested
above. or the top, back and ends may
be covered with inch-mesh poultry
wire. The bottom of the crate should
be made of laths set about one and
one-half inches apart. Underneath
may be placed shallow pan to catch
the droppings as they fall between
the Stats. To the front Is attached a
V-shaped wooden feed trough, either
resting on supports nailed to the
crates or hanging by wire hooks so
that it may easily be removed to be
cleaned. The laths in the front are
spaced about two inches apart, in
order that each chicken in the crate
may have easy access to the feed in
the trough. The two center laths in
the front Of each compartment are so
arranged that they may be raised to
make an opening through which the
birds are put in or taken out as oc-
casion demands.
This six-foot crate is twenty inches
high and Is divided into three COM
partments of equal size. each two feet
long by two feet wide, and will ac-
commodate seven two-pound chickens
and five OF larger size. Do not under
any conditions put more chickens
than there are feeding spaces between
same time. The crates should be
placed in a well ventilated room or, in
late spring and summer outdoors, un-
der shed or in the shade Of a tree
with a covering to keep out the rain.
room. out of sight of other chickens
running free is the location to be pre-
ferred. as quietness Is one Of the es-
sentials for rapid growth. II the coops
are placed outside in full view Of all
hat is going on the chickens in con-
anement grow restless and discon-
Tented.
The fattening or fieshing food con-
sists almost exclusively Of a mash Of
ground grain products, milk or meat
products. In the commercial plants
n 10 cd
The mash Is usually made up Of
corn meal, wheat middlings and cursh-
ed oats or oat flour. The proportions
may vary, there being no unalterable
or Interchangeable rule as to the mixing
Of these feeds. A good fattening ra-
weight, of yellow corn meal. oat flour
and wheat middlings mixed to the
Of porridge, with skim
milk, sour milk or buttermilk; the
buttermilk is to be perferred. as 1t
does not become rancid and seems to
make better finished chicken. The
condensed buttermilk IL
used in immense quantities and Is
quite satisfactory.
The mash mixture is fed morning,
noon and night, but only as much at
each feeding as the chicks will en-
tirely consume within ten or fifteen
should be thrown out and not be al
lowed to ferment In the troughs; but
when the chickens are first put In the
crates they are starved a little and
not fed for tho first eighteen hours
Then for another day ouIy
light feelings are given.
The chicks may be furnished q little
succulent green food from time to
time as an aid to digestion. but no
drinking water, except in warm
weather and then only about twice a
day. While grit does not seem to be
a necessity during the fattening
period. it is a good plan, however, to
scatter a little in the troughs two or
three times q week.
It has been well established that
crate fattening can be carried on
for period Of not more
than ten to fifteen days. After that
time there is little gain in proportion
to the amount of food consumed and
often a positive loss in weight and
There Is still another method Of