MARKETING POULTRY FOR THE TABLE.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 1, 20 July 1916, Page 56

MARKETING POULTRY FOR THE TABLE.

A STRIKING TEST OF THE PRIMING PROCESS.

F. C. BROWN,

Chief Poultry Instructor

The marketing of poultry, especially cockerels, in a proper table condition is an adjunct to egg-production the value of which is not appreciated in New Zealand as it should be. The great bulk of our poultry is marketed in merely store condition, and thus sold at merely store prices. Yet were cockerels marketed at a right —four to five months oldand properly primed, they would bring highly profitable prices, and the table-poultry trade would be a valuable source of income to the producer.

In order to give some idea of the money now . being lost to the industry by the marketing of poultry for table purposes in poor and practically unsaleable. condition, and incidentally to demonstrate the cost entailed .by feeding birds from month to month (vast numbers of cockerels are fed up to eight to twelve months, when they should have been sold at half that age), the Department recently conducted a feeding-test for determining the actual cost of converting the ordinary store birds seen at city auction-rooms into a prime table condition.

A number of cockerels were purchased ' under competition at one of the weekly auctions at Christchurch. They were taken to the Department's reserve at Quail Island, and there fed on ordinary well-balanced fattening-diet. After ' twenty-four to thirty-one days' treatment the birds were again offered for sale at the same auctionmart, and returned, after deducting cost of feeding, a profit of 92 per cent. The result afford; a striking illustration of the. value of primirg poultry before marketing, and also of the money lost to the poultry-keepers of this country by failure to treat their birds for market in an intelligent manner..

Thirty-one cockerels took part in the test, divided into two pens, No. I containing fifteen birds and No. 2 having sixteen.

PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF BIRDS.

Before fattening was attempted and this point should be emphasized the birds were put into a healthy condition. Epsom salts and sulphur were employed to clear the. intestines, and thereby bring the birds into such condition that they could make the best use of the fattening-diet. One packet of salts dissolved in the water with which the mash was mixed was allowed for every twelve birds. - The sulphur (about the same amount as of salts) . was also added ■to the mash, and was well mixed with the ingredients before they were moistened. The birds were also carefully treated for vermin, being dusted with carbolic powder before the test commenced, and again a week later. Everything,, in fact, was done to ensure that the effect of the neglect to which the birds had previously been subjected should be overcome, and that the priming treatment would have every chance of success.

THE PRIMING DIET AND MANAGEMENT.

Pen No. 1. — The mash formula used in feeding pen No. 1 was as follows : 100 lb. ground hulled oats, 50 lb. ground wheat, 10 lb. ground maizemeal, 7 lb. meatmeal, 1 lb. salt.

The fifteen birds consumed 113 lb. of this mixture, costing ios. 3|d. In addition they were given 8 lb. of whole wheat, costing 7|d., and charcoal, sulphur, and insect-powder, costing 6d. a total approximate cost of food of 11s. s|d.

The mash was mixed into a crumbly mass with sour skim-milk. The birds ’ were given this twice each day —as . much as they could eat without waste. During the last eight days of the test whole wheat and some of the dry ground-grain mixture was ’ always left before the birds in separate receptacles.

Pen No. 2. — The following mash formula was used in feeding pen No. 2 : . 50 lb. ground hulled oats, 50 lb. ground wheat, 6 lb. meatmeal, 1 lb. salt.

The sixteen birds consumed lb. of this mixture, costing 6s. • B|d., and 'in addition 741 lb. potatoes, costing is. 5d., i6| lb. whole wheat, costing is. • sfd., and charcoal, sulphur, and insectpowder, costing 7fd., the. total approximate cost of food being 10s. 3d. ' ' ■

For the first week the mash was mixed with boiled potatoes and sour skim-milk, as near as possible 2 parts of potatoes to 1 of meal. From the commencement of the second week to the end of the test the mash was made of equal parts by weight of

potatoes and ground - grain . mixture. ' During the last week whole wheat and some of the dry grain-mixture were left always before the birds in separate receptacles.

All birds were given sour skim-milk, to drink, as well as clean water in a separate receptacle, while grit and charcoal were always before them. In addition raw mangels were always left before the birds to pick at. No account was kept of the amount of skim-milk or mangels that was consumed.

The pens in which the birds were running were about 20 ft. wide by 40 ft. long.

It will be . noted from the tables that the birds that were fed till 6th May made little or no gain in weight during the last week of the test, indicating that in most cases three weeks of proper priming should be sufficient for well-grown birds.

The , success of this - trial is due in a large' measure to the efficient supervision of Mr. C. Cussen, Poultry Instructor, Christchurch, and to the close attention given to the birds by Mr. R. M. Henderson, Caretaker of the Quail Island Quarantine-station.

Ring No. of Bird. Weights during Test. Date sold.. Weight gained. 4th April (Date purchased). nth April. 17th April. 28th April. 5 th May. Pen No. 1. lb. lb. lb. lb. lb. lb. IO 34 44 ■ 54 64 29th April .. 2 1 12 . 34 44 54 64 29th April . . 24 23 3 4 ' 5 54 54 6th May ■■ 24 19 ■ 4 44 - 54 6 29th April . . ..2 ■ . 20 4 44 ’ 6 64 29th April . . 24 21 4 5 54 6 29th April . . , 2 22 34 ■ 4 5 64 ■64 6th May 24 24 34 44 5 64 64 6th May 24 36 344 44 5 29th April . . l4 I ‘ 3 34 - ■ 4 ' 44 29th April . . T 3. 1 4 2 24 3 34 ' 4 29th April .. . I 43 3 34 . 4 5 6 . 29th April . . 3 4 34 44 5 - 54 54 29 th April .. 2 . 7 Q 3 34; 4 44 29th April . . . 2 ■ 41 if 2 ■ 2 4 3 29th April . . if Totals 494 59f 704 8i4 33 \ 33 Pen No.. 2. 1 > 314 44 .54 29th April . . if ■ 2 3 34 34 44 44 6th May if 3 34 4 44 5 29th April . . i4 4 , . 3 4 44 . 5 29th April . . 2 11 . 4 5 6 64 29th April .. 2— 13 2 ■ 24 3 34 4 ■ 6th May 2 16 3 4 ■5 54 54 6th May .. 2— 17 34 34 ■ 44 5 54 • 6th May •.. 2 18 3 34 44 44 . 5 6th May .. 2 5 . 2 3 34 44 29th April . . 24 . 6 2 4 2f 4 44 44 6th May 2 8 3 . 34 • 4 44 29th April . . 14 9 24 3 3 4 4 6th May I 4' . . 10 ■ r 2 ■ 24 3 34 29th April . .. ■ i4 14 2 ■ 24 3 34 . 4 6th May ■ 2 15 34 34 34 44 44 6th May .. . 1 Totals 46 544 644 734 30

The following tables give particulars of the results: —

Number of birds bought .. -.. • • 3i .. Average weight when bought .. .. 3-08 lb. Average weight when sold ... . .. ' 5-11 lb. Aggregate purchase-price . . • • Z2 7 s 4d. Aggregate selling-price ' . .. ". .• • • £5 12s? yd Gain in value. . .. .. • • £3 5S. 3d. Cost of feed . . .. .. .. . . ■ £1 is. 8d. Profit .. . . ... .... • • £2 3s. 7 d.

The results of the operations are summarized as follows :-