Show I 1 fruit FARM 1 ones 11 FATTEN COCKERELS i FOR EARLY MARKET Foul tryman notes ages for economy and quality by J C taylor associate extension new jersey college of agriculture service when is the best time to fatten cockerels cocker els to market direct to butcher shops hotels and homes the answer is for most economical gains in weight fatten them at eight weeks of age for best quality meat fatten them between the ages of 12 and 20 weeks the united states department of agriculture found that when cock berels were fattened for two weeks beginning at the age 0 of f eight weeks they gained about 48 43 per cent in weight compared with a weight gain of about 18 per cent in a two week fattening period beginning at 20 weeks of age between the ages of 12 and 20 weeks the older the cockerels cocker els were when fattened the less efficiently they were able to put on extra weight for each pound of gain during fattening the eight week old cockerels cocker els required about four pounds of feed the 12 week old ones about four and one halt half pounds and the 20 week wee old ko ones about six pounds the 12 and 20 week old cockerels cockerell cocker els had the advantage of a larger proportion of choice breast and leg meat the younger cockerels cockerell cocker els had a smaller proportion of choice meat after fattening as well weh as before cockerell cockerels Cocker els of all ages put most of their additional fat into edible portions other than leg and breast meat only a small part of the additional fat went into the breast meat the proportion going into the thighs and the drum sticks also was small cockerels Cocker els used in the tests were obtained by crossing white leghorn males with females from a cross of barred plymouth rock males and rhode island red females |