ADVANTAGES OF FATTENING. 



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Canada, due to the efforts of Professor Robert- 

 son, late Dairy Commissioner for the Dominion, 

 who paid several visits to this country, obtain- 

 ing information which he disseminated very 

 freely on his return. The quality of the birds 

 at present is not equal to our English standard, 

 but they have been vastly improved as a 

 consequence of the adoption of the fatten- 

 ing system, and as that system comes to 

 be better understood, Canadian fowls will 

 be much finer than is the case at present. 

 Until recently poultry fattening was practi- 

 cally unknown in the United States, but it 

 has been greatly extended within the last few 

 years. 



"In order to appreciate the object of fatten- 

 ing, it is well to consider larger stock, where 

 practically the same system is carried out, 

 though, of course, different methods are em- 

 ployed. We accept without demur that for 

 animals, such as cattle, sheep, or 

 Advantages pigs, to be fed off is an absolute 



Fattening. 



necessity, if the flesh is to have 



the quality and quantity desirable. 

 Farmers buy store stock, as they are called, 

 feeding them off or fattening them before 

 they are sent to the butcher. To kill a lean 

 animal would be very wasteful ; the proportion 

 of flesh to that of bone and offal would be small, 

 whilst the quality of flesh would be distinctly 

 inferior to that of a fed animal. The reason why 

 fatted flesh is better than unfatted.is that globules 

 of fat are distributed throughout the muscles, 

 displacing to a considerable extent the moisture 

 found therein. Not only, therefore, is the bulk 

 increased, but also when the flesh is cooked the 

 fat does not evaporate to the same extent as 

 the water, but, melting, softens the tissue, 

 making it more digestible and finer in flavour. 

 It may be contended that Nature has no system 

 of fattening, and yet that wild birds and animals 

 killed for food are found to be in good condition 

 for eating ; but this statement is only correct up 

 to a certain point. At seasons of the year when 

 food is abundant, birds and animals are much 

 fatter and plumper, and it is generally at these 

 seasons that they are killed for food. A 'close' 

 time for — say — pheasants, is not only enacted 

 in order to prevent the birds being killed off 

 during the breeding season, but also because at 

 such periods of the year they do not carry the 

 same amount of flesh. 



" A further point to bear in mind is that, 

 economically, the fattening system adds to the 

 profit of the producer. Some time ago Mr. C. E. 

 Brooke carried out a series of experiments 

 showing the gain in weight, and the results of 

 these were published in my book on Poultry 



Fattening.* Twenty-four birds in all were put up 

 for fattening, nine cockerels and fifteen pullets. 

 TJaey were subjected to the system for twenty- 

 eight days, which is longer than is usually con- 

 sidered to be necessary, but the prolongation 

 was for a special purpose. The total increase 

 of weight during the process was 55 lbs. 3^ ozs., 

 or a gain of about 2 lbs. 6 ozs. each, the great- 

 est amount of gain in any individual case 

 being 2 lbs. 15^ ozs. I have known cases where 

 upwards of 3 lbs. has been added to the weight 

 of a fowl in a little over three weeks, but prob- 

 ably under ordinary conditions the average 

 gain would be from l^ lbs. to 2 lbs. Of course, 

 a certain amount of this would be surplus fat, 

 laid upon the intestines and around various 

 organs of the body ; as in the case of larger 

 animals, this must always be so. Still at the 

 same time the edible portions of the birds were 

 enormously increased. The estimaited cost 

 of fattening for three weeks is accepted as 

 about 5d. per bird, whilst in establishments 

 where men have to be employed another 

 3d. would be added for labour. Thus, apart 

 altogether from the question of improvement 

 of quality, the increase in weight much more 

 than repays the expenditure. There is, however, 

 a danger of excessive fattening, and birds carry- 

 ing a large amount of surplus fat can only be 

 in very limited demand. We should not like 

 what is called Christmas beef all the year round, 

 nor should we care to have specimens such as 

 some exhibited at the Smithfield Table Poultry 

 Show daily upon our tables. Both large and 

 small animals are often fatted for such a season 

 to the utmost, with a view of showing what 

 can be done in this direction, and also of prize- 

 winning. 



"Another result of fattening is to improve 

 the appearance of the bird. The flesh is not 

 only softer and more abundant, but it is greatly 

 improved in colour. The use of milk and of 

 ground oats, as afterwards explained, has the 

 effect of whitening the flesh ; and even with those 

 birds which have yellow skin, it is remarkable 

 how great a difference is found between fatted 

 and unfatted specimens. 



" With regard to the prices obtained for 

 fattened poultry, these vary considerably. There 

 can be no question that at certain seasons of the 

 year birds can be sold in the London markets 

 wholesale at 123. to 14s. per couple; but these 

 are the exception and not the rule, the picked 

 specimens, not the general run, and the demand 

 for them must, of course, be limited. But during 

 the spring months good birds will always bring 



• " Poultry Fattening," by Edward Brown, F. L.S. London 1 

 Edward Arnold. 



