ii8 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



and it is upon them that the millers have to 

 depend. Ground oats are rather expensive, 

 and absolutely pure cannot be bought, even in 

 large quantities, much under £() los. to £\0 per 

 ton. The cheaper meals sold as ground oats 

 contain an admixture, generally of fine thirds. 

 One maker supplies a meal w^hich I have proved 

 to be very excellent for the purpose, and this 

 contains one part ground oats, one part fine 

 barley meal, and one part fine Indian meal ; 

 and as it can be sold at about £6 los. to 

 £6 15s. per ton, it is extensively employed. 



" Buckwheat meal is not quite so good as 

 ground oats, being rather low both in albumin- 

 oids and in fat, and therefore we do not expect 

 quite the same quality of flesh as the result 

 of fattening by it. In Belgium, where it is 

 generally employed, it is ground up very fine, 

 husks as well as the floury parts of the grain, 

 and I can quite conceive that for trough feeding 

 alone it is excellent, being rather sweet, thus 

 tempting the birds to eat more than they would 

 otherwise do. As already mentioned, both buck- 

 wheat meal and very finely sifted barley meal are 

 employed in France. The latter is not so good 

 as either ground oats or buckwheat meal, being 

 rather stimulating. When used it is always 

 very carefully sifted. I have found in one or 

 two parts of France where barley-meal is largely 

 employed for fattening, that with it was mixed 

 about a fourth of fine Indian-meal. In Russia 

 fatters use ground oats or oatmeal, buckwheat- 

 meal, and a meal made from millet seed ; but 

 many of the fatters in that country are com- 

 pelled to regard that which is cheapest, because 

 the price obtained for their birds is very low. 



" Whilst much of the success in fattening is 

 due to the meal employed, the colour of the 

 flesh is largely determined by whether milk is 

 used or not, and the large amount of phosphates 



in the solids of milk secures that 

 Milk. whiteness of flesh which is preferred 



in European table poultry. In 

 England skim milk is generally used for this 

 purpose, and as a rule the milk is allowed to 

 sour before it is mixed with the meal. Why 

 this is done is somewhat difficult to explain, 

 and whether the system originated from actual 

 observation, or that it was more convenient 

 because the milk could be kept for use as 

 required, I cannot say. The theory is that the 

 acid generated in the milk in a sour state stimu- 

 lates the appetite, prevents sickness, and gives 

 a flavour to the flesh. Some doubt has been 

 thrown upon this of late, and the disadvantage 

 of that scouring which undoubtedly arises from 

 the use of sour milk has been pointed out. But 

 whether the same results can be obtained with 



sweet milk as with sour has not been practically 

 tested, and is one of the problems that must be 

 left for future solution. In France skim milk is 

 employed, and generally sour ; and in one dis- 

 trict I have visited they use the whey from the 

 curds. In Belgium buttermilk is preferred when 

 it can be obtained. Although one may have an 

 open mind as to whether sweet or sour milk is 

 best, at the same time it is suggestive that in all 

 three countries named the same idea appears to 

 have been in the minds of fatters. The great 

 advantage in using either sour skim milk, 

 buttermilk, or whey from the curds, is that 

 what is to some extent a waste product can 

 be put to good purpose. 



" During the last week to ten days of the 

 fattening process, that is, during the time that 

 the birds are in the sheds, it is customary to add 

 a proportion of fat to the food with a view of 



increasing the weight of the birds. 

 Fat. If whole milk were employed fat 



would not be needed, but when 

 skim milk is used because the butter fat in the 

 milk would be too valuable for this work, then 

 other fat should be added. In some places 

 butchers' suet or scrap fat is bought, clarified, 

 and then kept in barrels for the purpose. The 

 fat which comes over from America, and which 

 could formerly be purchased at a comparatively 

 cheap rate, has risen in price considerably. The 

 quantity usually added varies greatly. It is 

 customary during the first day or two after fat 

 is added to give only a small quantity, say a 

 quarter of a pound per diem for every twenty 

 birds. But this is gradually increased until each 

 bird is getting half an ounce of fat per day. 

 The fat should be melted and mixed with the 

 soft food. This must be properly done, other- 

 wise it will come out in lumps. 



" The method adopted in preparing food for 

 fattening does not vary to any great extent As 

 a rule, it is found desirable to mix the food with 

 milk a few hours before it is intended to be used, 

 allowing it to stand ; during this time a slight 



fermentation takes place, which it 

 methods jg claimed assists the process of 



Feediug fattening to a considerable extent. 



In Sussex it is usual to mix the food 

 for the next meal as soon as the morning or 

 evening meal respectively has been given. In 

 this country the birds are only fed twice a day, 

 as early as possible in the morning, and, in the 

 evening, about an hour before dark. Of course, 

 the exact hours are determined by the season of 

 the year. Whatever times, however, are chosen 

 should be adhered to. If seven o'clock in the 

 morning and six in the evening are adopted — 

 and these would be very suitable during the 



