LECTURE XCVII. 



FATTENING, KILLING AND PREPARING POULTRY FOR 

 MARKET. 



There is usually excellent sale for birds properly fitted and 

 prepared for the market. Creamy white flesh is more desir- 

 able on most markets than yellow flesh. Birds weighing 

 about four pounds when finished bring the highest prices. 

 Large, coarse birds are not so attractive; besides, they are 

 more wasteful. Birds with deep, angular breast bones have 

 to be fed longer to make them look well, and so are more 

 costly feeders. 



Select young, plump birds weighing three and one-half 

 pounds, or thereabouts, three and one half to four months old. 

 These are placed in crates made somewhat as follows: they 

 are six feet six inches long, twenty inches high, and sixteen 

 inches deep, and are divided into three compartments by solid 

 partitions. The top sides and bottom are made of one and 

 one-half inch slats, one-half inch thick. The slats on the back, 

 top and bottom run lengthwise, while those in front are placed 

 up and down two inches apart, so as to allow the birds to 

 run their heads through them at feeding time. The slats on 

 the bottom are three-fourths inch apart, so that the drop- 

 ping will fall through. Care should be taken that the last 

 slat is not placed tight against the back, so that the droppings 

 may fall through instead of lodging there. If the droppings 

 lodge in the crates they decompose and the crates become foul. 

 Slat doors are placed in front. A "V" shaped trough two and 

 one-half inches deep is placed along in front to hold their feed. 



The crates may in warm weather be placed out of doors, 

 if covered so as to protect them from rain. In cold weather 

 they should be placed in a warm, dark place. The fatten- 

 ing period should not cover more than four weeks at most. 

 After that time feeding is very expensive and only the rougher 

 sort of birds will require the long period, hence the necessity 

 for choosing a right type of bird. 



See that all birds are well dustM with sulphur before 

 crating. 



