106 



HOW TO FEED POULTRY FOR ANY PURPOSE WITH PROFIT 



The fattening ration may be much heavier than what 

 the geese have previously received, containing a larger 

 proportion of corn meal with some meat scrap, or the 

 birds may at first be fed only more freely of the lighter 

 ration they have had up to this time, and perhaps given 

 three feeds of it a day instead of two. The composition 

 of the ration, the frequency of feeding, and the liberal 



COOK HOUSE' AT AUSTIN'S GOOSE FATTENING FARM, 

 MANSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 



or sparing use of green feed, are all matters to be de- 

 termined in each case by the feeder's judgment of what 

 the birds can stand, by the importance of haste in finish- 

 ing them, and by the available supplies of green feed. 



The plants are not usually large, and the profitable- 

 ness of operating them depends much upon putting as 

 many geese as possible through the process. To insure 

 supplies of geese the fattener must contract ahead for 

 deliveries at certain times, and the earlier receipts must 

 be got out of the way to make room for others as they 

 come along. With each lot the grower has 'to consider 

 how to get it ready for market as quickly as possible, but 

 always with due consideration of the fact that if he over- 

 feeds a lot in the early stage of fattening it may delay 

 getting them properly fatted, and may also bring hea\y 

 losses. So he gives always as heavy a ration as he thinks 

 the birds can stand for the period required to make them 

 as fat as desired, and in view of the importance of green 

 feed in conditioning new lots as they arrive, and the fre- 

 quent difficulty of securing full supplies for the latest 

 arrivals, the fattener usually gives the birds that are get- 

 ting a heavy fattening ration as little green feed as l;e 

 can, and not have them break down. Sometimes the birds 

 get none for several weeks at the finish. 



The feeding on a goose-fattening farm is usually go- 

 ing on continuously from daybreak until after dark. Each 

 pen is fed only twice, or at most three times a day, and 

 as mixing and giving the feed constitute practically the 

 whole of the day's routine for most of the men employed 

 on a large plant, the number of men kept is just enough 

 to do the work by beginning the second feeding immedi- 

 ately after the first is completed, and the third imme- 

 diately after the second. This can be done better with 

 geese than with Pekin ducks because they are not shy, 

 nervous, and excitable, and are not so uneasy when oth- 

 ers are being fed while they wait. Feeding in this way 

 the goose fattener does not attempt to feed only what 

 the birds will clean up quickly, but feeds liberally, his 

 only care being to avoid giving more than will be eaten 

 within an hour or two after feeding. 



AVERAGE RATIONS FOR GEE*E AS USED BY 

 SUCCESSFUL, GROWERS 



No. 51 The Little Compton Method 



I FOR BREEDING GEESE 



Turn out on pasture from June until fall, feed no 

 grain while grass is available, then feed lightly of oats 

 and whole corn. After February 1st give a mixture of 

 corn meal, shorts, meat scrap, boiled potatoes, and 

 turnips in the morning; whole grain in the afternoon. 



II FOR GOSLINGS 



Pen the birds on tender grass and feed a mash of 

 corn meal and shorts two or three times a day until 

 about three weeks old, then put in larger pasture and 

 give a light feed of mash twice a day, with occasional- 

 ly a little cracked corn. 



No. 52 C. F. IN civilian's Method 



I FOR BREEDING GEESE 



They must have a pasture where from early spring 

 they will live almost exclusively on grass, clover, and 

 green rye. Place some oats and barley in boxes about 

 eight inches square, where the geese can get to them 

 in the pastures, but away from other poultry. Give 

 corn only in the coldest weather, or when there is snow 

 on the ground, preventing the geese from foraging. 



IL FOR GOSLINGS 



The first two or three days keep them in a wan 

 place and give them only soaked bread and water. In 

 nice weather put them on grass in small enclosures 

 that can be moved every day. After a week let them 

 run. The first four or five weeks give nothing but an 

 occasional feed of stale bread. Do not soak this after 

 the first few days, as they like it better dry, if they 

 have plenty of green feed. After five weeks give a 

 mash of 2 parts of bran and 1 part of corn meal in- 

 stead of the bread. 



HI TO FATTEN GOSLINGS 



After six weeks feed corn meal and bran, equal 

 parts, in a moist (but not sloppy) mash. 



No. 53 W. H. Rudd's Method 



I FOR BREEDING GEESE 



Adult geese should be turned out to pasture the 

 same as cattle, and should obtain their own living 

 about six months in the year. Through the early lay- 

 ing and breeding season they should be fed twice a day 

 with shorts (bran and middlings) and corn meal, equal 

 parts, moistened with water. If stale bread can be 

 had at reasonable prices, soak it and use instead of 

 shorts. Add 10 per cent of meat scrap, or its equiva- 

 lent of other animal feed. Supply shell liberally. 



U_FOR GOSLINGS 



Feed at first a mash of 1 part of corn meal and 

 2 parts of shorts, wet cold and squeezed as dry as pos- 

 sible. Give a little every few hours as often as they 

 appear hungry. As soon as the grass begins to grow 

 put them in movable pens on the grass. When three 

 or four weeks old, turn them out to pasture. The en- 

 closure may be of any size, but should be so fenced 

 that they cannot wander from it. With good pasture 

 the mash may be 3 parts of shorts and 1 part of corn 

 meal. Feed this twice a day only as much as they 

 will eat up clean. The drinking vessels should never 

 be empty. . 



IH_FOR FATTENING GOSLINGS 



Confine them more closely and feed less shorts and 

 more meal, adding some meat scrap; gradually in- 

 crease the proportion of meal and meat scrap until the 

 feed is about 90 per cent corn meal and 10 per cent 

 meat scrap. 



FEEDING MONGREL GEESE AT AUSTIN'S FARM 



Relation of Feeding Methods to Profit 

 Throughout this chapter the greatest emphasis his 

 been put on the liberal use of green feed, because the 

 profit in growing geese and the pleasure as well de- 



