FEEDING- HOUSES. 57 



ditional flesh. Such a period, in fact, is too short 

 for them to become accustomed to confinement. 



FEEDING-HOUSES, at once warm and airy, with 

 earth floors, such as have been already described, 

 well raised, and capacious enough to accommodate 

 twenty or thirty fowls, have always succeeded best, 

 according to my experience. The floor may be 

 slightly littered down, the litter often changed, and 

 the greatest cleanliness should be observed. Sandy 

 gravel should be placed in several different layers, 

 and often changed. A sufficient number of troughs, 

 for both water and food, should be placed around, 

 that the stock may feed with as little interruption as 

 possible from each other, and perches in the same 

 proportion should be furnished for those birds which 

 are inclined to perch, which few of them will desire, 

 after they have begun to fatten, but which helps 

 to keep them easy and contented until that pe- 

 riod. In this mode fowls may be fattened to the 

 highest pitch, and yet preserved in a healthy state, 

 their flesh being equal in quality to that of the barn- 

 door fowl. I am aware that to suffer fattening fowls 

 to perch, is contrary to the general practice, since 

 it is supposed to bend and deform the breast-bone ; 

 but as soon as they become heavy and indolent from 

 feeding, they will rather incline to rest in the straw ; 

 and the liberty of perching on the commencement 

 of their cooping, has a tendency to accelerate the 

 period when they are more inclined to rest on the 

 floor. Fowls, moreover, of considerable growth, 

 will have many of them become already crooked 

 breasted from perching whilst at large, although 



D5 



