88 THE PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



many small rearers around. Even these are not sufficient, 

 and of late have had to be supplemented by large numbers 

 from Ireland. While all these are greatly improved, a great 

 part of them can never be made up into first-class birds, and 

 return little or no profit, which is made for the most part 

 out of the better ones. 



Chickens and young fowls are put up to fatten at various 

 ages, the process requiring from two to four weeks, more 

 usually about three. In the ve r y early months small ones 

 sell well, and later on they must be fatted larger to yield a 

 return. Most of the Sussex fatters confine the birds in 

 barred or slatted pens about three feet long or wide, in 

 which are penned five or six birds, and one writer on the 

 subject has been very severe upon all who even mention the 

 single-bird system. But this system of a single pen about 

 ten inches wide for a single fowl is the usual one in France, 

 and has been adopted by Mr. C. E. Brooke, past-master of 

 the Poulterers' Company of London ; much depending upon 

 actual experience of the fatter and temperament of the 

 fowls. Some fatters, again, place the rows of pens in the 

 open air : except in very mild weather this exposure must 

 retard the process. Mr. Oliver, the largest fatter in Sussex, 

 uses roomy sheds, the sides of which are formed of brush- 

 wood, which allows free ventilation without any strong 

 draught. The droppings should fall through barred floors. 



When first penned the chickens should be fasted for the 

 whole day succeeding a night, only giving a meal in the 

 evening ; this causes a keen appetite. It is usual merely to 

 feed them for about ten days at first, from troughs in front 

 of the pens. English fatters use almost exclusively finely- 

 ground oats, mixed at first with milk and water, for this 

 first week, made into a paste. Gradually this becomes 

 whole milk or skim milk (sour does as well) to which is 

 added, first a little and then a little more, of some kind of 



