Cramming. 71 



to lose the flesh they were put up with, instead of acquir- 

 ing flesh ; and when crammed fowls do succeed, they must 

 necessarily, in the height of their fat, be in a state of 

 disease." Mr. Muirhead, poulterer to Her Majesty in 

 Scotland, says : " With regard to cramming, I may say 

 that it is wholly unnecessary, provided the fowls have 

 abundance of the best food at regular intervals, fresh air, and 

 a free run ; in confinement fowls may gain fat, but they 

 lose flesh. None but those who have had experience can 

 form any idea how both qualities can be obtained in 

 a natural way. I have seen fowls reared at Inchmartine 

 (which had never been shut up, or had food forced upon 

 them), equal, if not superior, to the finest Surrey fowl, 

 or those fattened by myself for the Royal table." 



If " cramming " is practised it should be done in the 

 following manner: The feeder, usually a female, should 

 take the fowl carefully out of the fatting-coop by placing 

 both her hands gently under its breast, then sit down with 

 the bird upon her lap, its rump under her left arm, open 

 its mouth with the finger and thumb of the left hand, take 

 the pellet with the right, dip it well into water, milk, or 

 pot liquor, shake the superfluous moisture from it, put it 

 into the mouth, "cram " it gently into the gullet with her 

 forefinger, then close the beak and gently assist it down 

 into the crop with the forefinger and thumb, without 

 breaking the pellet, and taking great care not to pinch the 

 throat. When the fowl has been " crammed " it should be 

 carefully carried back to its coop, both hands being placed 

 under its breast as before. Chickens should be " crammed'' 

 regularly every twelve hours. The " cramming " should 

 commence with a few pellets, and the number be gradu- 

 ally increased at each meal until it amounts to about 

 fifteen. But always before you begin to feed gently feel 

 the fowl's crop to ascertain that the preceding meal has 

 been digested, and if you find it to contain food, let the 

 bird wait until it is all digested, and give it fewer pellets 

 at the next meal. If the "crams" should become hard- 

 ened in the crop, some lukewarm water must be given to 

 the bird, or poured down its throat if disinclined to drink, 



