CHAPTER Till 

 LESSOSS FROM FOEEIGN EXPERTS 



BY EDWAKD R. BROWN 



THEEE are approved methods for fattening, viz. : 

 (1) from the trough, (3) by hand, (3) hj 

 funnel, and (4) by machine. The first system 

 has already been referred to, and is chiefly 

 employed for the production of half-fattened specimens, 

 which may either be kept in the ordinary pens or in a 

 house and run, which can be moved on fresh ground 

 as often as is necessary. It is fitted with troughs at 

 either side. One of these appliances, six feet long by 

 three feet wide, is large enough for a dozen birds, and 

 is a suitable form for ordinary farmers. In Belgium 

 the famous Coucou de Malines are fattened entirely 

 from troughs, they are kept in closely covered sheds 

 during the entire process. 



Hand Feeding — Some of the finest fowls which are 

 produced both in England and France are crammed 

 by hand ; but the process is slow, so that it is only 

 suitable where labor is abundant and cheap. In a large 

 establishment it would be impossible to get through the 

 work if hand cramming were depended upon. The 

 food is mixed to a thick paste, and formed into pellets 

 or boluses about three-fourths inch long and one-half 

 inch thick. There are two ways in which feeding takes 

 place. In one a number of pellets are prepared, the 

 operator takes hold of the bird's head, gripping it 

 between his body and left arm, opens the mouth witli 

 the thumb of his left hand, dips the pellet into whey 

 or milk, inserts it in the mouth and presses it down 

 the throat with his finger, and then carries the food 



