Food and Feeding. 213 



space given to them, and the kind of food they are able to 

 obtain for themselves, all of which should guide the selection 

 of that given to them. Many persons appear to think, that 

 if they give the same food to fowls in confinement that 

 they obtain when at liberty, all will be well ; but such is not 

 the case. Under the latter circumstances the food consists 

 of worms, slugs, and grain, the two former chiefly, and we 

 are sure that if the same amount of animal food was given 

 to birds in a limited run, that is obtained by those at liberty, 

 it would result in disease very speedily. Birds with plenty 

 of space are much more active than those in confinement, 

 and eliminate surplus matter from the system very rapidly. 

 As this elimination means exhaustion of fatty matter chiefly, 

 because exercise causes warmth, which is the result of a 

 consumption of oil in the body, fat-forming foods can with 

 advantage be given to such fowls ; whereas, on the other 

 hand, birds that are in confinement do not consume the oil 

 so rapidly, and if as much fat-forming food is given to them, 

 it cannot be used, but will clog up the machine, storing the 

 fat by laying it on internally, and this storage will be found 

 an evil instead of a benefit. The great chemist, Liebig, 

 used to say that all fat was a disease, and that it should not 

 be allowed under any circumstances ; but, whilst we are 

 not able to accept this statement fully, for it must be 

 remembered that a slight reserve of fat is beneficial as a 

 reservoir of heat, yet there can be little doubt, that if this fat 

 is not consumed before any more is stored up, and one layer 

 piled upon another, then it takes the form of disease. It 

 is not a pleasant thought, but, nevertheless, it is a fact, that 

 what we are accustomed to consider ripeness or tenderness, 

 is but the first stage of decay. For instance, a piece of meat 

 may be rather hard if cooked soon after the animal has 

 been killed, but if kept a few days will become tender. We 

 do not for one moment wish to argue that such " tender " 



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