FATTENING AND MARKETING GEESE 



for this reason also that the geese are not all put 

 on the fattening ration at the same time, but are 

 started at intervals so as to have a continuous supply 

 coming along to keep the pickers busy. The geese 

 not put in the fattening lots at the start are left in 

 the fields to grow and develop until they are needed. 



The enclosures in which the geese are penned for 

 fattening are small lots or fields enclosed by stone 

 walls or board fences 2 J to 3 feet high. These lots 

 should be dry and well-drained, a location on a side 

 hill being good for this purpose. The fattening lots 

 must be kept clean and stagnant water must not be 

 allowed to stand in the lots as this is likely to cause 

 sickness, especially diarrhoea. These yards should 

 be plowed up each spring and planted to oats, com 

 or some other growing crop to sweeten them. No 

 houses or shelters are provided for these geese but 

 some yards are somewhat wooded which affords a 

 measure of protection from the wind. 



Feeding. When the geese are placed in the fat- 

 tening lots, some fatteners prefer to fast the geese 

 for from 3 to 5 days, giving them no feed but plenty 

 of water to drink. This gives them a good appetite 

 and puts them in good shape for fattening. 



The geese are fed three times a day, in the morn- 

 ing, at noon and at night. The morning and night 

 feed usually consists of a moist mixed feed fed in 

 troughs ; while the noon feed is whole com thrown on 

 the ground. The use of one feed of com a day is sup- 

 posed to check any tendency toward diarrhoea. In 



203 



