FIBNT LESSONS IN POULrUY KEEPING. 153 



M'ben only a small number of chickens are being handled, a very rapid fattening may be 

 Diade by feeding on a baked johnny cake of corn meal, with occasionally some beef scrap con- 

 taining much fat or pork cracklings. For a large number of cbickens the preparation of 

 johnny cake is too troublesome. Feeding entirely on mash o£ corn meal and beef scraps may 

 work satibfactorily on chickens that can stand it, but heavy mash feeding exclusively is not to 

 be recommended to a novice. The part grain diet is safer. 



Fattening on ground dry feed mixtures is probably not to be recommended for quick work 

 with chickens that have been fed by another system, for if they do not take readily to it valu- 

 able time is lost. It should be noted in the instructions already given that the fattening process 

 is simply an extension of the regular system of feeding to which the stock is accustomed. So 

 in dry feeding the feeder trusts in part to confining the chickens more closely and in part to a 

 little more fattening food of the same kind he has been using and fed much the same way to 

 bring about the conditions he seeks. Mr. Park used to fatten bis cockerels on a misture of 

 equal parts corn, oats, and barley, ground very fine and fed dry in hoppers, the cockerels mean- 

 time being confined to a grass run and liberally supplied with beef scrap, water, and, some- 

 time«, milk. I presume they would fatten as rapidly by this plan as by mine, but cannot say 

 definitely. 



About Machine Fattening. 



Of this system of fattening I do not propose to treat at this stage of these lessons. Later on 

 it will be taken up and considered in a special lesson. 



Fattening Old Hens. 



If I give in precept what I practice I have not much to say about fattening old hens. My 

 experience has been that when through laying for the season which is to be their last with you, 

 the best thing to do with them is to dispose of tbem at once, whatever their condition. Those 

 that are fat will gain little by keeping. Those that are thin cannot be fatted in » short time, 

 but must be brought up in condition first. Those tbat are in good condition might gain enough 

 to warrant fattening if considered liy themselves, but with the others, and in view of the fact 

 that whatever the scale of operntions, I have nearly always bad younger stock to which it was 

 worth while to give additional room, I have always felt tbat I made no mistake in disposing of 

 the old hens in a bunch, letting them go as they were, and I think most poultrymen will find 

 the same thing true. 



Tf, however, one wants to fatten his old hens the best plan is to confine quite closely and feed 

 heavily a ration about the same as they have been getting for a good laying ration. More corn 

 and more meat foods may i>e added, but with old hens it is not best to feed too healing foods, 

 for thev cannot stand it as the young stocl; will, and a few hens going ofi" their feed and dying 

 will cut into the profit so much that it would have been as well not to try to fatten. 



