cocker's manual. 43 



■before they are to fight ; if stags ten days will do. For the first three 

 or four days let the feed be mush and molasses. If your cocks be very 

 fat mix a little vinegar with the evening food. After the third day 

 physic them with one ounce of Epsom salts to three ounces of butter, 

 mix well together, and at night be sure that tliey have no food in their 

 <;oop. Give each cock a pill the size of a marble. The next day let 

 Them have as much water as they will drink. The first feed after giv- 

 ing the physic should be mush and milk, one tablespoonful to each 

 cock, and one feed of the white of hard boiled eggs chopped fine and 

 mixed with barley. During the last week do not feed any barley but 

 feed bread and eggs in the morning, and cracked corn and eggs in the 

 evening. Wash their feet once a day and sponge their heads with 

 rum reduced with vinegar ; equal parts- should be used. Before feed- 

 ing in the morning exercise for a short time, increasing the length of 

 time each feed. To give them their exercise, toss them on a bag 

 stuffed with straws or a soft cushion until they become tired. If you 

 have a very fat cock give him extra exercise and immediately after 

 sponge and wipe dry ; then place him in the coop and do not give 

 him drink until he has become sufficiently cool. Be careful to exam- 

 ine each cock before cooping, to see if there are any signs of disease 

 about him ; and if so remove at once. If possible let the drink be 

 spring water, and that only to be given once a day, at noon ; two or 

 three swallows are sufficient. If the cock is very thin in flesh, beat 

 ^p the white of an egg with a little boiled milk, and give two swallows 

 twice a day. The utmost care must be taken to keep the coops clean. 

 It is best to remove the straw every morning and put in fresh. Fre- 

 quent use of the weights is necessary to show the order and condition 

 of the cocks. Extra fat rocks will require longer exercise and others 

 proportionately. If a fowl is extremely eager to drink, it shows too 

 much fever ; in this case give a little nitre with the water, and the 

 fever will be reduced in a short time. This should be repeated until 

 the desire for drink subsides. In no case feed a cock unless his crop 

 is empty, Large fat cocks can be reduced from eight to fourteen 

 ounces ; smaller ones from three to eight ounces. 



The following is to be found in the Edinburg Encyclopaedia : 

 "The fowl is supposed to come from his walk in good condition, in 

 ■which case he will be too fat for fighting and will have no wind until 

 he is reduced. ' To effect this medicine and abstinence from food are 



