FINISHING POULTRY FOR THE TABLE 305 



determined by the condition of the birds at the start and by the rate 

 of increase of fat. 



Geese to be sold as green geese are handled in much the same 

 way as green ducks, but as goslings require relatively more bulky 

 green food while growii)g, the change to the full fattening ration 

 should be made more gradually, and such birds as show signs of 

 breaking down (weakness of legs) should be disposed of at once. 



Older geese are easily fattened, either by liberal feeding of whole 

 or cracked corn with grass pasture (good, but not too extended), or 

 by feeding a standard mash once a day and corn once a day. There 

 is less need of very heavy feeding with the older geese than with 

 the green geese. For the latter it is desirable to have the birds 

 finished as soon as possible after the frame is grown, and before 

 the last adolescent molt. The finishing period is therefore short, 

 and rations of the highest efficiency must be used, even at extra 

 risks. For the older birds more time can be taken. As they will 

 keep in good condition on pasture, the keeper who has pasture can 

 extend the finishing period as much as he sees fit, and make the 

 fattening a slow process. 



Turkeys, being of a roving disposition (the young especially being 

 likely to fret in confinement), are less easily finished for market 

 than geese. As most flocks of turkeys are handled on farms, the 

 fattening depends much on conditions not under the keeper's con- 

 trol. As the supply of food to be secured by foraging diminishes 

 in the fall, they are tempted to keep nearer home by more liberal 

 feeding there. If the weather is seasonable — that is, rather cool 

 — their appetites are sharpened, and if well fed, they increase 

 rapidly in size and at the same time put on fat. Their condition 

 at the time for killing for the Thanksgiving trade depends much 

 upon the weather during the two months, and especially the few 

 weeks, preceding. Unseasonably warm weather is unfavorable to 

 finishing. Whole corn fed freely two or three times a day is the 

 usual fattening ration, old and young being fed together. Mash, 

 or dough, is sometimes given once a day to hasten the process. 



Causes of failures in finishing by ordinary methods. It is usual 

 to attribute poor results to the inefficiency of the ration. They are 

 more hkely to be due (i) to the condition of the birds, (2) to condi- 

 tions unsatisfactory for the process, or (3) to constitutional tendency. 



