103 FATTENING. 



do not constantly see food before them they will eat it far more 

 Teadily -when it is given. This is only common-sense treatment, - 

 and, believe me, in dealing -with fowls you must often draw 

 ^largely on this very desirable commodity. 



Four meals a day should be the allowance for penned-up chick- 

 ens, letting them eat, each time you feed, as. much as they will 

 with appetite. ' At night they will roost on the board. Some 

 people put down clean straw, but if you close up the pen so that 

 the birds are not cold it is not really necessary, and it only har- 

 bours insects. Perches you might have if you've room in- your 

 pen — sufficient height I mean. Before the birds are put in have 

 the coop well cleaned, white-washed, and sprinkled with car- 

 bolic acid. This should be done two or three times during the 

 time the chicks are fattening. 



Fowls should of course be killed in the most merciful way. 

 It makes one shudder to read of the manner in which the poor 

 things are sometimes tortured, allowed to bleed slowly to death, 

 pins run into their Ibrains, and horrors too dreadful to name. 

 Poultry dealers generally kiU them in the quickest manner by 

 breaking their necks, and so quickly do they perform -^ their 

 work that one man will often kill and pick a dozen or more 

 in an hour. One of the easiest ways of killing is to hit the bird , 

 afiharp blow on the back of the head with a heavy blunt stick; 

 death is almost instantaneous. Then pluck at once while the 

 bird is warm, as the process can then be accomplished muoh- 

 more rapidly , than if the bird is allowed to hang until cold. 

 When all the feathers are oft the fowl will still be warm. It 

 -should then be carefully singed, floured, and trussed, and placed 

 between two boards with a weight, on the topmost; not too heavy 

 a weight, of course, to spoil its shape, but just enough to keep 

 the breast down and in good shape. 



Capons of course fetch much better prices, and their flesh 

 remains tender up to the age of two years, twhereas a cook at 



