Money in Broilers and Squabs. 137 



and killed at Thanksgiving and kept a month in cold storage, in- 

 stead of having them killed at Christmas as was formerly their cus- 

 tom. 



Any goslings which are not fat when taken from the fattening 

 pen are usually allowed to run outside for a week or two, where 

 they have plenty of green food and only a moderate amount of 

 grain, and are afterwards put in the fattening process a second time. 



The cornmeal and the beef used in fattening food should be of 

 the very best quality, and mixed in the proportion of one part of 

 scraps to four parts of meal, by measure, and a little salt should be 

 added, just enough to season it, care being taken not to use too 

 much. 



Some fatteners, about two hours before killing the birds, allow 

 them to eat what they will readily consume of sweet, fresh, green 

 food, like green oats or sweet corn. They claim that this fills the 

 birds up, and they present a more plump appearance and sell better 

 in the market. 



It requires usually from 17 to 20 days' steady feeding to fatten 

 goslings. If fed much longer than that their appetites are likely to 

 fail, and they are also inclined to molt, which of course seriously 

 interferes with fattening, and would also make the bird hard to 

 pick and unsatisfactory when dressed. 



Some kinds of geese are more nervous when confined in the 

 fattening pens than others, and at times a flock will get in the habit 

 of running from side to side of the pen, or "churning," as the fat- 

 teners term it, when the least unusual thing occurs. Under such 

 circumstances they fatten very indifferently. 



Goslings should be slaughtered when taken from the fattening 

 pen or soon afterward. They should never be shipped or carted 

 away from the place alive. If this is done and they are then 

 dressed, the fat will have a dark appearance, as though the birds 

 were not in a good, healthy condition, and they will hardly be sale- 

 able. 



For fattening, feed scalded dough, made from Indian cornmeal 

 and sweet beef scraps. Water should be provided in pails or 

 buckets, giving them a fresh supply three times daily, but only 

 sufficient for them to drink, and not enough for them to attempt 

 to bathe, as water spilled around the pen is apt to make the ground 

 muddy, and any unnecessary exercise is hindrance to fattening. 



Feed in the morning what dough the gOslings will not eat up 

 in an hour after feeding. At noon feed whole corn in the same way, 

 but at night a considerable larger quantity of dough can be given 

 them, as they will eat more sometimes during the night, when the 

 weather is cooler, than during the whole day. A little powdered 

 charcoal should be mixed with the dough about twice a week. If at 

 any time more dough should be given than is eaten up, remove it 

 from the pen before giving them a fresh supply. 



The following method in fattening is adopted by an English 

 goose farmer : Geese in good condition should be shut up in a quiet 

 place, shaded from the light, where they cannot see other geese at 

 liberty, and should be kept there from 20 to 25 days. It is beneficial 



