1908.] 



Poultry Fattening. 



181 



fretting and other causes, especially if they have come off a 

 journey. But during the last few days of trough-feeding the 

 birds should be allowed to eat as much as they like, the object 

 being not so much to put on flesh, though that is necessary, 

 but to expand the crop gradually, so that it may be able to 

 hold more when cramming commences. 



No one but a practical crammer can appreciate the difference 

 that exists between the crop of one bird and another. No two 

 crops appear to be of the same capacity, and expert crammers 

 lay themselves out to increase the capacity of a crop gradually ; 

 it is surprising to what an extent a small crop can be enlarged 

 in this way. Some large birds have small crops, and this is 

 one reason why a thin bird will often fatten more rapidly than 

 a fairly well covered bird. If it has a larger crop it will be 

 able to consume more food and thus outdistance its companion, 

 which with its smaller crop capacity can only take limited 

 advantage of its chance of unlimited food. 



Position of Bird when being crammed. — A novice usually makes 

 the mistake of huddling a bird up under his arm so that the 

 bird's crop cannot expand properly during the cramming opera- 

 tion. This frequently leads to a false passage being made with 

 the throat tube. Great care must always be taken to hold the 

 tongue down, or the tube may be forced into the wind pipe. 

 This is frequently done by beginners, and to shoot food down 

 the wind pipe means death. 



If the crop should be perforated it is best to kill the bird, 

 as it may result in blood poisoning ; it is possible to sew the 

 crop up, but this is hardly worth while in the case of a fattening 

 bird. 



Quantity of Food. — The quantity of food required for 

 cramming may be put roughly at 7J gallons for 120 birds. It 

 is not wise to use too much skimmed milk in the food, as a bird 

 may get " clung " if too much is given. Two gallons of food 

 would require about ij gallons of liquid and J gallon of meal 

 (weighing about 3! lb.) ; it is not advisable that the whole of 

 this ij gallons should be milk, it is far better that it should be 

 half milk and half water. It must be remembered that nourish- 

 ment is only derived from the food that is digested, and a certain 

 amount of water is desirable so that the food may be assimilated. 



Roup. — It is a common thing where a number of birds are 



