76 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
and sent away, a thorough disinfection with lime wash to which has been added a httle carbolic acid, will 
keep down insect pests, and make the coops sweet and clean for the next occupants. Often it will be 
noticed that some birds on being cooped will refuse to eat, so that it is better before cooping them to omit 
one meal, tlu y will then in most cases attack food offered them with avidity. The fattening process should 
not take loii-cr tlian three weeks ; a bird after that time becomes too fat and actually wastes away. Some 
will be found to fatten much quicker than others, often not re([uiring more than 14 days to arrive at a 
perfect state for market. 
One of the best foods, and which gives the highest results in fattening, is coarse oatmeal or ground oats 
mixed with scakling milk or boiling water, buckwheat meal is also of the greatest value for the purpose and 
should be treated in the same manner as the oatmeal. The food must be mixed into a crumbling mass, not 
sticky, or wet. In feeding great care must be exercised in regulating the quantity, giving the bird as much as 
it will eat and no more. Regularity in feeding the birds must be observed, giving three meals per day at 
ccjual intervals. A moment's attention given to feeling the crops will be the best guide, if empty, full and 
plenty is required ; if full or partly so, reducing the allowance accordingly, as if overfed, it will cause compli- 
cations, thus sacrificing time and labour. No food should be left in the trough from one meal to another, 
soft food turning sour so quickly, and this would be injurious. A little attention given to the cleaning of the 
feeding trough will be of advantage, a supply of drinking water is provided by giving to each two coops one 
fountain placed on the ledge outside the coops, which can be easily reached by either of the birds in the 
adjoining pens, as ^hown in Fig. 49. Orit of some description must be supplied, a small tin to contain 
enough for a bird during his incarceration in the fattening coop may be attached to the frame of the coop 
' Fig. 49. — Drinking Fountain, to supply two divisions, 
divisions within reach. This method of fattening Poultry will be tound to answer in most cases, and the 
attendant will not have a very difficult task in attending to the requirements of a couple of hundred head. 
If the practice of cramming the birds is followed, the same system of single coops as given above will be 
found to answer well, but, in this case it is better to have the coops placed in parallel rows, a sufificient 
distance apart, to allow the attendant to pass up and down. If cockerels and pullets are being fattened at the 
same time, they should be prevented from seeing one another. This can be easily arranged by having the 
cockerels facing each other in the one, the pullets facing each other in the second passage. This would 
effectually hide them from one another, otherwise the process of fattening will be greatly retarded. The 
food, if this method of cramming is followed, will require to be made stiff enough to be rolled out, and then 
cut into pieces a couple of inches in length and rather more than half an inch in width and thickness. The 
attendant then takes the bird out of the coop, and sitting down should place the bird's legs between his own, 
the rump and breast of the bird being supported by the attendant's knees, he then placing his right leg 
over the left will hold the bird securely, then, opening the fowl's beak with the thumb and forefinger, the rest 
of the hand around the head and neck, with the right hand taking up one of the pieces of food which should 
be ready, first moistening in water placed at hand, slipping it well down the bird's mouth, the bird will 
instinctively swallow the food except in rare instances, and this operation is continued until the crop is full; 
possibly at the first time of feeding the bird will be rather difficult to manage, but after receiving a meal or 
two in this manner they take it as a matter of course. It is surprising how quickly a number can be fed by 
one who is expert, and the operation is not difficult to perform. In placing the bird back again in the coop 
it should be done quietly, by constantly handling them they lose all fear, and it will be found that on the 
