POULTRY YARD.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 10327, 7 June 1895, Page 4

POULTRY YARD.

POULTRY FATTENING. Enw<ni> Brown, F.L.S., writes to the Farmers Gazettesays : "The following is a description of the process carried on at a lurie poultry establishment near Metz, in Oeiinany, which 1 iscent'.y visited. Twenty four hou-e after t)ie chickens are hitchai t 1 ey ara removeii into c.i<;es, fitted in the various upper rooois of the achloss. The3o i-jOcds, of which there ure six, are on the top floor. The cashes ara simple, having sti eight lattice fronts, which vary in space between bars accoiding io the age of the birds, Sliding doors facilitate cleaning, and the cages vary in sizi ; fjr, aa 20 birds an, kept together, they need more space as they grow. Out of these cages they never go. Before them is a constant supply of fcoJ, made of maizj n-eal aud buckwheat meal mixed with ii ilk ; for se/eral cows are kept on the f trm. A litt'e phosphate of lime is given for bone *nd leather formation. Each room is warmed, aod yet there 13 a constant supply o£ fresh air, but it must pass around the stove ere entering, so that tho birds are kept in an even temperature. Treated ia such a way, many chickens are ready for killing at six weeks old, svhilst all meet their late ere they attain two months. At this a'^e many wtigh 3lb each, and the price per lb \arits from la 3d to lid., accordiog to the season. They are kil ed on the spot, und de^atchtid in various ways, tho German parcel post beiog cheap, and so tending to deve'op business.. In Bummer ice is u;ed for packing. Last year 9JOO chick-ns were reared in this manner, io addit'OJ to nearly 1000 sold alive at two or three days old. Several hundred fat fdvls ot four to five months were sold ; bfi thsso are roared outside a'ld fattenoi in cage, on the French pl^u. accommodation beins; provided tor 300 birds in another bni'ding. Wlwitev r \a io be leirnt in connection with Knglibh poultry ftttpninj; must be from tho Sussex district. Of rourße, thero is a largo and decidedly U3ofui amount of poultry prodaced in othar parta of the country, more especially in South Lincolnshire. Esssx, and the Wexford district of Ireland ; but the examples to be met with in the South of England arc certainly of tho highest type, and there can bo no doubt that splendid quality ot fowls are tamed out by tne fa tenerß in the country. The tiaie dow represents something likp £160,000 per annum. Itiaowin» to the legi'larity of eupoly tliat ths district csn douiratß the poultry mirke of the entire OTimtry. Ilia s aple foo ' i>[ ill^ Sussex fatteners is ground oats. 'he rj'i o i for tho adoption of this food is smiewh t d.ificiilt to discern ; but oats are largely grown in tin district, and I suppose that some genius in d.vys gone by discovered at once the method of grinding oats very fiie, husks and all, and the value of this meal for poultry fattening. Certainly, the results are excellent, and it used universally. Fo great ia the demand that the millers of the Frant district of Kent lay themselves out speciiliy for it. With the ground oats is used an admixture of fat acd milk, the fat being inoreased in quantity as tha process goes on . We have no? heard of the adoption of ■ ther foods, thongh in one or two cases we believe that India meal has been added t:> the ground oats. lhe system of crjmming is universally adopted in Saese-t As a rule the birds are fed from t.oughs fitted in front of the pens, and this is t'ooe for a week or 10 days, after which, wi a the appetite bet.ln-3 to fail somewhat, tl cv Hie or&niti" d by means "f a machine. Tha beat machine is tin Hoarson crammer, and the bl. 'O npanying illustrations will show its o^ration. It coDsistß of a reEervoir for the food, below which is a pump cylinde*". In this operates a piston rod worhed by a foot lever Attached to ih.3 cylinder is a uczzle, covered with india rubber tuuing Tbe food is made feemi 1 quid, rather thick { than the consistency of very thick ceaai cr^am, cay. .md p'aceil in the resenoir. '"'be melh d o£ operating is as f jllov.'s — T.'ke the tube in the right hand and the birds hesd in the left, lbs bi-d -tself being held under the left arm ; then, with the assistance of the iiogar and thumb of Ibe left hind, open the birds mouth, and slip the forefinger of the left hand iato it, an i hold (.own the tongue ; quickly insert tho cad of the tube, and push it down four or five inches, according to th* n'ze of the birds ; at this moment depress tho heM of the tight foot (which up to this has bet n resting on the treadle), and force' the donten's o£ tha cylinder into tin birris crop If tbe crop be full enough the tube may no <■ be withdrawn, taking care, however, to relieve the pressure on the treadle for a second or two before taking the tubß out, otherwise a small quantity of the food will C' ntinuo to flow after the tuba it removed. It may be mentioned tliit tlio quantity of frod can be regulated to : nicety, ami the gn j at point is to ceaße Iho moment sufficient h-a Lc-ci pla'ed in lUocvop. &_ most iinportmt matter in eonnertj m with the fattening of poultry ii to <^''<-9 the food regularly, and if there is f.ny remaining in the crop from the previous meal, to at once cease feeding the birds. .