Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-01-31
Fattening Poultry.

FIkesViIIe, at whlch AL the modern
appliances for Matching and rearing
chickens are in practical operation.
and where the "stuifing process OF
feeding. known for many years in
France as "pengraissement," is
used in fattening both chickens and
ducks for the market. About 5000
chickens and as many ducks are
annually fattenef by this process
upon the place mentioned. =
The owner of this establishment
is an American who has spent many
years of his life abroad. especially
in France, aud he has made
thorough study Of the methods fol
lowed in the land where gastronomy
has beer reduced TO a science and
where the inner man is more assidu-
ously considered than enywhere else
in the world. And it is because
years Of experimenting in France
have proYed that poultry fed by the
process "l'engraisscment" ar"
toOthsome and loo more
prowe- - expensive to the
than poultry fattened by
the ordinary processes of nature
that he has established this place
in Baltimore county upon an almost
perfect French basis.
Incubators are now by no means
the curiosities they were Il few years
ago. when the public paid an ad-
mission fee for the privilege of see
ing one in operation. Many farm
ers have improved upon the old
time more or less careless methods
of raising chicks or ducklings, but
there is no other place in Maryland
where the "stuffing" process is in
vogue with all its modern humane
and economical appliances.
The process is based upon the
simple principle that fowl will
grow fat most rapidly when 1t is
given the maximum Of food ard al
lowed the minimum of exercise.
Fowls fed by "l'cugraisseUvnt'
are not Only given all the food they
can eat but ali they can hold, and
they are not given any exercise.
When the work Of feeding fowls
in this manner is being ru. into
practice-which is not the case at
this season Of the lrar-the Inferior
OF the feeding house is an interest
ing place. 1t looks like larg"
prison on small scale, with tier
upon tier of tiny cells reaching
from the floor to the ceiling In
each OF these cells is bird being
prepared for market Its quarters
are rather combining, foI it hasn't
room to turn around in and scarce
ly room to rise to its feet.
Running along in front of these
cages, which fit their occupants us
if they had been made to order, is
a trolley track, high up near the
ceiling. and from this is suspended
the feeding apparatus proper. 1t
may by means OF weights, be- put
at any desired height and may be
moved along the trolly track from
one~e%d OF the bnilding to the other,
thus enabling the fesder to put his
machine in front of any cell he
may wish.
The feed. in the form of soft
mnsh. is put in reservoir holding
gallon or more. From the bottom
of the reservoir the food runs
through rubber tube into another
receptacle, toe capacity of which is
regulated BY screw, according to
the extent of the meal to be given
to the fowls at that special feeding.
From the second receptacle pro-
trndes tin tube about four inches
long and as thick as lead pencil.
aud this tube is thrust down the
fowls throat and into its craw.
This done the pressure of lever
empties the contents of the reeep
tacle into the fowl and it settles
down to rest. digest and grew fat
until meal time rolls round sgain.
The fowls dc not take kindly Il
this method of feeding at frsr. but
after a day OF two Of it they seem
!. torelish iis novelty and luxury and
bfgin to crow and csicklc in aHtici.
tim. Is soon AS the feeding ap.
peratus is brought into use.