The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-01-19
FATrEN1NG POULTRY /.
A French Process of 'Stufing as
Introduced Here.

A French Process of ''Stuf1ng as
Introduced Here.
There Is poultry raising establishment
in Baltimore county, near Pikesyille, at
which all the modern appliances for hatch
ing and rearing chickens are in practical
opeation and where the stuffine process
of feeding, known for many years in France
as / engraissement is used in fattening
both chickens and ducks for the market
About ), 900 chickens and as many ducks
are annually fattened 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, and he
has made thorough study of the methods
followed in the land where gastronomy has
been reduced 10 science. and where the
inner-man is more assiduously considered
than anywhere else in the world And ii
is because years of experimenting in France
have proved that poultry fed by the process
de engraissement are more toothsome
and less expensive TO the grower than poul-
Try 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
euriosities they were few years ago, when
the public paid an admission fee for the
privilege of seeing one in operation. Many
farmers 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 'stufing
process Is in vogue with all its modern,
humane and economical appliances.
The process is based upon the simple
principle that fowl win grow fat most
RAPIDLY when it is given the maximum Of
food and allowed the minimum of exercise.
Fowls fed by i engraissement are not
only given all the food they can eat, but
al they can hold and they are not given
any exercise.
When the work Of feeding fowls in this
manner is being put into praetice-which is
not the case at this season of the year-the
interior Of the feeding-house is an interest
inc place. Il looks Ikea large prison on a
small scale. with tier upon tier Of tiny cells
reaching from the floor 10 the ceiling. In
each Of these cells Is bird being prepared
for market It's quarters are rather contin-
ing. for 1t hasn room To turn around in
and scarcely room to rise 10 It's feet
Running along in fronts Of there cages
which fit their occupants a. if they had
been made to order Is trolley track. high
up near the ceiling, and from this is s,ls-
pended the feeding apparatus proper Il
NAV. by means of weights bepu at any
desired height aud may be moved along
the trolly track from one end Of the build
ing 10 the other thus enabling the feeder
10 put his machine in front Of any cell he
max wish.
The feed. in the form Of a soft mush. Is
put in a reservoir holding gallon or more.
From the bottom Of the reservoir the food
runs through a rubber tube into another
receptacle, the capacity Of which is regu-
lated hv a screw. according 10 the extent
Of the meal to be given 10 the fowls at
thai special feeding From the second
receptacle protrudcs tin tube about four
inehe, long and a. thick as lead pencil
and this tube Is thrust down the fowl $
throat and into its craw This done the
pressure Of lever empties the contents Of
the receptacle into the fogl and it settles
down TO rest digest aud grow fat until
meal time rolls round again.
The fowls do not take kindly to this
method Of feeding at frst but after day
or two of il they seem to relish its novelty
and luxury and begin TO crew and eaekle
in anticipation as soon As the feeding ap-
paratus Is brought into use.
The French breeds Of poultry. notably
Houdan, LaFleche and Creveeours are
best adapted to this kind Of feeding, prob
ably because they have been accustomed
To it long time.
At the Baltimore county establishment
al varieties Of chickens are being used.
although next year the owner intends to
use nothing but Houdans. He is at
present fatteuing Pekin ducks only.
Chickens for broiling purposes are put
INTO the pens at the beginning of January
aud remains for two weeks while ducks
are kept there three weeks The bottoms
Of the pens are covered with finely cut
+ chaff. which is changed every day. and,
during the fattening operation, the fowls
are kept at an invariahle temperature and
in semi darkness. They are fed fom
times day. Each meal lasts about tive
seconds. and in the eight seconds they eat
more than they could in two days with the
apparatus which nature gave them.
i. engraissement has been praeticee
in France for many years Before th'
improved appliances were invented th'
operation was carried on in several ways
One Of these. called engraissement aul
patons. consisted of inserting little cake
of dough into the fowl mouth and forein:
them down with the finger In anothe
case .engraissemeut a entonnoir, tn,
food in liquid form, was poured into thu
bird through funnel \ third method
still more primitive, called 'gayage L
bouche. consisted in the feeder tilin;
his mouth with the food and blowing
down the fowl throat
As soon after the Matching as they ar
able to determine the sexes are separated
and when they are three and one-hal
months old they are put in the pens Q
plenty. Fowls thus treated have bee
known to double in weight during thei
confinement in the pens. Their meat
far tenderer and sweeter than that q
fowls raised in the ordinary manner and i
devoid of all Objectionable stringiness
They are, the owner Of the Baltimor
county establishment avers. more suitabl
for table purposes than capons, and do nc
have To be fed and cared for more than
quarter of the time that capons require.
He who does most without good m,
five i the one who will have most IN r,