Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-09-20
The Fattenina Of capons.

Capons are seldom if ever crate
fattened, as it is called. The system
of crate-Iattening is made use OF for
| the improvement Of poultry intended
for market The large packing
houses Of the west nave immense
plants fitted up for this purpose. In
these there are crates or coops for the
poultry, where they are kept until
finished and ready for market. The
young and old poultry is bought UP all
over the western country just as fab
and winter sets in, and these are
brought to the fattening- house for
preparing for market, says the
Country Gentleman. They are con,
fined in these eoops ami fed for from
II to IA, sometimes Is, days, with a
soft mush or mash food that is pre-
pared purposely for fattening fowls.
As soon as the fowls have become
thoroughly gorged or satisfied with
feeding themselves, they are taken
from the coops twice a day and fed
with what is called a examining ma
chine.
This machine has a long tube or
mouthplece, which is inserted into the
NORTH OF fowl to be fattenen. and
with a gentle push of the foot enough
of the soft fattening mush is injected
into the crop, and in this way the
fowl continues to get fatter and fatter
nnti! completely finished. when it is
killed and dressed for market. he
process usually takes from 20 to q
days; an addition of one to three
pounds is made to the weight of each
fowl thus handled, ana all that is
added is good, eatable neat. But the
fattening of capons is aceomp. shed
in an entirely different manner. When
fall sets in these capons are usually
kept in flocks of from 20 to 80, with
comfortable house to live in ami a
small yard for exercise. Here tney
are continually ted on growing or
fattening food Just a sufficient
quantity is fed them to keep them
growing all the time. When the time
comes for sending them to marKet,
which is usually from February on,
after the turkey crop is exhausted, the
most forward ones are separated from
the others and kept to themselves, and
fed rich, fattening food lor a week or
10 days. to make them as plump as
possible
In feeding either poultry or capons,
the kind of food has considerable in,
fiuence over the meat. When a fat.
greasy skin is desired, considerable
corn meal that has been mixed W.
scaled m k, or some ground oats
and little fat tallow, is fed for the
final wind-up. Where the white skin
and flesh are desired, very little if
any, corn meal is fed. Grouni oats
and ground barley, win some rice
flour, are used. Into this some white
tallow is mixed and scalded with boil
ing milk. The yellow skin and flesh
have the rich golden color, with the
small globules mixed in with the meat.
The other manner of feeding makes a
plump, white skin and flesh. with not
so much fat, and the meat is said to
be more delicate and not so greasy.
Each of these methods has it's cham,
pions. More real quality is in the
plumpness and tenderness of the meat
than in the color. There is one in,
iisputable fact, however, and that is
that the yellow skin is usually thicker
and heavier than the pinkish-white
skin that is always seen on the white.
feshed fowls
Those who do not care to take as
much trouble as this in fattening their
fowls and capons can keep them in
clean, airy poultry-nouses, the floor OF
which should be covered with straw,
and used as a bedding rather than a
roost. This straw should be shaken
oUt every few days and cleaned, and
the poultry thus confined, with but
small yard or runway for exercise, AMI
fed with good, rich, fattening food,
will be very much improved for tao.e
purposes. Poultry Should never be
k'lle4 for market or for home con.
sumption unless in good, plump condl-
ton. Almost any reasonable well
conditioned fowls can be made better
for table use by feeding in this way
for 10 days or two weeks at almost
any season.