Part 81 (1/2)

SECTION XXIV.

_Excellent Ways for Feeding of Poultrey._

_To feed Chickens._

If you will have fat crammed chickens, coop them up when the dam hath forsaken them, the best cramming for them is wheat-meal and milk made into dough the crams steeped in milk, and so thrust down their throats; but in any case let the crams be small and well wet, for fear you choak them. Fourteen days will feed a chicken sufficiently.

_To feed Capons._

Either at the barn doors with sc.r.a.ps of corn and chavings of pulse, or else in pens in the house, by cramming them, which is the most dainty. The best way to cram a capon (setting all strange inventions apart) is to take barley meal, reasonably sifted, and mixing it with new milk, make it into good stiff dough; than make it into long crams thickest in the middle, & small at both ends, then wetting them in luke-warm milk, giue the capon a full gorge thereof three times a day morning noon, and night, and he will in a fortnight or three weeks be as fat as any man need to eat.

_The ordering of Goslings._

After they are hatched you shall keep them in the house ten or twelve days, and feed them with curds, scalded chippins, or barley meal in milk knodden and broken, also ground malt is exceeding good, or any bran that is scalded in water, milk, or tappings of drink.

After they have got a little strength, you may let them go abroad with a keeper five or six hours in a day, and let the dam at her leisure entice them into the water; then bring them in, and put them up, and thus order them till they be able to defend themselves from vermine. After a gosling is a month or six weeks old you may put it up to feed for a green goose, & it will be perfectly fed in another month following; and to feed them, there is no better meat then skeg oats boil'd, and given plenty thereof thrice a day, morning, noon, and night, with good store of milk, or milk and water mixt together to drink.

_For fatting of elder Geese._

For elder geese which are five or six months old, having been in the stubble fields after harvest, and got into good flesh, you shall then choose out such geese as you would feed, and put them in several Pens which are close and dark, and there feed them thrice a day with good store of oats, or spelted beans, and give them to drink water and barly meal mixt together, which must evermore stand before them. This will in three weeks feed a goose so fat as is needfull.

_The fatting of Ducklings._

You may make them fat in three weeks giving them any kind of pulse or grain, and good store of water.

_Fatting of Swans and Cygnets._

For Swans and their feeding, where they build their nests, you shall suffer them to remain undisturbed, and it will be sufficient because they can better order themselves in that business than any man.

Feed your Cygnets in all sorts as you feed your Geese, and they will be through fat in seven or eight weeks. If you will have them sooner fat, you shall feed them in some pond hedged, or placed in for that purpose.

_Of fatting Turkies._

For the fatting of turkies sodden barley is excellent, or sodden oats for the first fortnight, and then for another fortnight cram them in all sorts as you cram your capon, and they will be fat beyond measure. Now for their infirmities, when they are at liberty, they are so good _Physitians_ for themselves, that they will never trouble their owners; but being coopt up you must cure them as you do pullets. Their eggs are exceeding wholesome to eat, and restore nature decayed wonderfully.