Feeding._ When the geese are placed in the fattening lots, some
fatteners prefer to fast the geese for from 3 to 5 days, giving them no
feed but plenty of water to drink. This gives them a good appetite and
puts them in good shape for fattening.
The geese are fed three times a day, in the morning, at noon and at
night. The morning and night feed usually consists of a moist mixed feed
fed in troughs; while the noon feed is whole corn thrown on the ground.
The use of one feed of corn a day is supposed to check any tendency
toward diarrhoea. In very cold weather some fatteners feed the mixed
feed at noon and the corn at night. At first the geese are not given all
they will eat but are worked up gradually, increasing the amount each
day until they are getting all they want. As a rule the geese will drop
back a little in feed consumption after they reach the point where they
get all they want and from this time on, the feeding must be very
carefully watched to see that they are not given so much that they will
leave some to sour which would cause diarrhoea. The morning and noon
feeds are lighter, the heaviest feed being given at night. The bird's
appetites will vary from day to day so that it is best to make the
rounds twice in feeding to make sure that they have enough and that none
is left. If any is left it must be gathered up and carried away.
No provision is made for furnishing the fattening geese with green feed
or roughage. The practice with respect to drinking water varies. Some
fatteners keep a supply before the birds in troughs which must be washed
out each day to keep them clean. Others furnish no water except that
used in mixing up the feed.
_Corn Meal_ is the principal ingredient of the fattening mixture. To a
sack of corn meal is added 10% beef scrap and five good shovels of grit
or medium sized gravel. In addition some fatteners add 10% of flour to
bind the mixture together. This material should be thoroughly mixed up
in a dry state as a better mix can be obtained in this way. It is then
mixed up with water, the practice here varying. Some fatteners mix in a
trough with boiling water a short time before feeding, while others mix
it with cold water letting it soak over night and adding more water in
the morning if it is too dry at that time. It should be mixed until it
can be shoveled readily but should be quite solid, never in a sloppy
condition as this is likely to cause diarrhoea. A little salt may be
added, if desired, as an appetizer. Whil