Force feeding
Firstly, we must recognise that geese and ducks fatten themselves instinctively before migrating. In fact, the genetic make-up of migrating birds has evolved in such a manner that they are able to transform their livers by storing large amounts of fat in them. When does an animal begin force feeding? Force feeding does not begin before the animal reaches adulthood. For the first nine weeks of their lives, the goslings and ducklings live free-range. At nine weeks of age, they begin to receive a diet that prepares them for force feeding. The actual force feeding only begins at the twelfth week for ducks and the fourteenth week for geese. This process continues for a period of around two to three weeks. Why, then, is the process so widely criticized? The force feeding process was developed and honed by man after much observation of natural processes. It consists of placing food into the goose's or duck's crop via a flexible cap placed into the animal's beak, mimicking the process used by birds to feed their young in the nest. Force feeding is carried out progressively, consisting of just two sessions of four to six seconds each day. Moreover, ducks have expandable necks. Their necks can triple in volume to swallow some types of prey. Therefore, force feeding does not cause the animal any suffering.
According to P. Vannier, “l'ABCdaire du Foie Gras”, Force Feeding- A Natural Process.
© 2014 by Borman K.
