Poi/kTRY- KEEPING ■> 
 
 With 
 
 Originaii 
 
 lMiU5TI^TI0NS 
 
Cornell University Library 
 SF 487.B36 1895 
 
 Profitable poultry keeping, 
 
 3 1924 003 153 891 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003153891 
 
THE POIHIS OF POtTLTRY. 
 {S^oditced from " The Famiers' OaseKe.") 
 
 1. Comb. 
 2 Face. 
 S. Wattles. 
 
 4. Ear-lobe, or Deaf -ear. 
 
 5. Whiskers. 
 
 6. Crest. 
 
 7. Beak. 
 
 8. Beard. 
 
 9. Neck-HacHe. 
 10. Breast. 
 
 11. Keel, or Breast Bone. 
 
 12. Back. 
 
 13. Saddle. 
 
 14. Frights. 
 
 15. Hocks. 
 
 16. Spur. 
 
 17. Fifth Toe. 
 
 18. Back Claw. 
 
 19. Muffs, or Leg Feathers. 
 
 20. Shoulders. 
 
 21. Tail Fluff. 
 
 22. Centre Toes. 
 
 23. Shanks. 
 
 24. Wing-bar. 
 
 26. Primary Coverts. 
 
 26. Primary Flights. 
 
 27. Sickle Feathers. 
 
 28. Primary Tail. 
 
 99. Secondary Sickle. 
 30. Tall Coverts. 
 
PROFITABLE 
 
 POULTRY KEEPING 
 
 BY 
 
 STEPHEN BEALE c ^.s^i^A^ 
 
 m 
 
 EDITED WITH ADDITIONS BY 
 
 MASON C. WELD 
 
 AND 
 
 A CHAPTER ON AMERICAN INCUBATORS 
 By H. S. BABCOCK 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 PHILADELPHIA! 
 DAVID McKAY, PUBLISHER, 
 
 6o4-« SOUTH WASHINGTON SQUARE. 
 
Copyright, 1895, 
 By GsoRGB ReunsDOB's SoiM. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 I ESTEEM it a privilege and a pleasure to introduce this 
 excellent hand-book to all who arc practically interested in 
 keeping poultry. I would say to the veriest tyro, provided he 
 had a modicum of common sense : " Here, take this book of 
 Stephen Beale's, study it carefully in whatever it is applic- 
 able to your needs, and follow it. You will find it a safe 
 guide, and you will almost surely come out well with your 
 poultry the first year." Any old poultry-keeper may study it 
 with profit, and if he finds some few passages to criticise, and 
 opinions advanced with which he does not agree, let him con- 
 eider that no two parts of the country are subject to the same 
 conditions of soil, climate and surroundings. 
 
 English current literature is far richer than ours in the 
 results of experience in poultry matters, and the systems in 
 vogue there and in France among the most successful poultry 
 rilisers are very much superior to general practice in this 
 country, so that Mr. Beale's obvious familiarity with the best 
 practice in those countries, in connection with his own large 
 experience, is a very great advantage |;o the book. 
 
 The author shows himself upon every page to be a practi- 
 cal man, fertile in expedients, gifted with rare common sense, 
 with a knowledge of his subject in matters of useful and 
 essential detail, and one can readily pardon a little verbose- 
 ness of style and occasional repetitions. It i^ a business 
 book, and as such it should be regarded. It was not written 
 for fanciers, though no poultry book (and these are, geiier- 
 
4 Introduction. 
 
 ally, primarily fanciers' books) gives better instrnction in 
 regard to the successful rearing of fancy poultry. Yet, giv- 
 ing well-bred poultry of all kinds their true value, it is replete 
 with instruction how to make the most money, or at least the 
 most^ro/?^, by their use. 
 
 The public is familiar with the advantages derived from 
 the employment of thorough-bred and pure-bred males in the 
 breeding of all other kinds of domestic animals. We all know 
 how that, with sheep and swine especially, grades and cross 
 breeds of the first generation are much more profitable to rear 
 for their useful qualities than full bloods are, for the reason 
 that in such a first cross those high qualities which have 
 become fixed by a long course of breeding and selection assert 
 themselves with peculiar force. It seems as if poultry raisers 
 had been peculiarly negligent of or blind to this natural law, 
 and had neglected to practise that which in the rearing of 
 other kinds of farm stock they consider of vital importance. 
 
 The chapter on " Cross-bred Poultry " puts this subject in 
 a very clear light, but hardly dwells sufficiently, to my notion, 
 on the fact that where it is difficult to obtain pure-bred poul- 
 try of different breeds, such as one desires to cross, grades 
 may be reared in two or three years by crossing a pure male 
 bird of the vrished-for breed upon, first, a good flock of com- 
 mon females, the next year (changing the male) upon the pul- 
 lets of the first year, and so on. By the time the second or 
 third cross is made the grade birds will possess almost fully 
 the useful qualities of the breed from which the cross is 
 taken, and the hens may be used just as if they were pure in 
 crossing with a cock of a different breed for market poultry or 
 for layers, as Mr. Beale directs. 
 
Introduction. 5 
 
 Poultry keeping for profit is the laudable ambition of the 
 great majority of poultry keepers, and poultry are really kept 
 to the profit of their owners, in the great majority of cases. 
 Little account is made of them, and no account is kept of 
 their expenses or of the income derived from them, and yet it 
 is the settled conviction of the frugal housewife, who looks 
 more or less after the poultry, and of the farmer, who sees 
 how large a part of the store bill is settled by eggs, and who 
 brings home from market or from the shipper who buys his 
 dressed poultry at Christmas -time a satisfactory roll of bank- 
 notes, that poultry is really a paying farm crop. 
 
 Then, too, when a regular debit and credit account is kept 
 with the poultry, and a fair allowance is made for labor and 
 interest, the profit always shows up to be something enor- 
 mous — often one hundred per cent., or even more. 
 
 If there really is so much profit in poultry keeping, is it 
 not strange that when undertaken on a large scale it is always 
 a losing business ? Few people consider that farm-yard fowls 
 of all kinds, ducks and geese included, get a great part of 
 their living, and in some parts of the year the whole of it, 
 from what would otherwise be lost or wasted, and from 
 insects, snails and worms, which are a positive harm to grow- 
 ing crops. Hence the conclusion is a just one that poultry, if 
 well managed, are really most profitable as an adjunct to 
 other farm and garden operations, especially as but little time 
 is generally devoted to their care which would be more use- 
 fully employed. 
 
 This amount of, so to speak, wasted food is limited, and 
 when fowls or other poultry are multiplied upon a single farm 
 or circumscribed area, their care soon becomes sufficient to 
 
6 Introduction. 
 
 require the entire attention of one or more persons. Thus 
 the point is soon reached when it will be easy to see there is 
 no hundred per cent, profit in the business. 
 
 Parallel cases are numerous. Twenty or thirty hives of bees 
 may use all the bee-pasturage within the radius of the usual 
 flight of the honey-gatherers, and, where this is the fact, the 
 addition of a dozen hives would result in more labor to the 
 bee-keeper and in the harvesting of a good deal less honey. 
 
 Thus it is every poultry keeper's province to study care- 
 fully his own resources and make the most of them ; and 
 while Mr. Beale has carefully avoided advising the keeping of 
 poultry on a large scale, and in fact discourages it, the person 
 desirous of making the expeiiment will find the book replete 
 with sound views and practical hints in regard to its success- 
 ful accomplishment, 
 
 Mr. Beale can hardly be as familiar as I am with the 
 wretched manner in which a great part of our poultry is sent 
 to market, and the shocking condition in which it arrives. 
 New York receives thousands of tons of poultry which must 
 be closed out in wholesale lots at ruinously low prices, and 
 which is then sold at a small advance at retail, to secure a 
 quick sale and prevent total loss. If a reform could be insti- 
 tuted by which the common farmers of the interior and West- 
 em States would properly fatten, pluck, dress, and ship their 
 poultry, somewhat after the system advised in this book, it 
 would add almost inconceivably to the profits of poultry 
 keeping to these people as well as to the general wealth of the 
 country. I sincerely hope that this may be one of the results 
 of its publication. 
 
 MASON C. WELD. 
 Clostbb, N. J., March, 1884. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 GENEBAli CONSEDEBATIOHfl. 
 
 The Poultry Mania — Cochins Forty Years ago — ^Poultry Keeping often a 
 Hobby — Recent increase of interest in Ponltry Keeping — Farmers and 
 Poultry — Farms in France —Consumption of Eggs — Prices of Eggs — 
 Value of Fresh Eggs — Poultry in Paris 11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 WHO SHODLD KEEP POULTRY? 
 
 Who may Keep Poultry — Value of Eggs for Children and Invalids — Who 
 should not Keep Poultry — Pleasure in Pursuit — Suburban Residents 
 — Size of Runs — Cottagers and Poultry Keeping — Does Poultry 
 Keeping Pay? 18 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LATINa OUT IHB POULTBT-TABD. 
 
 Gradual Commencement best — Selection of Ground — Separate Houses — 
 Aspect of Houses — Walls of Houses — Dividing the Yard — Plans — A 
 Chicken Tard 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 POULTBY HOlTSIiS. 
 
 Ijnportance of Houses — Cost — Elaborate Houses not Needed — Good 
 Houses Required — Size of Houses and Runs — Adapting existing 
 Buildings— Cheap Houses — Sheds — Houses in Gardens ... 30 
 
S Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE ERECTION OF POULTRY HOtTSBS. 
 
 FAOE 
 
 Material t« te TTBed— Tenant's Fixtures — Too Large Houses Objectionable 
 — Foondation— Saving of Timber — Frame-Work — Windows and Doors 
 — ^Ventilation — Floors — Artificial Heating 37 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE PITTIN03 AND ECHS. 
 
 Fercbes — ^Nest Boxes — Sheds — ITnfenced Buns— Space to be Given — 
 
 Fencing ^^ 
 
 CHAPTER Vir. 
 
 MORE ABOUT HOUSES AND RUNS. 
 
 Effect of Confinement— Houses on Wheels— The Best Plan for Farms— Use 
 of Fruit Trees in Runs— Kinds of Trees to Plant— Fruit Bushes- 
 Other Aids 63 
 
 CHAPTER Vm. 
 
 CHIOKEN-HOnSES. 
 
 Early Chickens — Position of Chicken House — The Attendant's House — 
 Gravel and Grass Run — The House — Floor — Provision against Rats — 
 Size of House . 63 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TEE KIND 07 FOWLS TO KEEP. 
 
 Choice of Breeds— Errors in Selection — Cross and pure bred Fowls — Breeds 
 to be chosen — Confinement or liberty— Hardy Breeds — Non-sitting 
 Breeds — Table Fowls — Sitters and Mothers — General utility Fowls . 69 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BREEDS OP POULTRY. 
 
 Andalusianfr—Aseels— Bantams — Brahmas — Cochins — Dominiques — 
 Dorkings — French — Game — Hamburghs — Indian Game — Lang- 
 shans — Leghorns — Malays — Minorcas — Orpingtons — Plymouth 
 Rocks— Polish — Scotch Greys — Spanish — Silkies — Wyandottes . 79 
 
 CHAPTER Xi; 
 
 OROSS-BRBD POULTRY. 
 
 Farm-yard Mongrels — First Cross only to be Used — Value of Cross-breeding 
 — Pure-bred Fowls to be the Foundation — Sale of Eggs and Chickens 
 — ^Methods of Cross-breeding — Some Crosses — Improving present 
 Stocks 125 
 
Contents. 9 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 DITOKS. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 Docks very profitable — Water needed for Breeders — Not to be kept with 
 Hens — Dack Farms — Housing — Tlie Wild Duck — The Aylesbury — 
 The Rouen — The Pekin — The Caynga — The Muscovy — Ornamental 
 Varieties — Keeping in Small Runs — Forcing — Breeding — Hatching — 
 Bearing — Feeding— Preparing Rice 133 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 QEESE AND TURRETS. 
 
 Geese in England — ^Benefit to Crops— Breeds — Weights attained — Manage- 
 ment — Turkeys — Said to be delicate — Breeds — Management — 
 Fattening Ifl 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE SELECTION OF STOCK BIKDS. 
 
 Importance of Care in Selection — Influence of Parents — Selection for Layers 
 — Selection for Table Fowls — State of Breeding Stock — Buying Birds 
 — Buying Eggs for Sitting — Space for Breeding Stock — Birds not to be 
 Related — Evils of In-breeding — Number of Hens to Cock — When to 
 expect Fertile Eggs — Feeding — Importance of Health and Condition , 153 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HATCHING. 
 
 Shall Hens sit themselves ? — Selection of Place for Sitting— Hatching 
 Boxes — Making the Nests — Food and Water — Setting the Hen — 
 Feeding — Airing the Eggs — Kind of Food for Hens — Dust Bath — 
 Testing the Eggs — Period of Incubation — Management during Hatching 
 — ^Helping the Chicks ......... 164 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 ABTIFIOIAl INCUBATION. 
 
 A Practical Success - Past Attempts — DifUculties — Later Attempts — The 
 Turning Point — Kouillier's Machine — Prejudice Against the Hydro- 
 Incabator — The Incubator Trials— How Superior to Previous Machines- 
 
 — Drawback to Hydro-Incubator — Voitellier's Hydro — Owen's Tabular 
 
 — Arnold's Egg Oven — Self Heating Incnbatoi-s — Hearson"s— New Cen- 
 tennial— The "Perfect Hatcher"— The Thermostatic— The Novelty — 
 Brooders, et«. ...«•...•. 178 
 
lO Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER xvn. 
 
 BBAMNO — NATHRAIi ADD AETIPIOIAL, 
 
 VASB 
 
 Size of Eggs— Snpposed Ways of Testing Sex and FertUity of Eggs— For- 
 mation of Egg — The Tonng Chicks — First Day ?fter Hatching — Food 
 — Coops — Inflaence of Early Management — Coddling Injorions — First 
 Three or Four Days — Second Stage — The B,un — Food — Meat Diet — 
 Green Food — System in Feeding — Cold Mothers — Troubles with 
 Hens — Artificial Mothers — Management — Outdoor Searers — Heat— 
 0-rercrowding— Teaching Chicks to Eat— Turkeys as Bearers— water. 193 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 POOD AKD FEEDinS. 
 
 Food the Fuel of all Life— Effect of Bad Food— Effect of Over-feeding— 
 Food for Fowls in Confinement not to be same as when at Liberty— 
 What is Needed in Food — Qualities of the Grains— Barley — Oats — ^J/ 
 Wheat — Maize — Buckwheat — Pulse — Rice — Bone-meal— Water • <&<- 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 EARLY ESaS AND CHICEEnS. 
 
 Early Eggs and Chickens bring High Prices — How to Secure them — ^Pullets ■^■^d 
 to be Used — Hens to be Mated Early — Good Housing and Feeding . siao 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE PRBPAEATIOS OP TABLE FOWLS. 
 
 Bnperiority of French System — Breeds of Fowls Suitable for Fattening — 
 Methods — Duration of Process — Pood — Fattening and Cramming 
 
 Machines — Cramming by Hand — Killing Fowls — Dressing in France — .^ V V 
 
 Shaping-boards — Advantage of Dressing — Caponiaing . • • ,.224— 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE DISEASES OF POCLTRT. 
 
 General Treatment of Disease — Causes — Apoplexy — Bronchitis — Bumble 
 Foot — Catarrh — Consumption — Cramp — Cropbound — Diarrhoea — 
 Diphtheria. — Egg Organs — Feather Eating — Gapes — Roup— Cholera , 236 
 
 CHAPTER XXII, 
 
 POINTS OP MANAOEHENT. 
 
 Importance of Details — Keeping an Account — Rotation of Crops — ^Poultry 
 
 Manure — The Dust-bath — The Preservation of Eggs — Packing Eggs 
 
 Sending Eggs to Market , , 245 
 
PROFITABLE POULTRY KEEPING. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GENERAL OK SIDER ATIONS. 
 
 The Poultry Mania — Cochins Forty Tears ago — Poultry Keeping often a Hobby 
 — Recent increase of interest in Poultry Keeping — Farmers and Poultry — 
 Farms In France— Consumption of Eggs — Prices of Eggs — Value of Fresh 
 Eggs — Poultry in Paris. 
 
 There is an old adage, and one the truth of which is proved 
 in our experiences almost every day, that " there is nothing 
 new under the sun," and prohably many of those who can 
 remember the poultry mania of forty years ago, may have 
 been led to think that the undoubted revival of interest 
 in poultry which has taken place within the last few years, 
 is simply a repetition of that mania. Then, as now, 
 poultry sold for fabulous prices, and it was no uncommon 
 thing to hear of a bird having realised $300, or a setting 
 of eggs 125 ; and the fact that during recent years $500 has 
 several times been paid for game qocks, and $250 for ban- 
 tams, would at first sight appear to warrant such a con- 
 clusion as we have named. But on considering the matter 
 a little further, we find a marked difference in every respect, 
 gave only the large prices paid for specimens. The mania of 
 
12 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 forty years ago was almost entirely relating to one breed 
 — the Cochin — whereas now all varieties of poultry receive 
 a share of attention, although there are some greater 
 favourites and more valuable than others. Then, the 
 general belief was that the fowls named — which, by the 
 way, were new, and had only recently been imported from 
 China — were the greatest layers and best table fowls ever 
 known, that their importation was of national importance, 
 and that to obtain possession of some of these birds would 
 be a sure road to wealth. How this delusion arose — ^for 
 delusion it undoubtedly was, the Cochin then and now 
 being the least profitable of all our breeds of domestic 
 poultry — it is not our province here to inquire, except to 
 say that we believe it was, like almost every other mania, 
 due to designing men, who largely profited by it. At the 
 present day, poultry fanciers, i.e., those who go in for 
 poultry breeding as a hobby, without caring much for the 
 economic qualities of the birds, and who are the persons 
 that pay such high prices for first class specimens, make 
 no claim to be regarded as public benefactors, and neither 
 deceive themselves nor any one else by posing in such a 
 manner. They say plainly that they keep poultry as a 
 hobby; it ministers to their pleasure when striving after 
 an ideal standard, which may or may not improve the birds 
 so far as their profitable qualities are concerned, but for 
 that they care little. They claim the same liberty aa the 
 fox-hunter or the sportsman, and are willing to pay for their 
 pleasure ; and if they pay very high prices for birds, they 
 do so in the same way as others do for fancy stock, and 
 can generally get their money back again. Therefore, it 
 will be seen at once that there is a very marked difference 
 between the poultry fanciers of forty years ago and those 
 of to-day, and there is very little probability of any repeti- 
 tion of the collapse of the present mania, if such it can 
 
 \ 
 
Lrenerai Considerations. 13 
 
 be called, fo* there is now no deception as to the end in 
 view. 
 
 In considering the question of profitable poultry keeping 
 there must be no mistake made by mixing up the poultry 
 fancy, by which term we must be understood to mean those 
 who breed for fancy points, and the revived interest in 
 poultry, of which we have already spoken. The latter is 
 due to an altogether different cause. Kecent events have 
 compelled agriculturists to turn their attention to matters 
 which they have heretofore neglected, and perhaps re- 
 garded with contempt. Our State and county agricultural 
 societies throughout the country have long been in the habit 
 of offering prizes for poultry from a fancier's standpoint. 
 This is well, perhaps, but they should not only not neglect, 
 but should make especially prominent, the properly agricul- 
 tural — that is, useful — breeds. It is, besides, a sign of the 
 times, having an important bearing on the future of poultry 
 raising, that some prominent societies have offered prizes for 
 cross-bred fowls, shown with reference to their value upon 
 the table, and one, at least, has conditioned the award of 
 prizes upon a statement of the breed and sex of the parent 
 fowls and the age of the chickens. But it is not the only sign, 
 for all over the country more attention is being paid to poultry, 
 both by farmers and cottagers ; and we think that the way in 
 which the matter is now being treated proves that there is more 
 chance of success than there ever has been before. Those 
 who have the best opportunity of succeeding are now turning 
 their attention to it — we mean farmers who have land at 
 their disposal ; and there is little talk of establishing poul- 
 try farms pure and simple, which never have, and we do 
 not think ever will, succeed. Buildings, food, and wages 
 have cost so much that the managers of poultry farms in 
 the past have been induced to over-crowd, in the hope of 
 getting a larger return ; disease has crept in, with ruin and 
 disaster as a natural result. Examples of this kind have 
 
14 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 been numerous enough ; but the tales which a few years ago 
 were current as to extensive poultry farms in Prance, so 
 plausible and theoretically sound as they appeared to be, 
 doubtless tempted many to venture on such a speculation. 
 These huge farms never existed, and were all a myth ; and 
 we have the testimony of Mr. H. M. Jenkins and of Mr. 
 Sutherland, and my own observations in that country 
 confirm theirs, that whilst almost every peasant keeps a 
 large number of fowls, and derives a considerable portion 
 of his income from them, they never saw what could in 
 any sense be termed a poultry farm. There are some es- 
 tablishments where eggs are hatched in large numbers for 
 the peasants of the district, but the latter provide the eggs in 
 the first instance, and take the chickens when hatched ; so 
 that such places are simply hatching factories. Upon this 
 phase of the question we shall have more to say later on. 
 
 Poultry and eggs are of such well-nigh universal production 
 that it is difficult to estimate the numbers produced with con- 
 fidence that we even approximate the truth. In regard to 
 those received in the markets of some of our cities a fairly 
 accurate record is kept, but this is accurate only as to those 
 transported by railroads and steamboats, and probably falls 
 short of the facts. Thus, in the city of New York the 
 amount of poultry reported as received for the year 1883, 
 ending November 30th, was 27,592,050 lbs., valued at $4,310,- 
 604 — a little more than 15 cents a pound. 
 
 The number of eggs received within the same period seems 
 enormous, and yet does not equal the demand, as shown by 
 the number imported from Europe, and by the high prices 
 paid in our eastern cities— often 40 to 60 cents a dozen in 
 winter. The receipts of eggs in New York, for 1883, are 
 reported as exceeding 534,000,000, valued at $10,018,000, or 
 about 32| cents a dozen. Of the total number, four million 
 nine hundred and sixty-eight thousand (4,968,000) were im- 
 ported from Europe at a cost of $82,800, which is 20 cents a 
 
General Considerations. 15 
 
 dozen after paying all expenses. Notwithstanding that egga 
 are admitted free of duty, there must be some sort of relation 
 between the price of eggs and the price of feed upon which 
 they are made, and it seems strange that, with our cheap grain 
 and other " chicken feed," greaves, pork-scrap, etc., which we 
 are constantly exporting, it is possible to import eggs with 
 profit. Though the quantity is small, it shows that the 
 demand for eggs is increasing faster than the supply. 
 
 In England a different state of things prevails, for, during 
 the last four or five years, which are marked by a great 
 increase in population as well as in the consumption of poul- 
 try products, there has been no appreciable increase of impor- 
 tations. It is clear that the English home producer is waking 
 up to the advantage which he has over the foreign one. He 
 is near the market, and can get his goods in to take advantage 
 of its fluctuations ; and with fresh eggs and poultry, in form 
 to suit the trade, the highest prices can be realized, and it 
 would seem that, unless the price of feed in England were 
 very much higher than abroad, the home producer would soon 
 be able entirely to shut out foreign competition in first-class 
 goods. In America of course the producers have no excuse ; 
 they simply let that eighty-two thousand dollars slip through 
 their fingers because of their neglect to see and act up to 
 their own interests. 
 
 The prices now paid for fresh eggs, not only in the cities 
 but in all great manufacturing centres would have been re- 
 garded as fabulous a few years ago. We 'can remember that 
 thirty years ago fresh eggs could be bought at \'^\ to 20 cents 
 a dozen ; but now these are never less than 3 cents each, and 
 oftener 3 cents, 4 cents, and even 5 cents each. "We have 
 been informed by a lady who lives within two or three miles 
 of a military head-quarters that during June and July she 
 can sell about thirty dozen eggs per week at sixty cents 
 a dozen. They are sent for to her own door, the cash 
 paid down, and she could sell twice as many if she had 
 them. This is undoubtedly, an exceptional instance, but 
 
1 6 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 only exceptional as to the time of the year, for the price is 
 not an uncommon one for the winter season. Doctors, when 
 ordering their patients to have eggs, nearly always insist upon 
 their being fresh, as they know how much better they are 
 than when even only a few days old. And cooks can tell 
 the same story with respect to the way in which they use 
 them. Only those who have kept fowls of their own, or 
 been favoured by getting properly fresh ones, know the real 
 pleasure of eating an egg ; and there are many who cannot 
 eat one if more than three or four days old. And when we 
 consider how important an addition in its varied uses an 
 egg is to the breakfast, luncheon, dinner, or tea table, it 
 will be seen how the matter comes home to every one, apart 
 from all economic questions. In the same way, but perhaps 
 not to so great an extent, does the raising of chickens affect 
 us. The prices which are demanded by poulterers for the 
 miserable little things we see in their shops, are prohibitive 
 to the great bulk of the population, and even those who can 
 afford to get them do so reluctantly. The display to be 
 seen every week in the Halles Centrals at Paris has no 
 counterpart in this country ; but in France the breeds are 
 studied, and those encouraged which are the best for table 
 purposes. They are fattened skilfully, and presented in 
 an enticing manner, with the result that chickens are almost 
 a regular article of diet with large numbers of the people, 
 for in Paris during 1880 the average consumption of fowls 
 was 251bs. per head of the population. These are ques- 
 tions which require to be dealt with in detail, and cannot 
 be more than mentioned in what is simply an introductory 
 chapter. That there is much for our home producers to learn 
 no one can doubt, and it shall be our endeavour to supply 
 in a practical form the latest and best information upon so 
 important a subject. Our object is to stimulate those who 
 have the necessary space at their disposal to take advantage 
 
General Considerations. 1 7 
 
 of their opportunities, and not continue supinely to ignore, 
 or from prejudice to neglect that which, well managed, must 
 prove a source of profit. Farmers and villagers will find 
 the help they need, hut we shall not overwhelm them by too 
 much of detail, — seeking to be practical first of all. We 
 shall also show how suburban residents and others may 
 supply their own tables, and, in fact, endeavour to make our 
 remarks such as shall be valuable to all who may read them. 
 
l8 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 WHO SHOULD KEEP POULTRY? 
 
 ■Who may Keep Poultry — Value of Egga for Ohildren and Invalids — ^Who should 
 not Keep Poultry — Pleasure in Pursuit — Suburban Residents — Size of Buna 
 — Cottagers and Poultry Keeping — Does Poultry Keeping Pay ! 
 
 It may be questioned whether the title which we have placed 
 at the head of this chapter is rightly worded, and probably 
 there are many who will suggest that it should read, " Who 
 may keep poultry?" This would not, however, give as 
 much latitude as we require, for, although it is our intention 
 to show who may, we go a little further and say that all 
 who have the opportunity of doing so should keep fowls, 
 whether the number kept be great or small. It is a direct 
 benefit to the individual to have fresh eggs to place upon 
 the table, and what is good for the individual must be good 
 also for the nation, and where there are children in a house- 
 hold nothing can be better than eggs for them. The 
 natural object for which eggs are laid is not to provide food 
 for human beings, but to multiply the race, and the egg 
 contains within itself all the material necessary for the 
 formation of the bird and for its support during the process. 
 Thus, there can be no question that eggs are, in the same 
 way as milk is, most suitable for children's food, and it is 
 impossible to find in any other substance of equal bulk 
 nutriment so equably mixed. We indirectly intimated in 
 the first chapter that as the egg gets older decomposition 
 
Who should Keep Poultry? 19 
 
 sets in, though it may not be noticed, and much of the 
 virtue is gone out of it after a few days. The fact that 
 chickens hatched from stale eggs are never so strong as 
 those from perfectly fresh ones, and that the fresher the 
 egg the stronger the chick will be, is corroborative of this. 
 We believe, therefore, that where eggs can enter largely 
 into the food of children they will prove of incalculable 
 benefit to them, that is, if given perfectly fresh. Thus it 
 will be seen that, apart from any selfish motive or desire 
 for pecuniary gain, where there are children in the house- 
 hold, it is very desirable indeed that fowls should be kept 
 if there is accommodation for them. During sickness also, 
 or for invalids, they are invaluable, and we well remember 
 how a lady friend was kept alive through a long and severe 
 illness by eggs we were able to supply her from our own 
 yard. When appetite failed for everything else, she could 
 always eat an egg; and the doctor said that she could 
 not possibly have recovered had it not been for the support 
 thus afforded. 
 
 This naturally leads us on to the question, " Who should 
 keep poultry ? " and perhaps we can best answer it in the 
 first place by seeing who should not keep them. We have 
 often known birds kept in the most unlikely places — in 
 dark, damp cellars, in attics or rooms, in close unhealthy 
 eheds, and on ground that is damp if not actually wet. 
 The ingenuity of man is very great, and he often makes 
 experiments in the keeping of live stock which may com- 
 mand our admiration because of their very audacity, but 
 which we can see are doomed to failure. Certainly we 
 should no more like to eat an egg laid by a bird living in 
 snch places as these, than we should care for milk from 
 cows kept in close, badly-ventilated town sheds, or bread 
 out of some uncleanly bakehouse. It may be assumed, 
 therefore, that we do not advocate the keeping of fowls in 
 
20 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 nnliealthy places, and that unless there can be provided a 
 reasonable amount of open space, a light, comfortable, dry, 
 and well ventilated house, it is much better to do without 
 the birds altogether, and trust to buying eggs from those 
 who have more favourable opportunities for keeping them. 
 Natural laws must be respected if success is to be attained, 
 and we need to remember that fowls when wild are accus- 
 tomed to live always in the open air, to have perfect freedom, 
 and if we entirely reverse these conditions we cannot reason- 
 ably expect to do so without paying the penalty. Domes- 
 tication undoubtedly means an alteration of the habits of 
 the birds, but we must make this alteration as small as 
 possible, and the less it is the more likely are we to keep 
 them healthy and thriving. Some breeds are stronger and 
 can stand the change in their natural habits better than 
 others, and it is always well for the poultry-keeper to select 
 such if his desire is to make his poultry pay. We shall 
 show which breeds these are later on. 
 
 There is another consideration which will affect those 
 who only wish to keep a few fowls, and that is the pleasure 
 and healthfulness of the pursuit. How many there are 
 whose occupations compel them to be indoors all day, and 
 they know that exercise is necessary to preserve their health. 
 They find it most difficult, however, to go out when they 
 have no direct object in view. Walking, especially alone, 
 soon gets wearisome ; or perhaps every spot of the district 
 around has been explored, and the result often is that the 
 exercise is not taken. The keeping of poultry has been 
 to many a very great boon in this way, compelling regular 
 exercise in the open air, and we recently met with an 
 eminent scientific man who had taken up the pursuit as 
 a hobby, on this account alone. We know that in our own 
 case it was so, and we found not only pleasure but renewed 
 health and strength whilst attending to our feathered pets. 
 
Conveniences requisite. 21 
 
 Commencing with those who only desire to supply their 
 own table, there are hundreds of cottagers and suburban 
 residents in the outskirts of our great towns, as well as 
 in the country at large, who might keep fowls very easily 
 indeed. Eecent years have marked a great improvement 
 in the houses built in both town and country, so far as 
 open yards or gardens attached to them are concerned, 
 and in a few years we hope to see all those dwellings done 
 away with, where the back yards are just about the size of 
 a decent scullery. Taking the smaller houses first, if the 
 yard or back garden be a good sized one it will not be 
 difficult to give a piece of it, say about 12ft. or 15ft. long 
 by 6ft. wide, for the purpose of a poultry house and run, 
 which will be amply sufScient for half-a-dozen fowls. How 
 to build the house and prepare the run we shall describe in due 
 course, the cost of which need not be very great, whilst the 
 pleasure and benefit will be incalculable. Suburban residents 
 have generally a good strip of ground behind their houses, 
 and sufficient can often be spared to keep from half-a-dozen to 
 a score fowls, or even more where the place is an extensive 
 one. If economy is no object, then the houses and runs can 
 be made ornamental, and will add much to the appearance 
 of the garden or grounds. For these also, we shall have 
 something to say in the way of instructions as to how the 
 yard should be laid out and the houses built. Then again 
 as to cottagers, there are few in country places who could 
 not keep a score of fowls and rear half a hundred chickens 
 during the year. Any man handy with tools can easily 
 make houses and necessary appliances, or adapt existing 
 outhouses for the purpose, and at a very small cost. 
 Ground is generally to be had at a low cost, but there are 
 more often fields near over which the birds can wander with- 
 out doing any harm, and this more than doubles the accom- 
 modation without any proportionate cost. But that is not 
 
22 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 all, for birds at liberty can pick up the greater portion of 
 their living, and we are sure every cottager might make a 
 considerable addition to his income by the keeping of fowls. 
 In France the small farmers and cottagers are they who 
 keep the poultry, and supply the vast numbers of eggs 
 and chickens, not only sent to Great Britain, but consumed 
 at home, for it is estimated that in Paris 160 eggs for 
 every head of the population are used each year. A 
 cottager can easily attend to the birds himself, vidthout 
 interfering with his other work, can feed his birds cheaply, 
 can realise the produce quickly, for there is always a good 
 demand, especially if large houses are at hand, or if in a 
 thickly populated district, and he will find himself a happier 
 and better man for his efforts. 
 
 We have now seen that country and suburban residents, 
 great and small, not only may, but should keep poultry, 
 and next we come to the farmer, who may be regarded as the 
 most important of all, for with him it will be a matter of 
 business, and he may produce upon a large scale if he goes 
 into it at all. He has advantages which no one else 
 possesses, having plenty of room for the birds, food for them 
 at first cost, means of utilising their manure which no one 
 else can have, and can graft poultry keeping on to his 
 other work without any great extra expense. He has also 
 means of getting his produce to market at once, and can 
 make contracts with large consumers, hotels, &c., such as 
 a smaller man cannot. But, of course, the business to be 
 really successful will require thought and attention, which 
 many of our farmers have heretofore refused to give ; but 
 they are at last coming to see that " there is money in it," 
 and it shall be our endeavour to help them in every way, so 
 that they may succeed in their efforts. 
 
 We must not conclude this chapter without answering 
 the question so often put, " Does poultry-keeping pay ? " for 
 
*' Does Poultry-keeping pay 9^* 23 
 
 that is the kernel of the whole matter, at least so far as 
 many persons are concerned, though we think rich folks who 
 only wish to supply thoir own table make too much of it. 
 They are willing to grow fruit, vegetables, and flowers, 
 often at double what they could be bought for, and never 
 grumble at the cost, and if they like to expend money on 
 grand houses and runs, or on high-bred stock, they should 
 not complain of what their eggs and chickens may cost. But 
 to others we would say, "Yes, poultry will pay, if properly 
 managed." Cottagers and private persons can generally 
 half feed the birds by what is left from their own tables, 
 and as an illustration of this, we know a gentleman who 
 at one time was always grumbling at the cost of his wife's 
 fowls, declaring that they did not pay. To prove this an 
 account was kept during the next year, when it was found 
 that the eggs cost actually only one cent each all the year 
 through. Then as to farmers, we know a farmer who 
 makes an annual profit of 1500 out of his fowls, and his 
 stock is by no means a large one, but he has been content 
 to make his profit, and say nothing to any one. Every- 
 where there is a constant demand for the produce, and 
 there can be no question that poultry-keeping does pay, 
 and pay well, where it is managed in a common-sense 
 manner. 
 
 We may here mention that it is a most desirable thing 
 in all places where the poultry-keeping is regarded as a 
 business, to keep a strict account of all expenditure and 
 income, and of the produce of the fowls. It is a very wise 
 thing for all poultry-keepers to do, even if they only have 
 half-a-dozen birds for the sake of their eggs ; but when it 
 is a question of profit, then we regard such an account 
 as absolutely necessary, not only as a satisfaction to the 
 owner, but also as a means of checking expenditure and 
 
24 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 preventing waste. Figures have a very deterrent effect, 
 and many a man will refuse to spend, when he has to put 
 it down in black and white, what he would be tempted to 
 do if such were not involved. An account book need not 
 be ver; elaborate, though it should be complete. 
 
Laying out a Poultry Yard. 25 
 
 CHAPTER m. 
 
 IiAYlNCt-OUT THE POULTRY-YAED. 
 
 Gradoal Commencement best — Selection of Ground— Separate Houses — Aspect 
 of Houses — Walls of Houses — Dividing the Yard — Plans— Chicken Yards. 
 
 We do not assume that those of our readers to whom the 
 present work is specially applicable are all non-keepers of 
 poultry at the present time, for probably the great majority 
 have already stocks of poultry. As we have no means of 
 knowing the present condition of their yards — and if we had 
 it would be impossible to show in every case how they might 
 be improved, if they need improvement — we shall describe 
 the best ways of laying out a poultry-yard, of erecting the 
 houses or adapting existing buildings, and by this means it 
 will be very easy for the reader to apply the hints given 
 to his own needs and requirements. Of course, those who 
 contemplate commencing the keeping of fowls, or of laying 
 out a new yard entirely, will find it easy sailing to adapt 
 the plans we shall describe. It must not be thought, 
 however, that we advise any one to commence poultry- 
 keeping upon a large scale, unless he ha.s had sufficient 
 previous experience, and even then we think it much 
 better to begin moderately, and gradually extend the scope 
 of operations. We say this, not only because improve- 
 ments can generally be made in the later-built houses, 
 and that the whole yard is thus more easily got in hand, 
 but also that the stock can be bred and not bought. 
 
i6 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 which of itself will be a very great saving, as pure-bred 
 birds cannot be purchased in large numbers. Therefore it 
 is necessary to look ahead a little, and no one must expect 
 to get into full working order all at once, as it will take twelve 
 months at least to do this, where the intention is to keep 
 large numbers ; but of course those who wish to keep only 
 a few for their own household purposes can buy birds and 
 have all going on smoothly in a short time. As an instance 
 of the erroneous ideas not uncommon, we once heard of a 
 brick manufacturer who, through the depression in trade, 
 had some of his kilns thrown out of use. It was suggested 
 to him that if wooden partitions were placed in these they 
 would make capital fowl houses. He at once seized upon 
 the idea, and talked about buying five thousand hens at once. 
 If he had not met with some one who pointed out that, apart 
 from his own inexperience, his place was thoroughly unsuitable 
 for poultry, the land being strong clay, very damp, without 
 grass, and only half a mile from the sea, he would probably 
 have carried out his plan, and his enterprise could only 
 have had one result, namely, an entire and dismal failure. 
 Those who by false statements deceive others deserve more 
 than ordinary reprobation, and the injury done is not con- 
 fined to the immediate sufferers, but to the nation at large, 
 as many who might succeed are prevented making the 
 attempt from these failures. 
 
 The first thing to do, whether the number to be kept is 
 large or small, is to decide upon where the birds are to be 
 placed, and the amount of ground that can be given to 
 them. In many places this will be very speedily settled ; for 
 instance, in small suburban and cottage gardens, if fowls 
 are to be kept at all, there will be little if any choice of 
 position. But where the ground is more extensive, as upon 
 farms, more consideration will be necessary. In the latter 
 case it may be decided to scatter the houses all about tb» 
 
Position of Fowl House. 27 
 
 farm, and as this is a plan we believe to be a most excellent 
 one, we shall deal fully with it ; but even then there will be 
 some buildings required near home, perhaps for breeding 
 pens, or, at any rate, for the chickens, and the ground thus 
 required should be fixed upon. Much after trouble, expense, 
 and annoyance will thus be saved, and the little forethought 
 required will be repaid many times over. 
 
 It is not our intention to recommend that the runs for the 
 fowls should be laid out before the houses are built, for this 
 would be a most foolish plan, as the fencing, if any is 
 needed, and the carefully laid out ground would be damaged ; 
 but before building it is certainly advisable to have a clear 
 idea of where the houses are to be placed, and whether the 
 runs will be the most suitable ones. Nothing is easier than 
 to have a house built, to fence in a piece of ground, and to 
 put a dozen hens in it ; but whether it is in the best position 
 will have much to do with the result, so far as the produce 
 and health of the birds are concerned. So apparently slight 
 a matter as the house facing south or east will make a very 
 great difference in the supply of eggs ; and hence the neces- 
 sity for care in the selection of the ground and position of 
 the house and run. Whenever anything else can be done, 
 and there are very few instances where this cannot be 
 arranged, the front of a house should never face north, north- 
 east or north-west ; or, at any rate, the doors and windows 
 should not look in any of these directions. We all know 
 how penetrating the winds are from these quarters, and 
 whilst they are blowing the house will be cold indeed, thus 
 acting unfavourably upon the laying and fattening qualities. 
 A house with a southern frontage gets all the sun there is 
 about — a most important matter in the late autumn, winter, 
 and early spring, when every ray that can be secured is oJ 
 decided advantage. It almost surpasses belief the difference 
 in temperature between a house fronting north and one ii'ont» 
 
28 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 ing south, for, whilst the latter will be comfortable, even 
 on those days when but little of the sun has been seen, 
 the former will be cold and comfortless. Practical ex- 
 perience has led us to make a strong point of this, as we 
 know the value of having the house in a sheltered position, 
 and this is one of the little things that needs to be thought 
 of before a house is erected, as it cannot be easily remedied 
 afterwards. Of course there are some places where it is 
 impossible to obtain a southern or southerly aspect, and then 
 the best must be made of existing circumstances. Even in 
 such a case as this, by a little planning much can be done, 
 and we some time ago visited a poultry yard, the grass run 
 of which was in a cold and bleak place, with an aspect almost 
 due north. Here a substantial stone wall ran down one side 
 of the field, and the houses were built on the south side of 
 this wall, the covered runs being on the other side, and the 
 two connected by trap-holes in the wall. The effect of such 
 a plan as this is very great, the temperature in the houses 
 being several degrees higher than if they were on the north 
 side, and thus much of the disadvantage of a north or east 
 aspect can be overcome. If no other plan can be adopted, 
 we would make the doors and windows at the one least 
 exposed side or end of the house, having no opening on 
 the other sides, but even when this is done the walls will 
 need to be thicker than they would if in a more favourable 
 position. 
 
 Whenever it is possible we should advise that a brick or 
 
 ' stone wall should be made the back of the house, as this is 
 
 a great protection and support to the erection, and also gives 
 
 additional warmth, as well as being a saving in cost. If this 
 
 wall be part of, or next to a stable, a cow-shed, a greenhouse, 
 
 '' an engine-shed, or even a dwelling, the warmth derived will 
 
 I be highly beneficial. We have repeatedly known instances 
 
 where large numbers of eggs have been got in the severest 
 
Planning Poultry Runs. 29 
 
 weather, simply because the fowls' roosting-place adjoined a 
 stable or cow-house. When it is remembered that the reason 
 why fowls do not lay so well in cold weather is that much of 
 the natural heat usually expended upon egg-production and 
 flesh-forming is required to make up for the more rapid 
 exhaustion of that heat, it will be seen that the value of such 
 an arrangement as we have suggested is very great. 
 
 Supposing, therefore, that the place has been chosen in 
 accordance with what we have already stated, then the 
 amount of ground and the number of divisions into which 
 it has to be partitioned out must be decided upon. If a 
 number of breeds are to be kept, and there is not sufficient 
 ground at command to scatter them widely apart, then the 
 decision as to the number of runs to be given should be 
 very carefully made, and it will be much better to limit 
 the number than to cramp the birds. Birds which are 
 only required for supplying eggs can no doubt be kept in 
 confined runs, but breeding stock should have good large 
 runs, or their eggs will not hatch so well, nor the progeny 
 be so vigorous and strong. In many places a large grasa 
 field is allotted to the fowls, and on one side of this a row 
 of houses and sheds are built, each having a gravel run — 
 say twenty yards long by three or four yards vride — and 
 the various flocks of birds are allowed in the grass field by 
 turn throughout the day. This is a capital plan where it 
 can be adopted, and we recommend it to our readers ; but 
 if runs can be given to each breeding pen twenty yards 
 square, two-thirds grass and one-third gi-avel, they will do 
 equally as well. The first-named plan is advantageous in 
 one way — namely, that the houses can be all placed together, 
 and if a passage runs behind, the birds can be seen at 
 night, or the houses cleaned without going into the open 
 air. And as they can also be used for chickens as well as 
 for the breeding stock, this will be found a veiy great 
 
3© Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 advantage, as the early chicks require to be attended to late 
 at nights, and very early in the mornings. The chief danger 
 of this plan is the tainting of the ground resulting from 
 the droppings of the fowls, vyhich is in itself a sure cause 
 of disease, but we shall show how this can be prevented. 
 
 In large yards it is advisable to have a proper chicken 
 establishment, the house of which should always face due 
 south, or nearly so, and as far as is possible be well pro. 
 tected on the north and east either by a wall or thick trees. 
 We shall describe how this house is to be built in the 
 proper place, but now mention it so that it may not be 
 forgotten, as is too often the case. The run, which should 
 be chiefly grass, requires to be large and roomy, and if it 
 can be placed near the attendant's house, no matter who 
 the attendant may be, it will be all the better. Upon 
 this run the chicken coops will be placed in the breeding 
 season, and the more room that can be given to it the 
 better. The actual size can only be regulated by each in 
 accordance with the special requirements of the case, but 
 we should be inclined to set aside a quarter of an acre for every 
 hundred chicks to be reared in this chicken run, in addition 
 to which other runs will be needed to put the birds in after 
 they leave the hens. Some of the ordinary runs will come 
 iu useful for this purpose after the breeding season is over. 
 
Construction of Buildings. 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 POXJLTRT HOUSES. 
 
 Importance of Houses — Cost — Elaborate Houses not Needed — Good Hoasss 
 Kequired — Size of Houses and Runs — Adapting existing Buildings — Cheap 
 Houses — Sheds — Houses in Gardens. 
 
 Having planned the yard in the manner described by ua 
 in the last chapter, and arranged it in the way that appears 
 to be most conducive to the well-being of the fowls, the 
 next consideration must be that of the houses in which 
 they are to be placed. This is a most important subject, 
 and takes place in the front rank of those matters which 
 will have an all-important effect upon the success or other- 
 wise of the enterprise. Too often is it neglected ; and we 
 have known men, who thought nothing too good for their 
 horses, their cattle, or their dogs, put their poultry into 
 cold, damp, draughty buildings, and then grumble that they 
 did not pay. Who could expect them to pay under such 
 conditions? may be reasonably asked. But this is only 
 a specimen of how the subject has been treated ; and 
 if any of our readers are resting under such a delusion, 
 we must ask them to give it up at once, or, as the only 
 alternative, give up the idea of keeping fowls. Without 
 due regard to comfort, ventilation, and cleanliness, fowls 
 will not pay ; but where these things are attended to, and 
 other things are favourable, they will pay. 
 
 Much will depend on the tastes, and length of purse 
 
32 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 of the intending poultry keeper, as to the cost of the 
 houses and runs. We have visited at various times some 
 reoUy palatial establishments, where hundreds of pounds 
 have been spent in erections, and where everything is of the 
 very best nature — planned and placed so as above all to 
 please the eye. And we have, on the other hand, seen 
 yards successfully carried on where the crudest and roughest 
 houses and appliances are in use, the object being to 
 secure the desired end with the least possible expenditure. 
 The fact is, elaborateness has nothing to do with success 
 or failure. So long as certain definable laws are observed 
 all will go right ; and whilst first-class houses may add to 
 the pleasure of the owner, or to ease in working, they are 
 by no means necessary to — nay, we should say almost a 
 hindrance to — profit, as the large amount needed as capital 
 outlay requires a greater charge for interest than should 
 be laid upon the concern. This is, of course, addressed 
 to those who regard the matter as one of profit. Those 
 who do not, can freely gratify their tastes, and can easily 
 make more ornamental any such houses as we shall describe, 
 and in all probability the additional cost will be amply 
 repaid in the extra pleasure thus obtained. But there is 
 as much care needed in the erection of grand houses as in 
 smaller ones ; and we have known hundreds of dollars spent 
 in erections that were almost useless. In fact, there is in 
 such places always a danger that utility shall be sacrificed 
 to appearance, and against this we must utter a note of 
 warning. 
 
 It must not be thought from what we have said that we 
 object to substantial and well-built houses, for this is nofc 
 the case, and we believe that often the putting of a few 
 extra dollars into a building is a good investment, saving 
 the expenditure of many more afterwards. N"or must it be 
 imagined that we think any plan is a suitable one, for 
 
Division of Houses. 33 
 
 while we encourage cheapness — that is, avoiding all needless 
 expenditure — we strongly insist that every house, whether 
 it be ne'w or old, adapted or built for the purpose, made of 
 
 ; wood or stone, shall be warm and comfortable, properly 
 ventilated, and shall be large enough for the number of 
 birds that are to be kept in it. Great injury is done for 
 
 I want of proper housing, both through disease resulting 
 from it, and in that it is a great hindrance to productiveness. 
 Fowls kept in a cold, damp atmosphere will neither lay 
 nor thrive well. In the summer it may not make so much 
 difference to them, as day and night is then almost equally 
 warm; but in the late autumn, winter, and early spring, 
 
 I just when they will make or mar the balance sheet for the 
 
 ! year, they are consumers without being producers; conse- 
 
 1 quently they are most unprofitable. 
 
 The question of size of house deserves more considera- 
 tion than it generally receives. It has been found by very 
 
 \ many persons, from practical experience, that not more 
 than fifty birds can be profitably kept together in one house ; 
 and though this does not necessarily mean that if it is 
 thought advisable to erect a house divided into several 
 compartments, not more than fifty birds may be kept under 
 
 i one roof, it does mean that they should be kept well apart 
 with runs of their own, and for this reason we prefer the 
 plan of having a distinct house for every fifty fowls, where 
 the room is at command. A few breeding runs may be put 
 together ; but for layers the other is the better plan. Why 
 large numbers together are not so prolific as when there 
 are fifty and under, we cannot say, and any expression oi 
 opinion would be merely theoretical ; but such is undoubtedly 
 the fact, and we must urge our readers not to keep mora 
 than the number stated in one house. These should 
 have half an acre of grass run, in order to keep them in 
 health and condition, that is, if they are to be restricted 
 
34 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 at all ; and those of our readers who have only a limited 
 amount of space at their disposal will be able to decide how 
 many birds they can keep upon it. 
 i The first thing for the intending poultry keeper to do 
 ■ is to see whether there are any existing buildings which 
 can be adapted for his birds. This is, of course, more 
 easily done by those who wish to keep a few than by those 
 who go into the matter extensively ; and cottagers or suburban 
 residents will often be able to find an unused shed, an out- 
 house, or a stable which, with very few alterations, can be 
 made to meet all their requirements. In most of these the 
 floor is the greatest drawback ; but this can be remedied very 
 easily, as we shall show in our next chapter. Failing such 
 places as we have mentioned, other things can be " requisi- 
 tioned " for the purpose, and where the cost is a most important 
 matter, a little ingenuity will do a great deal. A hogshead 
 can be made into a very good roosting-place for half a dozen 
 birds, if it is raised on its side above the ground by bricks 
 or stone, all chinks stopped up, well tarred outside and 
 whitewashed inside, the upper half of the lid fixed, with a 
 few holes bored in, and corresponding ones in the other end 
 for ventilation, and the lower half made a hinged door, and 
 a couple of perches and nests placed inside. A large packing 
 case can be used in a similar fashion, if it has a sloping 
 roof placed above the top of the box, so that the wet can 
 run off easily, and in fact almost anything can be utilised, 
 as we have seen old railway cars, discarded carriages, and 
 summer-houses made to do duty. A short time ago we read 
 of a large farmer in Essex who keeps several hundred head 
 of fowls, and has bought up a number of old menagerie 
 vans at a cheap rate, which have been made the houses for 
 his fowls, and very comfortable ones we are told they are. 
 
 The objection to be brought against this kind of roosting 
 places, is that they do not provide sheds in which the birds 
 
Sheds for Shelter in Bad Weather. 35 
 
 have shelter during cold or wet weather. No matter how 
 large and comfortable a house may be, poultry have a very 
 strong objection to spend any portion of their time in it 
 except when at roost or on the nest, and the result is that 
 they often crouch about under bushes or even the lea of 
 the house, sooner than go inside. This may be very stupid 
 on their part, but there the fact is, and we must recognize 
 it. Sheds should, therefore, be provided, and will be also 
 useful for the dust bath — a most needful provision. In 
 the case of any adapted out-house or shed, if large enough, 
 the outer portion can be made into the shed, or if not large 
 enough, a wooden erection about three feet high, and quite 
 as large as the house itself, with open or a wired front, 
 can be easily and cheaply erected. Where a hogshead or 
 packing case is used, it should be lifted sufficiently high 
 so as to leave a good space below. If the supporting 
 bricks are built in the form of a U-shaped wall, they will 
 be protection enough ; but if not, folding flaps of wood - 
 should be placed on three sides so as to keep wind and 
 rain from the birds below. 
 
 The small amateur who has accommodation for only a 
 very few birds, and must confine them, would do well to 
 so place his house that there will be a run on each side 
 of it. In a suburban or cottage garden this will not be 
 at all difficult, and the house and shed can be arranged 
 according to circumstances. The object of the double run 
 is to give the birds fresh ground, and thus prevent any 
 tainting of it, so great a cause of disease in small yards. 
 Only one run at a time will be used, and the other can be 
 planted with vegetables, which will be found to grow amain 
 'on such a place, and be better and larger than any other in 
 the garden, and at the same time clean the ground. If each 
 run is thus used four months at a time, there need be no fear 
 of disease. We know of an instance where this has been 
 
36 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 tried most successfully, and on a fairly large scale, with very 
 heavy crops, and the birds kept in perfect health, though 
 the runs are smaller than we like to see. We do not see why 
 farmers should not make poultry one of the series in the 
 rotation of crops, as by this means the land would get well 
 manured by the fowls, and before being used again for them 
 would be sweetened by the produce grown thereon. This is 
 a subject we shall return to again, as it is worthy of fuller 
 consideration. If the small poultry keeper is unable to 
 give these double runs, it will be better to lay down the 
 one run he has in gravel, as it can be more easily renewed, and 
 is less liable to contamination than earth. But as our subject 
 is the houses, we must insist that if he uses an outhouse or 
 any of the things we have already named, he will see that 
 it is watertight above, dry below, properly ventilated, and 
 comfortable. If he has to build a house he can follow the 
 directions we give in the next chapter. 
 
Materials of Home, 37 
 
 CHAPTER V» 
 
 THE EEECTION OF POULTBY HOUSES. 
 
 Material to be Used — Tenant's Fixtures — Too Large Houses ObjeotionaMe— 
 Foundation — Saving of Timber — Frame-Work — Windows and Doors- 
 Ventilation — Floors — Artificial Heating. 
 
 Befoke the question of building can be entirely settled 
 there is a matter requiring to be entered upon, which will 
 probably have very much to do with the material of which 
 the house will be built. There can be no question that for 
 comfort and durability, a brick or stone house is best both 
 for birds and owner, as it is much warmer, less liable to 
 draughts, and more lasting than a wooden one. If the 
 land be the property of the intending poultry keeper, or if 
 the lease is sufficiently long to warrant a permanent erection, 
 then we should certainly advise such being built ; but if 
 there is any uncertainty as to the length of time during 
 which the ground can be retained, then it will be better to 
 put up a wooden one, as this is removable, whereas a brick 
 or stone erection becomes the landlord's property if the 
 tenant leaves. Of course the rule we have laid down can 
 be varied according to circumstances, as there are districts 
 where timber is comparatively scarce and dear, and where 
 bricks or stone are comparatively cheap, and vice versd. 
 But as a rule wood is the cheapest material, and as it is 
 
38 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 easy to work with, as well as being capable of removal ' 
 without much damage, if removal is necessary, there is no / 
 objection whatever to it, if sufficiently thick timber is 
 used throughout, and the whole well and strongly put 
 together. / 
 
 The question of size is one that must of necessity be ruled 
 by the inclinations of the owner. We do not mean the 
 number of fowls he intends to keep, so much as whether 
 he prefers to have only one house, or several scattered 
 about. We must confess to having a preference for the 
 latter plan, where there is sufficient room to allow of it, 
 but at the same time there are doubtless advantages in 
 having the birds all in one house, not the least of which 
 is that they can be easily seen and are less liable to be 
 stolen. Then it is also cheaper to build one house for 
 two hundred birds than four houses to hold fifty each, 
 and even where the question of cost is not regarded so 
 closely, a much more pleasing structure can be erected than 
 if divided into a number of small ones. Perhaps the best 
 plan is that indicated by us in the previous chapter, namely, 
 to combine both these systems, and to have the breeding, 
 and chicken houses near at home, and the others more 
 widely scattered about. However, these are arrangements 
 which can be safely left to be decided individually, and 
 our instructions as to building poultry houses will apply 
 to small and to large houses equally. A house twelve feet 
 jlong by six feet wide, and seven or eight feet from the floor 
 I to the eaves, will be large enough to accommodate fifty 
 f fowls, and we should not recommend that it be made larger 
 than this. Too small a house is dangerous, as the vitiation 
 of the atmosphere which naturally results breeds disease, 
 but on the other hand too large a house is equally an evil, 
 as the birds are exposed to a very large amount of cold 
 air during the winter, which absorbs the heat from their 
 
Dimensions of House. 39 
 
 bodies, and they are chilled and miserable during the long 
 nights. If the house be of a reasonable size, the natural 
 heat of their bodies is not absorbed, but remains to support 
 them against the severity of the weather. These are 
 matters which may not be so easily regulated when a build- 
 ing is adapted, but when a house is built, then there is no 
 more trouble in making it right than wrong. 
 
 In all erections the first thing is to get a good foundation, 
 and even when built of wood it will be better to put down 
 bricks first, these to stand six inches above the ground. If 
 well tarred after they are laid they will prevent the damp 
 rising, and also protect the wood. As much of the latter as 
 rests on, or is sunk into the ground should be well tarred also. 
 The timber used for the walls should be tongued, or feathered 
 and grooved. The superiority of this over straight edged 
 deals is very great, keeping out both wind and wet more 
 effectually, and the cost is small. Upon no account should 
 the boards be less than an inch in thickness, no matter how 
 small the house may be, and where it is large it will be found 
 much better to have them an inch and a quarter. Many 
 persons commit the mistake of having the deals too thin, 
 the result of which is, the houses are cold and easily pene- 
 trated by damp. A capital plan is to make the house in 
 length and width twelve feet, or a divisible fraction of it, 
 that is, four, six, or eight feet, or if larger, eighteen or twenty- 
 four feet. The object of this is, that as timber is generally 
 sold in lengths of about twelve feet, if any of the sizes 
 named are selected there will be no waste whatever, every 
 inch being used up. Of course the house can be twelve feet 
 long by six feet wide, or twenty-four feet long by twelve feet 
 wide, or any other size that will be convenient. The shed 
 which we have already mentioned can either be a portion of 
 the building, the same in height and width, or it can be a 
 less lofty erection placed in front or at one end of the house 
 
40 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 proper. Where a number of houses are placed together, it | 
 is better to have the sheds in front and part of the main 
 building. Such sheds should be quite as large as the roost- , 
 ing house, and be separated from the same by a partition 
 made of the same thickness of wood as the outer walls. The 
 front of the shed should be of wood two or three feet up, 
 and of wire netting above that. 
 
 Having laid the foundations, the next step will be to 
 prepare the framework, which should be of scantling, three 
 or four inches square, according to the size of the house and 
 the strain which will be put upon the frame. An extra up- 
 right should be placed every three or four feet; but one 
 horizontal crosspiece, in a wall six to eight feet high, will be 
 quite sufficient. The framework of a door not less than 
 thirty inches wide, and of one or more windows, must be fitted 
 in, and these should face the south or east. The windows 
 are better when made to open, and simply hinged to swing 
 outwards. The boards when nailed on should be laid 
 horizontally, tightly clenched down, and nailed firmly to the 
 frame, so as to prevent any warping. French nails are 
 the best, as they do not destroy the wood, should it be 
 necessary to afterwards take the house to pieces. A small 
 trap, fifteen inches high by twelve inches wide, will be required 
 for the fowls; and this should have a sliding door, so that 
 they may be kept in if necessary. The matter requiring 
 greatest care in the erection of a wooden house is, to see that 
 it is perfectly air-tight, except as afterwards provided, and 
 all fissures or chinks stopped up. This is especially necessai-y 
 with the door and window fittings, as draughts very often find 
 their way in just at these places. 
 
 The roof may be of shingles, slates, corrugated iron, or 
 wood, the two first named being the most suitable for per- 
 manent buildings. A tin roof really has many advantages, 
 as it is reasonable in price, easily fixed, and perfectly water- 
 
Provision for Ventilation. 
 
 4« 
 
 tight. But against these have to be placed the fact, that 
 from its being so thin, and also being a rapid conductor of 
 heat and cold, it is very hot in summer and very cold in 
 jdnter, and unless lined out with boarding the house is 
 subject to these unfavourable conditions. If it is boarded, 
 however, this is counteracted, and then it makes a capital 
 roof — one that will last many years if given- a coat of paint 
 every twelve months. When wood is used as a roof, it should 
 be firm and well put together, and be covered with felting. 
 
 Eig. 1. — Ventilating root 
 
 which needs to be well tarred and sanded once a year, thus 
 making a warm and substantial cover. It is important to 
 have a good slope in a roof of this kind, so that the water 
 may run off rapidly ; and when this is done, a wooden roof 
 is as good as anything else. 
 
 The question of ventilation is a most important one, and 
 worthy of more consideration than is usually given to it. 
 The way often adopted is to make a few holes in one end 
 of the house, and let the air get in and out the 
 
42 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 way it can. We have actually known houses huilt with the 
 boards left an eighth of an inch apart, in order to provide a 
 current of air ; but such a method partakes considerably of 
 madness. The plan we are about to describe is a very simple 
 one, and will cost very little, if anything ; it is equally 
 suitable to a single slope or to a gabled roof, but we shall 
 describe the latter, and our readers can adapt it to the former. 
 In the roof a small chamber should be formed, by nailing 
 half-inch boards across the same, about midway between the 
 eaves and the apex, and we give an illustration (Fig. 1) of 
 the roof showing this method of ventilation. The crossboards 
 forming the bottom of the chamber may either be closely 
 nailed together, and have holes bored in them, or be left a 
 quarter of an inch apart. At each end of this chamber, m 
 the gables, louver boards should be inserted, or a ventilating 
 trap, such as can be bought from any ironmonger, or a few 
 holes bored into each end will do, but not so well. In 
 addition to this, a couple of traps may be fitted about half- 
 way up the walls of the house, but these are optional, and 
 can be done without. If they are used, then a square 
 wooden box, much larger than the trap, will need to be put 
 over each one inside the house, having a very few holes in, it 
 on the upper side only, so that when the fresh air comes in, it 
 will be directed up to the roof, and not strike against the 
 birds. The system of ventilation we have described is a 
 perfect one ; there is a constant current at mx turoagh the 
 Tentilating chamber, uarrymg ott the vitiated air, and this 
 prevents any draught whatever in the house itself ; but, at 
 the same time, the birds always have pure air to breathe ; 
 and go into their roosting-house at any time, day oi night, 
 it is fresh and sweet so far as the atmosphere is concerned. 
 Jn winter some of the ventilating holes can be stopped up, 
 as Jiiey will not oe required, and the lacility with which the 
 eurrenu aaa be regulated is the advantage tbe trap ■geutila.wirg 
 
Importance of Proper Floor. 43 
 
 have over the holes or louver hoards. No holes must be 
 made near the ground, or anything done to create a draught 
 upwards, as when this is done there is great danger of the 
 fowls having to roost midway between two openings — a plan 
 which sooner or later results in colds and other diseases. 
 This done, the house itself is complete, with the exception 
 of painting outside and whitewashing inside ; two or three 
 coats of the former and two of the latter will put it in 
 capital order. 
 
 The next part we have to deal with is the floor, which if it 
 be damp or cold will militate very greatly against the com- 
 fort and consequent success of the inmates. Such a subject 
 as this needs to be specially dealt with, as there are many 
 persons who appear to think that if the house itself is dry 
 and well built the floor is of no consequence. Such an idea 
 probably arises from the fact that the birds are almost always 
 either on their perches or outside the house. But whilst 
 this is undoubtedly the case, it must also be remembered 
 that the nests are generally made on the ground, and what 
 is of still greater moment, the atmosphere of the bouse is 
 considerably affected by the floor, for if it is damp there is a 
 cold, chilly feeling always present. In our own dwellings 
 this is so, and all the efforts made to warm a damp house 
 never succeed in making it comfortable; besides which there 
 is the great injury to our health, and if this is the case 
 where warmth and light can be freely given, how much mora 
 must it be felt in poultry houses. 
 
 The first thing to be decided upon is that the floor of 
 the house shall be not less than six inches above the ground 
 outside. The object is to prevent the water running into the 
 house, which it will do if below or upon the level. Cement 
 makes a capital floor, and if well laid there is no danger of 
 water standing, or of a damp atmosphere resulting from it. 
 It is cleaned very easily, and will not become charged with 
 
44 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 moisture from the droppings ; but it is very cold, and oo 
 this account, if used, should always be kept covered with two 
 or three inches of fine soil or ashes. Bricks are often used, 
 and if well drained below make a firm and dry floor. But 
 they have one very decided drawback, consequent upon their 
 porous nature and the interstices which must exist between 
 them, namely, that they absorb the moisture from the drop- 
 pings, and in time become impregnated with ammonia, 
 which reacts upon the atmosphere in the house, and is very 
 unhealthy for the birds in it. Were it not for this, bricks 
 would make one of the best floors that could be desired. 
 Wooden floors also are not to be recommended, except 
 where the space is limited, when it is necessary to raise the 
 floor of the house, in order to provide a sheltered run for 
 the fowls below, or wooden floors may be used where movable 
 houses are adopted. In either of these cases only such & 
 floor is possible; but of course it must be kept thickly 
 covered with coal ashes, or fine soil, to be renewed con- 
 stantly, and thus kept fresh. 
 
 Of all the floors which may be laid down in a poultry 
 house, we have proved the following to be decidedly the 
 best : — In the first instance, dig the ground out to a depth 
 of twelve or fifteen inches, and then fill up half of this with 
 broken bricks, gravel, burnt ballast, coarse stones or slag, 
 which must be well beaten down. A compost of coal 
 ashes, fine gravel, quicklime and water must next be made, 
 well mixed together, and spread over the other so as to raise 
 the floor to the required height above the ground. This, 
 when hardened, will be a perfectly dry floor, one upon which 
 water will not stand, and yet it will be hard and firm in its 
 nature, as well as warm and comfortable. It is easily 
 cleaned, inexpensive, and in every way the best floor we 
 know of. Of course, ashes or soil must always be spread 
 thinly over it, as they should be upon every kind of floor, and 
 
Heating PoviUry Hotises. 45 
 
 renewed every day or two. In some places the floor simply 
 consists of a few inches of fine, dry earth ; and where the 
 ground helow is porous and warm there is no objection to 
 this, but it must be raked over every day, and entirely re- 
 newed every few months, or the air will be vitiated. Any one 
 with a sensitive nasal organ can, however, very soon tell 
 when there is anything the matter in this way, so that will 
 be of itself a protection ; but we do not approve of the plan 
 some people adopt, of using carbolic powder and other disin- 
 fectants so freely, that their smell may overpower any other 
 one. This is not the way to do. By cleanliness a house 
 should be kept sweet, and whilst the articles named are 
 most valuable to the poultry keeper, yet they must not be 
 made substitutes for, but assistants to, cleanliness. 
 
 Perhaps it may be as well, before we deal with the ques- 
 tion of fittings, to say a few words with respect to the much 
 debated question of heating poultry bouses. The arguments 
 adduced in favour of artificial heating are very plausible 
 indeed, and there need be no wonder that many are misled by 
 them. The reason why hens do not lay so well in winter, is 
 because the natural heat or reserve force of the body is more 
 rapidly exhausted in winter than in summer, and there is 
 less surplus to go to the formation of eggs or flesh. Thus 
 it would appear very reasonable to suppose, that if, by sup- 
 plying artificial heat, this rapid exhaustion can be prevented, 
 then the birds would be as productive at one time as another. 
 The fallacy of this is in the fact that birds cannot always be 
 kept healthy indoors, and if there be high temperature, then 
 when they go out, the sudden transition is very great, and 
 disease results. So that for this reason, it will be seen that 
 artificial heating is likely to do more harm than good, except 
 under such conditions as we shall presently mention. E'owls 
 cannot put on an overcoat when they leave their houses, and 
 we know the danger ourselves of going from a heated room 
 
46 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 into the cold air unprotected in this way. But in addition 
 to this there is a very grave objection to the burning of oil or 
 gas in a house, as they vitiate the atmosphere greatly, and 
 the birds having to breath air charged with impurities, must 
 be injured thereby. This injury may not declare itself at 
 once, but will do so sooner or later. 
 
 In addition to the methods of heating already mentioned, 
 which are more used for isolated houses than those in blocks, 
 hot water pipes have been employed, but though these are 
 much better than stoves of any kind, it is only a question of 
 degree, and the use of them is to be equally condemned. 
 We do not say that a gentle artificial heat is not beneficial, 
 if it come from outside the house, and, for this reason, we 
 recommended in a previous chapter that, where possible, the 
 house should be built adjoining " a stable, a cow-shed, a 
 green-house, an engine-shed, or even a dwelling," but this 
 is altogether difi"erent to placing a stove inside a house, as 
 the heat is then evenly diffused all over the house, without in 
 the slightest degree vitiating the atmosphere. Even in such 
 a place as this, care must be taken to keep the temperature 
 from rising very high, and the ventilation requires to be well 
 looked after. 
 
 It is often found convenient, where large numbers of fowls 
 are kept, to have the buildings in large blocks, and when this 
 is so artificial heat may be introduced without much danger, 
 especially if there is a centre compartment into which all 
 the others open. Here a fire-stove can be placed, and if 
 the ventilation is so arranged that the fresh air can be 
 supphed through, this compartment, then the fowls will get 
 warmth without danger of any great excess of it. But we 
 may as well say at once, that, in a well built and properly 
 ventilated house, there is no need of any artificial heat what 
 ever, and even though the eggs are not quite so numerous 
 as might be the case were it employed, the prevention of 
 
Straw Lining Useful. 47 
 
 future trouble, and the hardiness of the birds, will more than 
 compensate for this deficiency. In very severe weather the 
 houses may be lined out with straw, but this is only needed 
 where the walls are thin, and it will be found that good sub- 
 stantial food and free range, will do more real good than any 
 artificial heat, however carefully applied. 
 
48 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 CHAPTEE YL 
 
 THE FITTINGS AND BUNS. 
 
 Ferchea — ^Nest Boxes — Sheds— Unfenced Buns— Space to be given— Fencing. 
 
 The perches should be regulated according to the kind of 
 birds kept. For heavy ones, such as Brahmas, Cochins, 
 Dorkings, Langshans, Wyandottes, and Plymouth Rocks, 
 a foot above the ground is quite high enough, as birds are 
 often injured in flying down from high perches, or, what 
 is equally as bad, roost upon the ground and are cold and 
 starved all the night through. Some time ago we saw a 
 capital perch for Brahmas, made of strong wood, about four 
 inches wide, and in the form of a huge f*' ^^^ three ends 
 resting upon cement blocks built into the walls, and of course 
 lying lengthwise parallel with the floor. We also give from 
 Mr. Tegetmeier's Poultry Book an illustration (Fig. 2) of 
 a capital frame for heavy fowls to roost upon, which has the 
 decided advantage of being easily moved. Perches should 
 always be made so that they can be got out of, and into the 
 house without difiBculty. As a rule, for lighter birds, where the 
 perches are placed higher, fir poles sawn in two make the best 
 ones, but when these cannot be got, oval shaped bars, about 
 three inches in diameter and sawn in two, are most suitable. 
 Or if flat ones are used they should not be narrow, but 
 have the edges taken off. In small houses it is best to get 
 thick bent iron or wooden supports, made in the form of the 
 
Hen-Ladders. 
 
 49 
 
 letters JJ O"" J ! *^^ former are the best, as the perches 
 are not so easily knocked out by the birds. One of these 
 rests naust be fixed at each side of the house, and the perch 
 ends made to fit them, taking care that the poles are not too 
 short, or they will drop out when the birds get on to them. 
 
 In large houses it is much better to make a hen ladder, 
 which consists of two stout planks laid at each end of the 
 house, at an angle of about forty degrees, the top resting 
 
 Fig. 2. — Frame for Roost, 
 
 against the back wall and the bottom on the ground, or, 
 of course, by making a back upright to hold the planks 
 spoken of, it will not be necessary to rest the same against 
 the walls. Or, again, the latter may be made double, like 
 the letter A, with perches at both sides, though, for a 
 reason about to be given, this is not to be recommended 
 except where there are windows on both sides. At a 
 distance of about every two feet, notches are made on the 
 upper side of these deals, of course, corresponding with each 
 other, and into these the perch ends are dropped, and then 
 the ladder is complete. This ladder should face the window, 
 wherever this is placed, as fowls always roost with their heads 
 in that direction, and then the droppings fall on the floor 
 without touching the birds on the lower perches. If the 
 birds are allowed to roost the other way, each row will receive 
 the droppings from those on the one above. Fine soil or 
 ashes should be laid on the floor below the ladder, and raked 
 over daily, as by this means a most valuable manure is made, 
 
50 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 and can be removed weekly. Whether the house is a large 
 or a small one the perches should be made removable, so as 
 to facilitate cleaning, and once every month the ends can 
 be dipped in petroleum or carbolic acid, by the doing of 
 which insects are kept away easily. Many people would be 
 surprised at the myriads of insects which swarm over birds 
 when they are roosting that are not so protected, but dipping 
 the ends effectually prevents their reaching the fowls. 
 
 Nest boxes will, of course, require to be fitted into the 
 house, and in numbers suf&cient to prevent any crowding of 
 the hens, or they will fight for possession, and perhaps be 
 thus led to lay away. These nest boxes can be made in a 
 variety of ways, and if the house is a small one a couple of 
 bricks, a box, or a basket can be used. Perhaps the first 
 named is the best, as it is most easily cleared away, and can 
 scarcely be neglected when the house is cleaned out, for 
 the nest must be renewed constantly to keep it supplied with 
 straw. In such a house as this, where room is not over 
 plentiful, the nests may be arranged with a shelf above them, 
 and if the perch is above that, then the hens will be quiet 
 and retired, and no droppings can reach them. But, of 
 course, such an arrangement necessitates great attention to 
 cleanliness, and for this reason it is most important to have 
 shelves removable, and to see that they are taken out at 
 least every week. We have found in practice that if this is 
 not done the nests below get neglected, and the backs of the 
 shelves become harbours for insects, and dirt of all kinds. 
 
 It may be taken as a standing rule, that one nest will be 
 required for every three hens ; and in large houses, where 
 forty or fifty birds are kept, a different plan to any yet spoken 
 of will hflsve to be adopted. We do not like nests in sets as 
 usually made, because there are no facilities provided for 
 easy cleaning, rather the reverse ; but the following plan is 
 one that can be adopted with safety : — In a house for fifty 
 
Nest- Boxes. 51 
 
 hens we should make three rows, of five or six nests in each, 
 every nest to be twelve to fifteen inches square, according to 
 the size of fowls by which they will be used. The nests 
 should have no bottoms, backs, or fronts, save only a strip of 
 wood, three inches wide, nailed along the lower part of the 
 fronts, and another exactly like it at the back. The top of 
 each row will have to be entirely covered, and each of the 
 two bottom rows have a ledge of about six or eight inches 
 wide standing in front. This will complete the nests, and 
 they will, therefore, consist simply of the partitions between 
 each nest, the ends, the tops, and the strips, back and front. 
 When put together the bottom row will stand on the ground 
 next to one of the walls, the second row above it, and the 
 third row above that. In order to prevent the fowls pulling 
 the nests over when jumping on to the ledges, strong iron 
 catches should be fixed to the end of each row with staples 
 in the wall, so as to keep them firm and secure. As will 
 have been seen, the top row will have no ledge, as one is not 
 needed there, but it will be necessary to have a sloping top, 
 or the birds will roost upon it, and thus constantly make it 
 foul and dirty. These nests can be taken to pieces in a 
 couple of minutes and re-erected as speedily, the great 
 advantage being that, having no floor, the moment they are 
 removed everything inside falls out, and there are no corners 
 where dirt or vermin can congregate. They should have a 
 good lime- washing inside and outside once a month, and this 
 will keep them perfectly sweet and clean. 
 
 Heavy fowls, such as Cochins, Brahmas, and Dorkings, 
 vsill require some other arrangement, as the flying up and 
 down to the nests would injure them just as much as when 
 high perches are employed for them. This can be overcome 
 by placing all the nests on the ground, and having a slopin i 
 board above the same the whole way round the house, or, 
 what is still better, make the top of the nests sloping 
 
52 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 from back to front, which will effectually prevent the birds 
 roosting on it. In this case, we should make the nests in 
 sets of two or three each, as they will then be much 
 easier to handle when cleaning. We have also seen hanging 
 boxes made, not unlike a very large sink soap tray, but with 
 wire bottoms ; and, where there is enough room in the house 
 to allow of these being hung on the walls, about eighteen to 
 twenty-four inches apart from each other, no better system 
 can be adopted. They must be a foot or more above the 
 ground, and the nest itself should be about six inches in depth, 
 so that there may be no danger of the hen knocking out the 
 eggs when getting out herself. 
 
 In the chapter on " Poultij Houses " we mentioned the 
 necessity for having a shed in addition to the roosting house. 
 This should, if possible, be as large, if not larger than the 
 house, but can be open or wired at the front. It must be 
 perfectly dry, with good floor, which may be the same as the 
 house floor, or be a foot in depth of fine sand. In one 
 corner a hole should be dug, or a box placed, about two feet 
 deep, and kept constantly supplied with fine dry ashes or 
 soil. This dust bath is absolutely necessary to the well 
 being of the birds, and must be given in order to' keep down 
 insects. Where large numbers of birds are kept we have 
 seen a house or shed devoted to this purpose alone ; and any 
 reasonable amount of trouble is worth taking, as fowls can- 
 not possibly thrive if they are troubled with insects. 
 
 The question as to how much space is required to keep 
 birds in perfect health is somewhat difficult to answer, be- 
 cause there are some breeds which require more than others ; 
 and there are breeds which can live on a grass plot without 
 destroying it, whilst others would eat it bare in a month. Of 
 course, it is much better when freedom can be given, and 
 birds can then be divided without the use of netting or any- 
 thing else, thus effecting a large saving in first cost. It is 
 
space Desirable. 
 
 53 
 
 ■wonderful how close birds can be kept together without mix* 
 ing one with the other. A short time ago the writer visited a 
 farm where several hundred head of fowls are kept, compris- 
 ing about a dozen pure varieties, and in one field of about 
 ten acres two houses were placed, of course at the extreme 
 limits from each other. In one were Dorkings, and in the 
 other white Leghorns, and though they were in sight of each 
 other, yet they had never been known to mix, nor even to 
 
 Fig. 3. — Bangs of Poultry Houses and Bnns. 
 
 approach suflSciently near to quarrel. Probably each clan 
 felt itself immeasurably superior to its neighbour, and that 
 it would be derogatory to associate with the others ; but 
 whatever might be the cause, the effect was satisfactory to the 
 .owner. And under such circumstances, namely, where there 
 is an abundance of room, for the farm in question was nearly 
 «i thousand acres in extent, the question of runs is easily 
 settled, as even breeding flocks can be kept unpenned. 
 
54 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 Where runs are at all restricted, and must be kept withifi 
 certain limits, then it is necessary to know how much groun^is 
 absolutely required to keep grass fresh. Under such conditions 
 it will be needful to give half an acre to every fifty fowls of the 
 lighter kinds, but rather more than this will be required for the 
 heavier breeds. But where houses are built in sets, such as is 
 •shown in Fig. 3, which is a capital range of houses made by 
 Bolton and Paul, Norwich, Eng., we prefer the plan given 
 by us in a former chapter, namely, to give gravel runs to the 
 houses, and have a large field into which the birds can go in 
 turns during the day. They in this way thrive just as well as 
 if on grass always, and the latter is preserved and kept in good 
 order. Nothing appears worse to us than to see grass eaten 
 and trodden down, as then it does no good to the fowls, and 
 is much worse than gravel, which is clean at any rate, and 
 does not lead the attendant to suppose that the birds have 
 all the green food they require. Grass is only beneficial 
 when fresh and clean, and hence the importance of what we 
 have said. 
 
 When fencing is necessary, the best material is wire- 
 netting, which can be bought very cheaply, especially if in 
 large quantities, and if it is galvanized it lasts a long time. 
 That with a two inch mesh is fine enough, and it is as well 
 to get it good and strong, as it will be found least costly in 
 the end. Where something more showy is required, ithere is 
 a wire fencing made in sections of three feet wide, and six 
 feet high, fitted to iron standards in the ground by means of 
 small bolts. These are made in straight lattice work, and 
 generally have ornamental tops, so that they are pleasing in 
 appearance. Another admirable fence is one easily made 
 to order by any woven-wire works, like Figure 4, the bottom 
 half of which is made of galvanized iron, and the upper 
 half of wire, thus forming a complete division between runs, 
 and being at the same time a first-rate shelter against sun. 
 
Iron Fencing. 
 
 55 
 
 rain, or wind. The height of the fences will need to be 
 regulated by the variety of fowls kept. Heavy birds will be 
 easily restrained by a three or a four feet fence, whilst most 
 other breeds can be kept in only by one six feet high. Ham- 
 burghs, however, must have one at least ten feet, and often 
 that is not sufficient, so that it is better to clip their wings. 
 Gates must be provided, and it will be found advantageous 
 not to have too few, as thus many a long walk may be saved 
 — no smaU consideration on a wet or stormy day ; and where 
 
 Fig. 4. — Ponltiy Fence. 
 
 several runs join each other they must be boarded up three 
 feet above the ground, if the fencing just mentioned be not 
 used, in order to prevent the cocks fighting with each other, 
 which they will certainly do if this precaution ia not taken- 
 
56 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MOEE ABOUT HOUSES AND RUNS. 
 
 Effect of Confinement — Houses on Wheels — The Best Plan for Farms — Use of 
 Fruit Trees in Huns — Kinds of Trees to Plant — Fruit Bushes — Other Aids. 
 
 We suppose that, as it is human nature, when restricted 
 within certain specified limits, to get as near the outer region 
 of those limits as possible, even though there is an abun- 
 dance of room, and a more nominal than actual curtailment 
 of liberty, the same instinct is shown in fowls, because, no 
 matter how large a run may be given them, if it be fenced 
 in, they will be sure to wear down the grass near the boun- 
 daries, whilst that in the centre will probably be untouched. 
 On this account, where space is abundant, it may be the 
 best plap to use movable houses, either small enough to 
 be carried by a couple of men, or on wheels, so that a horse 
 or pony can take them easily from one place to another. 
 "Various patterns can be seen in the lists of poultry 
 house builders, and we give illustrations of two of these, 
 showing the ones which appear to us the best (Figs. 5 
 and 6). As is seen, one of these houses, for which we 
 are also indebted to Spratt's Patent of London, who have 
 made some of the best poultry houses we have seen, has a 
 run beneath, and side flaps to afford protection, whilst the 
 other, which is an admirable form for farms, made by Thos. 
 Christy & Co., of Penchurch Street, London, is without the 
 run ; but if the latter plan is adopted, a small shelter should 
 be made so as to stand adjoining, and for convenience of 
 
Portable Houses. 
 
 57 
 
 removal, it can be separate. The houses and shelters can 
 be with, or without floors, as may be preferred, but if the 
 soil is clay, or damp, it will be much better to have wooden 
 floors, but even when it is dry soil we much prefer not to 
 have them. Of course, in any case it will be necessary to see 
 that the houses are not placed in hollows, or, when it is 
 wet weather, they will be standing in pools of water. 
 
 Movable houses of this kind have many great advan- 
 
 Fig. 5. — Portable House. 
 
 tages, but, of course, theif use is limited to such as have 
 Iplenty of ground at command. In the first place, a much 
 larger number of birds can be kept than in a stationary 
 house, as the ground is fresh, and they can '^^^/ander about 
 at their own free will. The fowls also cost lesc to keep, as 
 they are able to find a great portion of their own food in the 
 shape of worms, grubs, seeds, roots, and berries. There is 
 less expense for material, as fencing is not needed, and 
 
58 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 even though wire netting is very cheap, when it has to be 
 purchased by the hundred or thousand yards, it adds a very 
 considerable item to the capital account. Then, again, the 
 fowls clean and manure the land, which is a specially valuable 
 thing after ploughing or harvesting, and we know farms 
 where the birds are kept on the pasture land during the 
 early part of the year ; but, as soon as the hay, corn or root 
 crops are off, the houses are immediately moved thereon, 
 and kept there as long as possible. On one farm we are 
 acquainted with, the fowls are allowed to wander about 
 among both corn and root crops, as soon as the plants are 
 
 Fig. 6.— Poultry House for Farms. 
 
 about twelve and six inches respectively above the ground ; and 
 the owner informs us that the injury done is really nominal, 
 whilst the benefit is very great. Fortunately, the time of year 
 when the number of birds is gi-eatest, is during the late summer 
 and early autumn, when the land is most at liberty, and thus 
 the poultry do not hamper or hinder the other work of a farm. 
 Finally, there can be no question that birds kept in movable 
 houses are hardier, thrive better, and lay better, than if in 
 confined spaces ; but, of course, there are some disadvantages, 
 such as risk of the birds laying away, additional labour in 
 feeding and attendance, and, in some districts, danger of 
 
Cost of Movable Houses. 59 
 
 foxes. The two former can be overcome without difficulty, 
 and the latter only needs greater care and watchfulness to 
 be exercised, with the fastening up of the birds at night. 
 
 With such a plan as we have suggested, we are certain 
 that there are few farmers who could not find room for one 
 of these houses to every five or ten acres ol bis occupation, 
 and the cost would very soon be repaid. The benefit would 
 be great, and touch the part where every one is susceptible, 
 namely, the pocket. We are not speaking from mere 
 theory, as we know several instances where the fowls are a 
 profit, both indirectly through the benefit to the land, and 
 directly in actual cash. Houses can be built to hold 
 about twenty-five fowls for 112 each, or to hold about fifty 
 fowls for $20 to 125 each, without wheels ; or with wheels, 
 which must be broad and large to prevent their sinking in 
 the ground, for a few dollars more ; or, sometimes, various 
 things can be adapted at even a less cost than this. We 
 have seen old carriages, railway cars, and many other things 
 adapted to the purpose, and in one instance read of a 
 Dumber of old showman's vans being so used, and very 
 successfully too. 
 
 It will have been seen, from what we have already said, that 
 we believe in poultry farming more as an adjunct to an 
 ordinary farm, than as a separate business, with land devoted 
 to it, and to nothing else. But in some cases, there may be 
 ground at command, just sufficient to keep going a fair 
 number of fowls, and then it is imperative to make the 
 best possible use of it. If rent has to be paid, anything 
 which can be done to help the paying of it, will be a great 
 assistance to making the concern profitable, and at the 
 same time do away with the temptation to overcrowd the 
 ground — a certain cause of disease and consequent loss. 
 This, wo believe, can best he done by the planting of fruit 
 
 Sr©6?^ wbisli ai9y act be a bbw suggestioc^ luti iti is oa© wHst 
 
6o Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 has not been brought very prominently forward of late. 
 That it is a good suggestion few will be prepared to deny, 
 for birds in a state of nature find all the protection they 
 need in trees, as there are no houses or sheds to shelter 
 them. But, of course, they are not restricted, and can 
 keep them'selves warm by exercise, whereas those that have 
 not this liberty must have some artificial protection; and 
 the plan of putting birds in open runs, where they are 
 restrained by wire fencing, without any corner to which 
 they can retire, so as to be out of the reach of vrijid and 
 weather, is foolish in the extreme, and we cannot wonder the 
 birds do not thrive at all well. 
 
 It is best as a rule, when planting runs in this way, to 
 use large fruit trees, such as apple, pear, plum, and, in 
 suitable places, cobnuts. These are generally regarded as 
 a source of profit in themselves, for land is given up to them 
 alone ; but, when this is so, they are nearly always planted 
 too closely to suit poultry, at least in wet weather, and thus 
 ordinary orchards cannot be looked upon as more than 
 occasional or extra runs. If there are these near to where 
 the poultry are kept, they will be a great boon, as in such 
 places there is an abundance of insect life, which is highly 
 beneficial to the birds. They also provide shelter during 
 very hot weather, and protection from storms, the chief draw- 
 back being that a closely-planted orchard or wood is nearly 
 always damp, and therefore not suitable during the winter 
 and late autumn. 
 
 We have recommended the planting of large trees, but as 
 they take a few years to get into fuU fruit bearing condition, 
 and cannot be easily removed, some may prefer to use bushes, 
 such as gooseberry or raspberry. These afford a capital pro- 
 tection, as they are low, and thick near the ground, which is 
 not the case with large trees. They, however, have one dis- 
 advantage, and that is, the birds pick off the fruit when they 
 
Fruit Trees and Bushes. 6 1 
 
 are in the runs. A capital plan we recently saw adopted, 
 was to lay the runs out in wide strips, say, about one hundred 
 feet long and fifty feet wide. Between these the various 
 bushes were planted, of course being separated from the 
 fowls by wire netting. Here, the plan adopted, was to let 
 the fowls run on the ground for two or three years, then 
 transplant the bushes into the runs occupied by them, and 
 give the birds the strips where the bushes had been. This 
 doubtless would involve considerable trouble, but not so 
 much as might be imagined, and the bushes got the benefit 
 of the well manured, and the fowls of the clean soils. Some 
 such plan as this, or the protecting of the bushes by tanned 
 twine netting during the fi:uiting season, is necessaiy where 
 small fruit trees are planted. Or, if there is plenty of shelter 
 from other trees, runs which had been occupied by poultry 
 for two or three years, could be planted with strawberry plants, 
 fresh runs being given to the birds, and, we venture to say, 
 that the quahty and quantity of the fruit on the former, would 
 lead to a still further extension of the system. The benefit, 
 as we have already hinted, will be twofold. Not only will 
 the profit from the fruili, which can easily be made to almost 
 if not more than pay the rent, but the land will be thus kept 
 perfectly pure and sweet, and consequently there vyill be much 
 less risk of disease among the stock. 
 
 It is not necessary for us to go into any details as to the 
 methods of planting, the number of trees per acre, and the 
 kinds of trees to be chosen. These can easily be obtained 
 elsewhere; but our readers having received the suggestion 
 can adapt it in their own way. The plan can doubtless be 
 considerably developed, and other things found to help forward 
 the same end, if brains are set to work. For instance, in a 
 yard where the pens are divided either by wood or wire, the 
 appearance of these can be greatly improved by planting 
 oreepers about them, and for this purpose there is nothing 
 
62 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 better than the ordinary scarlet runner beans. Near large 
 towns or fashionable watering places, rose bushes would be 
 a source of profit, as both buds and flowers find a ready sale ; 
 but each poultry-keeper must consider what will best meet 
 the demands of the district, and what will suit his place, and 
 the soil at his command. 
 
The Chicken House, 65 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CHIOKEN-HOUSES. 
 
 Early Chickens^Position ol Chicken House — The Attendant's Honse — GFrarel 
 and Qrass Kan — The House — Flooi — Provision Against Sats — Size of 
 House, 
 
 In all large poultry yards, especially where it is intended to 
 hatch early broods, a special chicken-house is required ; and 
 when we have described how it is to be built, then we have 
 done with the subject of houses. The object of having a 
 chicken-house is that the early birds may be protected from 
 the bad weather generally found in the beginning of the 
 year, and, when properly built, they can be kept indoors, if 
 necessary. Consequently, such a house must be large and 
 roomy ; but, as it can also be used as a hatching-house, there 
 will be no waste of space in it. If the birds are crowded 
 they will not thrive, and in building, this must be borne in 
 mind. 
 
 The position of a chicken-house must be facing south, 
 Bouth-west, or south-east, and to this rule there can be no 
 exception whatever, as it is an essential that early in the 
 year, when the sun's rays are few and far between, all of 
 them be gathered into the house ; for loss of this heat means 
 more difficulty in rearing. Wherever possible, the back of 
 the house should be a brick or stone wall ; and, if there is 
 any measure of certainty about the occupation of the place 
 
64 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 upon which it is built, it will be worth the cost of building 
 such a wall, if there is not one already which can be used. 
 Of course, if the wall of a dwelling-house, stable, or cow- 
 shed is available for such a purpose, so much the better ; but 
 upon no account must the aspect of the house be altered, 
 even to obtain the benefit of a warm wall. Heat of this 
 kind is good, but the sun's natural heat is far better ; and 
 for early chicks the latter is absplut^ly indispensable. If 
 both can be obtained, weU and good ; if not, let the one we 
 have indicated be taken in preference. Whenever possible, 
 it is well to have the chicken-house as near to the dweUing 
 of the a.ttendant as possible. In a plan of the yard of Sir 
 Henry Thompson, near Hampton Court, which appeared in 
 one of the Poultry Journals, we noticed that the chicken 
 run is directly in front of the poultryman's, cottage, the 
 house being only a few steps away. Of this we heartily, 
 approve, as the birds require very great attentipn, durjflg the 
 first weeks of their e^stence ; and, if the, attendant \&% a 
 considerable distance to go to them, he will be. unablp to give 
 them the same amount of care, as when they are clpsp at, 
 hand ; whereas, if only a few steps away, he will often gp, 
 even though his presence by strict rule may npt be absolutely 
 required. As far as possible let labour be sayed, and the. 
 saving will be far more than repaid. 
 
 It will be necessary, in selecting the site for a chicken-, 
 house, to arrange it so that there may be a good-sized run in, 
 front. The object of this is, not so much tha^ the birds in 
 the chicken-house may hp,ve plenty of space, when, they are 
 allowed to run outside, but that later on in the year, say in 
 April and May, when the coops are placed outside altogether, 
 as they should be, after the birds are a few days, old, ther^ will 
 be room enough for them. This, we believe, to be a much 
 better plan than scattering the birds all about the place, as, 
 when the latter is done, they are not sufficiently under th^ 
 
Importance of a Turf Run, 65 
 
 eye of the attendant. A quarter of an acre will be sufficient 
 upon which to rear a couple of hundred chickens ; and, 
 perhaps, if more than this number is to be hatched^ it will be 
 well to divide both the house and run, giving a quarter of au 
 acre for every two hundred birds. We do not mean that two 
 hundred chicks with their mothers can be kept on tibia 
 amount of ground at one time, for that would be crowding 
 with a vengeance ; but, as the older ones are deserted by tha 
 hens, they will be drafted off into other houses, and youngey 
 ones be coming on ; so that probably there will be seldom 
 more than Sfty to eighty upon the ground at one timsi, and 
 this only during four or five months of the year. One^fouttli 
 of the ground — that immediately in front of the house. — 
 should be laid in gravel, and the rest be in grass. The nicer 
 and smoother the latter is, the better for the birdg ; and upoa 
 no account must the grass be> allowed to grow very long, or 
 the chicks, in wandiering about it, will get at times damp and 
 wet, and the result be disease among them. Many ladiiea 
 who keep fowls upon a fairly lai^e scale^ place the coops out 
 upon their lawns during the spring, and as the grass is kept 
 short, the ground, generally drained, and in a sunny place, 
 the chickens thrive well. No harm, but a considerahte 
 amount of good, is done to the grass, as the manure euricbe^s 
 it very much. We know poultry yards, where the grass in 
 the chicken-yard is as carefully cut and rolled;, as; a lawn 
 can be ; but this is where feather-footed exhibition! birda 
 are kept. 
 
 The house itself will best take the form of a long And 
 rather narrow shed. It need not be more thani eight or; tea 
 feet wide, and any additional ground space had better: be 
 put into the liength than the breadth, as there is in this way 
 a larger frontage for the sun to play upon. Where it casn 
 be done, we prefer the slope of the roof to be to the hack; 
 the chief objection to this being, that if the back wall of the 
 
66 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 house is of brick or stone, and only the height of the roof 
 there, the roof itself presents a large amount of space for 
 the north and east winds to play upon, so that unless it be 
 very substantial the house will be greatly chilled in conse- 
 quence. If the back wall is higher than the roof, then a 
 spout will be needed to carry off the rain ; and the joint 
 between the roof and wall will have to be very well made, or 
 the water, and snow especially, will find its way through, and 
 thus make the inside of the house damp. Another object in 
 having the house this shape, is, that nearly all the front — ^that 
 is from the roof to within a foot of the floor — should be of 
 glass, the same as in an ordinary green house ; for, by this 
 means, the birds inside will receive benefit from the sun, 
 though it may shine only for a moment or two, and at 
 the same time be effectually protected from the weather 
 outside, no matter what it may be. Even on a winter's day, 
 when there is no sun at all, a house facing the south, having a 
 glass front, with a substantial back wall, will be many 
 degrees warmer than one facing the other way; and birds 
 will be quite comfortable in it, whilst they- would be chilled 
 and miserable in the other. If it is not thought advisable 
 to have the slope to the back, but the other way, then the 
 front must be of glass, as already stated ; and it will be as 
 well to have glass windows (about three feet square) in the 
 roof, at the lowest part of it, divided by, say, three feet 
 of the roof itself, so that in a house twelve feet long 
 there would be two windows in the roof. If the house 
 faces south, a window can be inserted in each end, near 
 the front ; if south-east, in the western end only ; and if 
 Bouth-west, in the eastern end only. Portions of the front 
 of the house should be made to open, so that in fine weather 
 the birds can get in and out quite easily. A large door will, 
 of course, be wanted ; and it will be worth the extra cost 
 to have water spouting put round the roof, as thus the drip- 
 
Defence against Rats, 67 
 
 pings from the same will not fall on to the birds, nor yet 
 saturate the ground in front of the house. 
 
 The floor of the house should be dug out to a considerable 
 depth, especially if the soil is at all clayey in its nature, 
 and filled in, first with a few inches of rubble stones, and 
 then levelled up with dry sand. If rats are troublesome 
 they must be guarded against, or they will make great 
 havoc with the chicks, as we have known them carry off fifty 
 — even taking birds from under the hens — within a very few 
 days. Two most effectual plans can be adopted, either of 
 which will prove a sure protection. One is to get a large 
 number of bottles, or thick glass of any kind, and break them 
 up into moderate sized pieces, so that the rubble stones will 
 be almost covered. The other is to get some very strong wire 
 netting, not larger than three-quarter inch mesh, and lay 
 this over the stones, bringing it up the sides of the house 
 above the ground. Either of these must be done before the 
 sand is put on, which can then be spread on as before des- 
 cribed, and a sure preventive will be provided against the 
 destructive rodents. The wire netting will only last about 
 three or four years, as it then gets rotten ; but the glass 
 will not be affected in that way, and is probably both 
 cheapest and best. A floor made in this way, supposing 
 that the sand is" about twelve to eighteen inches in depth, 
 is warm, clean, and not easily contaminated, but it will 
 require to be raked over every morning and all droppings 
 removed, to be dug over twice or thrice each season, and be 
 renewed every year or two. Sand is, however, inexpensive 
 in most places, and hence there need be no bar to its use. 
 
 The hatching boxes and coops are placed on the sand 
 (these are described in the chapters on hatching and 
 rearing), and it is well to have a shelf at the back of 
 the house, say about 1\ or 3 feet above the ground, under 
 which the boxes »nd coops, ciui be placed ; this shelf can be 
 
68 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 ■nsed for many purposes, such as for an extra row of hatching 
 boxes, for a row of pens, if exhibition is to be attempted, and 
 fot surplus birds, or for a place upon which to keep coops 
 and other things, when not in use. The size of the house 
 is a question which must not be ignored. For a yard 
 where a couple of hundred chicks are to be reared^ that is, 
 if many early ones are required, it should be twenty-four 
 feet long by ten feet wide. In height it should be seven 
 fleet at the highest point, sloping down to three or four 
 feet at the lowest part of the roof. If made of wood it must 
 be kept well whitewashed inside, and painted or tarred out- 
 side, and have proper arrangements for ventilation. As the 
 house will probably be needed in bad weather, the ventila- 
 ting traps should be made to open and close, as suggested 
 in the chapter on Building Poultry Houses. This done, the 
 chicken house will be all ready for its inmates. 
 
Choice of Breeds. 69 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 THE KIND OF FOWLS TO KEEP. 
 
 Choioe of Breeds — Errors in Selection— Cross and pure bred Fowls — Breeds ta 
 be chosen — Confinement or Liberty — Hardy Breeds — Non-sitting Breeds — 
 Table Fowls— Sitters and Mothers — General utility Fowls. 
 
 Before commencing to describe the many varieties of fowls, 
 it is necessary that we should show what kinds should be 
 kept by different persons. Success in poultry keeping 
 means, not only the proper feeding and management of 
 the birds, but the selection of a breed that is suitable to the 
 place where they are to be kept. In addition to this, the 
 question of what is most in demand must be taken into 
 consideration, for in poultty keeping, as in every other pur- 
 Btdt, opportunities must control circumstances, and circum- 
 stances adapt themselves as far as possible to opportunities. 
 It would be folly for any one to select a breed that is most 
 suitable for table purposes, in a place where eggs are wanted 
 and chickens at a discount, or, on the other hand, to keep 
 laying fowls, where chickens are sought for most of all and 
 ieggs very plentiful. And it is equally foolish to rear birds of 
 no breed whatever, which, having no special characteristics, 
 are neither suitable for one purpose or the other. This 
 is a most important matter, and, as an illustration of the 
 mistakes often made in this way, we may mention that we 
 once knew a poultry farm commenced under most favourable 
 
7o Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 auspices, situated within a short distance of a large tnana< 
 facturing town, where eggs could be sold in any numbers at 
 high rates. The ground laid out for the farm was in many 
 respects very suitable, and the houses and runs designed 
 with a considerable amount of skill and foresight. The owner, 
 however, who was thus careful in almost everything else, 
 suddenly became negligent when he began to stock his yards, 
 and, instead of buying a few birds of a good laying breed and 
 breeding from them as many layers as he required, he went 
 into the market and bought some hundreds of hens, paying 
 no regard whatever to age or breed. It is true that he got 
 them at a less rate than he could have bought pure bred stock, 
 and he began to get returns from the sale of produce at once, 
 which he could not have done had he bred his stock. But 
 the returns were miserably small, the bulk of the hens soon 
 wanted to sit, and more hens were bought in order to supply 
 the demand for eggs, disease crept in through overcrowding, 
 and the balance-sheet showed a very decided margin on the 
 wrong side. Disheartened and disgusted, the owner soon 
 turned up the whole affair, a sadder, a poorer, though 
 perhaps not a wiser man. Such instances as these could be 
 multiplied to almost any extent, and it has probably been 
 more due to want of knowledge or thought, that the idea has 
 taken root that poultry-keeping does not pay^ 
 
 There is an idea very prevalent, that cross-bred poultry 
 are much more profitable to keep than pure bred ones, and, 
 whilst there can be no question that it is a decided advantage 
 to cross certain breeds one with another, in order to obtain 
 specific results, that is, of course, if the crossing is scien- 
 tifically and skilfully performed, having an end in view, this 
 is altogether different to the breeding of mongrels, which is 
 so common. In the former case there is method, in the 
 latter there is none, and it is to this indiscriminate crossing 
 that we owe the present degenerate races of farmyard or barn- 
 
Crossing of Breed. 71 
 
 door fowls, small, subject to disease, poor as layers, equally 
 as useless on the table, and certainly neither profitable nor 
 creditable to the owner. The first cross may be useful, if 
 properly made, but, it has been found as the experience of 
 many, that if these are bred from, the progeny deteriorates, 
 both in fecundity and size with every generation. This is a 
 matter deserving fuUer consideration, which shall be given at 
 the proper time ; but, we have mentioned it now, so that it 
 may be understood that when we speak of cross-bred fowls, 
 we mean the first cross only. Others we shall designate by 
 the only term they deserve — mongrels. The basis of every 
 yard should be pure-bred stock, but where there is room, 
 these should only be used for breeding layers or table fowls. 
 If only a few can be kept for home consumption, then we 
 should advise that crossing be not attempted, but only pure- 
 bred birds kept, unless there is some means of getting the 
 cross-bred ones at a reasonable price, with the certainty that 
 they are as represented. 
 
 Perhaps the consideration we must deal with first of all, is 
 the kind of soil upon which the birds are to be kept, as this 
 will have a great deal to do with the kinds of birds that can be 
 kept thereon. Any birds can be kept on a dry, sandy, chalk, 
 or gravel soil, upon which they will do well ; but there are 
 many breeds which never thrive where the ground is cold, 
 damp, or clayey. On wet, low-lying lands, we should 
 strongly urge that no poultry be kept at all, except it be 
 ducks or geese. These will do well in such places, and as 
 there is always a demand for water-fowl, and at good prices, 
 a considerable profit can be made where fowls would 
 entail a heavy loss. We regard duck breeding as one of 
 the most profitable portions of poultry keeping, and are 
 surprised that more attention is not paid to it. Upwards of 
 $100,000 is paid annually to the cottagers in the vicinity of 
 Aylesbury, England, for ducklings, and they have no more 
 
72 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 ndvantages or opportunities than are to be found in many 
 other places. 
 
 As we have already stated, any breed can be kept on a 
 dry, sandy, chalk or gravel soil, and those who have this ad- 
 vantage are unlimited in their choice of a breed. But on 
 the clay this choice becomes at once restricted, and we should 
 advise that in such a place the following breeds be altogether 
 avoided ; — Dorkings, Spanish, Polish, Craves, and La FlSche ; 
 and, we may add, that it will be found Minorcas, Leghorns, 
 Houdans, Brahmas, Langshans, Game, Andalusians, Ply- 
 mouth Bocks, Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Cochins will be 
 best able to stand such a soil. 
 
 The next point to be settled is whether the birds are to 
 be kept in confinement or given their liberty, because this is 
 a very important consideration, as there are some breeds 
 which never thrive unless they can have a large amount of 
 space given to them. The worst of all in this respect is the 
 Hamburgh, which scarcely ever does well in a confined 
 ^ace, and after it we must place the lighter varieties of the 
 Spanish tribe. The hardier of these, such as Minorcas and 
 Leghorns, are often successfully kept in small runs, but of 
 course thrive better when they can have a reasonable 
 amount of liberty. We need hardly say that every breed 
 does much better when it has freedom than when cooped 
 tip, and it is a mistake to expect eggs to be very plentiful 
 without liberty, except by very great care and attention ; 
 and hardy chickens are scarcely to be hoped for in the small 
 miserable pens so often devoted to breeding stock. Those 
 who wish to keep about half-a-dozen fowls, simply to supply 
 eggs for their own tables, may do so in a small run, but they 
 must not feed them too well, or internal fat will ensue, and 
 this will stop the laying as well as bring on disease. The 
 birds so confined should never be bred from, and it will be 
 found advisable to kill them off when about twenty-seven 
 
• Laying Breeds. 75 
 
 months old. For such places as these we should recommend 
 Minorcas, Leghorns, Houdans, Plymouth Rocks, or Wyan- 
 dottes, the first three of -which are non-sitters. 
 
 The majority of poultry-keepers have eggs as their 
 primary object, and where this is the case they will do 
 well to select one of the non-sitting breeds, for, not only are 
 these the best layers, but they give no trouble in the way of 
 wanting to incubate. Many are the sorrows of a poultry- 
 keeper whose hens want to sit when he desires eggs, and 
 it is hard work conquering a determined bird of this kind. 
 These non-sitting breeds are Hamburghs, Minorcas, Leg- 
 horns, Scotch Greys, Eedcups, Andalusians, Houdans, Span- 
 ish, and Polish, which are here given in rotation according 
 to their laying powers. The Hamburghs lay small eggs, too 
 small for ordinary market purposes, and the Spanish and 
 Polish are rather delicate, so we should recommend that 
 the choice be restricted to the other six varieties, which, 
 whether they be kept pure or crossed will be found first-rate 
 layers of good-sized eggs. They are also very hardy, and can 
 be kept successfully in nearly every place, unless it is really 
 a wet one. We do not recommend to have more than two 
 laying breeds, but where there is sufBcient room we should 
 certainly advise two, as they can then be crossed one with 
 the other, if that is thought desirable. 
 
 Coming now to those breeds of domestic poultry which are 
 specially characterized for their table qualities, and which 
 should be kept where there is a demand for dressed fowls, for 
 in time quality must tell, we cannot but place at the head 
 the Game variety, though they are rather too small for 
 ordinary market purposes. Then come in rotation La 
 Pleche, Dorkings, Greve-coeurs, Houdans, Langshans, Ply- 
 mouth Hocks, Wyandottes, and Orpingtons. These are 
 much larger than the Game, and will be found to excel any 
 other breeds for quality of flesh. The Game crossed with 
 
76 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 Dorking has been stated to have the smallest amount of 
 offal, to be yery deep in flesh on the breast, and is a cross 
 which can be highly recommended. 
 
 In all large yards it will be necessary, unless the artificial 
 method of hatching is adopted, to have a sitting breed, and 
 as the table varieties are nearly all good sitters, one or two 
 can be chosen to serve both purposes. Some breeds do not 
 make good mothers, and others, such as the Cochin and 
 Brahma, though the maternal instinct is very great in them, 
 are so clumsy that there is great danger of their crushing 
 both eggs and chickens. The best for this purpose are Dor- 
 kings, Games, Dominiques, Plymouth Rocks, Langshans, 
 Wyandottes, and Orpingtons, or amongst cross-breeds the 
 Brahma-Dorkings. Thus there will be no difiB.culty in select- 
 ing a breed, which will prove first-rate mothers and good 
 tat)le birds. 
 
 In more limited yards, where there is not accommodation 
 for more than one or two breeds, and it is desirable to have 
 such as are both good layers, table fowls and sitters> we 
 should recommend Plymouth Rocks, Langshans, Wyandottes, 
 or Orpingtons, or if sitters are not required, then there is no 
 better breed for the purpose than the Houdan, which has 
 been described as '' one of the best fowls for ordinary pur- 
 poses that we possess." We have thus rapidly shown the 
 varieties of useful fowls, with the qualities for which they 
 are noted, but in describing the breeds themselves we shall 
 enter more fully into the questions here only touched upon. 
 
Andalusians. 79 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THB BBEED3 OF fOUIiXBY. 
 
 Andalusians— Aseels — Bantams — Brahmas — Cochins — Domlniques — Dork- 
 ings— Freneli — Game— Hamburghs- Indian Game — Langshans — Leg- 
 horns — Malays — Minorcas — Orpingtons — Plymouth Rocks — Polish — 
 Scotch Greys— Spanish— Silkies- Wyandottes . 
 
 We shall now proceed to briefly describe the various breeds, 
 together with their leading characteristics, so that it will be 
 easy to decide which varieties will be most suitable to th» 
 place where they are to be kept, and to the requirements cA 
 the poultry keeper. We shall put them in alphabetical order 
 for easy reference, and do not intend to go into long de- 
 scriptions, which can only puzzle the reader, but will content 
 ourselves with a few particulars. Nor do we think it 
 necessary to do much more than mention those breeds that 
 are purely fancy, for, though perhaps very beautiful, they 
 are of no use for commercial purposes. The illustrations 
 of the various breeds we give are very correct representations, 
 from which the reader will have little difficulty in recog- 
 nizing them when seen. We would, however, advise the 
 reader who wishes to see for himself the various breeds, to 
 visit some poultry show, as he will then be able to verify 
 and confirm his own ideas on them. 
 
 Andalusians. 
 
 This is one of the leading varieties of the Spanish group, 
 and is sometimes known by the name of Blue Spanish. The 
 
8o Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 appearance of all this group has been well described as fol- 
 lows : — A close, compact, smaUish-sized body, placed upon 
 legs of a good length ; the neck rather long, with a fine 
 head ; a large, upright-single comb in the cock, and in the 
 hen also large, but falling over on one side : and the cocks 
 have large sickle-shaped tails. Of course the colour of 
 plumage, legs, &c., are different in the several varieties, but 
 the general appearance is as here described. 
 
 In Andalusians the plumage is slate-coloured, but on the 
 cock's neck and back it is dark purple or nearly black. The 
 birds are of a good size, are prolific layers of large white 
 eggs, are precocious as chickens, very hardy, bear confine- 
 ment well, are fair table birds when young, can be kept on 
 aU fairly dry soils, and are non-sitters. In selecting. birds 
 attention should be paid to size, to erectness of carriage ; 
 and any white on the face, which ought to be red, should be 
 avoided, as this indicates a cross with the black Spanish. 
 
 These are Indian game cocks, used in that country for 
 fighting purposes. They are good in flesh, but very poor 
 layers, and so savage that they are not to be recommended, 
 and, therefore, we need not say more respecting them- 
 
 Bantams. 
 
 The number of varieties of Bantams is very great, and 
 as we anticipated in our first edition, the list is con- 
 stantly increasing by the addition of new breeds. As a 
 rule they are simply small specimens, though in some 
 cases some differences can be discerned. We only give 
 illustrations of two varieties, the white and the Japanese, 
 as all Bantams are purely " fancy " fowls, being popular 
 

 [sr.r 
 
 s^'^<^ 
 
Brahmets, 83 
 
 chiefly tecause of their beauty, and that they can be kept in 
 places where large fowls cannot, as well as from the fact 
 that they make capital pets. In the Game section there 
 are all the varieties known in large game, and in the other 
 section we find Black and White Rose-combed, Gold and Sil- 
 ver (or laced) Sebrights, Japanese, Cuckoos, Pekins, Brah- 
 mas^ Malays, &c., but as they have no commercial value we 
 need not do more than mention their names. 
 
 Bbahmas. 
 
 One of the most prominent of the breeds of poultry is the 
 Brahma, and from an exhibitor's, or a fancier's point of view, 
 once the most valuable. Two hundred and fifty dollars was 
 no uncommon price for a really first-class bird, and eggs from 
 certain strains were almost literally worth their weight in 
 gold ; but there has been a great decline in recent years. 
 It is undoubtedly a manufactured breed, and for some years 
 there was a great controversy as to its origin. At the first 
 it was not very attractive in appearance ; but this was in time 
 remedied, and of late years it has been so carefully and 
 skilfully bred, that its characteristics are firmly fixed and 
 clearly defined. It is chiefly valuable for its great size and 
 hardiness, and for laying well in winter, although the eggs 
 axe often small and disproportionate to the size of the fowls 
 themselves, but they are rich in quality, next in this respect 
 to cochins. They are buff in color, and with many purchas- 
 ers this is a decided attraction. 
 
 Brahmas cannot be regarded as first-class table fowls, so 
 far as quality of flesh is concerned, having the flesh laid 
 more on to the legs than the breast, which is always a dis- 
 advantage ; but when they are young they are by no means 
 to be despised, especially when their size is considered. For 
 8 family fowl they are unequalled, and a large Brahma 
 
84 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 chicken is sufficient for the dinner of a moderate sized 
 family. For crossing purposes they are very useful, when 
 table fowls are in view, and we shall have occasion to recom- 
 mend them for that purpose. 
 
 There are two varieties of Brahmas, the dark and the 
 light, of which we give three illustrations. Both of these are 
 alike, save in colour. The shape of a good bird is most pleas- 
 ing, as they are well-proportioned and very handsome ; the 
 heavily-feathered legs, the deep massive bodies, the neat 
 heads, with small pea-combs, all combine to complete the 
 effect. They are capital sitters and mothers — though when 
 old, rather clumsy and heavy for this purpose, are very docile, 
 can be kept on almost any soil that is not absolutely always 
 wet, are fairly good as layers, and whilst they should have a 
 fair amount of liberty they do not require very extensive 
 runs, and can always be kept within bounds by a three-foot 
 fence. 
 
 Cochins. 
 
 At one time this was the most popular breed of all, and 
 there are many now living who can remember the Cochin 
 mania of thirty years ago. Fabulous sums were then 
 given for both eggs and chickens, sums which are not ex- 
 ceeded by the high prices now obtained, and poultry shows 
 were at that time crowded by the fashion and beauty of the 
 period, and were mines of wealth to the promoters. It 
 was expected that the hens would lay two or three eggs 
 a day, and many persons invested their money in them in 
 the hope of thus making a fortune. But the breed was 
 never worth the fuss made about it, and soon subsided 
 into the background, so far as its commercial qualities were 
 concerned. Cochins somewhat resemble Brahmas in shape 
 and appearance, but have more abundant feather, and are 
 rather rounder. They are fairly good as winter layers, but 
 
OOOBIH OOOK. 
 
OOOHIN BEN. 
 
Cochins. 89 
 
 in the spring and summer are so continually broody that 
 very few eggs indeed are obtained from them. In fact, they 
 are the most inveterate sitters of all fowls, and on this 
 account cannot be recommended ; for sit they will, and when 
 they will, choosing all kinds of unlikely articles if they 
 cannot obtain eggs. They are clumsy, and often break 
 the eggs, or crush the chickens given to them. They are 
 very hardy and easy to rear, can be kept on any soil, are very 
 docile, but make poor table birds, except so far as size is 
 concerned, having coarse flesh and large bones. We give 
 portraits of a fairly good pair of buffs, though the best exhi- 
 bition birds are now bred higher in the tail and with more 
 leg and footfeather than is here represented. There are four 
 colours — buff, partridge, black, and white — all of which are 
 very handsome, and look well in a show pen, or on a lawn, 
 where appearance and not utility is looked for. But as com- 
 mercial fowls they are of no use whatever. 
 
 DOMINIQDES. 
 
 These are birds of American origin, and resemble Cuckoo 
 Dorkings in shape and in some other respects, but have a 
 rose comb. They have yellow legs, are very hardy, will thrive 
 on almost any soil, are capital layers, fairly good table birds, 
 good sitters and mothers, making altogether a most useful 
 breed for general purposes. They have not, however, come 
 into anything like general favour, and therefore are not 
 very easy to obtain, but would, we think, amply repay any 
 one who took them up. 
 
 DOKKINGS. 
 
 Dorkings and Games are, perhaps, the oldest and best 
 preserved of all the English pure-bred fowls. The general 
 
90 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 characteristics are, a square-shaped body, with a quiet stately 
 carriage, the breast being put well forward. Some varieties 
 have a single, and others a rose comb, but in all cases the 
 head is large, yet neat. The wattles are large and pendant ; 
 the neck is short, taper and with full hackle ; the body is large 
 and deep when viewed sideways, almost forming a square ; the 
 breastbone is deep, the back broad, the tail full, and the thighs 
 large and full ; the legs are white in colour, straight, strong, 
 and clean, have five toes ; and the whole frame is large. 
 Full-grown cocks weigh lOlb. to 111b., and hens 81b, to 
 101b. 
 
 This breed is the old-fashioned Sussex fowl, and' takes its 
 name from the town of the same name in that county. It 
 has long held the pre-eminent position among English table 
 fowls, and deservedly so, for its white flesh, deep breasts, 
 white legs, and light bones make it one of the best fowls 
 that can be placed upon the table. There are four kinds of 
 Dorkings — white, silver grey, cuckoo, and coloured — all of 
 which are equally good for table j)urposes, the last named 
 being the largest. In England great size is attained, some 
 cockerels weighing 81b. to 111b., and adult birds 101b. to 
 141b., which, unlike some other breeds, is not made up of 
 heavy bones, thick shanks, and fleshy thighs. The great 
 drawback to this breed is its tenderness. Whilst the birds 
 can stand any amount of cold, as is proved by their being so 
 largely bred in the north of Scotland, they cannot thrive in a 
 damp place ; and, consequently, unless the ground is of a 
 dry, porous nature, some other breed should be chosen. 
 Good housing and feeding will do much, but even these will 
 not be sufScient on a heavy clay soil, which is always fatal. 
 All Dorkings have five toes, and, as is generally found, this 
 characteristic is generally accompanied by a tendency to 
 "bumble foot," which is an enlargement of the joints there. 
 To obviate this as far as possible, the birds should have low 
 
French. 93 
 
 perches and soft floors and runs. Dorkings are not very 
 good as layers, being table fowls first of all. 
 
 French. 
 
 The French people have devoted considerably more atten- 
 tion to poultry than the English have, — at least so far 
 as the economic qualities are concerned, and as a result 
 their fowls are much superior in commercial characteristics, 
 with one or two exceptions, to the English breeds. In all 
 cases they have regarded egg laying and quality of meat 
 before mere feather, but at the same time have bred to 
 certain general standards, and avoided the production of 
 mongrels, which has not been the case either in America 
 or England. Many of the French breeds are remark- 
 able, both for size, quality of flesh, and depth of breast, 
 and, as those of our readers who have been in Paris can 
 testify, are prepared in a much superior manner to the ones 
 at home, and look much better upon the table. Upon this 
 aspect of the question we shall have more to say later on, 
 when our remarks vnll be more appropriate. Unfortunately, 
 nearly all the French breeds have dark legs, and, therefore, 
 are objected to in many places where there is a prejudice 
 in favour of white ones. But we hope this prejudice will 
 soon die out, and were it not for poulterers and cooks, it 
 would have died a natural death already. They are the 
 culprits in the matter, and if their influence was being 
 rightly used in favour of quality and not mere appearance, 
 their customers would very soon be reconciled to the change, 
 for the legs, in spite of aU that may be believed, are no 
 criterion as to the colour of the flesh. We shall now 
 briefly describe the chief French breeds, as known in this 
 country. 
 
 The Houdan is one of the most useful breeds we have. 
 
94 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 and is now thoroughly accKmatized here. It is espe- 
 cially worthy of the attention of those who have not a 
 very dry or warm soil, but who desire a good layer, and, 
 at the same time, a plnmp, large table fowl ; or of those 
 who have to fight against the black leg prejudice, and 
 yet from the nature of their place cannot keep Dorkings. 
 The breed has undoubtedly been produced in the first in- 
 stance by crossing, but the same can be said of many of 
 the other breeds, and it is no disadvantage to it, as it 
 certainly breeds pure, and is one of the best farmer's or 
 cottager's fowls we have. As vrill be seen from the illus- 
 tration we give, the head has a small crest ; the plumage is 
 black and white spangled, the legs are pinky in colour, the 
 fifth toe is present, as in Dorkings, the form is bulky and 
 the size large. It bears confinement well, can be kept on 
 any soil, is very hardy, lays well, its flesh is all that can be 
 desired, and it is a non-sitter. We should not, however, 
 advise purchasers to take birds simply because they have won 
 in the show pen, but get them from some place where Houdans 
 havebeenkeptfor years, and bred chiefly for economic qualities. 
 They are then most valuable, and as Mr. Tegetmeier says, 
 they " may certainly be regarded as the Dorkings of France. 
 Large, heavy, short-legged, five-toed fowls, with small 
 light bone, a remarkable absence of offal, and with irregularly 
 speckled or mottled plumage, they strongly recall to mind 
 the old-fashioned coloured Dorking, as it existed before 
 any atte!ntion had been directed to uniformity of feathering 
 by the poultry shows. Their merits as table fowl are of 
 the highest excellence. No pure bred chickens mature vrith 
 greater, or perhaps with as great, a degree of rapidity ; they 
 feather early, are extremely hardy, and consequently easily 
 reared. The old birds are robust, and the eggs which are 
 numerous, are remarkable as being almost invariably fertile." 
 Of all the French breeds La Fleche stands at the head for 
 
E 
 
 g 
 
La Flhhe. 99 
 
 table qualities, and for the great feast of Mardi gras, held 
 in Paris on Shrove Tuesday, it is no uncommon thing for 
 one hundred francs to be given for a pair of these birds, 
 weighing 101b. each, plucked and dressed. The flesh is beau- 
 tifully white, and there is plenty of depth on the breast. They 
 feed well, but, unfortunately, have been found in America to 
 be somewhat delicate, at least in damp sifcaations, and where 
 they have not full liberty. It was formerly thought that they 
 were too delicate for England ; but in the year 1883, Mr. 
 W. B. Tegetmeier, when over in Paris, was so struck with 
 the table qualities of these fowls that he purchased some 
 for his own use. These he placed in his grounds at Finchley, 
 on the north side of London, where the bed of clay is one 
 of the heaviest in the neighbourhood of the Metropolis. 
 The birds were given full liberty, and his experience haa 
 been that they are as hardy as any other breed when so 
 kept. In confinement they are undoubtedly delicate, but 
 with freedom can be kept by almost any one. They are 
 large, tall, well-shaped birds, with glossy, green-black 
 plumage : have red faces, white ears, and a horned comb, 
 the last of which does not add to their beauty, giving them 
 an almost satanic appearance. They are clean legged, the 
 legs being dark in colour, are non-sitters, and in France 
 are specially bred for table qualities. 
 
 The Creve-Coeur is a large bird, with metallic black plumage, 
 but of a lower, squarer build than La Fleche. It is also 
 much more attractive in appearance ; its head is surmounted 
 by a handsome crest, which, in young hens especially, is 
 beautifully round and pleasing. The legs are also black 
 but the flesh is almost equal to the best English or French 
 fowl. It is hardy, easily reared on any moderately dry 
 soil, is a non-sitter, and a fairly good layer, but the eggs 
 are small. It is necessary to have a good shelter for 
 Creves, so that they can be protected in wet or cold weather, 
 
lOO Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 as they are rather liable to colds and roup if the crests gek 
 wet ; but for this they would be oftener kept than they are. 
 
 There are, in addition to the breeds already named, several 
 others, such as La Bresse and Courtes Pattes, but as these 
 have no special characteristics more than we have already 
 named in the others, and are nob very easily obtained in this 
 conutry, we need not do more than mention them here. 
 
 Game. 
 
 These are about the oldest of the pure English breeds, 
 and have been bred for many generations with great care and 
 skill. In olden times cock-fighting was a pastime almost 
 national, and was indulged in by both rich and poor. Game 
 fowls were bred for this purpose, courage and endurance 
 being most sought after, and these were combined with great 
 beauty of plumage. Some of the highest men of England 
 thought it no dishonour to breed fowls for this purpose ; and 
 important "mains" were regarded with as gi'eat interest as 
 are some of the chief race meetings now — this too within 
 the memory of man, for there are many living now, and not 
 old men either, who were accustomed to indulge in this cruel 
 pastime. In modern times a higher standard of taste has 
 done away with cock-fighting, except such as is carried on 
 secretly ; but the change has not spoiled this splendid race 
 of fowls, though it is much changed from the old fight- 
 ing days. Unfortunately, however, the pugilistic nature 
 remains, and for this cause most people are unable to keep 
 game birds pure. For crossing purposes, as we shall after- 
 wards see, they can be utilised ; and, as all kinds of games 
 are fair layers, splendid sitters, attentive mothers, have the 
 finest eating flesh of any race of domestic fowl, are very 
 hardy, easy to rear, and can be kept on any soil when at 
 liberty, if this crossing is judiciously done, these characteria* 
 
Hamburghs. 103 
 
 tics can be larg3ly retained, without the fear of constant 
 warfare. 
 
 The chief kinds of Games are the black-breasted reds, 
 brown-breasted reds, duokwings and piles, all of which are 
 very handsome ; and we cannot wonder at the popular- 
 ity of the breed among those who have opportunities for 
 keeping it, considering its great beauty, endurance and 
 pluck. 
 
 The prices realized for high-class show specimens are 
 very great, and over five hundred dollars has been paid 
 for a single cock two or three times during the last few 
 years. Of course good birds can be obtained at reasonable 
 prices ; but no one should attempt to keep this variety 
 unless he has plenty of room, and, for those whose object 
 is profit, we can scarcely recommend it except for cross- 
 ing purposes. 
 
 Hambvsqhs. 
 
 First and foremost among all laying breeds of fowls stand 
 the Hjimburghs, for they are undoubtedly the most prolific 
 layers wo have, and it is no unusual thing for hens to lay 
 200 to 230 eggs per annum. Unfortunately, however, their 
 eggs are small, and the fowls do not bear confinement very 
 well. They have, from their great beauty, come to be regarded 
 as a fancier's fowl, pure and simple ; and whether we look at 
 the cock, with his neat head, beautiful plumage, close com- 
 pact shape, and sweeping tail, ornamented by a well shaped 
 rose comb, and pure ear lobes, or at the hen, neat and saucy 
 as she appears, rich in colour and sprightly in carriage, we 
 cannot but be attracted by them. As show birds there are 
 five varieties now most recognized, namely, wold pencilled, 
 silver pencilled, gold spangled, silver spangled, and black. 
 Of all these the blacks are the most useful, they being much 
 
I04 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 larger than the others in body, lay larger eggs, and, either 
 alone, or crossed with some breed that will increase the size of 
 the egg, such as any one of the Spanish varieties, will be found 
 profitable, if plenty of room can be given to them. Hamburghs 
 must have space ; if wired-in, a ten-foot fence is necessary 
 to restrain them ; but on farms where they are not at all 
 restricted they will do very well. It must, of course, be under- 
 stood that we are speaking of where they are kept in large 
 numbers, when we say that they must have room. A few 
 birds can easUy be kept in a moderately confined place, as is 
 done in hundreds of instances, and some of the very best 
 birds bred every year, both in this and other varieties, are so 
 bred, in places where the fowls have little more than moving 
 room. When they have plenty of room most of the varieties 
 of Hamburghs are hardy, easy to rear, and, as they are non- 
 sitters, make most useful fowls, where the size of egg laid is 
 of less importance than the number. 
 
 As already stated, the blacks are the best for commercial 
 purposes, and the silver spangles come next in point of size 
 and hardiness. In selecting such birds for stock purposes, 
 mere show qualities, such as fineness of ear lobe and comb, 
 should be ignored, and size of body, good shape and liveliness 
 of carriage be looked for principally. The larger the fowl Ae 
 larger the egg, as a rule, and by selection both can ?ery 
 materially be increased. There are other varieties besides 
 those named, such as red caps, creels and pheasants, which 
 lay good sized eggs, and can be recommended equally wiih 
 the blacks as nsefol fowls. 
 
 LAHGSHiNS. 
 
 Abont the origin of this breed of fowls considerable con< 
 tention has taken place ; but we have no desire to enter here 
 into the controversy at all. It has only been a very few years 
 
> 
 z 
 
 o 
 
 > 
 
 G 
 (8 
 
Langskans. 107 
 
 in America, being first introduced from China through 
 England and vaunted by its sponsors as an entirely new 
 breed ; but, as it bears some resemblance to Black Cochins as 
 they were at first, it is thought by many that the two breeds 
 are very nearly allied. There can be no question but that 
 they are vastly different now, resembling each other only in 
 colour ; for, whilst the Langshan is a splendid layer and a 
 capital table bird, not too determined a sitter, and a most 
 valuable fowl for general purposes, the other is just the 
 opposite of all these. The Cochin is handsomer in appearance, 
 but that is all. We are disposed to think the truth of the 
 whole matter is, that the Langshan of the present day and 
 the Black Cochin of forty years ago, are, if not exactly the 
 same, very nearly so, but that the latter has been spoiled by 
 the breeding for fancy points alone. 
 
 The Langshan is a large bird, standing upon somewhat 
 long legs, which are only very slightly feathered. It has a 
 single upright comb, beautiful metallic plumage, and has 
 much of the Cochin Y shape. In addition to the qualities 
 already named, it is veiy hardy, easily reared, can be kept on 
 any soil, bears confinement very well indeed, and is a most 
 faithful mother, but, as we have already indicated, not so 
 constant a sitter as is the Cochin. It is, indeed, one of the 
 most valuable additions to our list of fowls that has been 
 made of late years, and its beautiful bright plumage makes 
 it most attractive. 
 
 Lbghoeits. 
 
 This is a sub-variety of the Spanish type of birds, which 
 originally came from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, 
 principally from Northern Italy, where it is the common 
 breed of the country, and is known all over the continent as 
 the "Italian" fowl. Leghorns were brought some years 
 
lo8 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 Bgo to the United States, and their intrinsic merits soon 
 made them one of the most popular breeds in this country 
 for those poultry breeders who regard utility as of equal, if 
 not greater, importance than fancy points. It was from 
 America that Leghorns were originally taken to England; 
 and although at first they were met with a great amount of 
 prejudice, they have gradually overcome it, and are now very 
 popular indeed. Originally there were but two varieties, the 
 white and the brown, but now there are others, the black, 
 the cuckoo, the pile, the darkwing, and the buff. 
 
 The chief characteristics of Leghorns are — a somewhat 
 large-sized single comb, with deeply cut serrations, and the 
 comb itself extending down over the back of the head ; long 
 pendant wattles, red face, with white ear lobes, yellow bill, 
 and clean legs of the same colour, the hackles full, and a 
 sweeping tail in the cocks. The body is smallish, but close 
 and compact, and the whole appearance sprightly and pleasing. 
 The comb of the hen is large, and falls over on to one side, 
 in a single fold. So far as colour is concerned, in the whites 
 it is that self colour throughout the plumage ; but in the 
 browns the markings are very like brown-red game, though 
 not quite so bright. In the cock, the hackles are golden bay, 
 striped with black ; the back red, each feather having a stripe 
 of brighter bay ; the breast rich black, standing out full in 
 front ; the wings large, of a dark red, striped across with bars 
 of bay and green-black ; the sickles long, green and black in 
 colour ; and the legs yellow, as we have already stated. In 
 the hen the breast is a light salmon brown ; the neck hacMe 
 yellow, striped with brown ; the back brown, with slight pen- 
 cilling thereon ; and the action sprightly and graceful. The 
 blacks are self colour, and the cuckoos, black and white 
 mixed, the piles and darkwings are as in game, and the buffs 
 have yellow coloured feathers. 
 
SOOWN UiaHORITB. 
 
Leghorns. 1 1 1 
 
 Leghorns are splendid layers of fair-sized eggs, the whites 
 being both the best layers and producing the largest eggs. 
 They are very precocious and hardy (we have known pullets 
 commence to lay at fifteen weeks old, and heard of an instance 
 where the second generation was bred within five months), 
 bear confinement very well, and can be kept almost on any 
 soil, but they are not good as table birds. They are small 
 eaters, and, when at liberty, splendid foragers. For those 
 who wish to produce eggs for miturkrt, it is one of the best 
 breeds that can be kept. 
 
 Okpinqtoks: 
 
 This breed has been manufactured out of the Langshan, 
 the Plymouth Rock, and the Minorcas, owing most to the 
 first named variety. In fact, it has been called a clean-legged 
 Langshan. There are both single and rose-combed varieties, 
 and the breed has a host of admirers for its splendid eco- 
 nomic properties. 
 
 Malays. 
 
 The Malay is of East Indian origin, and was doubtless at 
 first bred chiefly for fighting purposes. As a commercial 
 fowl it is not to be recommended, for it is not only a poor 
 layer, but also very quarrelsome. It can be used to cross 
 with the Dorking for table purposes, as the meat is very 
 richly flavoured ; but, except for this, it is not worth keeping. 
 It is tall, gaunt, and almost ugly, with huge shanks and 
 bones, and a coarse head. 
 
 MiNOROAS. 
 
 These form another variety of the Spanish section, and 
 have been carefully bred for very many years in the south- 
 
1 1 2 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 western districts of England, outside of which, until some 
 years ago, they were scarcely known. But now their great 
 value as layers has made them very popular indeed all over 
 that country, and they have become first favorites in this 
 as welL Nor can we wonder at it, for their great fecundity, 
 the large eggs they produce, their precocity and hardiness, 
 their adaptability for all soils and places, whether con- 
 fined or otherwise, makes them one of the most useful 
 breeds we possess, and being non-sitters we must give 
 Minorcas the first position among all the laying breeds of 
 poultry. 
 
 The Minorcas are in many places known by the name of 
 "Red-faced Spanish," and are the nearest, in shape and 
 appearance, to the Black Spanish of all varieties of fowls. 
 It is probable that the two races were originally one, and 
 that the faces then were red, as the Minorcas now have them ; 
 but the Spanish have been bred with white faces, and spoiled 
 by too fine breeding. The shape is not unlike the Leghorn, 
 but the comb is much larger, and there is the red face, the 
 white ear lobes, and the clean legs also. There are two 
 colours, the blacks and the whites, but the latter are very little 
 Been, and the blacks are the ones of which we have been 
 speaking, being really splendid birds. Their metallic black 
 plumage makes them very handsome, and they are for the 
 same reason very suitable for keeping in towns, or in such 
 districts as are not over clean, from the proximity of factories 
 or works of any kind. As layers Minorcas are about the 
 best breed we have at present ; they can be kept on any soil, 
 either at liberty or in confinement, are capital foragers, 
 small eaters, and, were we about to commence keepings 
 large number of fowls on a farm, we should certainly select 
 this as the laying breed, either alone, or to cross with some 
 of the other Spanish varieties. 
 
BLACK MINORCAS. 
 
Polish. 117 
 
 Pltmouth Eooks. 
 
 This is a variety of New England manufacture, but is 
 nevertheless a most useful breed for general purposes, 
 and is wonderfully popular wherever it goes. The barred 
 variety are cuckoo in plumage, and resemble a Cochin 
 in shape more than anything else, as that variety has 
 doubtless had much to do in the making them. There 
 are three varieties barred white and black. They are 
 large in body, adult birds being of ten and twelve pounds 
 weight; have strong yellow legs; are very good layers, 
 (but the eggs are small, though very rich in flavour) ; 
 are capital as table birds, with a good supply of meat 
 on the breast ; are fairly good sitters and mothers ; very 
 hardy, can be kept on almost any soil, and bear con- 
 finement very well indeed. Throughout the United States 
 they are great favourites, competing with Leghorns for 
 first position, and are doubtless most useful for general 
 purposes. 
 
 Polish. 
 
 The Polish must be regarded as one of the most beautiful 
 of all the races of poultry, but it is more suitable as a fancy 
 fowl than for commercial purposes. In fact, it is not to be 
 recommended for the latter at all. There are four principal 
 varieties — the gold- spangled, the silver-spangled, the white- 
 crested blacks, and the buff, or chamois, all of which are very 
 beautiful indeed. Polish are of a medium size, with well- 
 shaped bodies, very rich coloured plumage in the coloured 
 varieties, clean legs, sweeping tails, but their chief glory is a 
 large globular crest which surmounts the head. The illustra- 
 tion which we give is representative of a good pair of white* 
 
Ii8 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 crested blacks, which is about the most striking of all the 
 Polish tribe. They are fairly hardy, but require to be kept 
 where they can have plenty of shelter in wet weather, for 
 they are very subject to colds and roup. They are good 
 layers and table birds, are non-sitters, and most suitable 
 in dry town runs, where they have not a great amount of 
 liberty. 
 
 Although not generally placed under the head of Polish, 
 yet as they are undoubtedly of the same origin, we now 
 mention the Sultan fowl, which has several points in 
 common with the Polish. It originally came from Turkey, 
 and hence its name. The size is small, the plumage is 
 pure white and very plentiful, the head is surmounted by a 
 large crest, with heavy muffs below, the hock and leg feathers 
 are well developed, and the birds are fairly hardy. They 
 are good layers and non-sitters, but cannot be regarded as 
 commercial fowls. 
 
 Scotch Geets. 
 
 Until a few years ago, very few of these handsome birds 
 were to be seen in England and almost none in America. 
 They have been long kept in Scotland, and the first Edin- 
 burgh show we ever visited was a revelation to us, for some 
 two or three hundred birds were there exhibited. They are 
 really a large, hardy, cuckoo Dorking without the fifth toe, 
 and are capital layers, generally non-sitters ; are first-rate 
 table birds, hardy, and can be reared on almost any soil, 
 though they do best in dry places. Having white or mottled 
 legs, they can be used both for a chicken trade and as layers, 
 and their economic qualities will doubtless insure them a 
 welcome in many places, where they have heretofore been 
 unknown, and where a hardy and large fowl is specially 
 needed. 
 
Silkies. 121 
 
 Black Spanish. 
 
 This breed was at one time the most popular of all, and 
 certainly merited everything that could be said in its favour, 
 as it was a small eater, a prolific layer of large eggs, and bore 
 confinement very well. But that was before it had been 
 spoiled by the attentions of the fanciers, who, by breeding for 
 fancy points, have almost ruined it ; we mean by the foolish 
 development of the white face, which has been at the 
 expense of its stamina and strength. It is still a good 
 layer, but the chickens are troublesome to rear, are very 
 slow in feathering, and the adult birds get through the moult 
 with great difficulty, and it is poor as a table bird. In a few 
 strains, which have not been bred for show purposes, and in 
 which the white face has not been unduly developed, these 
 failings are not so much found, and the birds have all the old 
 strength and value ; but these are very scarce and difficult to 
 obtain, and we should advise any one who wishes to keep 
 Spanish for profit, to cross them with the Black Minorcas, as 
 by this means strength will be secured, and without injury to 
 the laying properties. As will have been seen from what we 
 have said, Spanish need a warm, dry soil, and special treat- 
 ment during chickenhood, and the moulting season. The 
 plumage is bright black, the comb single (erect in the cock, 
 lying over in the hen, as is shown in the illustration), the face 
 white, the tail sweeping, and the legs black. 
 
 Silkies. 
 
 These are scarcely to be regarded as commercial fowls, but, 
 as they are often used for hatching other eggs, for they are 
 exceptionally good mothers, and as they are of great anti- 
 quity, they cannot be regarded as out of place here. They 
 are small in size, have purple coloured faces and flesh of a 
 
122 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 similiarly dark hae, but their great peculiarity is, that their 
 feathers are not webbed, as are those of other fowls, but 
 separate, and giving the appearance of a covering of silk or 
 down. 
 
 Wtandoxtbs. 
 
 The Wyandottes is another new variety of American origin, 
 and one which has won great favor, promising to rival all 
 others in popularity. It is the first large breed to carry the 
 Sebright lacing, for which reason it is a bird of great beauty 
 when in anything like perfection. The Silvers were first 
 introduced, but since then there have also been Golds and 
 Whites, the Golds being very rich in colour, and of a very 
 pleasing appearance. The shape is Asiatic, but the legs are 
 clean, and the comb is rose. It is a splendid layer, an admi- 
 rable table fowl, and a good sitter and mother. 
 
i 
 
Cross-bred Poultry, 
 
 CHAPTER Xl^ 
 
 CBOSS-BRED POULTBT. 
 
 Bum-jaTot mongrds — Kist Cross only to be Used — Valne of Crass-lireeding — 
 Pure bred Fbwls to be the Foondation— Sale of Eggs and Chickens — Methods 
 cf Gross-breeding — Some Crosses— ImproTing present Stocks, 
 
 CoKsmsBABLB attention has been of late devoted to the 
 subject of cross-bred fowls, and the real valne of crossing, 
 &s well as the lines npon which it shonld go, have at last been 
 i^^reed npon. The ordinary cross-bred poultry, such as we 
 see on too many farms, are simply mongrels, crossed and 
 re-crossed ; but we do not mean these at all. When we say 
 croes-bred, we must be understood to refer to a cro^ between 
 two pure breeds, by which definite characteristics are to be 
 obtained. Therefore, in using the term cross-bred, it must 
 be remembered that we me&n a first cross only, for if cross- 
 bred birds be bred &om, the stock rapidly degenerates, and 
 loses those qualities for which the crossing had been made. 
 It has been advocated by some writers, that, because the first 
 cross is profitable, following ones must be the same ; and, in 
 one place, we read that poultry should be crossed " as much 
 as possible, as you cannot have too many breeds mixed." 
 This is simply nonsense, and it has been proved over and 
 over again, that repeated crossing is positirely injurious, and 
 that whero this system is practised, the birds get smaller in 
 size, weaker in body, and less prolific. Crossing can only be 
 beneficial when it is conducted with skill and fijresight, both 
 
126 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 of which can easily be attained, by any one having ordinary 
 common sense. If crosses are made without relation to the 
 characteristics of the birds so used, or without due apprecia- 
 tion of what is wanted in the progeny, or, again, simply made 
 for the sake of crossing, then the result can hardly fail to be 
 unsatisfactory. 
 
 It will be asked by those who have large numbers of fowls, 
 which they keep for the sake of profit only, and who do not 
 care or who have no desire for pure-bred fowls as such, whether 
 it is better to keep the birds pure or crossed. We certainly 
 prefer the cross-bred birds for profit, but there must be pure- 
 bred fowls to supply the stocks of layers or table birds, and 
 these will have to be mated together in a systematic manner. 
 There are many advantages to be obtained by crossing, the 
 first, and perhaps principal, of which is the greater hardiness 
 of the birds so produced. The tendency of aU high-class 
 breeding is to develop some point or quality, which is generally 
 secured only by the sacrifice of others, and thus, as these 
 points or qualities are by no means general, a certain amount of 
 in-breeding must take place ; or, the strength and constitution 
 of the animals are regarded as minor matters, and the result 
 is a weakening of the system. A first cross remedies this, 
 but, strange to say, the second generation begins to go back 
 again ; and the promiscuous crossing and in-breeding among 
 farm-yard fowls is undoubtedly the great cause of their de- 
 terioration. There is a natural law for this, but we have not 
 space here to enter into the details ot it. Another great ad- 
 vantage is, that certain qualities can be bred for, which are 
 only to be got in pure-bred stock after many years of labour, 
 and not even then if feather is made the chief point. For 
 instance. Leghorns are good layers, but only moderate table 
 birds. To remedy the latter defect, without injury to the 
 laying powers, if present outward characteristics were to be 
 preseiTed, would be a long and weary task ; but in one year, 
 
Cross Breeding, 129 
 
 by means of a judicious cross, fowls can be obtained that 
 vrill retain the good laying qualities of Leghorns, and yet be 
 vastly superior for table purposes. Of course, the distinctive 
 colour and shape would be largely done away with, and, 
 therefore, if this were objected to, such a cross should not 
 be made. As we have already said, there must be a certain 
 amount of in-breeding among pure-bred stock, which natur- 
 ally weakens the system, and reacts upon the commercial 
 properties of the fowl. For profitable purposes, therefore, we 
 strongly recommend cross-breeds, as they are much superior 
 to the pure breeds, if properly mated. Hap-hazard mating 
 of birds will do no good, but rather the reverse, and there 
 must be an object in view in all that is done, or more harm 
 than good will certainly be the result. 
 
 There is yet another advantage in having pure-bred fowls 
 to breed from, and that is, there are many persons all over 
 the country who have room for only a few fowls, say, half-a- 
 dozen to a score, and who only wish to supply their own 
 tables with eggs, and, in a few cases, with a chicken now and 
 again. Many of these have not space sufi&cient to allow 
 them to go in for breeding, and others only want to rear a 
 very few chickens every year, say, one or two batches at 
 most. Such persons do not care for showing, but at the 
 same time like to have pure-bred fowls. They are generally 
 willing to give two dollars for a good cockerel, and two-thirds 
 as much for a nice-looking pullet ; or, when they take a fancy 
 to rear a few chickens, they prefer to obtain a few eggs from 
 another yard, and will pay two or three dollars for a setting 
 of eggs. There are some poultry yards where hundreds of 
 settings of eggs, and hundreds of birds, are sold in this way 
 every year ; and we do not see why every farmer who goes in 
 for poultry should not do a little in this way also. Of course, 
 if every one did this, each one would make less out of it, 
 than those who have it all to themselves now do; but, as there 
 
I30 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 is always a demand for birds to provide a change of blood, and 
 there are probably fifty poultry-keepers, who have only a few 
 fowls for their own household purposes, to every farmer who 
 could go in for the business we have mentioned, there would 
 even then be plenty of room for all ; and we may reasonably 
 suppose that the number of small poultry-keepers would in- 
 crease as rapidly as the larger ones, if, indeed, not more 
 rapidly. Not only is the demand for pure-bred stock greater 
 for this purpose than for cross-breds, but the prices are 
 much greater also. There is always a pleasure in looking at 
 birds which have a decided individuality of their own, at 
 least, where the keeping of them is made a hobby; and it is 
 surprising how much greater pride is taken in fowls of this 
 kind than is taken in mongrels. Cross-bred fowls will sell 
 for very little more than killing prices, and their eggs, for 
 hatching parposes, will only realize market prices per dozen ; 
 •whUst pure-bred ones, even though the parents in each case 
 may be of the same family, will bring twice and often three 
 times the money. Thus it vwU be seen that the keeping 
 of a stock of pure-bred birds is the best paying system of 
 the two. 
 
 When commencing, the best plan is to purchase one or 
 two pens of pure-bred fowls, if there are none that can be 
 used for the purpose already in the yard, the cocks to be of 
 a breed that will help the qualities of the hens. Each pen 
 ■will require to be kept by itself, and should have a good run, 
 or perfect freedom, as exercise has much to do with the hardi- 
 ness of the chickens. If the houses are placed a good 
 distance from each other, there will be very little danger of 
 intermixing. Only the eggs from these pens should be 
 hatched, and (calculating that half will be cockerels) in 
 sufficient numbers to completely stock the yard with laying 
 hens in the autumn, when the present stock of hens, if any, 
 can be fattened and killed off, just before they go into the 
 
LAOXD WTANSOIIB OOSEl 
 
tAOKD WTASBOTM HBN. 
 
Desirable Cross Breeds. 131 
 
 moult. By this means a race of first-class birds Trill ba 
 obtained, and the difference in returns the following winter 
 if mongrels have been previously kept, will show the wisdom 
 of the course adopted. Layers can easily be got that will 
 produce an average of 1 50 to 200 eggs per annum, and table 
 fowls that will grow and fatten very rapidly. The breeding 
 hens can be put among the young ones in the autumn, as they 
 will be wanted again the following spring. In all well-regulated 
 yards it is customary to kill off the hens when about nine- 
 teen months old, just before they go into their second moult, 
 as they are still good for eating, or, at any rate, much 
 better than they will ever be again ; and, as every moult gets 
 more severe and protracted, and the number of eggs laid 
 fewer, it is much more profitable to supply their places with 
 young hens. But the same breeding stock will do again, 
 simply filling up the gaps, or introducing fresh birds as may 
 be found necessary. As breeders of laying fowls we suggest 
 the following crosses, the first-named of each pair being the 
 cock : — Black Minorca — ^Leghorn ; Minorca — Houdan ; An- 
 dalusian — Leghorn; Andalusian — Minorca; or, Andalusian 
 — Houdan. For good all-round fowls — layers, sitters, and 
 table fowls : — Game — Houdan ; Game — Langshan ; Game 
 — Brahma ; or, Game — Scotch Grey. And for first-class 
 table birds: — Game — Dorking; Game — La Fleche; Game 
 — Creve ; or, Dorking — La Fleche. These crosses will be 
 found sufficient for those who wish to try the plan suggested, 
 and we should recommend them not to keep too many varieties. 
 One laying and one table-fowl cross, will be sufficient for 
 most yards. 
 
 Doubtless there will be some of our readers who have a 
 stock of hens which they do not wish to part with, and would 
 prefer to improve these by obtaining some fresh cocks. We 
 do not look upon this as the best plan, but at the same time 
 give such information as will help those who prefer to adopt 
 
132 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 it. The way to proceed is, to select twelve to fifteen clean- 
 legged, close-bodied hens, known to be good layers, and not 
 more than two years old, and buy a couple of Minorca, Houdan, 
 or Andalusian cockerels, if layers only are wanted, and Lang- 
 shan or Game, if both layers and table birds are desired. 
 Mate these up with the hens spoken of, and the progeny will 
 be vastly superior to the present stock, which can be partially, 
 or entirely, cleared out in the autumn. The cockerels just 
 named should be got rid of also, and the following spring a 
 similiar number of the pullets bred should be selected, and a 
 couple of fresh cockerels obtained, of the same breed as before, 
 which will have to be repeated every year. By this means 
 the fowls will gradually improve, and in a very few years the 
 character of the yard will be entirely altered. Or, another 
 plan, is to buy five cocks for every fifty hens, and let all run 
 together, killing off the old hens in the autumn, and buying 
 new cocks every spring. Both these methods are, however, 
 slow, and the one we first named, will be found cheapest and 
 best in the long run. 
 
Ducks, 133 
 
 CHAPTEE Xn. 
 
 DUCKS. 
 
 pucka very profitable — ^Water needed for Breeders — Not t6 ta kept with Hens — 
 Duck Farms — Housing — The Wild Duck — The Aylesbury — The Rouen — 
 The Pekin — The Cayuga — The Muscovy — Ornamental Varieties — Keeping 
 in Small Runs — Forcing — Breeding — Hatching — Rearing— Feeding — Pre- 
 paring Rice. 
 
 Of all the various kinds of domesticated poultry, which can 
 be kept by farmers or cottagers, there is no doubt that ducks 
 are the most profitable ; but they need a suitable place to be 
 kept in, and are not so capable of adapting themselves to 
 circumstances as are hens. They are, however, hardy, 
 easily reared,, feed up quickly, and can, at the proper season 
 of the year, or in some places at almost any season, be sold 
 very readily at good prices. Where there are towns within 
 a reasonable distance of a farm, arrangements can be made 
 to supply hotels, restaurants, private houses, or dealers, and 
 we are sure the result will be a satisfactory one. Of course, 
 water will be required, and a running stream is best of all, 
 but the soil can be of any nature, though where it is gravel 
 or sand, it is all the better for the purpose, as ducks require 
 one or other of these to help them in the digestion of their 
 food, and the more easily they do digest the food the better 
 they will thrive. Ducks do not want good land, but can be 
 kept on uncultivated ground, and it will be none the worse 
 for them if they can have some good shelter, such as trees or 
 bushes afford. They must not, however, be kept with hens, 
 
134 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 or the latter will be found to suffer in consequence, as ducks 
 thrive in dirt, and hens do not, so that, if there is not 
 sufficient room to permit of their being widely separated, 
 then hens or ducks should be selected, for which the place and 
 soil is most suitable, and for the produce of which there is most 
 demand in the district. As an instance of what is done in 
 tins way, we may state that the Aylesbury district, England, 
 is great for ducks, and it is said that upwards of $100,000 
 per annum is paid to the cottagers around the town of 
 Aylesbury for ducklings, which are chiefly reared for the 
 London market. 
 
 Some time ago a description appeared in the Field,, of 
 London, of a duck farm near to Dunstable, in Bedfordshire, 
 which has been found a profitable investment by its owners. 
 A large house was built about a couple of years ago to 
 keep and fatten the young birds in; and the object of 
 the owners is to get the ducklings ready for market as 
 rapidly as possible, for which purpose they are fed on boiled 
 rice ; to this meat is added for the older ones, during the 
 two or three weeks previous to their being killed, and 
 some hundreds are sent to market every week in the season. 
 Since the above description appeared, a lady, who writes 
 under the name of '• Henwife," has given, in the Lwe Stock 
 Journal, the results of her own work in this direction. She 
 says : — " fei the spring of 1881 I obtained from my own 
 stock of Aylesburys, and from purchases of eggs, upwards of 
 600 ducklings. Of these I lost from rats, heavy rains, and 
 an incursion of cattle, about thirty-five. The twenty birds 
 which I set aside as breeding stock were hatched in March 
 and April. Having set eggs in December; 1880, I had 
 ducklings fit for the table in Febmrary, which I sold at 16s. 
 to 18s. per couple. I had a constant supply of Ducklings 
 until August, 1881. On November 10th my reserve breed- 
 ing stock began to lay, being then about seven months old. 
 
Duck Keeping. 135 
 
 and from these eggs fine ducklings were hatched on the 20th 
 
 December I never keep ducks over eighteen 
 
 months old, as I find they eat idle food from the end of 
 August to March, which is better bestowed on their young 
 ones, at that time laying. I except from this rule any 
 particularly large bird, or one remarkable for its laying 
 qualities." 
 
 One great advantage in keeping ducks is, that they are 
 hardy and easy to rear, in proof of which we may quote 
 what was told us some time ago, by one of the largest breeders 
 in the kingdom, namely, that he very seldom finds any egga 
 infertile, that the proportion of eggs failing to hatch is very 
 small, and that the mortality among the ducklings is almost 
 nil — so that the duck breeder has every cha^nce of success. 
 So far as the fattening is concerned, we have fed ducklings 
 up to 81b. and 101b. the couple, in eight weeks, at a cost 
 of about 30 cents to 40 cents each ; and as the price to be 
 got even at an ordinary time would be not less than 18 
 cents, and probably 25 cents a pound, whilst earlier in the 
 year it would be much greater, there is plenty of margin for 
 profit. Besides, ducks are most prolific layers, and there is 
 always a good demand from cooks and confectioners for their 
 eggs. Ducks are undoubtedly large eaters, but as the old 
 birds kept need not be very numerous, this does not afiiect 
 the matter ; and there are thousands of cottagers and others, 
 living near small streams, who might add very considerably 
 to their incomes by keeping ducks, and without any great 
 outlay in the first instance, or much time and money after- 
 wards. But the place must be suitable if profit is to be 
 made. We do not for a moment wish to say that dusks 
 cannot be reared without water. In fact, in our early poul- 
 try days we hatched and reared every year sufficient ducks 
 to supply our table for months, on a very small plot of ground ; 
 but we never attempted to keep adult birds, buying the eggs 
 
136 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 for hatching, and rearing the ducklings, which had only a 
 pool of water about six feet in diameter to disport them- 
 selves in. Had we attempted to keep layers we should 
 doubtless have failed, for it is an undisputed fact that ducks 
 which are to be used as breeders, must have a fair amount 
 of water, enough to swim about in. And if this cannot be 
 given, the plan we have adopted should be followed, or no 
 ducks kept at all. Otherwise, failure will be the inevitable 
 result. 
 
 So far as the housing of ducks is concerned, they require 
 a comfortable house in the winter or late autumn. One 
 low in the roof is the best, as they always lie upon the floor, 
 which should be made in the same way as that already 
 described for ordinary poultry houses. If the roof is three 
 feet above the ground, that will be sufficient, but it must 
 be properly ventilated, and dry both above and below. 
 Clean straw should be kept on the floor, and bricks and 
 straw used for nests, but no shed is needed if the house is 
 of reasonable size, as the birds rather enjoy rain than other- 
 wise. It is best to have an enclosure round the house, 
 made of low wood railings, in which the birds can be kept 
 until about ten o'clock in the morning, for if allowed out 
 before that time they wiU lay in any out of the way place, 
 where the nests will not be very easy to discover. Where 
 plenty of water is at hand for breeding ducks, then one drake 
 will be sufficient for five or six dticks, and, as they are peace- 
 able in their nature, all the stock may be kept together, except 
 there is an object in separating them, such as when there are 
 different breeds, or there is a desire to keep families separate. 
 
 There are many varieties of ducks, some of which' are 
 purely fancy ones, whilst others are chiefly noted for their 
 economic qualities ; but it is generally admitted by natu- 
 ralists, that the various breeds of domesticated ducks have all 
 descended from the wild duck, or Mallard, as it is called^ 
 
The Aylesbury Duck, 137 
 
 ■which is to be found over all the continent of Europe, in most 
 parts of North America, and has also been seen in portions 
 of Northern Africa and Western Asia, though it is most 
 numerous on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is 
 not much unlike the Rouen in its plumage, though more 
 upright in shape ; and, as is generally the case with wild 
 birds, it is much more active in its habits. It is found chiefly 
 in marshes and fens, and, in parts of the West and South 
 especially, it is shot in very large numbers, but there are 
 many other parts of the country where it is also to be met 
 with. In a wild state ducks are monogamous, and thus the 
 domesticated ones have been corrupted by civilization. Wild 
 ducks are often tamed, which is done by obtaining the eggs 
 and hatching them under hens, when the progeny do not 
 appear to seek for or desire liberty. In two or three genera- 
 tions they begin to vary in colour ; and, doubtless, if the 
 experiment were continued long enough, the breeds we now 
 have could all be produced again in this way. It is a strange 
 fact, that it takes several generations to teach tamed birds the 
 polygamous customs of domesticated duckdom, as they at 
 first go in pairs, like their wild progenitors, but afterwards 
 the descendants lose this trait of their nature. 
 
 The Aylesbdkt. — Of the many varieties of domestic ducks, 
 probably the Aylesbury is the best known, and it is found, 
 more or less, all over the country. This variety, as might 
 be supposed, takes its name from the little thrifty English 
 town, in the neigbourhood of which it is kept in such large 
 numbers. It is perfectly white in its plumage, the slightest 
 discoloured feather denoting impurity of breed, and being 
 regarded as a disqualification for the show pen. The bills 
 of birds of this variety are of a pale pink colour, and the 
 nearer they are to the delicate tinge of a lady's finger nail, 
 the better are they looked upon, whilst their legs are a bright 
 orange. They are certainly the most easily acclimatised of 
 
138 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 all the duck varieties, often thriving in very unsuitable 
 places ; and they are hardy, mature rapidly, and grow to a 
 gi-eat size. The only difference between drakes and ducks 
 is, that the former are rather larger than the latter, and have 
 a curled feather in the tail, by which the sex is very easily 
 distinguished. The average weight of these birds, when 
 twelve months old, is 71b. for the drake, and 61b. for the duck ; 
 but, of course, by special feeding, such as is adopted for 
 exhibition birds, and those for table purposes, these weights 
 can be exceeded to a considerable extent ; and the winning 
 birds at the Birmingham show of 1882, were upwards of 
 201b. the pair. Ducklings generally weigh, if properly fed, 
 about 41b. when seven or eight weeks old, which is the usual 
 age for killing : for when they get older their adult feathers 
 begin to form, and they are neither so plump, nor yet so 
 presentable on the table. The nearest in appearance are 
 Pekins, but it is not very difficult to distinguish Aylesburys 
 from them, as the pure- bred Aylesburys are perfectly white, of 
 a boat shape, with short legs and a long fine neck ; and any 
 deviation from these points denotes impurity. We often see 
 so-called Aylesburys with a partially erect body, yellowish 
 bills, or canary-coloured plumage, all, or any of which, show 
 that Pekin blood has been introduced, too many of our birds 
 being thus crossed now-a-days. We do not object to this 
 cross, and it is doubtless at times very advantageous, but we 
 prefer to do it ourselves, and not have others sell us as pure- 
 bred stock birds that have been so adulterated. 
 
 The Eouen. — This may be regarded as the handsomest 
 of all the larger varieties of the duck tribes, and, as we have 
 already stated, is like the wild duck in its plumage. But 
 domestication has resulted in its losing the more graceful 
 shape of the latter, for it is decidedly thicker and heavier in 
 build, but has the decided advantage of being more easily 
 fattened. The drake has a clear yellow bill, with a slight 
 
The Pekin. 1 39 
 
 gi-eenish tinge, and in shape, long and broad. The head is 
 rich gi-een, glossed with purple, which extends down the 
 neck, where there is a ring of pure white. The breast is a rich 
 deep claret brown, and the under parts are a delicate French 
 grey. The back is a rich greenish black, and the curls in the 
 drake's tail are dark green. The wings are greyish brown, 
 and have a ribbon mark across them, this being of a bright 
 and distinct blue, with a white edge on each side. The flights 
 are grey and brown, and the legs orange. The duck has a 
 brown head, with two distinct shaded lines on each side. 
 The breast is brown, pencilled over with a darker shade of 
 the same colour, and the wing has a ribbon mark like that 
 of the drake. The weight of these birds is about six ta 
 eight pounds, and the heaviest pair at Birmingham show 
 in 1882, was over twenty-one pounds, but once this has been 
 exceeded by nearly two pounds. The Eouens grow to a 
 greater size than the Aylesbury, but take a considerably 
 longer time about it, and on this account are not so profit- 
 able for market purposes. We therefore regard the Ayles- 
 bury as being the better of the two, for a Rouen duckling at 
 eight weeks is no larger than an Aylesbury at six weeks. 
 They are, however, equally as hardy and as prolific, though 
 their eggs are not quite so large ; are as easily reared, and 
 have one decided advantage, namely, that as their plumage 
 is dark, they do not show dirt so soon, and consequently 
 suit places where the white-feathered birds would always 
 look filthy. 
 
 The Pekin. — The Pekin is a recent introduction, and, as 
 the name implies, is a native of the Celestial Empire. It 
 'was first heard of in 1873, when specimens were imported 
 into the United States, and they were hailed with great 
 eagerness. Soon afterwards a few were imported into Eng* 
 land, and, from their large size, splendid laying powers, 
 great hardiness, and striking appearance, SQon won favour. 
 
I40 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 becoming very popular indeed; but they have not main- 
 tained their position, for they are larger in frame than in 
 flesh, and have an abundant plumage, which gives them the 
 appearance of greater bulk than they actually possess. They 
 do not mature so rapidly as the Aylesbury, and their flesh is 
 not of the same rich and delicate flavour as is that of the 
 Aylesbury, Rouen, or Cayuga. On the other hand, they are 
 heavy layers of large well-flavoured eggs ; the eggs are, as a 
 rule, very fertile indeed, and the ducklings easy to rear, for 
 which reasons they have been largely crossed with the Ayles- 
 bury, in order to counteract the evils of in-breeding in some 
 strains of the latter variety. Many of the winning show 
 Aylesburys are so crossed, the canary tinge in the plumage, 
 yellowish bills, and the peculiar carriage being the best 
 signs of this cross. The Pekin difi'ers from all other ducks 
 in the shape and carriage of its body, which is of a peculiar 
 boat shape. The legs are set well back, and the bird walks 
 rather upright or penguin fashion. The head is large, and 
 the neck long ; the legs and bill are of a rich yellow, and 
 the plumage generally has a peculiar cream colour running 
 through it, sometimes scarcely noticeable, but often so 
 decided that it is really a canary colour. It is very graceful 
 on the water, and for crossing with the Aylesbury is a very 
 valuable variety. The progeny are easily fattened, and have 
 good flesh, two most important matters to those who wish 
 to obtain a rapid return. 
 
 The Catdga. — This is a variety which deserves to be 
 much more kept than it now is, for it is a most useful fowl, 
 of capital size, and extraordinarily good as a layer. Cayugas 
 are very hardy, mature rapidly, fatten well, and their flesh 
 is of high flavour — said to be even better than that of the 
 wild duck. The drakes weigh about nine pounds, and the 
 ducks about a pound less, when matured ; and they have a 
 very good characteristic, namely, that they do not wander 
 
The Muscovy, 141 
 
 away from home, but can be left at liberty without fear of 
 their straying away. They are very similar in colour to the 
 East Indian ducks, being of a brilliant black throughout, with 
 lustrous greon reflections on the head, neck, and wings; 
 both males and females have a bright purple or claret brown 
 tinge on the back and wings, but the secondaries are more 
 blue than green ; the drake also is more strongly tinted 
 with green than the duck. The drake's bill is greenish 
 yellow, but not so yellow as the Rouens, and it has a clear 
 black bean at the tip. The bill of the duck is black at the 
 base, and tipped with a greenish slate colour ; and the colour 
 of the bUl, like that of the Rouen, changes at different 
 seasons of the year. The shape of the bill differs from that 
 of any of the other breeds already named, as it does not 
 come straight from the skull, but curves down to the centre 
 and up towards the tip, in dish shape. The legs are of a 
 smoky orange colour, and, from the colour of its plumage, 
 the Cayuga is very suitable for any place, whilst its 
 economic qualities make it one of the most valuable of all 
 water fowls. 
 
 The Muscovy. — This duck was brought from South 
 America, and hence it is sometimes called the " Peruvian " 
 duck, but the name usually given to it refers to its musky 
 odor. The drake is much larger than the duck, which is a 
 good layer, hardy, easily reared, and rich in flesh. Being 
 most pugnacious and tyrannical, the muscovy duck cannot be 
 recommended for farmyard purposes. ITo other fowl can 
 exist with comfort, and it is best either to have no other 
 birds about the place, or to confine them to a run of their 
 own, which is not always a convenient matter. Of this 
 variety there are the black, blue, mottled, and white ; the 
 featners are very profuse and long, and in the dark drake the 
 colour is exceedingly lustrous. The head is noticeable for a 
 fleshy bunch at the base of the bill, and there is also a red 
 
142 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 fleshy arc round the eye, the face being of the same substance, 
 and bare. The drake, is furnished much more profusely 
 than the duck, and the sex is much more easily distinguished 
 than in any other breed, notwithstanding the entire absence 
 of the usual curl in the tail, as the male bird is generally 
 three or four pounds heavier than the female. These birds 
 are by no means pleasing in appearance, and are not to be 
 recommended for the reasons already given, though they 
 mate an exceedingly valuable, but infertile, cross with any 
 of the large breeds, the muscovy drakes being used. 
 
 In addition to the five chief varieties of ducks which we 
 have mentioned there are several others, but these are 
 chiefly fancy ones, and consequently scarcely fall within our 
 province. We may, however, be permitted to say, that for 
 such as have a piece of ornamental water, there is nothing 
 prettier, or will add to its beauty more, than a few of the 
 rich-coloured Mandarins or Carolinos. The small black East 
 Indian breed is also very good for this purpose, but it is 
 difficult to get hardy or strong birds, for in-breeding has been 
 so much resorted to, in order to obtain diminutive size, that 
 the breed has really been ruined. Where the place is clean 
 and free from smoke and dirt, the White Call, or decoy ducks, 
 are very nice, and this variety has one decided advantage, 
 namely, that it is tame and domesticated, not given to fly or 
 wander away, like some of the other birds. In addition to 
 these there are many other varieties, such as Spotted Bills, 
 Whistlers, Pintails, and Kasarkas, so that those who desire 
 ornamental waterfowl, need have no difficulty whatever. 
 
 In the keeping of ducks, it is necessary to have a clear 
 idea as to the object for which they are to be kept. As we 
 have previously pointed out, a reasonable amount of space 
 and sufficient water for the breeding birds must be provided, 
 and it is of no use attempting to keep and breed from ducks 
 cooped up in a very small run. In that case it is better to 
 
Management of Ducks. X43 
 
 tiiy 6ggs and hatch them, or buy the ducklings, when very 
 young, and rear them. But, granting that the place is 
 suitable, then in rearing the birds, those intended for early 
 killing require to be treated in a different fashion, to those 
 that are to be kept for future breeding purposes, or to be sold. 
 If birds destined for the table are fed upon foods that develop 
 bone, or that which is offal in the birds when they are killed, 
 then there is a direct waste, for these things cannot be eaten, 
 and prevent the laying on of that flesh, which is, or should be, 
 the aim and object of fattening. But, on the other hand, to 
 feed birds that have to be reared to maturity, on flesh-forming 
 foods alone, would be equally as foolish, for, in that case, there 
 would not be sufficient bone to support the flesh, and, though 
 the bird might apparently thrive for a time, it would begin to 
 fail before long, and probably die. It must be clearly under- 
 stood, that an undue forcing of any part of the nature of the bird, 
 cannot but be at the expense of some other part ; consequently, 
 if too much prolonged, the balance of the system is upset, 
 and the bird dies. This is the reason why birds, when fattened, 
 begin to go back and lose flesh, if the process is extended 
 too much, and the fact that feeding continuously on food of 
 a fattening nature induces disease, would appear to show 
 that the statement of those scientific men, who say that all 
 fat is a disease, has something to support it, although it may 
 be that it is the excess of fat, and not the moderate quantity 
 of it, that really causes disease. 
 
 When keeping ducks for breeding purposes it is best to 
 give them a running stream, if it be convenient to do so, for 
 this is much better than a pond, but one or the other is 
 indispensable. Two ducks should be given to one drake, or, 
 if the birds are young ones and of a vigorous breed, five ducks 
 may be given to two drakes. Drakes are not to be relied 
 npon for breeding purposes when more than two years old, 
 and it is better, therefore, not to keep them after that age, 
 
T44 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 but to fatten and kill them off. Ducks are capital layers, as 
 a rule, and the eggs, when the drake is not older than We 
 have just mentioned, very fertile. In hatching, large Cochin 
 or Brahma hens should be used, as these can cover eleven, or 
 sometimes thirteen eggs, very easily ; but, it is necessary to 
 remember, when hens are used, that a duck in sitting a nest 
 will, on going off to feed, have a swim before she returns, 
 and, as her feathers will be wet in consequence, the eggs 
 get the benefit of it. Eggs under hens, therefore, must be 
 kept moist, or they will not hatch, for, when this is not done, 
 the inner skin gets hard and tough, so that the little inmate 
 cannot make its way out. The nest should be in a moist 
 place, but if this cannot be arranged, then the earth below it 
 must be kept damp, much more damp than is required for 
 fowls. We have always found it very advantageous to 
 sprinkle the eggs with a little warm water when the hen is 
 off feeding, so that the shells get moist all over. Ducks* 
 eggs can easily be hatched in incubators, and we have been 
 very successful in this way ; but one thing must be borne in 
 mind, that ducks' and hens' eggs are not to be put into one 
 machine, as each kind requires different treatment. Hens' 
 eggs only need a reasonable amount of moisture, and should 
 never be sprinkled, whereas, for ducks' eggs, the moisture 
 trays are by no means sufficient, and they should be sprinkled 
 daily, so that the air in the machine will be more heavily 
 charged with moisture than is good for ordinary eggs. Not 
 only so, but duck eggs hatch all the better if given con- 
 siderably more air, and a longer time for cooling, than is 
 good for hens' eggs, and for these reasons, it will be seen 
 that separate machines are required for the two kinds of eggs. 
 The period of incubation for ducks is twenty-eight days, 
 but, when the eggs are very fresh, they very often hatch a day 
 or two earlier. If the sprinkling of the eggs is attended to, 
 there is seldom any loss during the process of hatching ; but, 
 
Feeding Ducklings. 145 
 
 in order that lUl may come out together, or within a short 
 time of each other, it is best to select eggs as nearly equal 
 in age as possible. Duck eggs should be tested in the way 
 we shall describe for hens' eggs; but it is best to make 
 the first examination on the ninth or tenth day, and the 
 water test on the twenty-fifth day. Of course, a daily look 
 at the eggs is advisable ; and if any get broken, all must be 
 washed, and the nest re-made. As a rule, we do not approve 
 of the plan of removing any of the little things from under 
 the hen, should the hatching be irregular ; but if any are 
 greatly delayed in hatching, then those ducklings that are 
 dry, may be taken away, and put in a flannel covered basket, 
 near the fire. They need, however, to have something 
 against which they can put their backs, and thus a good 
 cushion may be put over the flannel, of course, seeing that 
 there is enough ventDation through the sides of the basket, 
 or the ducklings may all be smothered. The morning after 
 the hatching is completed, the hen and her brood should 
 be removed to a coop, placed under a shed ; and, as they 
 do not require any food for the first twenty-four hours 
 after being hatched, they will now be ready for their first 
 meal, which should consist of hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine, 
 and mixed with boiled rice. This food may be continued for 
 two or three days, when Spratt's or Chamberlain's foods, or 
 boiled rice, or barley meal, the two latter mixed with greaves, 
 should be given, if the birds are intended to be killed at an 
 early age ; but if not, the greaves should be dispensed with, 
 and the boiled rice reduced in quantity, to made only an 
 occasional food. The greaves consist almost entirely of fat, 
 whilst the rice contains only a trace of bone-forming sub- 
 stances in it, so that both these foods are admirable for the 
 purpose of forcing birds for the table ; but, they are not at 
 all calculated to build up the frames of those birds intended 
 to be reared to an adult age. In the latter it is necessary 
 
1(46 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 to have slower growth, less development of fat or flesh, and 
 more stamina ; in the former all that is required, is to get 
 as much flesh as possible, in as short a time as possible, 
 with little hone, or other off'al. Thus, when they are to be 
 reared, ducks should have no forcing food, and plain barley 
 meal or ground oats, made into a crumbly mass, will be the 
 best food. It may be well to give boiled rice as a variation, 
 for there can be no doubt that variety is appreciated by the 
 birds ; but, if it is given, it should have a good handful of 
 bone meal, to every quart-measureful of the rice, which will 
 make up for the deficiency in bone-forming qualities. 
 
 As very many persons do not know the best way to prepare 
 boiled rice, we will give our method, for this food is a first- 
 class one for fattening any kind of fowl. The kind known 
 as poultry rice can be bought from nearly all corn dealers at 
 a reasonable price, and it is good enough for the purpose, if 
 the sample is a clean ane. The way to prepare it is to 
 put, say, a pint of rice into a gallon pan, with three quarts 
 of water, a small handful of the chopped greaves, and a tea- 
 spoonful of aromatic compound. This we place upon the 
 side of the fireplace, and allow it to simmer for two or three 
 hours. In that time the rice will have swollen out and 
 absorbed all the water, so that it will be crumbly moist, like 
 a well-made rice pudding. If this is given to the birds when 
 warm, though not actually hot, the eagerness with which 
 they will eat it will be sufiScient proof of how much they 
 relish it. Those who follow our directions should remember, 
 that it must not be allowed to boil in the usual way, or it will 
 be soft and sloppy, but it should be allowed to gently simmer 
 in the manner as described by us, and then it will be all 
 that can be desired in the way of an appetising and useful 
 fi>od. 
 
Geese and Turkeys. i:^J 
 
 CHAPTEK XIII. 
 
 GEESE AND TURKEYS. 
 
 Geese In England— Benefit to Crops — Breeds — Weights attained— Management — 
 Tarkeys— Said to be delicate — Breeds— Management^Fattenlng. 
 
 We have now neaiiy got to the end of our list of com- 
 mercial poultry, and come to the two great — i.e., so far as 
 bulk is concerned — varieties. Of these geese are the hardier, 
 and much easier lio rear, so that in many places they are 
 much preferred to turkeys, if fat, bringing always a good 
 price in the market. They pay very well indeed for keep- 
 ing, and the farmer will, as a rule, find it worth his while 
 te have a few of them in the autumn, when his grain crops 
 are off the land. In the eastern-middle counties of England 
 very large numbers are kept, and a ride through that portion 
 of the country would be quite a revelation to those who had 
 not been there before. On the fields and the commons, flocks 
 of geese and turkeys are to be seen, and the place where they 
 are not to be found is the exception, not the rule. They are 
 a considerable source of profit, and, consequently, are not 
 neglected ; and the vast numbers which are sent to London 
 every year is astonishing to those who are not conversant 
 with the facts of the case. In these counties the majority of 
 farmers breed their own birds, but there are many who buy 
 goslings in the early autumn, and simply fatten them for 
 the market. In this country the sale of young goslings i.s 
 rare, as those who fatten hatch their own stock, and no 
 one part of the country is especially famous for its geese. 
 
148 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 By putting on goslings in the way we have described, the 
 land is made profitable after the crops are gathered, and 
 they do it an immense amount of good. The birds pur- 
 chased are generally bred by those who live near commons 
 or waste land, and there is no need why this should not be 
 done in every district. If it were done, the benefit derived 
 would be great, and probably the farmers near small towns 
 who need it most, would reap the benefit, and would also 
 supply a demand which has generally to be met from a dis- 
 tance. 
 
 Of the various breeds of geese the Toulouse and the Emb- 
 den are the chief, and, as a rule, for commercial purposes, it 
 will be found better to select one of these. The Toulouse 
 is commonly known as the grey goose, because its plumage 
 is of that colour; and the Embden is called the white goose, 
 its plumage being pure white throughout. The latter is said 
 to be the earliest and best layer, which is a very great recom- 
 mendation, and its feathers always bring a higher price, than 
 do those of the coloured variety. In some places, however, 
 pure white birds would not look at all well, because of the 
 presence of smoke ; but, these are considerations which must 
 be left to be decided individually, according to circumstances. 
 Both these varieties are about equal in point of size and 
 quality of flesh. At the Birmingham Show of 1882 the 
 weight of the winning pair of grey geese was 451b. 4oz., and 
 of the whites 4()lb. 12oz. ; but generally at that exhibition 
 the Toulouse axe heaviest. Of course these weights are 
 abnormal, and only obtained by a very careful and continued 
 system, which our readers will do well not to follow, but 
 be content if they get birds from 121b. to 181b. weight, 
 for the Christmas market. In addition to the varieties 
 named, there are the Sebastopol, the Chinese, the Canadian, 
 and the Egyptian, but we do not think that they will be found 
 BO profitable as the Toulouse and the Embden. 
 
Management of Geese. 149 
 
 A capital description of the method of management ap- 
 peared some years ago in the Farmer, and was deemed worthy 
 of being reprinted in Mr. Tegetmeier's Poultry Book. This 
 we now give for its practical value : — " A good-sized pond, 
 ' with a plentiful supply of water and good pasturage, are in- 
 dispensable to make goose-keeping a paying business, for 
 they are very large consumers. Let them have an outhouse 
 all to themselves, regularly supplied with clean straw, with 
 which to make nests on the floor as the laying season ap- 
 proaches, and partition the nests off according to the number 
 required. One gander will be sufBcient for three or four 
 geese. They generally lay about twelve eggs each, which 
 number they will hatch. The eggs, for safety, should be 
 collected daily and placed in bran, until the geese, by re- 
 maining on their nests, show their desire for sitting. The 
 eggs must then be placed under them, and the house so 
 arranged that they can have free liberty of egress and ingress 
 at all times of the day, as they will require food and water 
 daily, to which they will help themselves, if a pasture-field 
 and pond of water be near, and afterwards return to their 
 nests. Little attention is, therefore, required whilst they are 
 sitting, beyond keeping their nests undisturbed, and protected 
 from vermin. When the time of hatching has arrived, in 
 case any young birds are out, see that all shells are removed, 
 for fear they may cap the other eggs, and thereby prevent 
 their hatching. Allow the goslings to remain in the nest for 
 a night and a day ; they wiU not require feeding during that 
 time, but will gather strength ; and, if the following 
 morning be fine and sunshiny, they can be moved at once 
 upon a grass-plot or other convenient place, where they will 
 be safe, and supplied with an abundance of nice young grass, 
 of which they will soon partake (this, their natural food, suits 
 them better than to be crammed with oatmeal pellets), not 
 forgetting to place them some water in a shallow vessel, with 
 
15© Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 which a little oatmeal may be mixed. If the weather is un- 
 favourable, they must be confined in an outhouse, and plen- 
 tifully supplied with nice green grass turfs and water. . . . 
 The most critical time for young geese is about midsummer ; 
 if it is very dry weather, and the pasturage and water is not 
 plentiful, it is then desirable to give them a few oats night 
 and morning to assist nature over this peculiar juncture, 
 and help them on until the stubbles are ready for them, 
 and when those are cleared they will he in nice condition for 
 fattening, which is best done by making them up in lots of 
 ten or fifteen in number, according to the size of the place, 
 supplying them with plenty of water and an unlimited 
 quantity of oats for three weeks, giving them a clean bed of 
 straw when required ; they will then be ready for the market. 
 The day previous to killing, turn them on to the pond for the 
 purpose of washing their feathers, and supply a clean bed of 
 straw in the feeding-house before their return; but take 
 away all food and water, and let them fast until killed the 
 next day, when they must be dressed for the market. There 
 is not the slightest doubt geese pay well where there are 
 conveniences for keeping them, but they must be well man- 
 aged, and kept out of the mowing grass and cornfields, or 
 they will soon do damage to the amount of double their 
 profit." 
 
 The same plan, as is here described for fattening, may be 
 adopted equally by those who only rear the birds, as by those 
 who breed them also ; goslings can be bought about August 
 and September at low prices, and will fatten up very rapidly, 
 if fed in the way described. There is only one thing we 
 need add to what has been already said, and that is, geese 
 must never be put in compartments alone when fattening, as 
 is done with ordinary fowls, for in that case they would fret 
 and lose flesh, instead of gain it. 
 
 Turkeys have the name of being very delicate and difficult 
 
Turkey Rearing. Ijj 
 
 to rear, in consequence of which they are often not kept, 
 where they might be with advantage, for, in a suitable place, 
 they are one of the most profitable of all domestic poultry. 
 They are undoubtedly dehcate if kept on damp soil, but 
 where the ground is dry, and the position not too exposed, 
 they will do well. Just at one period of their growth, when, 
 they are "shooting the red," that is, when about six weeks 
 old, and the red skin is appearing on the head, they need 
 extra care and to be well sheltered, for getting wet just then 
 is almost certain to be fatal. The prices obtained for turkeys, 
 and the heavy weights to which they grow, make them very 
 profitable indeed, and wherever it can well be done, we 
 should strongly urge that a few of them be kept. 
 
 The varieties of turkeys known in this country are the 
 Wild, Bronze, Narragansett, Black, BufE, and White. Of these 
 the Wild is the hardiest, firmest fleshed, and highest flavored, 
 even when bred in domestication ; the Black approaches it 
 most nearly but fattens more readily, while the Bronze, 
 which closely resembles it in coloring, is the most rapid in 
 growth, quickest to fatten, and heaviest of all. The Nar- 
 ragansetts and Whites are the most domestic. Large size is & 
 matter that must be considered, for the price turkeys realize 
 in market increases with the weight, and the fact contrary 
 to the rule in most things, that, the price per pound of a 
 thirty-pound turkey is considerably greater than that of 
 one half its size is especially true in early winter, but not at 
 all times of the year. 
 
 Turkeys are not fully grown until they are three or four 
 years old, bat it will be found that birds can be bred from, 
 without fear, when two years of age. The young birds 
 produce more eggs than the older ones, and begin to lay 
 earlier in the season, and, also, are not so savage. A turkey 
 hen generally lays about twenty eggs, but she should not be 
 allowed to sit all these ; and it is better to give the first half- 
 dozen to hens, letting her have the rest herself, for it is very 
 
152 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 cruel, and does not pay in the long run, to prevent her having 
 a nest, in addition to which, she will prove a better mother 
 than any hen could be. 
 
 The period of incubation is twenty-eight days, and the 
 first food for the young birds should be hard-boiled egg, 
 with dandelion, lettuce, onions, or nettles chopped up, and 
 all mixed with bread crumbs ; and to this may be added a 
 little rice boiled in sweet skim milk, a little suet, or greaves, 
 and in cold weather a little aromatic compound, with grain 
 of all kinds for the birds, as they get older. We have also 
 heard the very highest accounts of the value of Chamber- 
 lain's meal in rearing turkeys, even from those who had 
 failed before they used it, A fresh site for the coop is neces- 
 sary every morning, and a little exercise, by letting the 
 mother out of the coop, which must be large and roomy, not 
 less than three feet square, will do the chicks a lot of good. 
 When the birds are about ten or twelve weeks old they may 
 be put on to barleymeal as the staple food, mixed with a little 
 greaves, and alternated vrith corn, barley, and small wheat. 
 As soon as they are deserted by the mother, the birds should 
 be put in a large roomy house at night ; and, it is then neces- 
 sary, to see that they do not perch on rails or hurdles, as 
 crooked breasts would be the certain result. 
 
 Christmas turkeys are shut Up in a light, dry, and roomy 
 shed, or house, about the first week in November ; and the 
 Norfolk system is to keep troughs filled with maize and 
 good barley always near them, but giving twice a day a good 
 meal of just as much barleymeal, mixed with skim milk, as 
 they can then eat up, and also milk to drink. The troughs 
 are cleaned every day, and all surplus food removed. Sliced 
 mangolds, turnips, swedes, and cabbages are also given ; and 
 plenty of sand, lime, and brick dust kept in one corner, so 
 that the birds can get it when they vrish. This is all the 
 feeding they need, to bring them up into prime condition for 
 the market. They are killed by having the neck broken. 
 
The Selection of Stock Birds. 15^ 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE SELECTION OF STOCK BIEDS. 
 
 ImportanM of Care in Selection — Influence of Parents — Selection for IJayers — 
 Selection for Table Fowls— State of Breeding Stock— Buying Birds — Buying 
 Eggs for Sitting— Space for Breeding Stock — Birds not to be Related —Evils 
 of In-breeding — Number of Hens to Cock — When to Expect Fertile Eggs — 
 Feeding — Importance of Healtb and Condition. 
 
 The choosing of birds or animals for breeding is one of the 
 most important matters, that can command the attention of 
 any keeper of live stock, for, in accordance with the care and 
 skill given to it, will be the quality of the produce. Parents 
 impress upon their progeny those characteristics which they 
 themselves possess, in so far as there are no counteracting 
 influences. If these characteristics are good ones, they should 
 be preserved by judicious mating, but if they are bad ones, 
 then, it must be the object of the breeder, to get rid of them 
 as quickly as possible. And in order to secure this it is 
 necessary to have a clear idea of the influence of each parent, 
 for the influence on either side is different to that on the 
 other. Without this knowledge, there can be no possibility 
 of arriving at a true appreciation of the question. 
 
 We have said that the influence of each parent is different, 
 and, to this we may add, that, as a rule, the characteristics of 
 both can be traced in the offspring. Sometimes, however, 
 qualities are developed which were not found in the parents, 
 nor yet can be regarded as a combination of qualities from 
 
154 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 either side. As these are generally characteristics to be 
 avoided, it will most probably be found on examination, that 
 they have descended from the grandparents, or from progeni- 
 tors even further back than that. Hence the value of pure 
 stock, as there is v?ith it a much greater certainty in breeding. 
 
 It may be taken as a certain rule that the male parent 
 affects the external structure, the shape, and the outward 
 appearance generally, including the locomotive peculiarities ; 
 and that the female parent controls the internal structure, 
 the constitution, the temper, and the habits. But, we must 
 in this be regarded as speaking of pure-bred birds, for with 
 such as have been bred in any sort of way, in which all or 
 no breeds have been mixed up, it is almost impossible to 
 look for any certainty, as there are constantly unexpected 
 and unwished-for developments turning up. The purer the 
 breed, the greater the certainty of obtaining those points or 
 qualities we are seeking for, and it must also be noted, that, 
 if one of the parents is of a purer descent than the other, 
 it will exert the greater influence upon the chickens. 
 This will account for the rapidity with which a pure-bred 
 cock improves the birds bred in a farmyard, when one is 
 introduced, which doubtless many of our readers have 
 observed. 
 
 Considering these facts, it may be worth our while to 
 study the question of the influence of parents, a little more 
 closely than is usually done, and, taking the male parent 
 first, it will be found, as already indicated, that it afl'ects the 
 external structure as well as the shape of the bird. Thus, 
 in selecting cocks for breeding purposes, it is necessary to 
 see that they have size, which, of course, means bone and 
 flesh, not merely feathers, and that they are of a right 
 shape. If a bird is short in either of these qualities, as 
 certain as can be such defect will be transmitted to its 
 descendants. Thus it will be seen how foolish it is to choose 
 
Selection of Stock Birds. 155 
 
 a bird small or of a bad shape, no matter how good he may 
 be in other respects. It can serve no useful purpose to have 
 a bird unshapely, even though this does not influence its 
 profitable qualities ; but, whilst we should not kill a good 
 laying hen if she was mis-shapen, yet we would not breed 
 from such an one, as the weakness inherent from the 
 deformity would probably transmit itself to the chickens, 
 and thus more than counterbalance the merits of the parent. 
 As a rule, those birds are best which look best. ' And again, 
 it would be unwise to use for stock purposes, any bird weak, 
 or deformed in his organs of locomotion, for, though he 
 might be as good upon the table as another one, perfect in 
 these respects, his defects would be reproduced in his 
 progeny, and probably intensified. As an example of this, 
 we may mention that the breeding for white faces in Spanish 
 — though the white face is not a defect but a sport — having 
 been carried to a ridiculous extent, has so weakened the 
 breed that it is now a delicate variety, not to be recommended 
 for general purposes. In selecting a cock bird, therefore, 
 for breeding, and thia equally applies to all varieties, whether 
 pure or otherwise, one should be chosen, close and firm in 
 body, not too large in size — that is, not abnormally larger 
 than the majority of his kindred, though a little larger is an 
 advantage — clean on leg, tall, and active in his habits. Such 
 a bird will not counteract, but, rather assist those qualities 
 which, in a hen, conduce to the breeding of good layers. But, 
 if a bird is wanted for breeding table fowls, one must be 
 chosen heavy in body, deep in breast, short on the leg, and, 
 perhaps, not so active, though by this we do not necessarily 
 mean a non-flying bird, as these generally develop flesh on 
 the thighs, and not on the breast. The former may be heavier 
 in weight, but the meat is not carried in the best place, and 
 is not of the same quality. A bird similar to what we have 
 described, will help forward the end we have in view, and 
 
156 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 assimilate his qualities readily with those of the hens to 
 which he may be mated, if they are chosen with equal care. 
 
 It will be remembered, we stated that the hen affects the 
 internal structure and vital organs of her chickens, in which 
 are included the laying qualities, as well as the temperament 
 and the constitution. A good, quiet mother, generally pro- 
 duces puUets that exhibit the same qualities in their turn, 
 if she is properly mated, and, on the other hand, a restless, 
 uncertain mother, will impress these characteristics upon her 
 chickens. A poor layer, must not be expected to produce 
 hens much better than herself, no matter with what bird she 
 is paired, and though there is wisdom in the belief of old 
 henwives, that it is always well to breed from hens that are 
 known to be good layers, it is necessary to see that the cock 
 does not counteract this influence. By judicious selection 
 of the male bird, it may be possible to gradually improve 
 the laying powers, as it is possible to alter the characteristics 
 of any birds ; but, of course, this can only be a slow process, 
 and it is better to commence breeding with suitable birds, 
 and to depend upon the hens for such an improvement, 
 instead of on the cocks. As shown when speaking of the 
 male birds, the purer the parents are, the more certainty 
 there is in breeding, and this is the case equally with both 
 sexes, though, as the cocks influence the externals, the result 
 is more seen on their part, than on that of the hens. 
 
 When breeding with the object of producing good laying 
 fowls, the hens selected should be shapely, have no grave 
 defects, and, above all, be known as good layers, or from a 
 good laying strain. To be sure of this latter point may 
 involve some trouble ; but it need not be very great, as any 
 one who attends to the fowls, and really takes an interest in 
 them, knows which are the best layers. By this means, it 
 is quite possible to very largely increase the laying powers of 
 any strain of birds ; and, the care thus taken, will be rewarded 
 
Selection of Brood Hens. 157 
 
 by a great difference in the production of eggs. Of course, 
 if the male birds are bred from heus that are known to be 
 good layers, then this will greatly facilitate the matter. 
 Therefore, where it is thought desirable to have laying birds 
 only, or, in places where eggs are most in demand, it is better 
 to have non-sitting fowls, such as Minorcas, Leghorns, 
 Andalusians, or Houdans, as these birds have been bred as 
 layers for generations ; and, their attention not being taken 
 off by maternal duties, they consequently are much better 
 layers. On the question of selecting hens for breeding table 
 fowls, very little more need be said, than what we have already 
 remarked in connection with the male birds, except that it 
 is important to choose quiet, contented fowls, as these will be 
 found to fatten up best of all ; restless birds never do this, 
 and as a consequence are not profitable. The breeds to be 
 chosen should be either La Fleche, Dorkings, Creve-cceurs, 
 Houdans, Langshans, Plymouth Rocks, or such crosses as 
 Game-Dorking. These must be selected in accordance 
 with the rules laid down in the chapter on laying out the 
 poultry-yard, where we spoke of the soil and position of the 
 poultry-yard, and the influence these must have upon the 
 breeds kept. 
 
 Closely associated with the question of breed to be chosen, 
 is that of the general condition, and state of the birds selected 
 for breeding. Here we must emphatically warn our readers 
 against what we have indirectly mentioned before, namely, 
 that no bird tainted with disease, or organically deformed, 
 must be bred from in any way. Such diseases and defects 
 will be transmitted, probably in an intensified form, to the 
 descendants, which in their turn will probably be the means 
 of passing them on to others. There can be no question 
 that the breeding in of defects, or the transmission of disease, 
 are very easy matters, whilst the breeding of them out is 
 not only difficult, but often impossible. Stamina, and 
 
158 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 good condition are two most important elements, which 
 should never be lost sight of by the poultry breeder, as with- 
 out these it is impossible to succeed ; and, whilst great care 
 should be taken to see that the other qualities of the birds 
 are suitable, nothing shiiuld ever induce the use of sickly 
 ones for stock purposes. And, also, in deciding upon the 
 selection of breeding fowls, there must be a clear understand- 
 ing as to what is required — we mean, to what purpose the 
 chickens are to be put, and then, keeping this end in view, 
 let them be chosen accordingly. Hap-hazard breeding never 
 did, and never will, succeed ; though, at times, a lucky hit is 
 made, but there is no certainty as to its being repeated. A 
 careful study of the birds to be so used will be well repaid ; 
 and, if they have to be purchased, it will be time well spent 
 to make inquiries as to the qualities of the birds. Poultry 
 fanciers expend both time and money freely, in order to 
 obtain all the information possible about a bird they pur- 
 pose buying, knowing the great injury which may be done 
 through want of a little care ; and the matter is equally as 
 important to the poultry farmer. Because of the want of 
 information, we do not advise buying in a poultry show, 
 except it can be obtained, and many a yard has been ruined 
 by diseased, or otherwise unsuitable birds, bought in this 
 way. The best way is to go, or send, to known breeders, 
 who have a reputation to keep up; and, though a little more 
 money may have to be paid in the first instance, it will prob- 
 ably be found the cheapest way in the end. In the spring of 
 the year, a very common way of getting fresh blood into a 
 yard, or, of commencing one afresh, is to purchase eggs, and 
 if fairly dealt with, this is both a cheap and good means of 
 doing so ; but, unfortunately, there is a good deal of roguery 
 in the business. Where it is desired to get the yard into 
 full operation, or to have the benefit of the new blood at 
 once, this plan will not do, and birds must be bought instead. 
 
Management of Breeding Pens. 159 
 
 We now come to the putting together of the breeding- 
 pens, and the management of the birds in them. In the 
 first place, there is the question of space to be given to them; 
 and it is here necessary to utter a warning — though we have 
 dwelt on the question of runs already — against the very 
 common practice, of putting breeding stock into very small 
 houses and runs. Nor do we, on the other- hand, think the 
 system of breeding from the ordinary stock a wise one, as this 
 does not permit of the proper improvement of the stock, which 
 might otherwise take place. The best plan, is either of those 
 we have already recommended, namely, to have separate 
 houses in which the birds can be kept, or a row of houses with 
 large open runs. Weakly chickens are very often caused by 
 want of suf&cient exercise on the part of the parents ; and it 
 wUl be found, that the more liberty that can be given to 
 the breeding stock, the hardier the chickens will be. There- 
 fore, it should be a rule, that, whether the laying fowls have 
 an abundance of room or not, the breeders must have plenty ; 
 and, upon no consideration, should the latter be cooped up in 
 small runs. We have given in a previous article, the smallest 
 amount of space necessary to keep birds in health and con- 
 dition, and this will be a guide to our readers in this respect. 
 A sufficient number of chickens can be bred from one pen 
 of fowls, in a single year, to stock a good-sized yard, and thus 
 it is worth while giving them suf&cient room. 
 
 Then it is a most important matter, that a cock and hen 
 mated together for breeding purposes, should not be related 
 to each other. A very large amount of harm has been done 
 by in-breeding, and the degeneracy of many of the races of 
 high class poultry, is entirely due to this practice. Poultry 
 fanciers, whose object is to obtain fine feather, or peculiar con- 
 formation, regardless of all commercial considerations, may, 
 if they think fit, resort to in-breeding, for they are willing to 
 pay the price ; but, those to whom it is necessary that their 
 
i6o Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 birds shall have stamina, size, and unimpaired laying powers, , 
 must not indulge in so fooHah a practice. The state of the ,' 
 breeding stock, in very many of the farmyards of this country, 
 where we find miserable, weedy mongrels, of no use either / 
 for laying or to put upon the table, is very largely due tq 
 the in-breeding which has gone on generation after genera-j 
 tion, and to the want of regard for the selection of breeding 
 birds. Of course, it may be accepted as a fact, that all our 
 various breeds of birds have been produced by more or lessi 
 in-breeding ; but even acknowledging that much, it has been 
 a gradual process, and not a forced one. Therefore, it is 
 more than necessary, that the birds mated together should be 
 unrelated. Only by care in putting them together, can this 
 be secured ; but the result is worth all the trouble. 
 
 The next subject which must be touched upon, is that of 
 the number of hens to be put with each cock, as the fertility 
 of the eggs will naturally greatly depend upon this. No 
 certain rule can be laid down applicable to all breeds, as 
 the number varies, not only with the breed itself, but with 
 the circumstances under which they are kept. For in- 
 stance, birds in a confined run are more indolent and less 
 vigorous than those at liberty, whilst the state of the 
 weather has much to do with the question also ; and, again, 
 a young bird should have a larger harem than an old one. 
 So far as a rule can be laid down, not more than four hens 
 should be given to a cock of any of the larger and heavier 
 breeds, i.e.. Cochins, Brahmas, Dorkings, Langshans, and 
 Scotch Greys, when in confinement ; but, if at liberty, then 
 this number may be increased to six or eight. The lighter 
 breeds can take six or eight in confinement, and a dozen when 
 at liberty. These numbers will have to be varied according 
 to the season of the year ; of course fewer being given in 
 severe weather, and more added, as it gets warmer and finer. 
 The best test is, that when too few hens are given, they will 
 
To secure Ferhle Eggs. i6l 
 
 be fonnd stripped nearly bare on the back, and when this 
 is seen, then more should be supplied to the cock. This 
 must be done even if hens of a diiferent breed can only be 
 used, as too few hens is as great a cause of unfertile eggs, as 
 too many, and the strain upon them is also very liable to 
 cause them irreparable injury. As the bare backs can be 
 seen by the most casual observer in a poultry yard, there can 
 be no excuse for the neglect of it. 
 
 As a rule, eggs may be depended upon as fertile within a 
 week of the birds being mated together ; but, we make it a 
 rule, never to use the first two or three eggs produced by each 
 hen after she is so mated, especially, if she has been running 
 about in the open yard, or been mated with other cocks. 
 Those who breed birds for exhibition, are most careful not to 
 allow any cock to have access to the hens, except the one* 
 mated with them, during the breeding season. The reason 
 adduced for this is, that the effects of such a cross may be 
 noticed in the chickens, even though a considerable time has 
 elapsed, between the alliance and the laying of the eggs. 
 Whether this is so or not, it is quite unnecessary for us to 
 inquire here, as it does not sufficiently concern those who 
 breed only for commercial purposes, but, of course, it is wise to 
 prevent mixing up in this way unnecessarily. In any case, 
 we should not advise the using of the first two or three eggs, 
 as they are almost certain to be either infertile, or to show 
 signs of previous mating, neither of which is desirable. 
 
 The feeding of breeding stock, is a point on which a mis- 
 take is made by too many poultry keepers. Fowls will not 
 lay if they are fed too well, and on this account, great care 
 must be exercised in what is given to them, both as to quan- 
 tity and quality. All fattening foods must be avoided, as 
 these cause internal fat, which acts upon the egg organs, and 
 prevents, instead of helping, the object in view. We believe 
 in good food, that is, food ol a sound nature, and this will 
 
1 62 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 be found most satisfactory in the end. Barley, wheat, buck* 
 wheat, oats, and dari, both whole and ground, are all first- 
 rate foods, and may be relied upon as best for the purpose. 
 If the birds are in runs, where insect life cannot be got very 
 freely, then a very little meat may be given to them, but not 
 otherwise. And on wet or cold mornings, a little stimulating 
 powder is very helpful, but upon no account should it be used, 
 when the weather is warm and dry. Green food is also very 
 essential, and a barrow load of cabbages will be greatly re- 
 lished, as well as be highly beneficial, even when the grass run 
 is an extensive one. For a system of feeding we prefer the 
 following : — First, a meal of soft food, mixed with boiling 
 water, early in the morning, the sooner after the birds leave 
 their roosts the better; second, a handful of grain in the 
 middle of the day ; and, last, a good feed of grain about an 
 hour before they go to roost at night. 
 
 A question is sometimes asked. How much food should 
 be given to each fowl every day ? This it is impossible to 
 answer, by stating any quantity, as the appetites of the birds 
 vary vsith the season of the year, and with the different 
 kinds of fowls, some being much greater eaters than others. 
 The only safe rule is to either throw the food down in hand- 
 fuls, or put it in dishes or troughs, and to cease giving, or 
 remove it, as soon as the birds cease to eat eagerly. There 
 is just one exception to this rule, and it is one that needs to 
 be very especially mentioned here, for there are some cocks 
 of a very gallant nature, which will not touch any food, until 
 all their hens have been served. They call their mates to it, 
 and see that they get enough, but do not attempt to touch 
 it themselves. Therefore, unless the attendant is very 
 observant, the bird will get very little to eat — certainly not 
 enough, and will go down in condition, infertile eggs being 
 one of the results. Where this is observed, either a little 
 more food must be given to the cock or he must be fed by 
 
To secure Hardy Chickens. 163 
 
 himself. Either plan will answer the purpose so long as it 
 is seen to. We need only just mention that material will 
 be needed for the foimation of the shells, and this may be 
 old mortar, broken oyster shells, lime and gravel, the last 
 being specially useful, in assisting the birds to digest their 
 food, and should for that reason always be supplied. 
 
 The chief object should be, to keep the breeding stock in 
 the best of health and condition, as this is most conducive 
 to the production of strong and hardy chickens. It can 
 only be secured by selecting good birds, in the way indicated 
 by us, by giving the birds as much room as possible, by 
 housing them well, and by feeding them in a systematic and 
 sensible manner. Neglect any of these points, and the 
 result will show itself in the progeny, because in this, as in aU. 
 other similar operations, effects foUow causes remorselessly. 
 We do not say that the effect is always immediate, or even 
 apparent at once, but it is nevertheless there, and sooner or 
 later will declare itself. 
 
1 64 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HATCHING. 
 
 Shall HeM set tbemaelves ? — Selection of Place for Sitting — Hatching Boxes'— 
 Making the Nesta— Food and Water— Setting the Hen — Feeding — Airing 
 the Eggs — Kind of Food for Hens — Dust Bath — Testing the Eggs — Period 
 of Incubation — Management during Hatching — Helping the Chicks. 
 
 The time when hens should be set, will depend very largely 
 upon the purpose for which the chickens are required, and 
 the breeds of poultry kept. If eggs are the object in view, 
 and any of the breeds we have named as most suitable in 
 Buch a case as this are selected, then March and April are 
 the best months ; but, if heavier breeds, such as Brahmas or 
 Langshans are chosen, then no chickens should be hatched 
 after the first week in April, or, at any rate, as few as possible. 
 Birds intended for table purposes, whether chickens or duck- 
 lings, may be hatched at any time, but it is best to do so 
 as early as possible, even in autumn. Those hatched at 
 other times, mature, and are placed on the market, when it is 
 overstocked, and, consequently, they do not realise so paying 
 a price. The rapidly maturing fowls may be hatched much 
 later than those which are more deliberate in this respect, 
 and these are the questions which must decide the time of 
 hatching, for, with layers, the object is to have them laying 
 before the winter sets in, and, with table birds, it is to get them 
 to market when prices are at their highest point. Those 
 who breed fowls for exhibition, generally get their birds out 
 
Hatching. 165 
 
 as early In the year as possible, to have them matured 
 before the autumn and winter shows, except in the case of 
 Bantams, in which, small size being a desideratum, they 
 are bred late, so as to prevent undue gi-owth. Thus it will 
 be seen, that there is a way provided for all denominations 
 of poultry keepers. 
 
 Among old-fashioned henwives there is a very general 
 impression, that it is a much better plan to let a hen set 
 herself, than to provide a nest for her. This is doubtless 
 true to a certain extent, with some breeds, as they are thus 
 content, and, being under perfectly natural conditions, often 
 produce larger broods than they otherwise might. But, where 
 there is any attempt at careful breeding, it is almost impossible 
 to adopt such a system, unless the amount of ground at 
 disposal is very large indeed, and the birds are at perfect 
 liberty. In addition to the need for space, there are other 
 drawbacks to a plan of this kind. In the first place the 
 owner is at the mercy of the birds — he must wait their con- 
 venience, and it may be lose the best weeks of the year. 
 Time is everything, and if none of his own hens are broody, 
 he should seek for others that are, if he wishes to succeed. 
 Then, in the second place, no other eggs than the ones laid 
 by each hen herself can be used for hatching, which is, of 
 course, simply out of the question ; and in the third place, if 
 a hen elects to set herself in the laying house, constant 
 fighting will be the result, probably ending in the spoliation 
 of the whole nest. Some hens resist being removed, and 
 refuse to sit anywhere but in the places they select ; but, as 
 a rule, they are much more reasonable than this. On a large 
 farm where hatching is to be extensively adopted, it is 
 better to have a docile sitting breed, and for this we know 
 of none better than Brahma-dorkings, as they will allow 
 themselves to be handled, are large, without being clumsy, 
 cover a goodly number of eggs, make excellent sitters and 
 
1 66 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 mothers, and are very good all-round fowls. Often, however, 
 other hens have to he ohtained, and, when sitters are scarce, 
 they must be taken. The plan we are about to suggest will 
 generally be found to answer for all, except, it may be, very 
 wild ones. 
 
 Where it is only necessary to hatch one or two settings 
 each year, there need be no difficulty in setting the hens, as 
 they can be put separately in outhouses, empty runs, or any 
 other places of that kind, but, where a number of hens have 
 to be kept at work at one time, then some other system must 
 he adopted. If the farm or ground space available is very 
 large, the hens may be distributed in various parts, under 
 charge of the cottagers, but, as a rule, we prefer to keep them 
 near home, where they can be looked after by one person, 
 whose sole care they will be. And, for this purpose, it is best 
 to devote a good, large, comfortable room, such as an empty 
 stable, an unused coach-house, a loft above a stable, a cool 
 conservatory, or, even a large empty room in the house itself, 
 and, during the early part of the season, the chicken-house, 
 if one has been made, may also be used. But, when the 
 chickens begin to appear, it will be much better to put the 
 sitting hens elsewhere, as they are very apt to get fidgety and 
 restless, hearing the " cluck, cluck " of the mothers and the 
 " peep, peep " of the chickens. 
 
 Whatever is the place selected, it should be warm, com- 
 fortable, well ventilated, free from draughts, and as even in 
 temperature as possible, but, except in very severe weather, 
 it is not necessary to keep a fire in it, for, if well built, it will 
 be warm enough, though if adjoining a stable or green-house 
 it will be all the better. In very cold weather some arti- 
 ficial warmth is necessary, or the hens will be most likely to 
 desert their nests. The room selected need not be well 
 lighted, and, in fact, a somewhat dim place is the best, for 
 the birds sit quieter in the dark. The same room can be 
 
The Hatching Box. 1 67 
 
 used as & fattening place later on in the year, if not in a 
 dwelling-house, and, if dark, the iumates will thrive more 
 rapidly than in light, but hatching and fattening must not 
 be carried on at the same time. An earthen floor is best, 
 though when it is made of brick, cement or wood, the same 
 result can be arrived at by laying down ashes or fine earth, 
 about a foot thick, over the same. Upon this, aU round the 
 room, hatching boxes may be placed, if the first plan we are 
 about to describe be adopted. 
 
 The kind of nest box we prefer, having used it for many 
 years, is a plain deal box, about eighteen inches in height, 
 
 Kg. 7.— Hatcliing Box. 
 
 and fifteen inches square, similar to that shown in Fig. 7, 
 which should be kept by all dealers in poultry supplies. It 
 is made without bottom, or only with wire netting to keep 
 out rats, but with a solid top ; the upper two-thirds of the 
 front forms a door, which may open either upwards or down- 
 wards, the latter preferred, and, if hinged and provided with 
 a simple catch, is easily opened and closed, and, when closed, 
 the inmate is perfectly secure, and cannot be molested. 
 Holes for ventilation are bored in the top and the sides, and 
 a coat of whitewash inside completes the whole. We have 
 often made half-a-dozen of these boxes in a single afternoon, 
 at a small cost, but they can also be bought at reasonable 
 
1 68 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 prices. We prefer these to any others, especially to those made 
 in sets, as each one can be removed at any time for cleaning 
 purposes, and, consequently, vermin are not harboured. And 
 as a score boxes can be kept in one room without difficulty, 
 they answer all the purposes required. We do not approve of 
 hatching nests in tiers, not only because they harbour insects, 
 but, also, because the air cannot circulate about the nests, as 
 it can in the boxes we have described. This is most im- 
 portant, and is sufficient to account for the non-success so 
 often found where the nest boxes are made in sets. 
 
 Other plans can be adopted for hatching boxes. For 
 instance, we some time ago visited a very large. poultry yard 
 and were surprised to see in use, in the hatching houses, 
 what to us was a new plan, but which at first did not appear 
 to be a good one. The hatching boxes were suspended to 
 the wall, about two feet above the ground, and were made so 
 that the hens could be securely shut in. The bottoms of 
 these boxes were pieces of wire netting stretched upon frames, 
 and removable, so that the inside could be properly cleaned 
 out. The nests were simply straw — no earth or grass sod, 
 or anything, but straw — and the owner informed us that dur- 
 ing the previous season, the success in these nests was greater 
 than in any other. His idea was taken from the nests 
 of wild birds, and he believed that free circulation of air, is 
 of the greatest importance for successful hatching. This 
 bears out what we have already said ; and whilst we cannot 
 now go so far as to recommend this system to all our readers, 
 yet there is undoubtedly something in it. Of course, there 
 are many who succeed well in hatching, with only plain boxes, 
 or even a couple of bricks ; but, where a number of hens are 
 to be set, this plan necessitates a separate place for every one, 
 which is not at all times possible. 
 
 As already stated, where the hatching boxes recommended 
 by us are used, the floor should be covered with fine soil, or 
 
Arrangement of Hatching Boxes. 169 
 
 ashes, about a foot thick, and upon this the boxes must be 
 placed. The object is to keep the underside of the eggs 
 cool, and the atmosphere in the nest moist. A hen, when 
 allowed to choose her own nest, generally selects a cool, damp 
 spot, so that we are only following nature in doing this ; and, 
 as the boxes are without bottoms, the moisture in the earth 
 or ashes naturally affects the nest itself. The best plan is 
 to put these boxes all around the room, with their backs to 
 the walls, and a space of a foot between each. Thus, in a 
 room fifteen feet square, between thirty and forty nests can 
 be accommodated. As each hen has to be allowed out to feed 
 separately, it is sometimes thought advisable not to put so 
 many in one room, but to divide them, so that two or more 
 may be off feeding at one time. We have also seen a capital 
 plan adopted in some places, namely, having half-a-dozen 
 large roomy pens at one end of the room, in each of which 
 food and water is provided, and plenty of fine dry ashes for 
 a dust bath. By such an arrangement as this, half-a-dozen 
 hens can be fed at one time, but, of course, they will have 
 to be lifted off the nests, put into the pens, and returned 
 to the nests again, when they have been properly fed. The 
 saving of time by so doing is very great, for, allowing fiftepn 
 minutes to each bird, it would take six hours to feed twenty- 
 four, whereas, in the way we have described, one hour would 
 be sufBcient. If the attendant has little or nothing else to 
 do, then it is, perhaps, not worth the extra cost ; but where 
 there is plenty of other work to do, it will be found a very 
 economical method. 
 
 After the box is in position, a good shovelful of fine soil or 
 ashes should be placed inside, and then hollowed out with 
 the hand like a saucer, so as to make the nest a proper shape. 
 Care is necessary, to see that the corners are filled up, or the 
 eggs will be very liable to roll away from under the hen, the 
 result of which will be chilling and addling. Above the 
 
170 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 earth, Bome soft straw must be laid, oaten preferred, or, il 
 wheaten is used, it should be well beaten or rubbed in the 
 hands, and then the nest is ready for the eggs, and for the 
 hen. 
 
 Most of our readers will be sufficiently learned in poultry 
 matters, as to be able to tell when a hen is " broody," or 
 " clucking," as it is often called. Any one who has lived in 
 the country will have no difficulty in the matter, but it may 
 be, that a few denizens of the towns may not have this 
 knowledge. The best sign is that the hen sits closely on her 
 nest, and makes a sound not unlike " cluck, cluck." If 
 taken off, she gets back again as fast as possible, resenting 
 the interference more or less, according to her temperament. 
 The best plan of putting a hen off being broody is to move 
 her abou'c ; and, therefore, when she is wanted as a sitter, she 
 must not be disturbed too soon, but left alone until the broody 
 fever is fully developed. 
 
 In the case of a hen, which has been proved in previous 
 years to be a really good mother, then the eggs may be 
 placed in a hatching box, and she can get to work at once ; 
 but with a young or unknown hen our plan has been to put a 
 few dummy eggs — i. e., either chalk or spoiled eggs — ^intothe 
 nest, in order to test her, before the eggs to be hatched are 
 given. By this means very many valuable eggs may be saved, 
 which would otherwise be lost through the removal having 
 upset the hen. The best time to set a hen is at night, as 
 then she is more likely to settle down to her work, not having 
 seen the surroundings. The eggs should be put into the 
 nest, with some food and water near, and, if the rays from a 
 lantern or candle be thrown upon the eggs so that the hen 
 can see them, the food, and very little else, she will gene- 
 rally go on of her own accord, as soon as she has fed herself. 
 Should she be reluctant to do so, gentle force may be used, 
 and the hen placed on to the nest, and shut therein. As a 
 
Management of Sitting Hens. lyi 
 
 rule, if left undisturbed for twenty-four hours, a hen so treated 
 will be found sitting closely, and all will go on well after- 
 wards. The real eggs can then be substituted for the others ; 
 but, if she is at all unsettled, this must not be done for 
 a day or two longer. 
 
 As already indicated by us, each hen must be allowed off 
 the nest for feeding purposes once every day, and thus, in a 
 room where there are a large number of sitters, it should be 
 arranged that this shall take place in rotation. The period 
 may be varied according to the season of the year, and the 
 temperature of the place where the hens are sitting. Hens 
 which find their own nests are accustomed to leave them an 
 hour at a time ; but, it must be remembered, that, as a rule, 
 they never sit except in moderately warm weather, such as can 
 generally be found in the late spring. It will not do, there- 
 fore, to adopt the same plan at aU seasons. Eggs will stand 
 a very gi-eat deal, and we have known them hatch, even after 
 being stone cold for twelve hours ; but this fact must not be 
 taken as a warrant for carelessness. As a general rule, it 
 may be accepted that ten to fifteen minutes is long enough, 
 early in the year ; but, later on, or, if in a warm place, then 
 half-an-houT will do no harm. If the temperature is very 
 low, the first-named period would be sufficient to kill the 
 eggs ; and, when this is the case, something must be done 
 when the hen is off, either by closing the box or covering the 
 eggs, to prevent their getting chilled. If the nest is made 
 in a proper place, however, there will be no danger of this, 
 and the periods given by us may be taken as a rule. The 
 leaving of the nest by the hen is necessary, not only for her 
 sake, but that the eggs may be cooled, without which they 
 will not hatch. It is supposed that the cooler air is required 
 to expand the lungs of the embyro chick, and that fresh 
 vigour is thus drawn through the pores of the shell. At any 
 rate, whatever may be the reason, it is no doubt a fact that 
 
172 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 too close a sitter generally spoils her nest, and fails to bring 
 out any chicks. Upon this account, therefore, if a hen 
 shows any reluctance to come off, she must be lifted off. To 
 do this properly, care is necessary, and the hands must be 
 slid below the wings, so as to prevent any eggs that might 
 happen to be tucked under them, falling down when the hen 
 is lifted, and breaking the others in the nest. She must 
 then be lifted up by the wings ; and, if she makes any attempt 
 to run back without feeding, the door of the hatching box 
 should be closed until the time named has expired. 
 
 The food given to a sitting hen must always consist of 
 hard grain, as corn, wheat or barley, and never of soft food. 
 The latter causes looseness of the bowels, and the poor hen, 
 unable or unwilling to leave her nest, fouls it. If this should 
 happen, or, from any cause an egg gets broken, the eggs 
 remaining, must be well washed, and the nest re-made. This 
 is best done by having a pail half full of warm water, just hot 
 enough so that the hand can bear it. The eggs should be 
 placed in this, and properly cleaned with a sponge ; and the 
 legs and thighs of the bird must also be washed, to prevent 
 the eggs sticking thereto, and, perhaps, falling and breaking, 
 when the hen gets out. A dust bath will be needed also, 
 say, a box half filled with dry ashes or earth, with a sprink- 
 ling of carbolic powder in it. This will help to keep down 
 \ice, which are not only troublesome to the hens, but danger- 
 ous to the chicks, causing that most dreadfed of all chicken 
 diseases, the gapes. 
 
 Considerable discussion has arisen as to the testing of egG;s. 
 This is done to prove their fertility, during the process of incu- 
 bation. Some there are who advocate a "let alone" policy; but 
 we do not, as we firmly believe in ihe testing, and always do it. 
 If carefully done no harm can ensue ; and, if unfertile eggs are 
 present, as they very often are, especially early in the season, 
 they can be removed, and thus six or eight hens made to do 
 
Testing Eggs. 173 
 
 the work of a dozen under the old system. Whether henfl 
 or incubators are used, "all eggs ought to be tested on the 
 seventh day, and, in order to obtain the full benefit of this, 
 two or more hens should be set at the same time, so that, if d 
 number are barren, one of the sitters can have her egga 
 given to the others, and a fresh nest made for her instead; 
 Eggs may be tested in various ways. The original method 
 was to grasp the egg with the thumb and forefinger of the 
 left hand, using the other fingers, and the other hand, also, to 
 shade off the light from the eyes. Many hundreds we have 
 done in this way ; but now egg testers are sold at about a 
 quarter each, which are more certain, at any rate to those 
 who have not tried the testing before. If there is only one 
 window in the room, place the egg in the tester between the 
 light and the eye, when the egg will appear cloudy or clear, 
 as it is fertile or unfertile. At seven days, a " live " egg will 
 have a black spot in the centre, gradually shading oif to the 
 edges, where it is much clearer, whilst an unfertile egg 
 remains clear all the time. When working an incubator, we 
 can tell fertile eggs thirty-six hours after they are put into 
 the machine, but this requires considerable experience, and 
 it is not wise to disturb a hen so early as the time named. 
 In testing, perhaps the safest way, is to examine the eggs at 
 night, by a candle, a lamp, or a gas jet, but care must be 
 taken that they are kept at least six inches from the flame, or 
 the heat will kill the embryo. All eggs found unfertile can 
 be removed, and will be perfectly good for cooking purposes, 
 or may be used for feeding chickens. 
 
 After this examination, nothing more need be done until 
 the nineteenth day, except to see every day when the hen 
 is off for feeding that the nest is all right, and, in drj 
 weather, or, if upon a boarded floor, about a pint or a quar< 
 of hot water should be poured round the outside of the box, 
 BO as to keep the earth in the box damp, and thus provide 
 
174 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 the necessary moisture. This is a most important, but often 
 neglected, precaution. On the nineteenth day, a further 
 examination will be advisable, but this time by water. A 
 pail, about three-parts full of water heated up to 103 degs., 
 which is just as hot as the hand can comfortably bear it, 
 must be at hand, and in this all the eggs placed. The 
 dead, or addled ones will generally sink to the bottom, whilst 
 those that contain strong chicks will float in the water, and, 
 in a minute or two, begin to bob about in a most peculiar 
 manner, sometimes almost jumping out of the water. This 
 is caused by the efforts of the chick to escape from its prison, 
 and often may the chicks be heard to chirp in the shell. 
 Only such eggs as have moved, and they need to be carefully 
 noted to prove this, as the motion in the water may deceive 
 as to whether they have moved or not, should be put back 
 in the nest, as the others are certainly dead. We have 
 tested hundreds, if not thousands, in this manner, and never 
 found but two or three in which we had been mistaken. 
 The benefits of this test are obvious. The water softens 
 the shell, making the escape of the chick easier, and the 
 removal of the dead eggs gives the birds more room as they 
 come out, the attention of the hen being entirely devoted to 
 them, and not partially taken away in expectation of the 
 appearance of others. 
 
 As is generally known, twenty-one days is the period of 
 incubation for chickens, but for one or two of the more 
 active breeds, a day less, in which case the water test should 
 be applied the same period of time earlier. If the eggs are 
 very fresh when put into the nest, it will be found, when the 
 hen is off on the day after they have been tested, that many 
 are chipped, or even the chicks out of the shell, and, if this 
 latter is the case, the egg shells must then be removed, and 
 every three or four hours afterwards, the nest examined foi 
 the same purpose. These vacant shells have a very dangerous 
 
Breaking the Shell. 175 
 
 habit of fitting themselves on to the other eggs, which 
 simply means, that the chicks in the latter cannot get out. 
 Unless the hatching is very uneven, we do not advise the 
 removal of any of the birds from under the hen, but some- 
 times this is necessary, when they should be placed in a 
 basket near a fire, and covered up with a piece of new flannel. 
 This uneven hatching is more the result of some of the eggs 
 not being fresh, than from any other cause. 
 
 Should any of the chicks appear to be unable to get out of 
 the shell, they may be aided, but, as a rule, if they cannot 
 get out themselves they are generally not worth the trouble. 
 We have found, however, that the use of the water on the 
 aineteenth day, almost entirely prevents any difSculty in this 
 respect, but, if it is thought desirable to help the hatching, 
 the way to do it is to get a bowl of warm water, in which they 
 are placed, taking care to keep the chipped portion out of the 
 water. In this the eggs are kept for a couple of minutes, 
 when they are returned to the nest. Breaking the shell 
 is very dangerous, for if blood is drawn, then death or 
 deformity ensues, but the plan we have here recommended 
 does all that is necessary in the majority of cases, and, in 
 the others, the birds would probably drag out a miserable 
 existence, and be neither of use, nor give pleasure to the 
 owner. A little patience is needed, as sometimes hatching 
 is delayed, and we should not give up eggs that had 
 *' bobbed" in the water, for two or three days after the time 
 they were due to hatch. If two or more hens are set at 
 once, then these late eggs can all be given to one, and the 
 others have the chicks. 
 
176 ProfUable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 ABTIFIOIAL IMOUBATION. 
 
 A Practical Success — Past Attempts — Difficulties — Later Attempts— The TninJlig 
 Point — EouiTiier's Machine — Prejudice Against the Hydro-Incubator — The 
 Incnbator Trials— How Superior to Previous Machines— Drawback to Hydro- 
 Incubator— Voitellier's Hydro— Owen's Tabular- Arnold's Egg Oven— Self 
 Heating Incubators— Heareon's— New Centennial— "Perfect Hatcher"— The 
 Thermostatic— The Novelty— Advice to Workers. 
 
 It is not at all necessary, now-a-days, to make any excuse 
 for introducing the subject of artificial incubation into any 
 work upon the keeping of poultry, for sucb a method of 
 hatching has passed out of the theoretical into the practical 
 stage ; and, it is not too much to say, that there are thousands 
 of machines at work in Great Britain, in Prance, and in 
 America, as well as very large numbers used for ostrich hatch- 
 ing at the Cape. It is no longer a merely theoretical and 
 expensive hobby, only to be taken up by those who have 
 plenty of time and money at command, but has become an 
 acknowledged success, neither intricate in its method of 
 working, nor expensive in the first cost and subsequent 
 management. But this has only been reached within the 
 last few years, as many can verify, and there is every sign 
 that the use of incubators is very likely to last, the results 
 already attained being sufficient to justify this belief. 
 
 In theory, there has never been any difficulty abont 
 artificial incubation, because, so far as can be seen, when 
 
Artificial Incubation. 177 
 
 eggs are laid by the hen all that is needed, if they are fertile, 
 is to give the same amount of heat, air, and moisture as if 
 brooded by the mother, and the chickens must come. This 
 has not, however, been found so very easy in practice. In 
 the first place, the heat must be kept regular, like that of 
 the hen ; and, in order to obtain this, most elaborate and 
 ingenious machines have at various times been devised, the 
 object being, of course, to regulate the supply of heat, so 
 that the temperature to which the eggs are subjected might 
 be maintained as evenly as possible. Many of these worked 
 splendidly, so long as the mechanism did not get out of 
 order ; but this mechanism was necessarily so intricate, that 
 very little upset it, and, in addition to this, the cost was so 
 great that only the wealthy could afford to risk so much money 
 over a doubtful experiment. In other machines, where the 
 regulating power was not so susceptible, all went well so long 
 as the outer atmosphere was moderately even, but, as soon 
 as a sudden change came, the calculations were upset, 
 and the eggs chilled or roasted. A hen's body is always 
 about the same in heat, and she sits closely or lightly, in 
 accordance with the weather ; but, as a machine can never 
 be made to think, and cannot be endowed with instinct, pre- 
 parations are necessary to meet all conditions, and these 
 preparations, in many instances, meant complexity and expen- 
 siveness. The accounts of the egg ovens of Egypt, China, 
 and Slam, where artificial egg hatching has existed for 
 centuries, led many to attempt reaching the same end here, 
 and the records of the Patent Office, show the large numbei 
 of attempts made to find success, many of which exhibited 
 very great skill and scientific knowledge. It was forgotten, 
 however, that what was possible and easy in the countries 
 we have named, where the temperature is high and very even, 
 is most difficult in an erratic and cold climate. Even with 
 natural hatching, the difficulties in the way, are greater in 
 
1 78 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 America than in many other countries; and, wherever a 
 changeable climate is found there are great difiBcnlties to 
 contend with, both in natural and artificial incubation. 
 This is even exemplified in the difference between the south- 
 ern and the northern parts of the country, for in the former 
 chickens can, as a rule, be hatched some three or six weeks 
 earlier than in the latter. 
 
 As we have just stated, many attempts have been made 
 to solve the problem, some of which promised to, and did, 
 attain a measure of success. A generation or two ago, 
 Messrs. Brindley, Schroder and Cantello, worked hard at 
 the question; and, in later years, Messrs. Vallee, Boyle 
 and Penman have done the same ; but, it is with no idea of 
 discrediting those gentlemen, that we say, they did not really 
 help to arrive at the true solution. Mr. Boyle spent a veiy 
 great deal of time, and several hundreds of pounds, in his 
 experiments, and his machine displayed great scientific know- 
 ledge and skill. It was fitted with the best regulator we 
 have ever seen, which was so delicate, that we have known 
 it maintain the temperature for weekfi, with a variation of 
 only half a degree, in most changeable weather. The incubator 
 of Mr. Penman was also very cleverly devised, and worked 
 well ; but, in both these machines, the mechanism made them 
 expensive, and the many fine and delicate movements, to 
 regulate the supply of air, moisture, and heat, made the 
 working of them difficult, or, at any rate, too difficult for the 
 results. Doubtless the makers, and a few others, were able 
 to work them, but ordinary folks could not ; and, although 
 many tried, few succeeded in their endeavours. And, again, 
 gas or oil lamps were used as the heating power, the cost 
 for either of which was expensive under the system adopted, 
 and, not only so, but the great consumption of gas or oil, 
 charged the air with impurities, which often killed the germ 
 in the egg, either early or late in the process. And, in 
 
Successful Incubators. 179 
 
 addition to this, the art of artificial rearing was very little 
 nnderstood, so that even when the birds were hatched, they 
 died off iu large numbers afterwards. 
 
 The numberless failures — for there were scores who made 
 and tried artificial incubators, who were never known to fame 
 — gave the general impression that there must be something 
 supplied by the hen, unknown to man, but which is necessary 
 for the successful hatching of the eggs. This was after- 
 wards proved to be erroneous, and that the failures had 
 been the result of a false system, upon which they had all 
 been made. The Paris Exhibition of 1877 was an im- 
 portant period, so far as this question was concerned, for, at 
 it, there were shown incubators upon an altogether new 
 principle, and these have revolutionised the system, turn- 
 ing into a success that which was an entire failure pre- 
 viously. The machine we now speak of, is the hydro- 
 incubator, invented by a Frenchman named Eouillier, and 
 which, in its arrangements and mode of working, is simplicity 
 itself, so simple that we wonder no one ever thought of it 
 before. The main idea worked upon is, that a large body 
 of water, embedded in non-conducting material, so as to 
 prevent exposure to the atmosphere, will retain its heat for a 
 very long time. These incubators have very large tanks, 
 holding about fourteen gallons of water, which are divided 
 into three horizontal compartments, each communicating with 
 the others by means of a few small holes. This tank is 
 placed in a wooden case, and surrounded on all sides, save 
 the bottom (under which is the egg drawer), by an inch or 
 more of felt, or some other non-conducting material, tightly 
 pressed down. When this tank is filled with hot water, it 
 is found that the water only loses from two to five degrees, 
 every twenty-four hours, according to the temperature of the 
 place where it is kept. If the water in the top compartment 
 only be drawn off, and that in the lower ones be left undis- 
 
i8o Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 turbed, the former being again filled with boiling water, the 
 heat from this will gradually affect the lower body, and prevent 
 its going down. By repeating this every twelve hours, the 
 heat in the egg drawer can be maintained at almost any 
 degree of temperature, with a scarcely perceptible variation, 
 and, as there is no great expense in the making of such a 
 machine, no intricate mechanism to get out of order, no cost 
 for gas or oil, or combustion of these latter to vitiate the 
 atmosphere, the advance upon the old system is very great, 
 and, in practice, the hydro-incubator has been found very 
 simple and efficient, so that now there are large numbers in 
 operation. The inventor of this machine has stated that, in 
 one year he hatched upwards of 44,000 chicks in these 
 machines. In the district of France where he lives, the 
 poultry keepers bring their eggs to him to be hatched, and go 
 three weeks afterwards for the chicks, one in three of the 
 birds thus brought out being paid for the trouble involved. 
 
 Hydro-incubators, on their introduction to our breeders, 
 had to contend with a very great deal of prejudice and oppo- 
 sition. They were altogether against all preconceived notions, 
 and apparently were more for playthings than actual work 
 The very fact of having to supply a gallon or two of boiling 
 water twice a day was deemed too great a trouble ; but a few 
 bolder spirits tried the machines, found them succeed very weli 
 indeed, and, at a public trial held in 1879, the hydro came off 
 victorious, which was sufficient to give it a position at once. 
 Many defects had by this time been remedied, so as to make 
 it more fitted for Great Britain ; and the rearers sent out with it 
 were found to be, beyond all question, first-rate things. Thus 
 the hydro at once silenced all opponents, and, from its com~ 
 paratively low price, at once became the machine. We believe 
 we are right in saying that of its opponents in the trial of 
 1879, only one machine is now to be purchased, the others no 
 longer being made. This success has made artificial incuba- 
 
The " Hydro- Incubatory i8l 
 
 tion a fact, and thousands of chickens are hatched every year 
 in incubators. The bearing upon the question of poultry 
 farming is very great, as the attention given to a machine is 
 not more than is needed by a couple of hens, whilst it will 
 do four or six times the work, and /with greater certainty. 
 This has, undoubtedly, had much to do with the recent revival 
 of interest in poultry keeping, and we, therefore, are justified 
 in dealing fully with the question. 
 
 As might naturally be expected, the hydro-incubator was 
 not allowed to have all the field to itself. If its introduction 
 had not done any other good, that of showing where the 
 mistake was in the construction of previous machines was 
 enough to earn our favour. All these machines had been 
 made on the principle of having a small tank of water above 
 the eggs, heated by a continuously burning lamp, or gas jet. 
 In some, the tank was partially embedded, but in others, it 
 was entirely exposed, and in all it was very liable to external 
 atmospheric influences. The result of this was, that every 
 variation of the temperature affected the machine, and, during 
 sudden changes, it was almost impossible for any regulator to 
 withstand the pressure brought to bear upon it. Only one — 
 Boyle's — did actually work smoothly in this way, and that 
 was doubtless partly due to the fact, that its tank was the most 
 protected of all. This constant variation in the temperature, 
 could not but be hurtful to the eggs. But there was another 
 great evil, namely, that the rapid exhaustion of the heat, 
 consequent upon exposure, necessitated the consumption of a 
 comparatively large quantity of gas or oil, with vitiation of the 
 atmosphere already spoken of. On the introduction of the 
 hydro-incubator, therefore, it was at once seen that, with a 
 larger body of water in the tank, and the tank protected from 
 external influences, the heat in the machine would be steadier, 
 the consumption of oil or gas would be very small, and the 
 vitiation of the atmosphere reduced to a minimum, or entirely 
 
i82 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 prevented, and this led to experiments, which have resulted 
 in machines with continuous burning lamps, but without any 
 of the objectionable features in the incubators of the past. 
 
 The incubators now upon the market, both in England 
 and America, are numerous, and there is a considerable trade 
 in them. It is not necessary for us to do more than refer 
 to their leading characteristics, and then any of our readers, 
 who may be inclined to invest in a machine, can form 
 their own opinions as to the one most suited to them ; 
 not only so, but, as each maker issues a pamphlet or circular 
 relating to his own machine, very full information can be 
 got out of these. 
 
 We have seen that the great improvement which the hydro- 
 incubators exhibit over the older ones, is in the larger body 
 of water, as this makes the working of the machine a great 
 deal easier, and maintains the temperature much steadier, 
 than in the old machines, where the bulk of water was only 
 one-sixth or one-eighth as great. The chief drawback to the 
 " hydro," is the trouble involved in the partial emptying and 
 refilling of the tank twice a day. In places where there is 
 plenty of hot water at command, or, in a large room specially 
 fitted up for the purpose with hot- water pipes, this is of small 
 moment ; but, with ordinary folks, it means a great deal of 
 labour and trouble. One plan adopted is to have a large tin 
 boiler, holding four gallons of water, standing upon a gas 
 stove on the top of the incubator, in which the water is boiled 
 twice a day, and the water run into the tank direct. Oil 
 stoves have been introduced for the same purpose, where gas 
 is not available ; but, about two years ago, a modification 
 was introduced in the shape of small heating boilers, afi&xed, 
 by means of a couple of pipes, to the side of the machine as 
 is shown in fig. (8), and so constructed, that the water in the 
 tank can be re-heated twice or thrice a day, without the trouble 
 of emptying and refilling. This is done by the simple process 
 
The Hydro-Incubator. 
 
 183 
 
 of having a lamp or gas jet under the boiler, and, by the 
 natural circulation of water, that in the upper compartment 
 of the tank gradually passing through the boiler and thus 
 being re-heated. 
 
 By the use of this boiler twice a day for about an 
 hour each time, the machine can be worked ; and, though 
 this system requires care, yet with that care it is both simple 
 and easy. The makers of the hydro-incubator are Messrs. 
 
 Fig. 8. — Christy's Hydro-Inoubator, with Circnlating Boiler. 
 
 Thos. Christy and Co., of Fenchurch Street, London, who 
 have by their enterprise done a very great deal to solve the 
 problem of artificial incubation and rearing, and their 
 machines are now well known all over the world. In a place 
 ■where hot water is not to be obtained easily, and in sufficient 
 quantity, we know of no better machine than theirs, and we 
 should in such a place strongly recommend it, as there is no 
 danger of fire, no vitiation of the atmosphere, and there are 
 no regulators to get out of order. 
 
184 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 The other machines made on this hot-water principle are, 
 first, that of M. VoiteUier, of Nantes, in France. This is 
 very similar to the Christy machine, except that it has the 
 egg drawer rather differently situated. It is one of the oldest 
 machines, and we have heard very favourable accounts of it, 
 both in this country and in France. Secondly, there are the 
 tubular incubators made by Mr. John Owen, of the Minories, 
 London, which are very similar to the Christy, having a boiler 
 at the side. In this case, the water in the tank is not reheated 
 by flowing through the boiler, but, connected with the boiler 
 are pipes through which the heated water flows, and these 
 heat the water in the tank. And, thirdly, there is the " Egg 
 Oven," a machine invented by Miss May Arnold, of Acton. 
 This is almost conical in shape, and the tank above the eggs 
 forms an archway. The body of water held in it is very 
 large, so that the quantity to be supplied, in order to keep up 
 the heat, is very small indeed. Capital arrangements are made 
 for ventilation, cooling, and moisture ; and, though we have 
 not had an opportunity of testing it in actual practice, as it 
 is of but recent introduction, we have great faith in it, as it 
 appears ^0 be made upon very sound principles. All these 
 machines are made in various sizes, from thirty-six eggs 
 upwards, and are reasonable in price. 
 
 The trouble involved with the hydro-incubators, led many 
 to experiment with self-heating machines, and we appear 
 now to be returning to the original system of continuous 
 burning lamps; but, certainly, they are in a much less 
 objectionable form than at first, as the water tanks are large, 
 consequently the loss of heat is small, and the boilers are 
 made small so that the water in them heats very rapidly. 
 As a result of these alterations, the lamp flames or gas jets 
 are diniinutive, compared with the old ones, so that the vitia- 
 tion pf the atmosphere is reduced to a minimum. These 
 are decided steps in advance ; and, though we should prefer 
 
" Hearsons Incubator.'^ ■ 185 
 
 the hydro-incubators if we were working on a large scale, in 
 which case the supply of boiling water could be easily pro- 
 vided for, we are almost inclined to think that the self-heating 
 machines are better for those who do not wish to conduct 
 operations so extensively. The latter are certainly much easier 
 to work, and are very little more costly than the others. The 
 gi'eatest dangers are in over- heating, and, in the case of lamp 
 machines especially, making the air in the apartment where 
 it is kept impure — a danger which can be obviated to a large 
 extent, by the exercise of a little care in the working of the 
 machine, and by having the room well ventilated. 
 
 One of the best machines of this class, is that known as 
 Hearson's, made by the Sun Auto-Pneumatic Company, of 
 Southwark. We have heard the very highest testimonies as 
 to its capabilities, and recently heard a gentleman, who 
 has about a dozen incubators of various kinds, say that he 
 prefers this one to all the others. Above the lamp, which 
 is placed at one side of the machine, is a chimney, which has 
 two outlets. The first of these is immediately over the 
 lamp, but the other runs through the water-tank and back 
 again, the top of which is the side of the one first named. 
 There is no boiler above the lamp, and the only method of 
 heating is by means of the hot air passing through this 
 longer chimney, for, when in operation, a cap fits on to the 
 shorter one, and the heated air cannot escape in that way, 
 except under such circumstances as we shall presently indi- 
 cate. Below the tank, and just above the egg-drawer, is a 
 metal capsule about two inches square, and in this is some 
 fluid, unknown except to the makers, which expands enor- 
 mously when the heat rises to more than 104 degrees. On 
 the upper side is a rod, which passes up a tube through the 
 tank, communicating, by a lever, with another rod, which is 
 attached to the cap fitting on to the chimney immediately 
 above the lamp. When the machine is in its normal con- 
 
1 86 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 ditioD, this cap remains in position, and the hot air has to go 
 the circuit already named ; but, when the heat' rises above 
 104 degrees, the capsule expands, the lever is acted upon, and 
 the cap is lifted from off the chimney, so that the hot air 
 escapes there, and the machine soon cools down. This cap- 
 sule is wonderfully susceptible, and the incubator is found to 
 work admirably. The usual arrangements are made in it for 
 ventilation, and moisture, without which no machine could 
 succeed. 
 
 ARTIFICIAL mCUBATION IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Although the exact date cannot be ascertainedi, it is 
 believed that the first hatching machine was exhibited in 
 the United States prior to the year 1844. This was a ma- 
 chine presumably of English manufacture, and was called the 
 Potolokian. It was shown in the city of New York. No 
 reference is made in the records of the United States Patent 
 Office to any machine for hatching chickens earlier than the 
 year 1847. In that year, as we learn from the report of 
 Charles H. Page, the then Examiner of Patents, two patents 
 were granted for methods of artificial incubation. As show- 
 ing the state of the knowledge upon this subject and how 
 well these early inventors comprehended the problem await, 
 ing solution, this report is of special interest. The Exam- 
 iner says, " The operation of hatching chickens by artificial 
 heat is much more extensively practised in Europe than in 
 this country, though of late years the traffic in such busi- 
 ness has increased. Two patents have been granted for 
 modes of artificial incubation ; the point aimed it in both 
 being to imitate as clearly as possible the circumstances of 
 nature. A good idea of the invention and its objects may 
 be gathered from a short preamble to one of the specifica- 
 tions as follows : 
 
 " 'Heretofore, in arranging apparatus for the hatching of 
 
American Incubators. 187 
 
 eggs by artificial incubation, it has been usual so to con- 
 struct the same that the eggs are placed in a heated atmos- 
 phere of a temperature which is thought the best for the 
 purpose, so that the whole surface of each egg has hereto- 
 fore been subjected to the same temperature, which I have 
 discovered, after numerous experiments, is highly injurious, 
 and only a very low percentage of the eggs submitted to arti- 
 ficial incubation can by such means be hatched, and I at- 
 tribute that result to the evaporation of too much of the 
 fluid of the egg. It will be found, and it is a well known 
 fact, that the germ of the egg floats at the upper part of the 
 egg, and the bird in natural incubation applies the direct 
 heat of the body to that part of the egg, and the lower part 
 of the egg is comparatively at a much lower temperature 
 than the upper part where the germ is. In addition to 
 which the bird often leaves the nest for a time, by which 
 each egg is more or less ventilated. 
 
 " ' Now the object of the first part of the invention is so to 
 arrange apparatus for artificial incubation that the heat 
 may be contact heat from above, whilst the lower surfaces of 
 the eggs are kept comparatively at a low temperature, and 
 by such means to imitate nature as nearly as may be. I 
 would remark that the arrangement of apparatus for obtain- 
 ing the requisite heat from above to the eggs, for carrying 
 on the process of artificial incubation according to my 
 invention, may be varied; and, therefore, although I shall 
 hereafter describe an arrangement of apparatus such as I 
 have found fully to answer, and is what I believe to be best 
 for the purpose, I do not confine myself thereto so long as 
 the peculiar mode of carrying on the process of artificial 
 incubation by top contact heat be retained. 
 
 " ' The second part of my invention relates to the arrange- 
 ment of apparatus to serve the purpose of the mother in 
 imparting warmth to the young bird, and consists of circu- 
 lating heated fluids through flexible pipes, so that the 
 
1 88 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 young birds can pass under and press themselves against 
 such heated flexible pipes or surfaces ; and such an appara- 
 tus will be found to offer a like mode of applying warmth 
 to the young to that which is offered by the mother ; and 
 the young having a warm yielding surface above, against 
 which they can press themselves, they will not be found to 
 huddle together as has been heretofore very commonly the 
 case in bringing up young birds ; and such huddling 
 together renders the young very weakly andtender, and 
 very few are raised to maturity.' " 
 
 The first of these patents for artificial incubation was 
 granted to L. G. Hoffman of Albany, N. Y., on Feb. 20th, 
 and the second to W. J. Canteto of England, on July 24th, 
 in the year 1847. Both from the records of the Patent OflSce 
 and from other sources the fact seems to be established that 
 Mr. Hoffman was the first American citizen to produce a 
 hatching machine. 
 
 Prom 1847 to 1870, a period of twenty-three years, the 
 U. S. Patent OflSce granted no patents to inventors for ma- 
 chines or for methods of artificial incubation. The first 
 machines doubtless failed to satisfy the expectations of their 
 makers, and the problem of artificial incubation still was to 
 be solved. Although no patents were granted during this 
 period, we are not to suppose that the problem had been 
 given up as insoluble by human skill. Probably men were 
 observing, studying, thinking of the various factors, and 
 though no record remains we are justified in regarding this 
 as not an entirely fruitless period. On December 27th of 
 the year 1870 a patent was granted to Jacob Graves of Read- 
 ing and Henry Graves of Boston, Mass., for an incubator, 
 the first patent granted by the United States for a machine 
 with that name, for the patents of 1847 were for methods 
 rather than machines. While it is not absolutely certain 
 that this is the machine to which Mr. James Eankin, the 
 great duck producer, alludes in his little work, " Sixteen 
 
American Incubators. 189 
 
 Years' Experience in Artificial Poultry Kaising,"yet it cer- 
 tainly possessed many of the characteristics of that machine. 
 That machine was exhibited in Boston in 1868, and appears 
 to have been of very thorough construction. " It was most 
 thoroughly built in every part, and could generate all the 
 heat needed to incubate eggs in a temperature below freezing 
 point." But in operation the difficulty was found to be in 
 controlling the heat. " The regulating apparatus consisted 
 of a glass syphon, some two feet long, filled partly with 
 alcohol and partly with mercury ; the alcohol being inside 
 of the machine and the mercury outside. In this mercury 
 was inserted a wired cork. The heat was expected to expand 
 the alcohol, force up the mercury, and raise the cork." 
 This cork was attached by a small wire to the ventilator, 
 and by another wire to a cut-ofE on the lamp, and had it 
 worked well, it would have cut off the flame and opened the 
 ventilator simultaneously. The difficulty lay not so much 
 in the conception of the regulator as in the placing of the 
 alcohol in the bottom of the egg chamber, where the heat 
 was the least, so that by the time the heat had expanded 
 the alcohol the eggs had been seriously injured by overheat- 
 ing. The machine also was heated on all sides, except where 
 the door was, as well as overhead, which last is the only 
 method now in use, and the reason for which had been fully 
 understood by the inventors of 1847, as appears in the pre- 
 amble quoted. This machine, though showing that consid- 
 erable advance had been made, nevertheless proved quite a 
 disappointment. Inasmuch as the claims in the patent of 
 1870 show a combination of a burner, cylinder, cork float, 
 tube, rod, lever, spring, and crank, so disposed as to accom- 
 plish the purpose, substantially as set forth in the description 
 of the machine given, and as both appeared in the same local- 
 ity, it does not seem a strained conclusion that the same 
 machine is under consideration in both cases. 
 
 In 1871 patents were granted to E. Woodward and N". J. 
 
I go Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 Millet of Oharlestown, Mass., and also to H. J. Haight of 
 New York City. The patent of the latter was for a rotary 
 incubator, so arranged as to turn around gradually, the 
 movement supposing in some way to secui* the more perfect 
 hatching of the eggs. This was a hot water machine and 
 was considered self -regulating. 
 
 In 1872 but one application, and this for some appliance 
 to an ijicubator, and not for the machine as a whole, was 
 granted to Jacob Graves of Reading, Mass., doubtless an im- 
 provement to the incubator, the patent for which had been 
 previously granted. In 1873 no patent relating to artificial 
 incubation was granted, and in 1874 but one, to Mr. H. J. 
 Haight, the inventor of the rotary incubator. In 1875 
 there were two ; in 1876, one to H. W. Axford ; in 1877 
 there were four and the name of E. S. Renwick appears 
 among them ; in 1878 there were two ; in 1879 we count six, 
 among which is J. L. Campbell ; in 1880 the same as in 1879, 
 and J. Dennis Jr. among the number ; in 1881 seven names 
 appear, and that of A. M. Halsted for the first time ; in 1883 
 five patents appear to have been granted, and the following 
 year the same number ; in 1884 but three names are given, 
 but among them appears that of James Eankin ; in 1885 
 there were thirteen patents granted, in 1886 twenty, and 
 in 1887 nine ; in 1888 there were nine, the following year 
 five, and in 1891 eleven ; in 1893 six patents were granted, 
 in 1893 sixteen, and the data for 1894 can not yet be had. 
 We have, therefore, in the last twenty-four years, beginning 
 with 1870, no less than one hundred and thirty-five patents 
 granted for incubators or parts of incubators. And this 
 number by no means adequately represents the number of 
 conceptions that have been embodied in machines for artifi- 
 cial incubation, for there are doubtless as many more that 
 have been built for use biit never have been patented. Not 
 a few of these unpatented machines are automatic in regula- 
 tion and very successful in operation. The writer has in mind 
 
American Incubators. igi 
 
 now one machine, built to hold one hundred egg8,from which 
 its inventor almost invariably hatches fully eighty-five per 
 cent, of the fertile eggs, and has actually taken out of the 
 machine at a single hatch eighty-five bright healthy chicks. 
 If we were to add to the successful unpatented machines 
 all of the unsuccessful experiments that have been made the 
 list would become formidable indeed, and it would prove 
 that the American people are in means of accomplishing 
 artificial hatching, as well as in other matters, a nation of 
 inventors. 
 
 Incubators are broadly divided into two classes, hot water 
 and hot air machines. Each class has certain advantages 
 over the other. The hot water machines, by reason of the 
 heat remaining in the water for a long time, prevent the 
 eggs from becoming chilled in the event of the lamp going 
 out. The hot air machines heat more quickly and easily 
 and hence consume less oil in their operation. If the heat 
 rises suddenly the opening of a ventilator cools ofE the egg 
 chamber quickly before injury can be done to the eggs, 
 whereas if there were a body of superheated water the cool- 
 ing would take place more slowly, and it might take place 
 so slowly that the eggs would be ruined. Water tanks, espe- 
 cially if made of iron, often become leaky in a few years, 
 and may become so during a hatch at the risk of spoiling a 
 batch of valuable eggs. The advantages and disadvantages, 
 however, when the machines have good care, are so evenly 
 balanced that one class of machines can be said to have but 
 little if any real superiority over the other. There used to 
 be a vigorous contention over the character of the heat sup- 
 plied, the advocates of the hot water machines claiming that 
 the heat from their incubators was more moist, and that 
 therefore they prevented the eggs from becoming too greatly 
 evaporated. This contention, it is needless to say, really 
 had no merit in it beyond the fact that if the tube used for 
 filling the tank was left open there would be a little evapo- 
 
1 92 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 ration, and a very little indeed, from the water in the ma- 
 chine, and this would produce a small amount of moisture 
 in the air surrounding the machine. As machines are now 
 constructed with a tight fitting cap to the opening into the 
 tank, 'no moisture can escape into the outer air, no evapora- 
 tion take place, and therefore the heat is just as dry in one 
 class of machines as in the other. This contention has been 
 altogether silenced as the truth has become known. 
 
 Incubators are also broadly divided into two classes, 
 according to the method of regulating the heat. In one case 
 this is accomplished by an automatic regulator which opens 
 a valve allowing the warm air to escape from the egg cham- 
 ber, or which lifts a cap allowing the heat from the lamp to 
 escape so that no more can be added to the egg chamber 
 until the temperature drops back to the desired degree. In 
 the other case it is accomplished by what is known as a 
 lamp trip, which is, usually, a small metal sleeve slipping 
 over the lamp burner and attached to the automatic regu- 
 lator. As the temperature rises the regulator draws up this 
 sleeve, thus diminishing the size of the flame and the 
 amount of the heat. These two methods are sometimes 
 combined in the same machine, the flame being diminished 
 and the warm air being allowed to escape simultaneously. 
 When but one method is employed, although there may be 
 an honest difference of opinion, it seems to the writer that 
 the flrst is the preferable. The lamp trip does not always 
 work successfully, at least upon some machines, and, espe- 
 cially in hot water machines, there is often needed a sudden 
 cooling of the eggs which cannot be secured by the lamp 
 trip alone. A combination of the two methods usually 
 works admirably, but such a combination adds to the com- 
 plexity of the machine. 
 
 The most obvious classiflcation of incubators is that into 
 those without a regulator and those provided with a regu- 
 lator. The former class has been almost entirely supplanted 
 
American Incubators. 193 
 
 by the latter in the markets, though frequently home-made 
 incubators have no automatic regulator. Among the most 
 noted machines of this first class is the invention of J. Den- 
 nis Jr. of East Providence, R. I., patented in 1880. This 
 machine deserves especial notice, not only because it has 
 been quite a successful hatcher, but also because it intro- 
 duced a unique feature into incubators. The most of uhe 
 incubators which are operated without a regulator depend 
 upon the fact that an inclosed body of hot water retains its 
 heat for a long time, the cooling process being very gradual. 
 This is reduced to the minimum by inclosing the tank in a 
 casing packed with non-conducting material. At stated 
 periods a portion of the water is drawn off and its place sup- 
 plied by an equal quantity of boiling water. But the inven- 
 tion of Mr. Dennis, the Reliance Incubator, makes use of 
 soapstone to retain the heat. The soapstone, in which are 
 imbedded hot water pipes, to furnish it with the desired 
 amount of heat, is placed in the upper part of the incuba- 
 tor, over the eggs, in the position occupied by the usual 
 tank. The heat is supplied to the hot water pipes by an oil 
 stove of special pattern. As the hot water circulates 
 through the pipes, the soapstone absorbs the heat, which it 
 gradually radiates through the egg chamber. The body of 
 the machine is made of metal, with an inch space between the 
 inner and outer casings, to be packed with non-conducting 
 material. There are two egg drawers and over each is a 
 ventilator that is kept constantly open. Evaporating pans 
 supply moisture to the air as it enters the egg chamber. 
 The regulating of the heat depends upon the size of the 
 flame in the oil stove. A little experience with a machine 
 enables one to gauge the flame quite accurately for securing 
 the desired temperature for the eggs. This machine, though 
 practically out of the market, did really good work in its 
 day, as has been learned from those who operated it. The 
 perfection to which the various regulators have been brought 
 
1 94 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 has practically driven out of market machines without regu- 
 lators, though home-made machines are often constructed in 
 this way. Outside of the Olentangy Incubator, mads by 
 Geo. S. Singer of Oardington, Ohio, the writer is unable to 
 recall a machine now manufactured for sale that is without 
 an automatic regulator, and even the Olentangy is claimed 
 to be self regulating, though having no automatic device for 
 this purpose. Ten years ago this was not the case, for, 
 besides the Reliance, there were a number of such incubators 
 on the market, among which were the Pacific and the 
 Novelty. 
 
 The number of really valuable automatically regulated 
 incubators is so great that one is embarrassed in the selec- 
 tio n the most representative for description. Popularity 
 is no sure index of the comparative value of the machines, 
 for the one which is the most popular to-day may be eclipsed 
 by a rival to-morrow. Fortunately the purpose of this work 
 is not to decide which is the best, but to show how some of 
 the most representative machines are constructed, with a 
 brief mention of others, perhaps equally as valuable for prac- 
 tical use. 
 
 Among hot water incubators none is more popular than 
 the Monarch, or " Improved Monarch," as it is now called 
 by its inventor and manufacturer, James Eankin of South 
 Easton, Mass. This machine grew out of a need Mr. Eankin 
 felt in carrying on his business as a practical poultry raiser. 
 A machine which he bought, now nearly a quarter of a cen- 
 tury ago, having proved a failure, induced him to experi- 
 ment in the hope of asc'ertaining its defects and of discover- 
 ing remedies for them. The outgrowth of all these experi- 
 ments was the incubator which has now been so long and so 
 favorably before the public. The machine, of which a cut is 
 shown, is constructed with two cases, the inner one of gal- 
 vanized iron, the outer of wood, with an inch space for dead 
 air and heavy sheathing paper. It is furnished with three 
 
American Incubators. 
 
 195 
 
 doors, two inner ones of glass and an outside one of wood. 
 The tank, which holds about thirty gallons of water, is made 
 of galvanized iron, and is located above the egg chamber. 
 It is packed at the sides and on the top with heavy hair 
 felting an inch in thickness. The machine is regulated by 
 the expansion of water. At one end of the tank is attached 
 
 The Improved Monarch Incubator. 
 
 a tube some three or four inches in diameter. In this tube 
 is inserted a float of thin brass foil, which acts upon a hori- 
 zontal bar connected with the extinguishers on the lamps. 
 The action is as follows : when the water in the tank 
 becomes heated above the degree that is desired it expands 
 and, as it expands, it forces up the brass float, which tilts 
 the horizontal bar and communicates its action to the metal 
 
196 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 sleeves, which are drawn up so as to diminish the size of the 
 flame. When the water cools, it contracts again, and the 
 metal float following the water pulls up the horizontal bar, 
 which causes the sleeve on the burner to drop down and 
 increase the size of the flame. On the largest machines two 
 lamps are used, though one is usually sufficient to furnish all 
 heat required. The lamp heats the water through a small 
 copper boiler and a constant circulation is kept up. The 
 machine is furnished with adjustable trays, the egg chamber 
 is roomy, and excellent results have been had from its use. 
 The inventor hatches from 8,000 to 10,000 ducks and chick- 
 ens each year, and many other large establishments use 
 these machines. 
 
 In describing this, and other machines, a free use is made 
 of the manufacturer's description. 
 
 The Challenge Incubator. 
 
 The Challenge Incubator, invented and manufactured by 
 Wood and Paige, Lynn, Mass., practical poultry raisers, is 
 a machine that is giving very general satisfaction among its 
 users. It is a double cased machine, the outer of wood, the 
 inner of zinc, with a space of two [inches, firmly packed 
 with sawdust, between the two cases. The floor is also 
 double, with sheathing paper between. The tank is made 
 of heavy galvanized iron, the boiler of copper, and the con- 
 nections of brass. The circulation of the, water is about the 
 edges of the tank, then through the centre and, as it cools, 
 
American Incubators. 
 
 197 
 
 it flows through a lead pipe passing around the bottom of 
 the machine and thence into the boiler. A good circulation 
 is thus secured. On this return pipe the moisture pans rest, 
 about two inches above which the egg trays are placed. 
 The eggs are turned by a train of friction gears, the simple 
 motion of pulling out a rod turning every egg in the 
 machine. The regulator is a ball attached to a lever, and 
 operates by the expansion of heated water. As the water 
 expands, it rises into a small glass globe. This globe is 
 
 The Eureka Incubator, 
 
 attached to a long lever, one end of which is attached to the 
 cut-off on the >mps. As the water expands, its weight 
 causes the end of the rod to drop, the motion reducing the 
 flame and thus shutting off the source of heat. 
 
 The Eureka Incubator enjoys an excellent reputation. 
 Its inventor and manufacturer, Mr. J. L. Campbell of West 
 
198 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 Elizabeth, Pa., has been for years a more than ordinarily 
 careful experimenter in artificial incubation, and the results 
 of his many experiments he has embodied in his machines. 
 The case of the Eureka is double and well put together. 
 The tank or, in double tray machines, the two tanks are 
 made either of galvanized steel or of copper. The steel tanks 
 are painted inside before they are put together. Moisture 
 is supplied from a pan, and in the double tank machines 
 this pan is a covered arrangement over the surface of which 
 as much or as little air can be passed as is desired. The 
 heat is regulated by a thermometer placed directly over 
 the egg and attached to the centre of a balanced bar or 
 walking-beam situated on the top of the incubator. One 
 end of this beam is provided with a wire that connects with 
 the lamp burner, the other is connected with a valve. 
 When the heat rises the lamp trip operates by diminishing 
 the flame, and the heat is kept at any required degree. 
 The valve will also open and let out the over-heated air. 
 The cut-off on the lamp is of a peculiar pattern, instead of 
 a metal sleeve which slips up and down, being so con- 
 structed that it opens and shuts against the wick from each 
 side. The eggs are automatically turned by a clock-work 
 arrangement, the clock being set to turn the eggs at any" 
 hour or hours the operator may deem advisable. Machines 
 are made of various capacities and with both double and 
 single trays as may be desired. 
 
 Among other hot water incubators which have an excellent 
 reputation may be mentioned the Climax, manufactured by 
 the Climax Incubator Co. of Pitchburg, Mass. ; the Im- 
 proved Monitor, made by A. F. Williams, Bristol, Conn ; 
 the Improved Noxall, manufactured by Geo. W. Murphy, 
 Quincy, 111. ; the Improved Victor, manufactured by the 
 Geo. Estell Co., of Quincy, 111. ; the Buckeye, made by the 
 Buckeye Incubator Co., of Springfield, Ohio ; the Juniata, 
 made by the Juniata Incubator Co., of Yeagertown, Pa. \ 
 
American Incubators. 
 
 199 
 
 the Flower City, manufactured by the Flower City Incuba- 
 tor Co., Rochester, N. Y. ; the Perfected, made by H. D. 
 Moulton, Taunton, Mass. ; and the Reliable, made by the 
 Reliable Incubator and Brooder Co., Quincy, 111. This list 
 is by no means complete, but it gives some idea of the great 
 number of really good machines that are now manufactured. 
 Among hot air machines there is none that enjoys a 
 greater popularity than the Prairie State, manufactured by 
 
 The Prairie State Incubator. 
 
 the Prairie State Incubator Co., of Homer City, Pa. This 
 machine is used extensively in centres of broiler-raising, in 
 the establishments of market poultrymen, and in the more 
 limited quarters of the fancier. The machines are " single- 
 decked," that is, have but one tier of trays. The air for the 
 egg chamber enters from below within a tube which sur- 
 rounds the lamp flue, by which means it is warmed, and in 
 its ascent it passes over the moisture pans, which are situ- 
 ated in the centre of the machine and the top of the egg 
 chamber, thus securing the desired humidity. The flue of 
 the lamp passes upward through the machine and through 
 
200 
 
 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 the radiator and enters a galvanized iron radiator covering 
 the entire top of the egg chamber. Thence it passes upward 
 and out of two pipes at the end of the machine. This gal- 
 vanized iron radiator, warmed by contact with the heated 
 air, radiates the heat from above down upon the eggs to be 
 hatched. The heat is regulated by a thermostat of metal, 
 operating a valve by means of a connecting rod. This valve 
 
 The Pineland Incubator. 
 
 covers the top of the lamp flue, compelling the heat to pass 
 upon the above described circuit, but, when the tempera- 
 ture becomes too high in the egg chamber, the valve is 
 lifted by the thermostat and the heat escapes from the lamp, 
 being no longer forced through the radiator. The operation 
 is a very simple and reliable one. Below the egg tray there 
 is a considerable space, and as the chickens hatch they drop 
 down into this space. This space becomes a nursery for the 
 chicks until the hatch is completed. 
 The Pineland, manufactured by the Pineland Incubator 
 
American Incubators, 201 
 
 and Brooder Co., of Jamesburg, N. J., is another machine 
 that has a good and growing reputation. In construction 
 and general principles this machine is quite similar to the 
 Prairie State. It is regulated by a lamp trip, and it radiates 
 heat from a radiator aboTe the eggs. Its thermostat is a 
 hard rubber bar. In the larger machines there is a division, 
 making them practically two machines. Two lamps are 
 provided and the sides can be operated independently, or 
 one side can be filled with hens' eggs and the other with 
 ducks' eggs, and the hatches will not interfere with each 
 other. This idea is claimed to be original with the Pine- 
 land, though some other machines are now built upon the 
 same principle. 
 
 The Thermostatic Incubator, of E. S. Renwick, is one of 
 the most scientific machines ever produced, but its compli- 
 cation has prevented its general introduction to the public. 
 A mechanic would doubtless pronounce it one of the most 
 perfect machines ever invented. In the hands of one who 
 has a little mechanical ingenuity it would seem that this 
 machine could not fail to give satisfaction, but many oper- 
 ators of incubators lack this ingenuity and consequently 
 prefer a simple, if less scientific, machine. The air, warmed 
 by contact with metallic lamp flues, passes over surfaces of 
 water and, ladened with moisture, is radiated upon the eggs 
 from above, and then, passing through the nursery at the 
 bottom of the machine, it is conducted out of the incubator 
 by a flue at the rear. The heat is regulated by a thermo- 
 static bar which operates a clockwork arrangement that 
 opens and closes the lamp flues as less or more heat is re- 
 quired. The machine embodies devices for turning the 
 eggs, for permitting the chicks to drop into the nursery, 
 for governing the heat, and for whatever else may be neces- 
 sary to secure a compliance with all the requisites of arti- 
 ficial incubation. 
 
202 
 
 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 The Simplicity, manufactured by the Von Culin Incuba- 
 tor Co., of Delaware City, Del., is a thoroughly well built 
 incubator. Its walls are five inches thick, the space between 
 the inner and outer walls being packed with a light, non- 
 
 * In order to give as clear an idea as possible of the construction of 
 an incubator we publish the following illustrations, which show the 
 interior parts of the Improved Simplicity Hatcher. A careful study 
 of these illustrations will show exactly how this machine is con- 
 structed, and will make clear the terms used in describing the other 
 incubators mentioned in this work. 
 
 Von Culin's Impkoved Simplicity Hatchbk. 
 
 
 Fig. 1. 
 
 Figure 1 is a view of the Hatcher, showing one of the lamps, and 
 the general exterior of the machine. 
 
 Fig. 2 is a view in perspective, showing the body of the improved 
 incubator with top and outer walls removed. 
 
 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line XX of Fig. 4 of the improved 
 incubator, showing the thermostat and its connections. 
 
 Fig. 4 is a view in cross section of the space between the inner aafl 
 outer walls of the improved incubator. 
 
American Incubators. 
 
 203 
 
 conducting material. The inner door of the machine is 
 made of glass, but the outer door is of equal thickness with 
 
 Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views. 
 
 AA are inlets for con- 
 ducting hot air into the 
 heater S through pipes 
 BB. When E is open, it 
 allows the hot air to pass 
 up A A and CO, through 
 D, and out at E, making 
 a draft which draws hot 
 air out of the heater 8 at 
 BB, at the same time 
 drawing cold air into 
 the heater S at IIII. 
 
 D is a discharge pipe 
 double the capacity 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 
 of C, and carries ofE hot air from CC out at E when E is open. 
 
 E is the main outlet for hot air, S is 
 the hot air heater, five inches deep. 
 H is the egg chamber. 
 IIII are tubes running through the 
 top of heater S, through which cold air 
 is drawn into heater S, when E is open. 
 K is a thermostat in the egg cham- 
 ber and is on a level with the eggs. 
 
 L is a metal rod connecting the ther- 
 mostat with the lever M. 
 
 J is a ball or cover suspended 
 at the outer end of the lever M, 
 and is made to open or close 
 the outlet E by action of the 
 thermostat K. 
 
 P is a tube running from the 
 egg chamber H through the 
 heater S, and through which 
 pj_ 4 the rod L passes. X is one of 
 
 the lamps, two being used at 
 diagonally opposite corners of the incubator. 
 
204 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 the walls. The thermometer is mounted on a wooden rod 
 and is pushed through a hole in the side of the machine. 
 To examine it one can pull it out and note the temperature 
 without opening either outer or inner door. The thermo- 
 stat consists of a rubber and brass bar, connected with an 
 upright rod, which in turn is connected to a long but very 
 light wooden bar. At the end of this bar is attached a 
 metal cap that fits over the lamp flue. As the temperature 
 rises the thermostat bends down, pulling with it the upright 
 rod, which operates the long bar and lifts the cap, thus 
 allowing the heated air to escape. Heat is radiated from 
 above. This machine, owing to its thick walls and to the 
 complete circuit of hot air, is very inexpensive to operate, 
 the lamp consuming but a very small quantity of oil. The 
 thermostat is sufficiently sensitive to enable an operator to 
 run the machine through a hatch with scarcely any varia- 
 tion of temperature. 
 
 The Surprise Incubator, invented by Prank C. Beardsley 
 and manufactured by the Surprise Incubator Co. of East 
 Billerica, Mass., .and the Homer City Incubator made by 
 the Homer City Incubator Co. of Homer City, Pa. are well 
 indorsed as successful hot air machines. 
 
 Nothing in the circulars of manufacturers of incubators 
 is more misleading than the impression they give, even if 
 they do not directly assert, that experience is not necessary 
 for the successful operation of the advertised machines. 
 It is doubtless true that remarkable hatches have been 
 secured occasionally by inexperienced persons, but it is 
 equally true that experience is valuable in operating incu- 
 bators. There have been condemned, without doubt, many 
 really valuable machines simply because the operator lacked 
 experience ; machines, which, in other hands, would pro- 
 duce admirable results. One of the most successful poultry 
 fanciers in the "United States, a man who raises several 
 thousand chickens each year, said, in an address delivered 
 
American Incubators. 205 
 
 in 1893, " I have tried them for several years, having used 
 all the best machines ; and I would not take the best one 
 that is manufactured to-day as a present, if I was obliged to 
 use it myself. Chickens hatched by the hen are much 
 stronger, larger and finer in plumage ; there is as much 
 difference between artificially produced chickens and nat- 
 ural ones as there is between Jersey butter and oleomarga- 
 rine." And yet there can be named a number of fanciers 
 who could not be induced to hatch and rear their chickens 
 by hens, who find that size, color, hardiness and every 
 other valuable point can be secured by artificial means 
 equally as well as by natural means and with much less 
 trouble. The idea that artificially hatched chickens are infe- 
 rior to those produced by the natural method has largely 
 died out, though it still persists in a few very conserva- 
 tive minds. Prom the time of Eeaamur, who introduced 
 the art into France, by hatching chickens in barrels by the 
 heat of fermenting manure, to the present there have not 
 been wanting objectors to the artificial process. It will be 
 remembered that people asserted in Eeaumur's day that the 
 chickens he hatched in his barrels were unfit for human 
 food because they tasted of the heating material, and that 
 such chickens were absolutely sterile and if the process were 
 persisted in the race of fowls would necessarily die out. 
 Modern objectors have not been quite so absurd, though 
 they have claimed that size would be deficient, shape im- 
 perfect, hardiness impaired, plumage less perfect, and for 
 exhibition the birds would score at least two points less. 
 And these objections had a certain basis, the basis of inex- 
 perience in operating the machines. One gentleman, whose 
 experience may be given as a type of that of the average 
 operators of incubators, has expressed himself to this effect : 
 "The first year that I ran an incubator the results were 
 such as to lead me to think the machine was a delusion 
 and a snare. The few chickens I hatched out of many 
 
2o6 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 eggs were deficient in size and plumage. The second year 
 I had better results, but the artificially hatched and brooded 
 chickens were inferior to those produced in the natural 
 way. The third year, however, when I had learned how to 
 run my machines, gave me such satisfactory results that I 
 prefer the artificial to the natural method. I find I can 
 produce as large, as handsome, as hardy and as valuable 
 chickens by the artificial as I can by the natural method, 
 and I really think I can do even better than that, for my 
 artificially produced chickens are the finest I ever reared. 
 It took me three years to learn how to do it, and I do not 
 feel now that the whole art has been learned ; I expect to 
 improve still more in the future." If this gentleman's 
 recital of his experience is true, and if it is a typical exper- 
 ience, then the best that can be hoped to be done by sug- 
 gestions is simply to shorten the period of learning, not to 
 do away with its necessity. 
 
 One of the first things to be considered in operating an 
 incubator is its location. Many manufacturers claim that 
 their machines will hatch anywhere, and perhaps they will, 
 but the place where they will do the best work is where 
 there is the most stable temperature with a supply of pure 
 air. The cellar of a dwelling house, or what is perhaps even 
 better, a basement underneath the ground on three sides, 
 will secure an even temperature and proper ventilation. It 
 does not matter so much what the temperature is, provided 
 it is not subject to sudden or great changes, because incuba- 
 tors as now constructed are capable of generating a sufficient 
 degree of heat in the egg chamber even in a temperature 
 that is nearly at zero. 
 
 Another requisite of successful management of incubators 
 is the securing the proper degree of humidity in the atmos' 
 phere. Reaumur found that he could hatch no chickens in 
 his barrels until he had excluded all moisture, but the 
 necessity in his case may have been quite as much the keep- 
 
American Incubators. 207 
 
 ing out of foul gases as the exclusion of moisture. Experi 
 ence with incubators, however, has led to quite a change of 
 ideas in reference to the necessity of moisture. At first it 
 was supposed there could not be too much, but less and less 
 moisture has been supplied with constantly improving 
 results. Some admirable hatches have been secured without 
 the use of any moisture in the egg chamber. It seems to be 
 tolerably well settled that when a hygrometer shows the 
 humidity to be about forty- five degrees the air is sufficiently 
 moist for hatching pur,poses. If this degree of humidity is 
 present there is no necessity of adding to it by evaporation. 
 If, however, the air be very dry there is danger that the 
 liquid within the eggs will evaporate too rapidly, and that 
 the membranous lining of the shell will become too tough 
 for the chicken to break out when the three weeks of incu- 
 bation are passed. On the other hand unless the egg evapo- 
 rates sufficiently the chicken grows too large and is unable 
 to turn about in his shell and break his way out. The 
 golden mean between too much and too little moisture 
 should be preserved. 
 
 Numerous experiments have proved apparently that eggs 
 need to be turned once at least in every twenty-four hours. 
 Many ingenious mechanical devices for turning the eggs have 
 been invented, and they are useful, provided the tempera- 
 ture of the egg chamber is the same in all its parts. But 
 this is frequently not the case, and the result is that, when 
 these automatic burners are used, the eggs in one part of the 
 machine hatch, while those in other parts do not. It is always 
 advisable to test the various parts of the egg chamber, and 
 see whether the heat is alike throughout. If it is not do not 
 turn the eggs automatically, but by hand, and take pains to 
 shift the positions daily, so that each egg will, in the course 
 of the three weeks, jccupy every place in the chamber. 
 More uniform hatching will be secured in this way. 
 
 Eggs should be tested after they have been in the ma- 
 
2o8 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 chine a week and the clear eggs removed. This will be early 
 enough for beginners, though with experience one can test 
 them successfully when they have been in the incubator 
 three days. Such eggs as are removed at this testing are 
 perfectly suitable for human food, and are much better than 
 the majority of " store " eggs, especially such as one buys in 
 the summer. A second testing should be made on the tenth 
 or fifteenth day, and every &gg that does not have a strong, 
 live embryo should be removed from the machine. 
 
 After the eighteenth day until the hatch is completed the 
 incubator should not be opened. It may be difiBcult to 
 restrain curiosity, but it'is advisable to do so. If the door 
 is constantly opened the temperature becomes variable at a 
 time when it should be uniform, the hatching eggs are sub- 
 jected to cold draughts that may chill and even kill the 
 chickens just breaking their way out. The percentage of 
 many hatches is doubtless greatly lowered in this way. If 
 you must see how things are going on, content yourself with 
 peeping through the glass of the inner closed (loor, and do 
 this just as infrequently as possible. When the chickens 
 are out and dried will be time enough to count them. As 
 they do not need any food until they have been hatched 
 from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, because of the alnorp- 
 tion of the yolk of the egg, there is no cruelty to them in 
 waiting for the completion of the hatch. When the hatch 
 is completed and the chickens all nicely dried they are ready 
 for removal to the brooder which has already been warmed 
 for their reception. 
 
Rearing — Natural and Artificial. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 EEABING NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL. 
 
 Siie of Eggs — Supposed Ways of Testing Sex and Fertility of Eggs — Formation 
 of Egg — ^The Toung Chicks — First Day after Hatching — Food — Coops — 
 Inflaenco of Early Management — Coddling Injurious — First Three or 
 Four Days — Second Stage — The Bun — Food — Meat Diet — Gh-eeu Food — 
 System in Feeding— Cold Mothers — Troubles with Hens — Artificial Mothers 
 — Management — Outdoor Kearers — Heat — Overcrowding — Teaching Chicks 
 to Eat — ^Turkeys as Kearers. —Water— Milk. 
 
 There is a great variety in the size of eggs laid by the 
 different breeds of domestic poultry, but, the size of the egg 
 is very little indication of the size of the fowl which it will 
 produce. Of course Bantams lay much smaller eggs than 
 ordinary fowls, and ducks much larger ones ; but, if we take 
 the Spanish tribe, which are almost the smallest in size of 
 body, save only Bantams and Hamburghs, they have almost 
 the largest egg of any; whereas, on the other hand, 
 Brahmas and Cochins, which are the largest fowls, have very 
 much smaller eggs than any other domestic fowls, except 
 those already named. Doubtless, they are very rich in quality, 
 whilst the Spanish are rather dry ; but, what we have said, 
 shows that the size of fowl and the size of egg have no regular 
 relationship, and, therefore, larger eggs than those usually 
 laid by the fowls should not be selected for hatching. Very 
 large eggs are generally double yolked and unfertile, or, 
 if fertile, produce mal-formed chicks. The best, and only 
 
2 JO Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 safe plan, is to select ordinary-sized, smooth-shelled, and good 
 shaped eggs, refusing such as are abnormal in any way. 
 We have heard it stated that long and pointed eggs produce 
 cock birds, and that short, round eggs produce hens ; but 
 the belief upon which this supposition rests, is so wanting in 
 proof, and the opposite has been so often shown, that it must 
 be dismissed as incorrect. We have also heard that eggs 
 laid before noon produce hens, and after that time of day 
 cocks, the promulgator of this extraordinary theory declaring 
 that he has proved its truth scores of times ; but this must 
 be dismissed as nonsense. It has been also said, and vrith a 
 greater measure of probabihty, that the fertility of eggs can 
 be told by placing the broad end to the mouth, and breathing 
 upon it. If the egg feels cold, it is unfertile ; but if it is 
 warm, or, to describe it more accurately, appears to give 
 back warmth, it has been impregnated. The reason for this - 
 is stated to be, that a fertile egg contains the germ of life, 
 and that there cannot be life without heat ; therefore, the egg 
 does not absorb the same amount of heat when breathed 
 upon, as when an unfertile, and, consequently, entirely cold 
 egg is tested. We have known many instances where this 
 test has been applied, and the eggs selected accordingly, with 
 the result that they have turned out as marked, when placed 
 in an incubator ; but, we have known other instances, where 
 it has not been found so reliable, and we cannot, therefore, 
 state that the test is an entirely safe one. It is a fact, how- 
 ever, that after eggs have been in process of incubation for 
 ten or twelve days, and are exposed to the atmosphere for 
 five minutes, the living and the dead ones can easily be 
 distinguished, if held in the hand. The former are as warm 
 as when the hen was on them, whilst the latter are quite 
 cold, or very nearly so. 
 
 The formation of an egg is truly a wonderful process, 
 and puts the poor, weak inventions of man into the shade 
 
Rearing~ 'Natural and A rtificial. 2 1 1 
 
 The yolk, which contains the germ, when detached from the 
 ovai-y, finds its way to the oviduct, and is there coated in 
 succession with numerous thin layers of white — which is 
 largely composed of albumen. It has the chalazas — which 
 hold the yolk in position, and are known as the portion 
 which cooks take out when beating up an egg — fixed, is then 
 covered with the two outer membranes or skins, and, finally, 
 before being voided, is covered with the shell. The white is 
 the matter from which the chick is formed, when the germ of 
 life is present, and the egg subjected to the proper conditions. 
 The yolk-bag contains the food of the chick, and, during the 
 process of incubation, this bag hardens, and is absorbed with 
 its contents into the stomach of the bird, shortly before it 
 emerges from the shell. Thus, by a bountiful provision of 
 nature, no food is needed by the chick during the first twenty- 
 four hours of its existence, and giving any food during that 
 time, is not only useless, but positively injurious, so that no 
 attempt should be made to force the birds to eat. Young 
 {)Oultry keepers often get anxious, because the food put down 
 during the first day is not eaten, but for the reason just 
 stated, there is no need to have any fears on that account, 
 and the appetite will come in proper time, for which patience, 
 must be exercised. Another custom is observed by some per- 
 sons, which is a useless one, namely, the giving of a pepper- 
 corn to the newly-hatched chick ; but, unaware as we are of 
 the reason advanced for this custom, it is not based upon 
 experience or upon common sense, and we can only charac- 
 terise it as " an old wives' fable." A still more foolish 
 custom is occasionally found, which deserves the strongest 
 condemnation, namely, that of tearing off the hard scale found 
 on the beaks of aU young chicks — so placed to enable them to 
 break through the shell — and putting it down the throat of 
 the bird. This is not only without anything to recommend 
 it, but is, at the same time, cruel and barbarous, and ai so 
 
212 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 unnecessary, as the scale naturally falls off after a few days. 
 Possibly, if we could trace it, this custom originated in some 
 old superstition, born in an age when there was a charm in 
 cruelty, or, when no thought was given to the sufferings of 
 those who were weak and defenceless. 
 
 When the process of hatching is entirely over, and all the 
 
 birds are out, it is better not to disturb the hen, after having 
 
 given her a good feed, for twenty to twenty-four hours, when 
 
 some hard-boiled egg, chopped fine, mixed with an equal 
 
 quantity of bread crumbs, and slightly moistened with milk, 
 
 should be given to both the hen and her brood. The best 
 
 plan for making the bread crumbs is to get a sieve, about 
 
 ten or twelve inches in diameter, and of a moderately fine 
 
 mesh. This, in use, is turned upside down, and bread rubbed 
 
 through with the hands, in which way, if the loaf is not too 
 
 new, nice even crumbs will be made very rapidly. When 
 
 giving the first feed, it is best to put the food upon a boaid 
 
 in front of the nest, and the hen and chickens placed near it, 
 
 when the tapping of the hen's beak will be sufficient to attract 
 
 the attention of the chicks, and they will soon begin to feed. 
 
 No more than they eat readily should be given, and any 
 
 that is left ought to be removed at once, for the best rule for 
 
 feeding chicks is, little and often. Only sufficient should be 
 
 moistened to serve two or three times ; and, when the weather 
 
 is cold or wet, a pinch of stimulating powder will be very 
 
 beneficial. Clean water in clean dishes must be given, or, 
 
 what is better, warmed milk ; but shallow dishes or saucers 
 
 should be used, or the birds may get drowned. We once 
 
 bought some dishes which were made with a series of rings 
 
 or ridges on the upper side, so that the birds could not 
 
 possibly come to any harm, and the quantity of water which 
 
 each held was, so small that they had to be refilled twice or 
 
 thrice a day. But small fountains, with a cup at one side, 
 
 are even better than these, for the birds can drink out of 
 
The Hen Coop. 213 
 
 them, but cannot stand or get into them. They are made 
 both in ware and zinc, and can be obtained at reasonable 
 prices. 
 
 After the hen and her brood have had their first feed, they 
 should be removed to a coop, either placed in a shed (such 
 as we have before described), or in some warm, dry, sheltered 
 spot, where the sun will reach. A lawn, a meadow, a wood, 
 or, in fact, any place that is grassy, and, what we have said, 
 will answer ; but it must be away from the ordinary hens, 
 as they are very apt, from jealous motives, to interfere with 
 chickens ; and, for the same reason, coops must not be too 
 near each other, without some provision to prevent the hens 
 fighting, which will not be to the advantage of the young 
 broods. Coops of all patterns, shapes, and sizes can be 
 obtained, but if cheapness be desired more than appearance, 
 a box or a barrel is capable of being made into a good coop, 
 by any one handy with tools. The things to be sought for 
 in a coop are — that it shall be dry above and below, ventilated, 
 but free from draughts, easily moved about, having laths or 
 bars at the front, so that the chicks can get out and in, but 
 not the hen, and have a folding shutter, so that the whole 
 can be closed up at night. If the ground be dry and sandy 
 in its nature, or, when the coop is in the shed, there need be 
 no floor, as the straw used will be sufficient ; but, if it be at 
 all damp or cold, a wooden floor should be used. A flour 
 barrel, which can be bought for a quarter, will make two 
 good coops, if the head be fixed on and the barrel itself sawn 
 in two. Laths can then be nailed on to the only open part, 
 constituting it the front, and two or three staves can be taken 
 out of the under sides, so that there will be no floor, or it 
 can be raised up above the ground by wooden feet or bricks, 
 which should always be done when a wooden floor is used. 
 Thus in a very simple manner can a capital coop be made, 
 and at little cost; but if something better is needed any 
 
214 
 
 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 joiner can make one to look nice, or there are plenty sold 
 both at low and high prices. We like those best that have 
 floors separate to facilitate cleaning, and nailed on to two 
 pieces of scantling, the floor fitting inside the coop, and the 
 two sides of the latter resting upon the scantling, for by this 
 means all chance of the wet getting in is obviated. Fig. 10 
 is a capital example of one of these. If the coops cannot 
 be put very wide apart, it is better to use wire runs, as these 
 prevent the chicks wandering away and getting mixed with 
 other broods. In fact, it is always better to use a run for 
 
 Fig. 10.— Chicken Coop. 
 
 the first week, if the coop is outside, moving it to fresh ground 
 every day, but after then, if there is plenty of ground, the 
 run can be dispensed with, and the hen allowed to be out 
 also, at least for a few hours in the day. 
 
 The growing stage in the life of young chickens, as 
 in children, is the time that very largely controls their 
 size and stamina, and therefore much depends upon 
 the method of treatment during such growth. Unless 
 there is a good supply of nutritious food, the strain upon 
 the system will not be provided for, and the chicken soo» 
 
Feeding Young Chicks. 215 
 
 dies, or, grows up a weedy, stunted thing, of no use to 
 any one. "We must not be thought from this to be 
 advocating pampering or coddling, for we do not believe 
 in such a system ; but, there is a way of feeding well in 
 ■which there is no pampering, and as to coddling, whilst we 
 certainly think that the young chicks should be protected 
 from the severe storms, it is much better to put them out 
 of doors — except in severe weather — as soon as they are a 
 week or ten days old. This, of course, does not apply to 
 Tsry early hatched chicks, for, as they are brought into the 
 world at an unseasonable period, they need special treatment, 
 and must be kept in such a house as we have abeady 
 described. There is another advantage also, in giving them 
 liberty, and that is, they can find grubs and worms, which, 
 it must be remembered, are their natural food. But on these 
 topics we have already said all that is needed. 
 
 For the first three or four days, it is better to continue tha 
 egg and bread crumbs, of which the hen should be allowed 
 a share, as it is necessary to get up the tone of her system, 
 which, naturally, is much reduced during sitting, in order 
 that she may begin to lay as soon as she gives up her charge ; 
 othervrise, if she is not well fed, there may several weeks 
 elapse before she does this, and thus " penny wise " will ba 
 " pound foolish." The chicks require to be fed as soon after 
 daylight as possible, and at intervals of two hours until tha 
 evening ; a final meal to be given by candle-light, about tea 
 o'clock at night. If it is not possible to be up so early in tha 
 morning as this may appear to require, a little canary seed 
 should be left overnight, where the birds can get it as soon 
 as they are astir ; but this will not take the place of warm 
 food and fresh milk, so that it must not be made an excuse 
 for idleness. A bad riser is certain to be behind with his 
 chicks — all other things being equal — compared with ona 
 wlio is a good getter up. 
 
2i6 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 Inexperienced poultry keepers are very apt to make a great 
 mistake in rearing chickens, by neglecting those a month old 
 and upwards, for the younger broods. The reason of this is 
 not difficult to realise, for, it is thought that the birds, having 
 got so far in safety, are able to look after themselves, and 
 do not require the same amount of attention as the younger 
 ones ; whereas, the fact really is, that the birds at the age 
 mentioned, need actually more care than they ever did 
 before, or will again. Doctors tell parents that boys and girls 
 in their teens need more support than at any other time. 
 So it is with chicks ; and neglect at this period is attended 
 with very serious results, more birds being lost then, than at 
 any other stage of their growth. The cause is, that the down 
 or nest-feathers, which have enveloped the body, are being 
 shed, and the full-grown feathers taking their place, thus 
 causing a continual drain upon the system ; it is, in fact, a 
 first moult, and there is not the same strength to meet it as is 
 found in adult birds. Extra warmth, additional nourishment, 
 and careful feeding, are all most important to the well-being 
 of the chick, and undue exposure to cold or wet will be very 
 dangerous, and ought to be guarcSed against. Of course, 
 some breeds are hardier than others, and get through this 
 stage much more easily, but the strongest need such care as 
 we have indicated. In fine open weather the feeding will be 
 the great point requiring attention, but, in bad weather, it 
 will be a good plan to put the coop inside the chicken-house. 
 
 When the coop is outside it is better to have a wire run 
 for the chicks, though this can be discarded after the first 
 week, and the birds allowed to run about freely. At the end 
 of another week the hen may be allowed out also ; but she 
 must be kept within an enclosure, or be watched, for, if left 
 alone, she will probably lead them away too far, and tax their 
 strength more than they can bear. For food, oatmeal, 
 Spratt's, or Ghamberlin's prepared meals, may be given 
 
Choice of Food. 217 
 
 alternately, with some crushed herapseed, which, when they 
 are three weeks old, can be substituted by dari or buckwheat, 
 both of which, and the latter especially, make capital chicken 
 foods. Some correspondence has appeared in poultry journals 
 of late, in which the rearing of chicks on grain alone was 
 advocated, and some writers stated, as their experience, that 
 it is better than soft foods. We believe too much pampering 
 does takes place, but, at the same time, we think that, for early 
 broods especially, these warm, nutritious foods are of immense 
 service. Kice is a food which chicks are wonderfully 
 fond of, if properly prepared ; but as it is entirely de'ficient 
 in bone-forming qualities, some bone meal should be mixed 
 with it, or leg weakness will probably ensue. The best way 
 to prepare it is, to put a pint of poultry rice into three pints 
 of water, aiid allow it to simmer (not boil), on the stove or 
 sidfi of the kitchen fire, for a couple of hours, when it will 
 be found that the rice will have swollen out and absorbed all 
 the water. If the soil upon which the chicks are kept, 
 contains plenty of worms and slugs, it can be dug up a little, 
 and there will be no need to provide any animal food ; but if 
 it is sandy, or the birds are kept in a confined space, then 
 some provision must be made in this way. Dead fowls come 
 in very useful for the generation of gentles, and should be 
 allowed to hang a few days, when thousands of fresh flies' 
 eggs will have been deposited. If buried in the run the 
 maggots will soon begin to show themselves, much to the 
 advantage of its inmates ; though upon no account should 
 a diseased fowl be used in this way. Green food should also 
 be supplied, and can take any form that is most convenient. 
 Grass is, of course, to be desired, but not cut grass, if any- 
 thing better can be got. Lettuces, cabbages, and, in fact, 
 pjiy garden stuff of this nature may be given ; and we know 
 of one of the largest breeders in the kingdom, who puts down, 
 'vx his chicken run, a barrowful of lettuces every morniuj,', 
 
2i8 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 and he declares that he would never be able to raise such 
 fowls as he does, were it not for this. A spare corner of the 
 garden may very profitably be set on one side for growing 
 lettuces, and a plentiful supply thus secured. 
 
 There can be no question that the best system which can 
 be adopted in feeding chickens is little and often. For the 
 first fortnight they ought to be fed every two hours, for the 
 next month every three hours, and after that, until they reach 
 maturity, four times a day. As already stated, the first food 
 should be given as soon after daylight as possible, and the 
 plan, or rather want of plan in some yards, of allowing 
 chicks to run about three or four hours before getting their 
 first meal, is calculated to do more harm than most people 
 think of. The leaving of seed overnight is better than 
 nothing, but a warm meal is very much to be preferred, 
 [n large yards, where the food takes some time to prepare, 
 the following system, which we saw recommended some time 
 ago, may be adopted with advantage : — Get a square wooden 
 box, strongly made of thick wood, and line this out with felt, 
 or felt carpeting — sides, bottom, and lid, so that the centre 
 compartment may only be about one-fourth the size of 
 the box itself, the dimensions of which must be regulated by 
 the requirements of the owner. Last thing at night, half 
 cook some food in a tin kettle or pan with lid, made to fit the 
 centre of the box, and put kettle and food just as it is into it. 
 Then close the box, and next morning the food will be found 
 perfectly cooked, and quite hot, whenever opened. By this 
 means, all the trouble consequent upon lighting a fire and 
 getting water to boil will be obviated, and the chicks can be 
 fed as soon as any one is astir, at least half an hour before 
 food could be prepared for them. The last feed at night 
 should be given about an hour before dusk, except to the 
 birds less than a month old, who need a feed by candle- 
 light, and this feed must consist of grain, as it takes longer 
 
Separation of Brood from Hen. 2 1 9 
 
 to digest than meal, and, consequently, keeps up the warmth 
 much longer than soft food would. Intermediate meals 
 should be varied, and it is a good plan to try and change the 
 food as much as possible, as by this means the appetite is 
 tempted and growth encouraged. A bad feeder can never bo 
 anything but a bad thriver, and, change of diet by tempting 
 the appetite, is the best method of inducing the birds to eat 
 heartily. Overfeeding must, however, be carefully avoided, 
 and food should be removed as soon as the birds are satisfied, 
 never being allowed to stand about. 
 
 When the chicks are about six to eight weeks old, the hen 
 will begin to get restless and neglect them, when she should 
 at once be returned to the laying house, and the chicks then 
 put into a separate house and run. If the weather is at all 
 cold or stormy, cold mothers may be provided, or, if not, 
 broad shelves covered with dry sand or earth will answer best. 
 These cold mothers are simply wooden frames across which 
 canvas is stretched, and on the underside of this canvas, strips 
 of flannel, or thin felt, is stitched, so that when raised up or 
 fitted into grooved ends, the chickens get under and are 
 protected from the cold. Generally, however, there is no need 
 for anything of this kind, as the hen remains long enough 
 •with her brood, to enable them to do without further pro- 
 tection ; but, as we stated at the beginning of this chapter, 
 care and attention are specially necessary at this stage of 
 a chicken's existence ; it is better to be on the safe side, 
 and, as there is no artificial heat in a mother such as we 
 have described, there the birds are not coddled by the use 
 of it. Plenty of room should also be given, and we prefer, 
 whenever possible, to divide our chickens, which can easily be 
 done by means of the movable poultry-houses, recommended 
 in the chapter dealing with the subject. The older chicks are 
 very prone to ill-treat the younger ones, and it is for the sake 
 of these latter, as well as to prevent overcrowding, that we 
 
220 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 adopt this plan. The giving of room allows the chicks to 
 run and fly about, which develops their wing and breast 
 muscles, keeps them in health, and assists their growth. 
 Nothing is more miserable than to see chickens, from a 
 month to three months old, cooped up in a small run. No 
 wonder they grow slowly, and are always small and stunted in 
 appearance. 
 
 As we have given a detailed acount cf the various incuba- 
 tors now offered for sale, together with a brief history of the 
 question of artificial incubation itself, it is necessary that we 
 should say something about artificial rearing, for one would 
 naturally appear to depend upon the other. All poultry keepers 
 have at some period been troubled with bad sitters, and, 
 also, with clumsy, negligent mothers, the latter especially, 
 being very annoying. It is, doubtless, very provoking to have 
 a setting of eggs spoiled, but it is even more annoying, when 
 they have been hatched, and the chicks are running about 
 strong and lively, to find some crushed to death, and others 
 dying for want of proper attention from the hen. Hence 
 many attempts have been made, to solve the problem of rear- 
 ing by artificial means. 
 
 These artificial mothers were in use by a few persons, a 
 considerable time before incubators arrived at anything Uke 
 their present stage of perfection, and, as might naturally be 
 expected, they are now very largely used. At first the makers 
 of incubators fitted them to their machines, but this, we 
 believe, helped to make the latter even more unsuccessful 
 than they otherwise might have been, for when any chickens 
 were brought out, they were necessarily kept in runs a foot 
 or two square, and, of course, indoors, so that in a few days 
 they died off, from want of fresh air and proper exercise. 
 The first step towards success was in the separation alto- 
 gether of the mother from the incubator, and they have, 
 since this has been done, been found most successful. At 
 
Incubators. 221 
 
 first sheepskins were used, with the wool downwards, and 
 above the skin there was a hot-water tank, but the chickens 
 were very often hung in the wool, and they, therefore, never 
 became really popular. The first to win anything like 
 popular favour, was a contrivance similar to the one just 
 named, but, with the important exception, that flannel strips 
 were used instead of the sheepskin, and, as there were capital 
 arrangements made for heating, ventilating, and cleaning, 
 much real success was attained by it. The present writer 
 reared large numbers of chickens during several seasons in 
 these machines ; and, as at that time the incubators were 
 unsatisfactory, hens were used for hatching, but, as the 
 artificial system of rearing presented so many advantages 
 over the natural one, the chicks were taken from the hens, 
 when a day old, and placed in the artificial mother. The 
 demand for these mothers was but small, and that kept up 
 the price, so that only a few persons went in for them. 
 
 When incubators a few years ago became more easily 
 worked, there came with the demand for them, one also for 
 the mothers, especially as many who might have thought it 
 cruel to separate the hen and her chickens, could have no 
 such feelings with respect to machine-hatched birds, and all 
 the makers of the former have been compelled to provide the 
 latter also. These are generally made very similar, both in 
 appearance and methods of working. There are, therefore, 
 the hydro or hot water mothers, and, also, those in which there 
 is a continuous burning lamp ; but, whilst we in great measure 
 prefer the former method for incubators, the mothers upon 
 this system are rather troublesome when kept out in the 
 open, as boiling water has to be carried to them twice or 
 thrice a day, and this, in many cases, involves an amount of 
 trouble which becomes a serious burden. To obviate the diffi- 
 culty, some of the hydro-mothers have a lamp and circulating 
 boiler fitted to them, so that by lighting the former, for au 
 
222 
 
 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 hour or two every day, the heat is kept up. This is much to 
 be preferred to the other plan, and saves unnecessary trouble, 
 but the lamp must be so protected so as not to be easily blown 
 out. One of the best mothers we know of, is made by Messrs'. 
 Tomlinson & Co., Birmingham, Eng., called "The Winged 
 Brooder." It is fitted with a continuous burning lamp, so 
 arranged that it can scarcely be affected by wind, or anything 
 else, outside. At the sides are flaps or wings closing in at 
 
 THE "acme" in-door rearer. 
 Fig. 11.— Owen's "Acme" In-door Bearer. 
 
 night, and it can be fitted with outside cover and runs, so 
 that, altogether, it is a most useful appliance. Another 
 very good one, of which Fig. 11 is an illustration, is that 
 made by Mr. John Owen, of the Minories, London. This 
 is provided with a lamp and has a covered run. It can 
 also be fitted with a cover so that it can be used in the open, 
 Mr. Jas. Watson, of Kilwinning, Scotland, has a very good 
 one also, and all the other makers send out mothers more oi 
 less near to our ideal. 
 
 At first it was the custom to keep -the mothers in houses 
 or sheds, but that was found to be d, bad plan. It may be advi- 
 sable to do this for the first few days, and hence the value of 
 a small chicken nursery made by Messrs. Tomlinson and Co., 
 but we do not approve of the plan for older birds. Chicks 
 need, and must have, plenty of fresh air, and the only shelters 
 
Out-door "Rearers." 
 
 223 
 
 we should use, after they are a week old, except very early in 
 the season, are the covers sold with most machines, which 
 protect the mothers from wet, and give the birds a dry run. 
 This is shown in the Christy out-door rearers (fig. 12). 
 These, as will be seen, have wooden sides and glass tops, and 
 
 Kg. 12. — Chnsty's Out-door Eearer. 
 
 can have wooden floors, or not, as may be desired. They 
 have doors, so that the chickens can be allowed out or kept 
 in, as the attendant may think best, and generally are easily 
 moved about, so that the birds may have fresh ground every 
 day. During the first week the chicks should be kept in the 
 chicken house, but after that, unless the weather be excep- 
 tionally severe, they are much better outside. The run 
 should always be dry below and changed every day, with 
 fresh sand or dry earth thickly covering the floor, if it be a 
 wooden one. Pure air and cleanliness are essential to success, 
 and, for this reason, the mother should every day be lifted out 
 of its place, so that all vapours and foul air can get away, and, 
 
2 24 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 at the same time, the whole should be thoroughly cleaned. 
 Where there is flannel for the chicks to nestle amongst, this 
 should be taken out and purified, by having plenty of dry 
 earth well shaken through it. The heat also needs to' be 
 well looked after, as many poultry keepers make a great ybais- 
 take in having their machines too hot, which is a pauch 
 greater evil than a little cold would be. Mothers should neveir 
 be allowed to go above 80 degs., and, except in summer, 
 below 65 degs., but the margin between these two is sufficient 
 for the variations of the weather. It is true that the chicka 
 will not get so close to the tank, if hotter, but too much heat 
 makes them tender, and it is to be remembered, that the heat 
 from their own bodies increases the temperature, so that in 
 summer if the mother was 80 degs. before they went into it, 
 it would probably be ten or fifteen degs. higher after they had 
 been in for a time. The best test is to put the hand against 
 the bottom of the tank, when it may be accepted as all right 
 if just warm and comfortable, but if the hand cannot be kept 
 against the metal it is too hot. Overcrowding is also very 
 dangerous, and we would not be inclined to put more than 
 forty chicks a week old, or twenty-five above that age, into 
 one machine. Nor is it wise to keep them in it too long ; 
 for, if healthy and strong, they may, when five or six weeks 
 old, be transferred to the cold mother, which, as we have 
 already described, is simply one without any water tank or 
 heating arrangements. The state of the weather and the 
 strength of the birds will, however, largely decide this 
 question. As to teaching the birds to eat, which the hen 
 does, this only needs to be done with the first brood. The 
 way to proceed is to put some food on a piece of board, 
 and tap the same with a pencil or piece of stick, to which 
 imitation of the hen's pecking the chicks will readily answer. 
 Later broods can have an older chick put vyith them, and it 
 will in this respect act a maternal part. 
 
Hatching under Turkeys, 225 
 
 In many parts of France, turkeys are very largely used for 
 the hatching and rearing of chickens, the advantage of these 
 birds being their docility, their capability for covering a large 
 number of eggs, and caring for a large number of chickens. 
 It is no uncommon sight to see turkeys, with fifty or sixty 
 chicks, being driven in the morning to a wood adjacent to the 
 residence of their owner, where they are left all day in 
 charge of decrepit old women or young children. In some 
 instances, the chicks have been hatched in incubators, but 
 this is generally in those districts where there are hatching 
 factories, if we may use the term, at which places egg hatch- 
 ing is conducted on a large scale, the peasants taking their 
 eggs to be incubated, and paying a percentage of the chickens 
 for the trouble. But in England, also, many persons have used 
 turkeys with very good results. There are, however, several 
 things necessary to make this plan a success. In the first place, 
 it is necessary to have ground enough, as putting a turkey with 
 half a hundred chicks upon a small piece of land would be 
 a failure, for there would not be moving room, and the ground 
 would soon get contaminated. But, on the other hand, if an 
 unlimited run be given, the turkey must be watched, or she 
 will lead the chicks astray and overtax their strength. It 
 is true she may be cooped, but after the first ten days this is 
 not advisable, and the best plan is to keep her in a fenced 
 run. Where this can be done, turkeys will.be found to answer 
 admirably, but, of course, the houses or coops used for 
 them need to be well ventilated and roomy ; especially so, 
 in fact, because of the larger number of birds to be kept 
 therein. They are very easily managed, and the way to get 
 one to take charge of a brood, is to allow it to sit on potatoes 
 for a few days, and then the chicks may be put under her 
 at night. We have seldom known one refuse accepting a 
 charge of this kind ; but, in order to be on the safe side, it is 
 as well to put only a few in at first If she attempts to 
 
226 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 injure them, they must be removed, but if net, all may be 
 given to her, aud she will be delighted to have so large a 
 family, nursing them in most respects better than an ordinary 
 hen would or even could. When this system of rearing is 
 adopted, special care will have to be given to the weaklj 
 ones, and any so found, should at once be removed where 
 they will not be crowded, and can have individual attention. 
 When the birds are a month old, if of a strong, hardy breed, 
 the largest may be removed to a cold mother, and this will 
 give more room to the rest. As soon as all appear to be 
 grown enough, they may be taken away and a fresh batch 
 given to the turkey, which will rear a couple of hundred in 
 a season in this way without the least objection. 
 
 From first to last the necessity for drink should never be 
 forgotten. Water is the natural drink of all poultry. It 
 should be pure and fresh, the drinking vessels being filled 
 at least daily, and, whenever filled, carefully emptied and 
 cleansed. There are numerous convenient forms of drink- 
 ing fountains, but in the use of them there is a constant 
 temptation for the attendant to neglect to empty them, but 
 to simply fill them afresh. These should never be used for 
 milk, which is excellent for chickens and fowls of all ages ; 
 but this should be presented in shallow pans, so protected 
 that the chicks cannot get into them. 
 
 AMERICAN BROODERS. 
 
 American brooders are even more numerous than Ameri- 
 can incubators, for every manufacturer of an incubator is 
 also a manufacturer of one or more styles of brooders. 
 
 Like incubators, brooders are divided into two classes, hot 
 water and hot air. Both kinds do really good work, but the 
 preference is generally given to the hot water machines. 
 The body of hot water will long retain its heat, and as 
 
American Brooders. 227 
 
 brooder lamps are rather more exposed than incubator 
 lamps there is more danger of their becoming extinguished. 
 
 Brooders are also divided into top heat, bottom heat, and 
 a combination of the two. Top heat brooders are the most 
 popular, and are usually tank or hot water machines. Bot- 
 tom heat is popularly supposed to cause cramp in the chick- 
 ens, though there is not the best of proof to support this 
 supposition. A combination of top and bottom heat works 
 admirably. This may be secured either by the hot water or 
 hot air method of warming the brooder. In the hot water 
 method the tank is situated beneath the floor of the brooder, 
 there being a space between the top of the tank and the 
 floor of the brooder. The air in this space becomes heated 
 and warms the floor of the brooder. Pipes are inserted into 
 the brooder floor and extend up nearly to the top of the 
 brood chamber. Then pipes conduct the warm air from the 
 space between the tank and the brooder floor to the upper 
 part of the brood chamber, from which it falls upon the 
 chickens. 
 
 In top heat brooders the chickens like to get their backs 
 up near the source of warmth, while in bottom heat or in 
 bottom and top heat combined they will flatten themselves 
 out npon the floor. They appear to be very comfortable in 
 either style of brooder. 
 
 Brooder chickens are sometimes kept too hot, sometimes 
 too cold, and in neither case will they do well, although it 
 is better to keep them too cold than too hot. The brooder 
 should be kept for the first week at a temperature of about 
 ninety degrees, Fahrenheit, and the temperature should be 
 reduced from five to ten degrees each week until the chick- 
 ens are removed from the brooder. This removal can take 
 place at four weeks of age in moderately warm weather, but 
 in cold weather they can be allowed to remain one or two 
 weeks more. Some successful raisers advocate the removal 
 of the chickens at the age of three weeks in moderate 
 
228 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 weather, and in four weeks no matter how cold the weather 
 might be. 
 
 While the chickens are in the brooder it is advisable not 
 to overfeed them. Keep them a little hungry, so that they 
 will be eager for their five meals each day, and this will 
 induce them to take the needed exercise. While many 
 advocate a dough of some kind for the chickens, the writer 
 is of the opinion that a dry diet is the best. This may con- 
 sist of millet, cooked oatmeal, very finely cracked corn and 
 wheat, and beef scraps. A mixture of equal parts, or the 
 different articles fed at different times in the day, will pro- 
 duce the best results. 
 
 Grit, shiny, clean, fine is greatly needed. This can be 
 purchased all ready for use or can be made at home by taking 
 a little trouble. But it should be provided. It is very 
 important for the health of the young chicks. 
 
 Fresh water or milk or both should be furnished for 
 drink. If milk is used give it to them before it turns sour. 
 Sweet milk will make them grow rapidly. But when it is 
 not convenient to give them milk, see that the water dishes 
 are kept full of pure, clean, fresh water. 
 
 Cleanliness in the brooder and about all food and water 
 dishes is indispensable. The brooder should be cleansed 
 daily and fresh sand or wheat bran dusted over its floor. 
 Both sand and bran are good and it is difficult to decide 
 which is better for this purpose. 
 
 By following the above suggestions and by keeping the 
 chickens out of the brooders, exercising in the fresh air as 
 much as possible, to which end they should never be fed in 
 the brooder, and by securing one of the many admirable 
 brooders made, a very large percentage of the chickens can 
 be reared to maturity. 
 
 Among the best American brooders is the Billings, manu- 
 factured by the L. C. Billings Co., of Milford, N. H. This 
 is a well built machine, having a tank for the hot water situ- 
 
American Brooders. 229 
 
 ated above the brood chamber. The brooder is divided into 
 compartments, usually two or three, the floor of each being 
 removable like a drawer in a desk. It is but a moment's 
 work to draw out this floor, empty the fouled sand, add new 
 sand and put it back into its place. Unlike most brooders, 
 the Billings is provided with an automatic regulator, so 
 that the heat can be perfectly governed even in changeable 
 weather. 
 
 Another excellent brooder is that made by the inventor. 
 Earl Barney of Schenectady, iN". Y., and called after his 
 name, the Barney brooder. This is a well built, hot water 
 brooder, but is a rather expensive machine, the price being 
 from $30 to $40, according to finish and whether for outdoor 
 or indoor use. The same inventor has also a hot air brooder 
 embodying similar principles to his hot water brooder and 
 selling for something less. 
 
 The Pineland Incubator and Brooder Co., of Jamesburg, 
 N . J., manufactures several styles of brooders, among which 
 the Sectional is perhaps the best known. One feature of 
 this firm's make of brooders is the adjustable floors which 
 adapt the height of the brood chamber to chickens of any 
 age and size. The brooders are tank machines, the heat 
 being distributed by the circulation of hot water. They are 
 all well built and do good work. 
 
 The Prairie State Incubator Co., of Homer City, Pa. is 
 also a large manufacturer of good brooders in several styles. 
 This company builds outdoor and indoor, hot water top heat 
 and hot air top and bottom heat brooders, and in construc- 
 tion and execution these machines are equal to the reputa- 
 tion of this well-known company. 
 
 The Ayer Brooder Co., of Ayer, Mass., manufacture 
 the Apollo brooder, the invention of A. A. Fillebrown. 
 This brooder operates admirably and is a very successful 
 machine, its principal drawback being the difficulty of clean- 
 ing it. This it is hoped the yiventor will remedy. 
 
230 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 
 
 The Olentangy Brooder, made by George S. Singer of 
 Cardington, Ohio, has had a large sale. It has a circular 
 tank in the centre of the brooder which holds, the heated 
 water. It is claimed that this arrangement prevents crowd- 
 ing and that the chickens will spread out around the sides. 
 
 Many more admirable brooders could be named, but the 
 above perhaps sufficiently illustrate the principle upon 
 which they are constructed. There is little danger of get- 
 ting a really poor brooder, though of course all are not 
 equally good. But whatever make is used it is desirable to 
 avoid bottom heat alone ; let the brooder be either top heat 
 or a combination of top and bottom. 
 
 In addition to the many separate brooders which are 
 made, there are numerous designs for brooder houses, the 
 general principle of which is the same, though the particu- 
 lar applications may differ in details. This principle is a 
 number of hot water pipes, with returns to a boiler or 
 heater, by means of which a constant circnlation of hot 
 water is kept up. The chickens warm themselves beneath 
 these pipes. While this method reduces the labor and can 
 be employed, perhaps, with advantage in large establish- 
 ments, it is not believed to give so good results as are ob- 
 tained by the use of separate brooders. Such a system is 
 not needed by the person who rears one or two hundred 
 chickens annually. 
 
Food and Feeding. 23 1 
 
 CHAPTER XVm. 
 
 FOOD AND FEEDINa. 
 
 Pood the Pnel of aU Life— Bffect of Bad Pood— Effect of Orer-feeduig— Pood for 
 Fowls in Confiiiement not to be same as when at Libert; — What is Needed in 
 Pood — Qualities of the Grains-Barley— Oats— Wheat— Maize— Backwheat 
 — Pulse — Bice — Bone-meal— Water. 
 
 The question is often asked, especially by new beginners in 
 poultry-keepuig, what is the best food for poultry, and the 
 matter is of such great importance, that we wish to deal with 
 it folly, so that our readers may know what is the best food 
 for poultry under the conditions in ■ which their fowls live. 
 That food must have a very great influence upon the health 
 and success of the birds, wiU be acknowledged at once by aU, 
 for it is virtually the fuel which keeps the engine going, and 
 any neglect to supply this fuel, or the supplying of improper 
 fuel, means that the machine will not work properly, and 
 that there wiU be a great loss of power. This is the case 
 with aU animals, and the attention which has been paid to 
 the question of feeding by scientific men during late years, 
 shows that the importance of the matter has been somewhat 
 realized. But even yet there is a considerable amount of 
 ignorance on the matter, for there are many who appear to 
 think that so long as an animal or bird gets plenty of food, 
 that is all that the owner need care about ; but this disregard 
 to the kind of food so given, to its effect upon the birds 
 themselves, and to the conditions under which they labour. 
 
232 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 is mo8t injurious, for the saying, " What is one man's meat 
 is another man's poison," holds good so far as fowls are con- 
 cerned, as much as it does for human beings. Feeding upon 
 bad or unsuitable food must always be very harmful, for, as 
 the food is given to repair the waste of the system which 
 goes on daily, and the body in its various parts is really 
 renewed by the food eaten, it will be seen that this bad food 
 naturally brings on diseases, or injures the system by failing 
 to supply those elements that are necessary to it. Eating 
 to repletion by fowls is generally due ;to want of system in 
 feeding, or the giving of food that is tempting to the appetite 
 — probably because of its being rich in its nature — and 
 this means that the food will have certain qualities or 
 elements in excess, which will, in their turn, develop other 
 qualities in the birds, and thus may be positively injurious 
 instead of beneficial. There is, perhaps, more harm done by 
 the giving of rich and unsuitable food than in any other way, 
 and many diseases at one time foreign to fowls have been 
 thus made prevalent. How much food should be given has 
 already been dealt with, in the chapter on " The selection of 
 stock birds, " and we need not repeat it here. 
 
 It will be seen that one object in giving food, is to supply 
 the daily waste that goes on in the system, for, if the matter 
 thus eliminated is not replaced, the bird will soon die from 
 exhaustion. The first thing, therefore, is to supply this 
 waste, but if only this is done, the bird will be just kept 
 alive, no more. As fowls must be regarded as producing 
 machines, they have to be supplied with the materials 
 necessary for production, or it cannot take place, and we must 
 have regard to the elements needed for composing whatever 
 is produced, if we wish to do it with the greatest ease, and 
 with the least wear and tear to the fowl. But in addition to 
 this, we must not forget the conditions under which the 
 fowls are kept, for, the activity of the birds, the amount of 
 
Food and Feeding. 233 
 
 space given to them, and the kind of food they are able to 
 obtain for themselves, all of which should guide the selection 
 of that given to them. Many persons appear to think, that 
 if they give the same food to fowls in confinement that 
 they obtain when at liberty, all will be well ; but such is not 
 the case. Under the latter circumstances the food consists 
 of worms, slugs, and grain, the two former chiefly, and we 
 are sure that if the same amount of animal food was given 
 to birds in a limited run, that is obtained by those at liberty, 
 it would result in disease very speedily. Birds with plenty 
 of space are much more active than those in confinement, 
 and eliminate surplus matter from the system very rapidly. 
 As this elimination means exhaustion of fatty matter chiefly, 
 because exercise causes warmth, which is the result of a 
 consumption of oil in the body, fat-forming foods can with 
 advantage be given to such fowls ; whereas, on the other 
 hand, birds that are in confinement do not consume the oil 
 so rapidly, and if as much fat-forming food is given to them, 
 it cannot be used, but will clog up the machine, storing the 
 fat by laying it on internally, and this storage will be found 
 an evil instead of a benefit. The great chemist, Liebig, 
 used to say that all fat was a disease, and that it should not 
 be allowed under any circumstances; but, whilst we are 
 not able to accept this statement fully, for it must be 
 remembered that a slight reserve of fat is beneficial as a 
 reservoir of heat, yet there can be httle doubt, that if this fat 
 is not consumed before any more is stored up, and one layer 
 piled upon another, then it takes the form of disease. It 
 is not a pleasant thought, but, nevertheless, it is a fact, that 
 what we are accustomed to consider ripeness or tenderness, 
 is but the first stage of decay. For instance, a piece of meat 
 may be rather hard if cooked soon after the animal has 
 been killed, but if kept a few days will become tender. We 
 do not for one moment wish to argue that such " tender " 
 
234 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 meat is injurious, for, on the contrary, if not tainted it is 
 much easier to digest, and better in every way than newly- 
 killed meat ; but we are using the fact simply as an illustra- 
 tion of our point, namely, that fat, unless soon consumed, is 
 of itself a tendency to disease. 
 
 In addition to what we have already said, namely, that the 
 conditions under which the birds are kept must be considered, 
 the object for which they are fed needs to be regarded also. 
 The various foods have many different qualities, some grains 
 being well balanced, and others having an excess of one or 
 two elements. Thus it is necessary to consider what is the 
 object in view, for it will be obviously manifest to all, that 
 foods which may be useful for one purpose will be useless for 
 another. Thus where eggs are to be produced, for which 
 many elements are needed, chiefly albumen and oil, with no 
 one element greatly in excess, then a well-balanced food is 
 needed. But where birds are being fattened for killing, 
 then it is best to give foods which contain a large quantity 
 of flesh or fat-forming qualities, as these cause the plumpness 
 which is so desirable in table fowls, and where such foods are 
 not given, then if the birds do get into good condition, there 
 must be a large waste of unneeded qualities before this can 
 be secured. And when chickens are being reared, it is most 
 desirable that they should have food which will develop bone 
 and muscle, not merely fat, except when intended to be early 
 killed for the table, for birds fed upon flesh-forming foods 
 only, have not strength of frame to support the flesh, and 
 though they may thrive for a time, will soon die off for want 
 of stamina. Birds forced too much go back in the same way, 
 and, therefore, forcing should only be employed with birds 
 intended to be killed early. 
 
 What is required in the food given to fowls, is well 
 described by Mr. Tegetmeier in his Poultry book, when he 
 says : — " To supply the materials required for the growth of 
 
Requisite Constituents of Food. 235 
 
 young animals and for the formation of eggs, as well aa 
 those required to repair the waste arising from the move- 
 ments of the Hying body, a second variety of food is required 
 (in addition to warmth-giving foods), for the starch and other 
 substances before enumerated cannot supply these wants. 
 Substances possessing this power are termed flesh-forming 
 food. The most important are the gluten, and similar sub- 
 stances, existing in variable quantities in different grains ; 
 in large proportions in the varieties of pulse, as beans, peas, 
 &c. ; and in the materials which form the solid parts of the 
 flesh of animals, of eggs, of milk, &c. In consequence of 
 these substances containing the element nitrogen, which is 
 wanting in the other varieties of food, they are frequently 
 termed nitrogenous foods ; whilst the fat-forming and 
 warmth-giving are called carbonaceous foods. The mineral 
 and the saline substances contained in the bones, and in other 
 parts of the bodies of animals, occur in larger proportion in 
 the bran than in the inner part of the grain. A due supply 
 of bone-making and saline materials is absolutely requisite 
 to the growth of a healthy animal ; as if wanting in the 
 food, the bones become soft and the general health speedily 
 fails." It will thus be seen that what is required in a well- 
 balanced food, are qualities for warmth-giving, flesh-forming, 
 fat, or oil, and bone-making ; but, as there are few foods which 
 are so balanced, and at the same time as foods are required 
 for special purposes, such as chicken-rearing and fattening, 
 only those foods suitable should be used, or a combination 
 of them. 
 
 By examination the qualities of the various foods have 
 been abundantly proved. If we take barley, one of the com- 
 monest grains given to poultry, we find that it contains a 
 very small quantity of fat or oil, has 13 per cent, of flesh- 
 forming properties, 55J per cent, of warmth-giving, and 4 
 per cent, of bone- making substances. It is, therefore, most 
 
236 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 suitable for rearing purposes, and for egg production, though 
 in cold weather some food with more fat in it should be 
 given, so as to make up for the deficiency in this respect ; but 
 in summer this is not necessary, and then barley is one of 
 the best foods we have for the purpose* named, whether 
 whole or ground. If used in the latter way, care must be 
 taken to have the meal good, pure, and freshly ground, for 
 often it is made of inferior grain, or the good meal is mixed 
 with some other stuff to cheapen it. The pure can 
 easily be told, as it is rough, and there is not much fine dust 
 about it. 
 
 We come next to oats, which are, perhaps, the best 
 balanced of all the grains, having 6 per cent, of fat or 
 oil, 15 per cent, of flesh-forming, 47 per cent, of warmth- 
 giving, and 2 per cent, of bone-making properties. The husk 
 or fibre is extremely great, being 20 per cent, of the whole. 
 Oats are not, however, very much used, as only the best 
 kinds are relished by the fowls, and these are somewhat 
 expensive. Poor kinds, such as are known as long or Tartar 
 oats, are not good food, and contain more husk than anything 
 else, which, though good in its place and in proper quantities, 
 is not of much use. Provided the best oats are ground up, 
 husks and all, they make an admirable food ; but we have 
 commonly found great difficulty in obtaining these ground 
 oats, and millers do not appear willing to take the trouble 
 involved in the making of this meal, especially as so little is 
 used. Oatmeal is of a different nature to either whole or 
 ground oats, for the process it undergoes on the kiln, and 
 the removal of the husk, gives it different qualities. It is, 
 however, splendid for chickens, and for fattening purposes, 
 and a fowl fed upon it makes splendid eating. 
 
 The chief of all the grains, wheat, is not much used for 
 fowls, except on farms where there is plenty on hand, for it 
 is an expensive food. There are, however, large quantities of 
 
Grain Food. 237 
 
 L'hrunken wheat, the screenings from the better and perfect 
 grain, used ; and also the smaller and inferior samples. 
 The best contains 3 per cent, of fat, 12 per cent, of flesh- 
 forming, 70 per cent, of warmth-giving, and 2 per cent, of 
 bone-making properties, with very little husk or fibre, and 
 it is, therefore, one of the best winter foods for general 
 purposes, though not suitable for fattening. It may be 
 interesting to many of our readers to learn that the small 
 wheat, or screenings, is, as a rule, better for poultry feeding 
 than the best quality of grain, as it is richer in flesh-forming 
 qualities than is the other. When ground up for poultry 
 feeding, the meal so made should be mixed with some other 
 kind, such as barley meal or ground oats, as it is rather too 
 stiff and pasty when the water is added to it, if given alone, 
 but if so mixed this will be prevented. 
 
 Indian corn, or maize, is a food which has always been 
 employed in this country, chiefly because of its cheapness, 
 for it is undoubtedly, or has been, the cheapest of all grains. 
 It has more fat or oil than any other, namely, 8 per cent. ; 
 it has also 13 per cent, of flesh-forming, 65 per cent, of 
 warmth-giving, and 1 per cent, of bone-making qualities ; so 
 that its tendency is to lay on fat, and the want of bone-form- 
 ing substances makes it by no means a well-balanced food, 
 except for fattening purposes. The free or exclusive use of 
 it often does harm, as it promotes the formation of internal 
 fat, which soon checks laying, and, if long-continued, induces 
 apoplexy and probably diseases of the internal organs. It is, 
 however, an admirable fattening food, but, when used for 
 this purpose, should be ground and swelled with scalding 
 water and fed in alternation with whole corn or some other 
 grain. It is admirable for feeding whole to all kinds of poul- 
 try for the night feed, especially in cold weather, as it digests 
 slowly and keeps them warm all night. Corn or cornmeal 
 should only be given to laying fowls in cold weather, and even 
 
238 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 then ought to be accompanied by three or four times its bulk 
 of other binds of grain or meal, and it should not be fed too 
 freely to birds in confinement. All this may appear to be a 
 strong condemnation of it, yet it is no more than necessity 
 requires, and the undoubted value of the grain in some 
 respects, makes such a condemnation all the more needful. 
 
 The food most used on the continent of Europe for fowls 
 is buckwheat, which is a most admirable food for laying birds. 
 It contains 11 per cent, of oil, and of the other properties, 
 \\ per cent, of flesh-forming, 54 per cent, of warmth-giving, 
 and 2 per cent, of bone-making substances. It will be seen 
 from this that the fattening property is small, but the other 
 qualities and its stimulating nature, make it specially suitable 
 for laying fowls, and it is equally so whether whole or 
 ground. If ground, the husk should not be taken from it, 
 for though this does not contain much nutriment, it prevents 
 the finer meal becoming stiff and pasty, which it would be 
 very much inclined to do were it absent. ^ 
 
 All kinds of pulse, such as peas, beans, and tares, are very 
 strong in flesh-forming substances, having 2 per cent, of fat 
 or oil, 23J per cent, of flesh-forming, 48 per cent, of warmth- 
 giving, and 2| per cent, of bone-forming qualities. These 
 are not suitable for fowls if given alone, as they are too 
 stimulating, and the excess of flesh-forming qualities causes 
 a hardening of the muscular fibres, and the flesh produced is 
 too hard for eating. In fattening fowls for table use, these 
 are found useful to mix with other foods, but alone are not 
 to be recommended for the reason already given. 
 
 Eice consists almost entirely of warmth-giving qualities, 
 starch forming the chief of all. Of fat or oil there is but a 
 trace, of flesh-forming substances but 6J per cent., and of 
 bone-forming qualities only \ per cent., whilst of the warmth- 
 giving qualities there is 75j per cent. On this account it is 
 only suitable for birds being fed for the table, and layers 
 
Food for Young Chickens. 239 
 
 kept on it do not thrive at all, whilst for chickens not intended 
 for early killing, it is one of the worst foods possible. It 
 should, therefore, not bo used except for the special purpose 
 already named by us. Dari, millet, hemp, and other seeds 
 are all useful for young chickens, but otherwise are not suit- 
 able for fowls. Although not really a poultry food, in the 
 sense that birds can be fed on it alone, bonemeal is a most 
 useful thing for mixing with such foods as are deficient in 
 bone-forming substances. For chicken rearing it is invalu- 
 able, and is a great preventive of leg weakness, also being 
 very good for adult fowls occasionally. Care must be taken 
 to purchase the right kind, made from fresh bones, and not 
 the scrapings from the bone-handle makers, which are of no 
 use whatever. 
 
 Fowls of all kinds and ages should have access only to pure 
 water. Barnyard leachings, water from the kitchen sink, or 
 in villages that flowing in gutters and alley-ways are all un- 
 wholesome and liable to cause disease. Stagnant water of 
 any kind is bad. Fowls should always be supplied with fresh, 
 pure water, and the drinking vessels should be easily acces- 
 sible for confined fowls in the runs or houses. The drinking 
 fountains before mentioned, which are of tin, galvanized iron 
 or earthenware, are excellent devices provided they are emp- 
 tied, cleansed and rinsed out whenever filled. 
 
240 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 BAELT EGGS AND CHICKENS. 
 
 Early Kggs and Chickens bring High Prices — How to Secure Them. — ^Fnllete to 
 be Used — Hens to be Mated Earlj — 0ood Housing and Feeding. 
 
 The first object of every poultry keeper, who wishes to 
 succeed in his business, is to have his produce ready for market 
 when the commodity is scarce, as, of course, he can get a 
 much higher price then than at any other time. This holds 
 good in everything, and if we compare the cost of articles 
 in season and out of season, it will be seen how large the 
 margin is to pay for the additional labour and trouble 
 which must be expended in order to obtain the articles 
 out of due time. That this labour and trouble is needed, 
 no one need doubt for a moment, and the getting of early 
 eggs and chickens demands it, but the profit far more than 
 compensates. Eeally fresh eggs can be sold, in many towns, 
 from November to March at forty-five to sixty cents a 
 dozen, and fine, plump chickens vary from twenty to 
 thirty-five cents a pound until May, the highest prices being 
 obtained in Eastern cities. We do not mean to say that 
 these are the prices actually obtained by the producer, 
 for, unfortunately, middle-men take far too large a share 
 of the profits ; but, wherever there is a large permanent 
 population, customers can always be found for really ft-esh 
 eggs and plump home-fed chickens, and at the best prices. 
 
Early Eggs and Chickens. iii^i 
 
 There are also large dairy companies and hotels ready to 
 contract for taking fresh eggs all the year round at good 
 paying figures ; but in every case, whether the sales be made 
 privately or not, there must be the certainty of the eggs 
 being fresh. Ordinary (so-called) new-laid eggs, as sold in 
 the shops, are generally a week or ten days old at least, 
 because they are only sent to market once a week, so that 
 probably the freshest ones were laid two or three days before 
 that, and others are still older. This uncertainty makes 
 eggs really new-laid in constant demand. 
 
 A very frequent complaint amongst poultry keepers, is 
 that they can get any number of eggs at the time when 
 they are plentiful, and therefore cheap, but when eggs are 
 scarce they get few or none. In many instances this is due 
 to the unsuitability of the breed ; but we need not say more 
 on this question, as it has been dealt with very fully in a 
 previous chapter. What is wanted is to keep only those 
 birds known as prolific layers, such as Leghorns, Minorcas, 
 Houdans, Black Hamburgs, Langshans or Plymouth Rocks. 
 Then, again, there is the matter of housing and feeding, both 
 of which are most important, and should have the greatest 
 attention. We need not, however, say more on this matter 
 either, as we have dealt with both these questions before. 
 There are people who have the right kind of birds, who 
 house and feed them well, and yet who cannot obtain egga 
 very early in the year, and, of course, cannot have early 
 chickens, the entire cause being that their birds are too 
 old. Birds above two years old do not commence laying 
 untn the end of February or the beginning of March, no 
 matter how good layers they may be, and if only these be 
 used, then neither early eggs nor chickens can be expected, 
 and certainly will not be obtained. 
 
 Hence it will be seen that to obtain early eggs, only 
 young birds, that is pullets of the first or second year, must 
 
242 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 be used. Birds of the various breeds already named, if 
 hatcbed in March and April, will begin to lay at latest in 
 September, October, or November, and will continue to do 
 so right through the winter. At first the eggs will be 
 small, but will gradually improve in this respect, and 
 pullets of the previous year will, if well housed, begin to 
 lay about December, and their eggs will be large and well 
 formed ; so that the matter, if carefully managed, is not 
 very difficult, and a constant supply of eggs can be obtained. 
 It is of no use expecting that May or June hatched birds 
 will commence to lay before the spring ; they may do so, 
 if the autumn and early winter are very favourable ; but 
 that, of course, is not a matter that can be arranged. 
 January and February hatched birds are too early to be 
 used as layers, and do not, as a rule, answer for this purpose, 
 as they begin about August, fall into a moult a little later 
 on, and are very uncertain in their produce during the 
 winter. For eggs, therefore, we prefer birds hatched in 
 March and April, and not more than two years old. In a 
 well-arranged yard, half the stock of layers will be bred 
 each year, and half will be killed off annually. This plan 
 we have seen adopted in many yards, and can strongly 
 recommend it. 
 
 Those who wish to have early chickens must follow the 
 same rule. The pens should be mated together early in 
 November, for the earliest hatches, and later in the month 
 for those not required so soon. By using pullets of the 
 first year for the former, and those twelve months older 
 for the latter, with young and vigorous cockerels, fertile eggs 
 may be expected within a few days of the birds being mated, 
 and thus a succession of chickens produced, to be ready at 
 the time when they are scarce and dear. Of course the 
 number of pullets to each cock must be regulated, and 
 should not exceed half-a-dozen at the outside, and that 
 
Management of Pullets, 243 
 
 number only for the most vigorous breeds. The birds will 
 require to be housed comfortably and fed well, and in 
 winter time the eggs should be gathered as soon after 
 they are laid as is convenient, for they are apt to get frosted 
 in the nest during severe weather ; this, as we all know, is 
 a thing to be avoided if possible. 
 
 There will, doubtless, be some who object to this plan of 
 using pullets for breeding purposes. Chickens, they say, 
 bred from immature birds never do very well, and this 
 objection is perfectly correct so far as ordinary fowls are 
 concerned, as doing this gradually weakens and reduces 
 the size of any race of, fowls. For birds that it is intended 
 to rear to maturity, we do not like breeding from pullets 
 of the first year, and, therefore, would always breed the 
 laying fowls from birds of the second year, and also those 
 to lay the eggs from which the early chicks are expected. 
 This simply means that if last spiing we bred some 
 laying pullets, and also some specially suitable for table 
 fowls, from two-year-old hens, we would use the former to 
 produce eggs for sale, and the latter to produce eggs from 
 which we would hatch the chickens for early killing. As 
 the latter are not intended to be reared, the breeding from 
 immature birds can do little or no harm, and this is the 
 only way by which very early chickens can be obtained. 
 It is not natural for fowls to breed until March or April, 
 when puUets are about twelve months old, so that, if 
 we break through the rules of nature, we must be prepared 
 to spend care and trouble in order to obtain what we 
 require, but if we do this, we may reasonably hope that the 
 result will far more than repay us. 
 
244 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE PEEPAEATION OF TABLE FOWLS. 
 
 Superiority of French System— Breeds o£ Fowls SnitaWe for Fattening — Methods 
 — Duration of Process— Food — Fattening and Cramming Machines — Cram- 
 ming by Hand — Killing Fowls — Dressing in France — Shaping-boards — Advan- 
 tage of Dressing — Oaponising. 
 
 The question of preparing fowls for the table, is not one 
 that can be neglected, even by those poultry keepers whose 
 object is primarily eggs, as they have many birds which, 
 if fattened and killed off, would sell profitably ; but, unfor- 
 tunately, the question of preparing for the table is very 
 little understood, and there is very great room for improve- 
 ment in this respect. The great superiority of the French 
 dressed poultry, which is evident to all who visit Paris, is 
 due to three things : first, the greater care taken in breed- 
 ing table fowls ; second, the capital methods of fattening ; 
 and, third, the splendid way in which the birds are trussed 
 when offered for sale. In our American markets we find a 
 different state of things altogether,. There is, at the outset, 
 little or no care taken with respect to tbe breeds — except, 
 perhaps, in one or two districts; the birds are, as a rule, 
 picked up out of the farmyard and killed at once, without any 
 preparatory feeding whatever ; and they are, as a rule, simply 
 plucked, not even drawn (much less dressed and trussed, 
 except in ^ew England), and with head and feet on. We 
 hope, however, that a change for the better will soon take 
 
The Preparation of Table Fowls. 245 
 
 place ; and there are signs that lead us to hope that a consider- 
 able improvement will be found within a few years. Prejudice 
 is hard to kill, and it may be that the French plan of trussing 
 will never be adopted in this country ; but, if a system of fatten- 
 ing becomes general, that will be a considerable step in advance. 
 We have already pointed out in previous chapters, the kinds 
 of fowls most suitable for table purposes, therefore it is not 
 necessary to enumerate them here ; but we may mention 
 again, that those birds which have the meat upon the breast 
 
 Fig. 13. — Christy's Fattening Pen. 
 
 and not upon the thighs, are generally the best for fattening. 
 The question we have now to deal with, is that of the fatten- 
 ing of the fowls, and the methods adopted in France are 
 worthy of being fully described here. The commonest plan 
 in France is to keep the chickens in square pens, just 
 sufficiently large to allow them moving room, but no more. 
 In some instances a room is completely lined out with these 
 pens, and, when all the pens are full, and feeding time is on, 
 then the scene is a very busy one. The partitions are made 
 
246 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 of wood, and the front half of the floors of the same 
 material ; but the hack half is formed of wire rods, so that 
 the droppings can fall into sliding trays, full of earth, provided 
 below each row of pens for this purpose. The fronts are 
 formed either of wire rods or of wood, with an oblong hole 
 just sufficiently large to allow the bird's head to come 
 through for feeding purposes, as is shown in fig. 13, 
 which is an appliance for fattening twenty - four birds 
 introduced by Messrs. Christie and Co. If there is only 
 one row of pens, then the tops are made to open, for the put- 
 ting in and taking out of the birds ; but when two or mure 
 rows are placed one above another, then the fronts are made 
 removable. The rooms in which the pens are kept are always 
 warm and well ventilated, but dark, as the chicks are 
 found to be much more contented than when kept in the 
 light. Thorough cleanliness is observed, both in the pens 
 and the feeding-troughs, which are placed in front of the 
 cages, and the birds are fed four or five times a day. Such 
 a house as this is easily fitted up, as both wood and wire are 
 cheap, or the small fattening pens can be made in sets of 
 three, six, or twelve, by any handy joiner. The compart- 
 ments should be fifteen inches from back to front, twelve 
 inches wide, and eighteen inches high, which will be large 
 enough for all ordinary sized fowls. The trays must not be 
 omitted, and whenever the pens are made more than one tier 
 high, each row had better be made separate, as this will greatly 
 facilitate cleaning. 
 
 The period in which fowls may be fattened varies very con- 
 siderably, but about three weeks, if properly managed, should 
 bring them into capital condition. Some of the dead fowls 
 shown at the French shows, are fattened for a much longer 
 period, and we have heard that a prize pair of birds had 
 been in preparation no less than nine weeks, but for ordinary 
 purposes the period we have named is quite sufficient. The 
 
Fattening. 247 
 
 food gfven ghonld consist of indian, barleymeal, oatmeal, 01 
 buckwheat meal, all fresh and sweet, and mixed with skim- 
 milk. Any of these meals may be given separately, but the 
 better plan is to have a mixture made of equal parts of each, 
 to which a little fat, such as lard, or dripping from meat, is 
 added just before the milk. It is wise to boil the milk first, 
 and mix the food stiff, but not too pasty — crumbly moist is 
 the best definition we can give of it. This should be supplied 
 to the birds wann, and when they appear satisfied what is left 
 in the troughs should be taken, made into finger-pieces shaped 
 like a bolus, and after dipping these in milk one or two may 
 be put down the throat of each fowl, or, if the crop of any one 
 is found to be unfilled, as many as will fill it up. There are 
 some poultry fatteners who do not allow the birds to eat 
 anything naturally, but cram them entirely in the way 
 described. This is, however, unnecessary, and entails more 
 labour than the plan we have recommended, without any 
 corresponding advantage. Two or three pounds can be added 
 to the weight of a large chicken in about three weeks by 
 this method, and the flesh will be of the finest colour and 
 texture, more succulent, and in every way superior to that 
 of the fowls ordinarily purchased in the poulterers' shops. A 
 demand for such birds will soon grow up, and the prices 
 obtained will repay all the trouble and labour expended. 
 We know instances where orders cannot be half supplied — ■ 
 orders from private families, and at very good prices indeed, 
 and a little effort would secure the same result in most 
 places. 
 
 Another system of fattening in France, is by means of cir- 
 cular and revolving cages, some consisting of over two hun- 
 dred compartments, and with these are cramming machines. 
 The cage revolves upon a centre pivot, and the birds are 
 fiastened into the compartments by straps fastened to their 
 legs. The cramming apparatus is charged with liquid food, 
 
248 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 made of buckwheat meal mixed with milk, to which a little 
 suet or fat is added. This is fitted into a square cage in 
 which the feeder stands, and in the larger machines he can 
 elevate this cage to any tier he wishes to be at. As soon as 
 the revolving cylinder is turned, and one of the compartments 
 thus brought opposite to him, he seizes hold of the inmate 
 with the left hand, deftly opening its beak at the same time, 
 and holding in his right hand the brass nozzle of an india- 
 rubber tube connected with the machine, inserts this into the 
 throat of the bird, then with his foot presses a treadle, and 
 sufficient of the liquid for one meal is forced into the crop of 
 the fowl. The process is repeated with each bird four or five 
 times a day, and they are in prime condition in three or four 
 weeks. Many think the process a cruel one, but we have 
 watched it repeatedly, and can vouch for the fact that the 
 fowls are always eager for their turn to come. 
 
 In some parts of Sussex, England, and in France also, 
 really the same system is adopted, though the method 
 employed is rather varied. Cages line the room, in the 
 centre of which an attendant is seated on a bench, having 
 a cramming machine with a short nozzle pointing towards 
 him. Another attendant hands him a fowl, into the mouth 
 of which he inserts the nozzle of the crammer, and, pressing 
 a treadle with his foot, the food is injected into it. Mean- 
 while, another bird has been brought and is exchanged 
 for the one fed, so that no time is wasted. We have seen 
 it stated, that a couple of active men can feed two hundred 
 birds in an hour in this way. 
 
 Where cramming is preferred, and we ourselves see no 
 objection whatever to it, perhaps the best plan is that 
 adopted by Madame Aillerot, a great French poultry 
 breeder and fattener, famous for the excellence of her 
 stock, and who has for several years taken first prize for 
 dressed poultry at the great Paris exhibitions. Buckwheat 
 
Best Mode of Killing. 249 
 
 meal, suet, and milk are made up into patons, as the 
 finger-pieces are called. The paste is first well worked 
 together until it is very smooth, and with a dish or 
 basket of these patons the round is commenced. The 
 head of the bird to be fed is taken into the left hand, the 
 beak opened, and three or four of the crams, which are 
 first dipped in milk, put down the throat. Birds are so 
 fed about four times a day, and the only drink given is 
 milk, the result being that the flesh is beautifully white 
 and tender when killed. But, whatever be the system 
 adopted, it is absolutely necessary to carefully watch the 
 birds, and as soon as they are seen to be losing their 
 appetite, or to show signs of going off — for if the fattening 
 is too much prolonged the fowls begin to lose flesh again, 
 instead of gaining it — they must be killed forthwith. 
 
 Much depends upon the manner of killing fowls for the 
 table, and the appearance of the birds when dressed will bo 
 largely affected in this way. But no matter what system 
 is adopted, the birds should be starved for fifteen or eighteen 
 hours before being killed, so that all the food in the crop may 
 be consumed. Often we see chickens offered for sale with tli 
 crops full of grain, the result of which is that it soon begins 
 to sour, and the fowls lose that fresh smell which they would 
 otherwise have retained for a considerable time longer. The 
 ordinary plan is to dislocate the neck, in which case death 
 is instantaneous, as the spinal nerves, arteries, and veins 
 are all torn asunder, the head remaining attached to the 
 body only by the skin. The disadvantage of this plan is 
 that if the fowls are hung up, there is a large accumulation 
 of blood in the neck, which tends to decomposition ; but 
 this can be easily avoided by making a deep cut in the 
 roof of the bird's mouth, when the blood will flow freely 
 away. Then there is the simpler method of chopping 
 the head off, but to both plans some persons object on 
 
250 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 account of the movements of the fowls, which continue for 
 some minutes after the neck is hroken or cut. These 
 movements are due to muscular irritability, and the bird 
 is not sensible of any pain ; but, if objected to, the body can 
 be put into a basket until after the movements have ceased. 
 We think, however, that this is a feeling soon overcome, and 
 that the best plan is to tie the fowl by the legs, and hang it 
 to a hook in the wall; then break the neck, and make a 
 cut so that the blood can run away. Death can also be 
 caused by cutting the throat, in which case it is imme- 
 diate, or by simply passing a sharp knife through the roof 
 of the mouth to the brain, but the plan we have recom- 
 mended will be found the simplest and most effective in all 
 respects. 
 
 One of the reasons mentioned by us for the great supe- 
 riority of French fowls as seen in the markets, lies in 
 the dressing of the birds after they are killed. The Gallic 
 poulterers have reduced this to the nature of a science, 
 for it is recognized that the method of preparation has 
 much to do vyith the appearance of the birds, both when 
 offered for sale and when on the table. The fowls are 
 plucked immediately they are killed — not left with the feathers 
 on -them, as is too often the case here — and are then 
 laid upon shaping-boards with their backs upward. One 
 of these boards is simply a flat piece of wood, about the 
 same width as the fowl to be placed upon it, having a block 
 at each end, one to support the neck and the other the 
 rump, and thus the bird is kept perfectly level. Ghreat care 
 is taken to see that the bird is manipulated before it gets 
 cold and set, and this is first done by bending in the rib 
 bones, after which the knee is pressed into the back, the 
 breast forced inwards, and the legs fastened over the breast 
 so as to keep it in its place. The fowl is then placed upon 
 the shaping-board back upwards, and a wet linen clotb 
 
Dressing Fowls. 251 
 
 fastened tightly down over it, by means of tapes tied round the 
 bottom board. When kept in this way for twelve hours, the 
 flesh is firm and the whole appearance shapely, with no 
 loose flabby flesh to repel the sight. This shaping of the 
 birds accounts for the great difference between French fowls 
 ftnd our own, and there is no doubt but that the trouble 
 involved is amply repaid. The method offers other advan- 
 tages, as well as that of mere appearance. When the cook 
 gets the bird, she cuts the string which fastens the legs, for 
 the shaping- boards and cloths are not sold with the fowl, 
 and forces these down again, which brings the meat out on 
 the breast without the bone rising. When on the table, the 
 carver does not meet with the pieces of bone which obstruct 
 the passage of the knife in an English dressed fowl, and 
 it is a pleasure to be able to cut slice after slice off the 
 breast. This is one reason why French fowls appear to 
 have so much meat on them, but, it is also a fact, that they 
 are fed up to greater weights than are fowls in America. 
 We have seen a statement, that at one of the great Paris 
 shows, the first prize pair of La Fleche fowls weighed 
 twenty pounds, plucked and dressed, whilst the pullets of 
 the same breed turned the scale at sixteen pounds the. pair. 
 It may not be possible to adopt the French system, as 
 just described, in its entirety in this country,, but, at the 
 same time, we do not see why a portion of it might not be 
 grafted on to our own plan, or plans. For instance, there 
 would be no difiSculty, either as regards expense or trouble, 
 in using the shaping-boards and cloths, by which means 
 the birds would be braced up and made shapely, and thua 
 do away with the soft appearance which is so objectionable. 
 In all our principal markets it is found that birds well 
 dressed bring more money than those sent in a careless 
 manner, and labour spent in this way is never lost. It ia 
 
i^i Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 customary for some poulterers to break the breastbona 
 of fowls, in order to make them have a full appearance, but 
 this only hides bad work in the fattening process, and it is 
 thoroughly unnecessary, when the birds are properly fed 
 before killing. It is also a source of annoyance to the 
 carver, preventing slices being cut off the breast as easily 
 as they otherwise would be, and at the same time accounting 
 for the ragged appearance of the cut, when laid upon the 
 plate. Properly selected, well fattened, and carefully dressed, 
 there is no need for such a practice as this, and the sooner 
 it is abandoned the better. Prejudice is undoubtedly hard 
 to kill, but it is not impossible to overcome it, and the 
 benefit to both producer and consumer is so striking, that 
 it would not be long before prejudice would acknowledge its 
 error, by following in the same course. 
 
 This would appear to be a suitable opportunity for saying 
 something about another custom, which is largely adopted 
 in France, but which has never become very general in this 
 country, namely, that of caponising, which is the taking 
 away from cockerels the power of reproduction, by the doing 
 of which, the weight of the birds, and the tenderness of the 
 flesh, are both greatly increased, and fowls so treated are 
 to be met with very generally aU over the Continent, at least 
 in those districts where poultry breeding is largely practised. 
 In some places pullets are also operated upon, for a young 
 hen that has never laid, is regarded as daintier than any 
 male bird, but, as a rule, these are fed up and killed before 
 laying has commenced, so that there is no need to subject 
 them to the operation. One of the best descriptions of 
 caponising is that given in Tegetmeier's Poultry Book, 
 which is of itself a translation from a French treatise by 
 Mdlle. Millet Eobinet :— 
 
 "The instrument employed in the operation should be 
 
Caponising, 253 
 
 very sharp; a surgeon's small oiierating-knife, termed a 
 curved-pointed bistoury, is far better than an ordinary knife, 
 as it makes a much neater wound, and so increases greatly 
 the chances of healing ; or a curved-pointed penknife may 
 be used. A stout needle and waxed thread are also requisite ; 
 a small curved surgical needle will be found much more 
 convenient in use than a common straight one. 
 
 "It is necessary that there should be two persons to 
 perform the operation. The assistant places the bird on 
 its right side on the knees of the person who is about to 
 operate, and who is seated in a chair of such a height as 
 to make his thighs horizontal. The back of the bird is 
 turned towards the operator, and the right leg and thigh 
 held firmly along the body, the left being drawn back 
 towards the tail, thus exposing the left flank, where the 
 incision has to be made. After removing the feathers the 
 skin is raised up, just behind the last rib, with the point 
 of the needle, so as to avoid wounding the intestines, and 
 an incision along the edge of the last rib is made into 
 the cavity of the body sufficiently large to admit of the 
 introduction of the finger. If any portion of the bowels 
 escape from the wound it must be carefully returned. The 
 forefinger is then introduced into the cavity, and directed 
 behind the intestines towards the back, somewhat to the left 
 side of the middle line of the body. 
 
 " If the proper position is gained (which is somewhat diffi- 
 cult to an inexperienced operator, especially if the cock is of 
 full size), the finger comes into contact with the left testicle, 
 which in a young bird of four months is rather larger than 
 a full-sized horse-bean. It is moveable, and apt to slip 
 under the finger, although adhering to the spine ; when 
 felt it is to be gently pulled away from its attachments 
 with the finger and removed through the wound — an opers^- 
 
254 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 tion which requires considerable practice and facility to 
 perform properly, as the testicle sometimes slips from 
 under the finger before it is got out, and, gliding amongst 
 the intestines, cannot be found again readily; it may, 
 however, remain in the body of the animal without much 
 inconvenience, although it is better removed, as its presence 
 is apt to excite inflammation. 
 
 "After removing the left testicle, the finger is again 
 introduced, and the right one sought for and removed in a 
 similar manner. It is readily discovered, as its situation 
 is alongside of the former, a little to the right side of the 
 body. Afterwards the lips of the wound are brought 
 together and kept in contact with two or three stitches 
 with the waxed thread. No attempt should be made to 
 sew up the wound with a continuous seam, but each stitch 
 should be perfectly separate, and tied distinctly from the 
 others. 
 
 "In making the stitches great care should be taken; 
 the skin should be raised up so as to avoid wounding the 
 intestines with the needle, or including even the slightest 
 portion of them in the thread — an accident that would 
 almost inevitably be followed by the death of the animal. 
 
 " After the operation the bird had better be placed under 
 a coop in a quiet situation, and supplied with drink and 
 soft food, such as sopped bread. After a few hours it is 
 best to give him his liberty, if he can be turned out in 
 some quiet place removed from the poultry-yard, as, if 
 attacked by the other cocks, the healing of the wound 
 would be endangered. 
 
 " After the operation the bird should not be permitted 
 to roost on a perch, as the exertion of leaping up would 
 unquestionably injure the wound ; it should, therefore, at 
 night be turned into a room where it is obliged to rest on 
 
After-Treatment of Capons. 255 
 
 the floor previously covered with some clean straw. For 
 three or four days after the operation the bird should be 
 fed on soft food ; after that time it may be set at liberty, 
 for a short period, until it has recovered entirely from the 
 operation, when it should he put up to fatten." 
 
256 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE DISEASES OF POULTBT. 
 
 General Treatment of Disease — Canses — Apoplexy — Broncliitis — Bumble-Foot— 
 Oatarrh — Cenaomption — Cramp — Oropbonnd — Diarrhoea — Diphtheria — Egg 
 Organs — Feather Eating — Gapes — ^Sonp — Cholera. 
 
 Such a work as this would be incomplete were no reference 
 made to the diseases of poultry. We do not intend to go 
 into any long descriptions of the diseases which affect 
 domestic fowls, for they would mystify the reader, but shall 
 give short descriptions sufficient to enable a disease to be recog- 
 nized, and the best methods of treatment. It is a fact, however, 
 that the treatment of disease in birds presents a considerable 
 amount of difficulty to the ordinary poultry keeper, for the 
 body of the fowl being covered with feathers, and there being 
 so few ways in which the special complaints can be diagnosed, 
 one form of disease can very easily be mistaken for another. 
 There are, however, symptoms to be found accompanying all 
 diseases that may, by a little careful examination, be dis- 
 covered, and from these it is possible to learn, what is the 
 matter with a fowl. We may say that, where there are a 
 goodly number of fowls, it is much better to kill any bird 
 right off that presents the appearance of having an infectious 
 disease upon it, rather than to run the risk of allowing it to 
 communicate the same to others. If the bird so affected be 
 a very valuable one, theik an effort may be made to save it ; 
 
The Diseases of Poultry. 257 
 
 but it will generally, be found cheaper in the long run to kill 
 it. Especially is this so with roup, which is a most 
 infectious and fatal disease ; and when it once gets into a 
 yard, is very difficult indeed to get rid of. In any case, 
 when a bird is seen to be ailing, it should be put somewhere 
 by itself, so that it may not be near the other fowls ; and 
 should the complaint from which it is suffering be a con- 
 tagious or infectious one, then probably the other birds can 
 be kept free from it ; but if it is not, no harm will have 
 been done. This is a rule which should never be broken ; 
 and, if the attendant will every day look round the fowls, he 
 will soon see if any are moping or refusing their food, and if 
 these are removed, as we have suggested, disease may and 
 will, in many cases, be kept down. 
 
 There can be little doubt that diseases have bean greatly 
 fostered and increased by the present system of keeping 
 fowls. Naturally birds are subject to but few. diseases; but 
 the feeding upon rich or unsuitable foods, over-crowding and 
 keeping upon the same ground for a long period, gradual 
 weakening of the system by in-breeding, and exposure by 
 sending to shows, all have had the tendency to make the 
 birds more subject to various forms of disease, to which at 
 one time they were entire strangers. Hence the necessity 
 for treating fowls in a common-sense manner ; for by this 
 means much may be done in the way of preventing disease, 
 which is at all times much better than cure, and much easier 
 also. It would be beyond our province to go vei-y deeply 
 into the treatment of diseases, but for facility of reference 
 we will give them in alphabetical order. 
 
 Apoplext.— 'Birds, which have been apparently in good 
 health, are sometimes found lying on the floor of the fowl- 
 house, being unable to move, having fallen from their perches. 
 This is apoplexy, and is the result of over-feeding, by which we 
 
258 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 mean not only too much food, but also too rich food. Indian 
 com has been foand to be a great cause of this disease ; and 
 the death of one bird, should be taken as an indication that 
 the others can only be saved, by reducing the food both in 
 quantity and quality. If the bird so affected is not dead, a 
 vein on the under side of one wing should be opened, and 
 the blood taken will reduce the pressure on the brain. The 
 bird should be fed on light food for some time, and kept in a 
 quiet place. 
 
 Bronchitis. — ^When a cold settles on the lungs or chest, 
 instead of in the head, and the bird is constantly coughing, 
 without having any other symptoms of cold, then it is a form 
 of bronchitis. The bird should at once be removed to a 
 warm, moist atmosphere, which will generally be sufficient 
 to effect a cure, though a few doses of homoeopathic tincture 
 of aconite will materially assist it. A warm day must be 
 chosen for returning the fowl to its ordinary house, and the 
 same precaution is necessary in all bronchial or respiratory 
 affections. For this disease, Mr. Tegetmeier recommends 
 the administration of one grain of calomel and one-eighth 
 of a grain of tartar emetic to be given at night. 
 
 Bumble Foot. — ^Dorkings and Houdans are subject to 
 this more than any other varieties, though we have found it 
 in others. A wart-like substance appears in the ball of the 
 foot, and if allowed to grow the bird becomes entirely lame. 
 The cause is generally high perches, but constant walking 
 upon cement or stone will have the same effect. The corn 
 should be removed with a sharp knife, and the part 
 be touched with nitrate of silver, after which it is better to 
 keep the bird on clean straw for a few days. The inflamma- 
 tion may be reduced by bathing the foot with warm water, 
 and the heat of the body should be also reduced by some 
 aperient medicine. 
 
The Diseases of Poultry. 259 
 
 Catakeh or Common Cold. — This complaint is indicated 
 by the same symptoms as we find in human beings, namely, 
 a running at the nostrils, and a slight swelling of the eyes. 
 It arises from cold or exposure, and if not attended to may 
 develop into roup or consumption, both of which should be 
 consulted for further information. For cure, the bird should be 
 kept in a warm place, and have doses of roup pills, or homoeo- 
 pathic tincture of aconite, and have nutritious food, rather 
 stimulating in its nature. 
 
 Cholera. — 8e6 page 364. 
 
 Consumption.— This is often an hereditary disease, and 
 when so is impossible to cure ; but it is also caused by damp, 
 dark, badly ventilated houses. Scrofulous tubercles form in 
 the lungs, and when the bird takes cold, that settles there. 
 The bird is seen to gradually waste away ; there is cough and 
 constant expectoration, and the poor thing soon dies, a mass 
 of bones and feathers. No bird suspected to have any seeds 
 of consumption in it should ever be bred from, but if the 
 disease is acquired, not hereditary, then it may be cured if 
 taken in time. Good housing, wholesome and abundant diet, 
 are necessary, and capsules of cod-liver oil with quinine, or 
 Parish's chemical food, and capsules of cod-liver oil only, will 
 be the best treatment. "We should, however, strongly urge 
 that any bird so affected, even if apparently cured, be not 
 bred from, as there is always danger of its transmitting the 
 disease to its progeny, and the system must be weakened. 
 
 Cbamp. — Chickens kept upon a clay soil, or in a damp 
 place, are often subject to cramp, which is known by the 
 toes of the birds beginning to curl in, and then the bird has 
 to walk or its knuckles. When discovered, the chicken 
 should be placed on a perfectly dry floor, and fed upon stimu- 
 lating foods. It will also be a help towards cure, if the feet 
 and legs are bathed with warm water, and afterwards rubbed 
 with turpentine. 
 
26o Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 Ceopbound. — Fowls, from various reasons, are sometimes 
 unable to pass the food from the crop into the gizzard, and 
 the former becomes charged with food, hanging like a bag in 
 front of the bird. If not relieved, it will soon die of starva- 
 tion, for, no matter how much it may eat, none of the food 
 can pass into the stomach so long as the obstruction remains. 
 When discovered, some milk and warm water should be 
 poured down the throat of the bird, to soften the food in the 
 crop, which should then be well kneaded with the hands. 
 Often, if dealt with early, this will be found su£B.cient, but if 
 not, then an incision must be made through the skin to the 
 crop, and its contents removed with the aid of an egg-spoon. 
 Care must be taken to see that all is removed, for if the 
 original cause of the obstruction be left, then all will have to 
 be done over again. The crop should be washed out with 
 warm water, and must then be stitched up, the inner skin 
 first and the outer one afterwards, for which purpose silk or 
 horsehair are the best materials. The bird needs to be 
 fed on soft food, such as sopped bread, for three or four days, 
 and kept without water, when it will be none the worse for 
 the operation. 
 
 DiAEEHCEA. — The use of bonemeal will generally prevent 
 this complaint, which may arise from an insufficient supply 
 of grain, or from unwholesome food. Some boiled rice 
 mixed with powdered chalk will often stop it, and we should 
 not advise any stronger remedy in slight cases. When, 
 however, the diarrhoea becomes excessive ; then chlorodyne, 
 given in water as prescribed on the bottles, is the best thing 
 for it. 
 
 DiPHTHEEiA.— We have never heard of this disease making 
 its appearance except in exhibition yards, and the ordinary 
 poultry keeper need not fear it, except when buying birds. 
 
The Diseases of Poultry. 261 
 
 Its indications are, severe cold with high fever, and in the 
 throat white spots are seen filling the glottis. Any bird 
 80 affected should be killed forthwith, as it is one of the 
 most contagious and fatal diseases known, and when once 
 it gets into a yard, it is not often got out again without the 
 sacrifice of all the stock. 
 
 Egg Organs. — The delicate mechanism by means of 
 which the egg is formed and voided, is sometimes put out 
 of order, but, as a rule, this is the result of bad feeding, 
 which stimulates or forces the organs, and the ordinary course 
 of nature is upset. Or, it may be, that the insufficient supply 
 of shell-forming materials, results in soft or shell-less egga 
 being voided. Birds at liberty are not often so troubled, 
 and those in confinement need to be carefully fed, and to 
 be supphed with the materials for shell formation. Some- 
 times a hen becomes egg-bound, when a little castor oil 
 maybe tried, but if that fails, then a Httle olive oil should 
 be injected into the oviduct, and this will generally secure 
 the object in view. Great care must be taken in so treating 
 a bird, as rough usage may easily break the egg, such a 
 circumstance being almost always followed by a fatal 
 result. 
 
 Featheb Eating. — Few birds at liberty are ever found to 
 acquire the disgusting habit of feather eating, and in confine- 
 ment it is found mostly amongst the Asiatic varieties and 
 Houdans. When once contracted it is very difficult indeed 
 to cure the habit, and it is best to remove any bird found 
 BO transgressing, and, if not valuable, to kill it, at the same 
 time trying to remove any cause that may exist. 
 
 Idleness is a very great cause of feather eating, and 
 hence the having nothing to do, tempts birds in confinement 
 to pluck out each other' a^feathers. It may also be that 
 
262 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 birds so confined, do not obtain sometbing that is necessaiy 
 to them, which we know nothing of, and cannot supply, but 
 which at liberty they can find for themselves, and the 
 feathers satisfy the craving thus engendered. And for 
 this reason we have sometimes found bonemeal of great 
 service, once curing a ben by putting a large quantity of 
 this into every dish of food she bad for several days, giving 
 her soft food all the time. But in other cases we have known 
 this remedy to fail entirely, and we are fain to acknowledge, 
 that at times we have been completely puzzled bow to proceed. 
 Thirst also is said to induce the practice, and the treatment 
 recommended in the following translation from an article 
 which recently appeared in a French poultry journal, will 
 indicate further measures : — ' 
 
 " The cause appears to us, to be attributed to the general 
 discomfort felt by all classes of poultry during the cold 
 weather, and especially the east winds. The poor things, 
 huddled together in a sheltered corner, dare not come out 
 in the open unless at feeding time, and then they never 
 scratch about, nor look for insects, grass, or those 
 little nothings which constitute the essential part of their 
 food, and which is found in every run well attended to. 
 Under these circumstances the want of animal food has 
 made itself felt, and the opportunity and temptation being 
 within their reach, they have pulled at one another's 
 feathers, which they eat with evident satisfaction. The 
 only immediate remedy is to set them at liberty, but as 
 this cannot be done in every case, one has to be satisfied 
 with the means at his disposal. Let them have, several 
 times a day, green-meat. Mix vyith the soft food, some 
 meat cut up into small pieces. Avoid tainted meat. 
 Kenew the sand in the runs, and especially put dry sand 
 under the sheds where the fowls generally dust themselves. 
 Care must be taken with a hen, although not picked herself, 
 
The Diseases of Poultry. 263 
 
 but always pursuing the others, to isolate her. One single 
 hird is sufficient to set a bad example. In small runs it 
 is the cock which is generally picked first. Is it from 
 excess of affection, or is it spite and revenge ? It is difficult 
 to say. At all events, he seldom resents it, and allows 
 himself to be plucked without resistance. In this case the 
 best way to protect him, is to rub him over with a sponge 
 dipped in paraffin. In repeating this operation two or 
 three times, at an interval of some days, the hens will 
 entirely cease to strip their lord and master," 
 
 [I believe a judicious salting of the food will cure a feather- 
 eating flock almost always. W.l 
 
 Gapes. — Chickens are sometimes troubled with what is 
 known as gapes, so called from the constant gaping of the 
 mouth. This action is the result of the presence of worms 
 in the throat, and if these are not removed, the chicken 
 soon dies from suffocation. The cause of these worms is 
 difficult to ascertain. Some are able to prevent them, by 
 the application to the heads of newly-hatched chicks, of a 
 mercurial ointment, but in other cases they appear to arise 
 out of the ground, and all efforts to get rid of them are in 
 vain. The worms can be dislodged from the throat, by 
 dipping a small quill feather in turpentine, and then 
 passing it iuto the throat, where it is twisted around and 
 jerked out, thus dislodging the worms. Fumigating with 
 carbohe acid is also a most effectual cure, and where chicks 
 are largely affected, it is worth some trouble to save their 
 lives. We have also seen recommended, placing the chicks 
 in a box and dusting them well with fine Ume, which gets 
 into the throat and makes the birds cough, thus bringing 
 out the worms. In both these cases care must be taken 
 not to kill the birds by suffocation, which may easily be 
 done if the treatment is continued too long. 
 
 Boup. — ^It has been stated that cold never becomes roup 
 
264 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 wittout the blood is in s scrofulorfa condic'ion, and we 
 are inclined to think that this is so. Mere cold is not 
 difficult of cure, whilst roup is, and the latter is best known 
 by the breath having an offensive smell in conjunction 
 with the cold. It is necessary, therefore, to do more than 
 merely attend to the cold ; something to counteract the 
 affection of the blood is needed. A roupy bird may be 
 known by the offensive breath abeady spoken of, the discharge 
 from the nostrils, and the swollen face and eyes. It is ex- 
 ceedingly contagious, and will soon spread through a whole 
 yard, if not arrested. In consequence, birds affected should be 
 rigidly secluded, or killed off at once. Sulphur or charcoal 
 are the best to correct the scrofula, and Walton's roup 
 pills or copaiba capsules should be used for th& cold. The 
 face, nostrils, and mouth should be well washed with 
 Condy's fluid, or solution of chlorinated soda, so as to kill 
 the mucus which gathers there. Especial care is necessary 
 to see that the birds do not communicate it one to the other, 
 as in drinking out of the same fountain, or eating out of the 
 same dish. All dishes, etc., should be at once washed in 
 diluted carbolic acid, and the houses well lime-washed out. 
 
 Choleea. — This is an epidemic disease peculiar to this 
 country, attacking and often nearly destroying isolated flocks 
 and yards having poor sanitary arrangements or care. It is 
 probably malarial in its character, affects the liver, poisons 
 the blood, causes violent diarrhoea, and is often exceedingly 
 rapid in its action and termination. The fowl attacked is 
 droopy, weak, in high fever, with thirst, rough and draggled 
 plumage, and has diarrhoea with green droppings. Drs. Dickey 
 and Merry recommend pills as follows : Blue mass, 60 gr. ; 
 camphor, 25 gr. ; Cayenne pepper, 30 gr. ; rhubarb, 48 gr. ; 
 laudanum, 60 drops ; made in 30 pills and given one every 
 four hours till they act freely, and, when they have acted, 
 half a teaspoonf ul of castor oil and ten drops of laudanum to 
 each fowl. 
 
Points of Alanagement. '265 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 POINTS OP MANAGEMENT. 
 
 Inportance of Details— Keeping an Account— Rotation of Crops— Poultry Manure 
 —The Dust-bath— The Preservation of Eggs— Packing Eggs— Sending Eggs 
 to Market. 
 
 Our last chapter must be given up to those details of man- 
 agement, which we have not been able to touch upon 
 previously, or only in an indirect manner. It must not be 
 assumed, however, that because we have left these to the last, 
 that they are unimportant ; on the contrary, they are most 
 important, and though they may be regarded as only details, 
 yet these details will have a very great influence upon the 
 result, for the neglect of one thing only will, in the course of 
 a year, even if most trivial in itself, become an appreciable 
 matter. This we need not dwell upon, for the same thing 
 is found in all pursuits, and in every department of life. 
 
 We should, at the outset, urge all who go in for poultry 
 keeping to keep a strict account of every item of expenditure 
 and receipt, and to annually make a balance sheet, for there 
 can be no question that in this, as in many other matters, 
 there is far too great laxity in the keeping of accounts. 
 Wealthy persons, who do not care how much a thing costs 
 them, may be pennitted to dispense with all such records as 
 we are now recommending, yet even they will find it advanta- 
 
266 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 geoas to have them. But so far as those are concerned who 
 look upon their poultry as a means of adding to their income, 
 and with whom they must be profitable if kept at all, it ia 
 almost essential that they should set down every item of 
 expenditure and receipt, not only for reference and as a 
 means of seeing whether the fowls pay, but also for future 
 guidance. Armed with a full and faithful record of a year's 
 work, an intelligent poultry keeper will be able to avoid past 
 mistakes, to see in what direction he may develop his busi- 
 ness, with the greatest probabilities of success, to know 
 which breeds have proved the most profitable, what expenses 
 can be cut down, and, it may be, can discover how to turn 
 a loss into a profit. Figures are stubborn things, but a 
 study of them has saved many a man from ruin, and we 
 believe that in every pursuit of life, whether it be our ordinary 
 affairs, or those outside things which minister to our plea- 
 sures, but especially in matters of business, a strict account 
 should be kept of every item of expenditure. Without 
 this, there is great danger of getting the balance on the 
 wrong side. We have no wish to write a homily on the 
 economies of life, though such a subject is full of the deepest 
 interest, but this is not the proper place for it. We urge 
 every one, however, whether the number of his birds be small 
 or great, to keep an account of the same. The cost of a 
 book in which to keep the account, need not be more than a 
 shilling or two, and, except where very large numbers are 
 kept, one book will be sufficient. A quarto book, bound in 
 i)oards, ruled with $ and cts. columns, and containing about 
 ©hundred pages, can be obtained for a quarter, and the 
 majority of our readers will find this as large as they will 
 require. 
 
 The poultry keeper must begin his account by taking stock 
 of all his birds, houses and anpliances on hand at the begiuning 
 
Points of Management. 267 
 
 of the year (which does not necessarily mean January 1st), and 
 the money talue of these will represent the capital invested 
 in the yard. Then he will require several pages to be set 
 aside for the cash account, in which all his money receipts 
 and expenditure should be set down day by day, together with 
 the particulars of the same. Next will come the egg account, 
 which will show the number of eggs laid, and the way in 
 which they are disposed of. If the number of fowls kept be 
 only few, and not very fluctuating, it will not be requisite to 
 have a poultry register ; but if the stock be a large one, then 
 it will be advantageous to keep such an account, adding all 
 the birds hatched or purchased, and, of course, taking from 
 those the sold, killed, or otherwise disposed of. A hatching 
 record is very useful during the breeding season, in which 
 the date of setting the hens, the date the eggs are due, the 
 number fertile and hatched, and breeds, can be enumerated. 
 This prevents many mistakes being made, but in some yarda 
 a simpler plan is adopted, namely, that of hanging a card 
 above each hatching box, upon which these particulars are 
 entered, and all that need then be put in the books are the 
 numbers hatched. At the end of the twelve months the 
 stock of fowls, &c. should again be revalued, and a balance 
 sheet made, showing the operations of the twelve months, 
 with the result thereof. We must just remind the poultry 
 keeper, that the value of eggs and chickens used in the 
 household must be placed to the credit of the yard, or the 
 balance sheet will not be a true one. 
 
 In one of our earlier chapters, we hinted at a system which 
 can be adopted by small farmers and other occupiers of land, 
 in which the fowls really form one in a course of rotation of 
 crops. This is not necessary on a large farm, for there the 
 birds can be placed on the land after harvest, or, as we have 
 sometimes seen, the houses maybe widely scattered apart, and 
 
268 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 the fowls allowed to wander about even amongst the growing 
 corn or roots. Fowls will do no harm to either of these crops, 
 when they are four or six inches above the ground, and as they 
 are as fully grown as this by the time the chickens need be 
 put out, there is no difficulty in adopting the plan ; the birds 
 will thrive amain, for they will get just the food most suited 
 to them — insects and worms — and, in return, the crops will be 
 benefited by their droppings. Where smaller runs have to 
 be given, it is a capital plan to have double runs to each 
 house, using these on alternate years, and growing vegetables 
 on the ground not in use. By this means the ground will be 
 kept sweet and clean, it will not get contaminated, disease will 
 be prevented, and the crops grown thereon will be very heavy 
 indeed. Of course the system can be largely extended, and 
 fields lying fallow for a year may be used for poultry keeping. 
 This leads us to the subject of poultry manure. Although 
 there is no doubt that the droppings from fowls is most 
 valuable, though not quite so good as has sometimes been 
 represented, it has not yet become a marketable commodity 
 of any importance. There is a limited demand for it amongst 
 gardeners, but, as a rule, it is much better to have some 
 means of using, instead of selling, it. None should be 
 wasted, and mixed with fine dry soil it becomes a most 
 valuable manure for any kind of crops. We know one farmer 
 near Aylesbury, who buys large quantities of the duck manure 
 for his root crops, finding it the best he can get for them, 
 and certainly the cheapest. It has been estimated that the 
 droppings of a fowl is worth fifty cents a year to the 
 land, and if that is so, then the keeping of poultry be- 
 comes of still greater importance than we have ever claimed 
 for it. 
 
 In GUP chapter on the sitting hen, we spoke of a dust 
 bath, and this is needed by ordinary fowls alsoj those 
 
The Dust Bath. 269 
 
 who know the value of such a bath, both in summer 
 and winter, consider it essential to successful poultry keep- 
 ing. And how few of our poultry keepers there are, 
 who give their fowls an opportunity of revelling in a 
 heap of loose earth or ashes, either in the hatching season, 
 or when the ground is damp and they cannot obtain it 
 naturally. The dust bath is to poultry, nature's cleaner 
 and renovator, and is as necessary for cleansing the feathers 
 of fowls from vermin and effete matter, as a cool pure water 
 bath is to the person of cleanly habits. Poultry with free 
 range in summer, wiU be able to help themselves to a dust 
 bath, if they have to roll in the newly made flower or 
 v^etable beds, but with fowls in confinement the means 
 and material must be supplied. A dry mass of fine sand 
 or road dust, fine loam or coal ashes, old mortar, or in fact 
 anything of that kind wiU do. This mass of dry material 
 should be under a shed to protect it from rain in summer 
 tdme, and in the sunniest comer of the hen-house or shed 
 in winter. A capital plan is to have a small shed adjoining 
 the fowl house, with or without a connection thereto, and 
 devote this entirely to the purposes of the dust bath. Such 
 a shed need not be more than a couple of feet high, and 
 should be entirely open at the front, with a sloping roof to 
 keep out the rain. 
 
 If we watch the habits of all wild birds, we can see them 
 in the open clearings and on the country roads, at early 
 sunrise, dusting themselves as rapidly as possible ; and if 
 we give our domestic fowls a chance, we can see an instinctive 
 desire in the young, as well as the old, to scratch, and pul- 
 verize the earth, if in lumps, and they wiU then adjust their 
 feathers, and by the rapid action of their claws dust them- 
 selves thoroughly, and by shaking, rid themselves of lice. 
 The dust bath is made more effective by putting a handful 
 
270 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 or two of sulphur and carbolic powder through the mass, 
 and mixing them together. The ground should be excavated 
 out six inches, or the shed have a front ledge of the same 
 width, and this filled up with the ashes, or whatever is used. 
 If of much less depth than this the birds will be unable to 
 get a thorough cleansing. Cleanliness in every way is of 
 the greatest importance. Uncleanliness about the fowls, their 
 quarters, or their runs, is a sure cause of disease. It gener- 
 ates vermin, and vermin saps the foundations of health. 
 Hens will not lay well, nor thrive while infested with lice, 
 or while they roost in filthy places, and inhale the noxious 
 gases which emanate from their accumulated droppings. 
 Ill- ventilated fowl houses, and the absence of light and sun, 
 exert a powerful influence on the health of fowls. 
 
 There are many poultry keepers who make a great mis- 
 take, in that they do not take sufficient care to send their 
 produce to market in the best way. We have already dealt 
 with this subject in its relation to fowls, but it is also 
 necessary to say a few words upon it so far as eggs are 
 concerned. Purchasers of eggs know what a great difference 
 there is in what are known as new-laid eggs, and we believe 
 this is largely influenced bj; the method of preservation. 
 Eggs can be kept for three or four weeks in a very simple 
 manner, and it will be difficult for even an expert, at the 
 end of that period, to tell the difference between such an 
 egg, and one three or four days old. If they can be kept 
 fresh for this length of time, they can be so kept for a 
 shorter period, and as in many places it is convenient to 
 get them to market only once a week, such a system as we 
 are about to recommend vriU be found of the greatest value. 
 The place selected for keeping eggs should be cool in 
 summer, but not cold in winter, that is, it should be kept 
 at a temperature of from 45 to 60 degrees all the year 
 
Preserving Eggs Fresh. 271 
 
 n 
 round. If too cold, the eggs will freeze and crack, if too 
 warm, they will commence to decay and get stale sooner than 
 they otherwise would. Shelves should be fitted up with holes 
 bored in them, sufficiently large to keep the eggs upstanding, 
 but, of course, not large enough to allow them to pass 
 through. These shelves will be very inexpensive and will serve 
 a lifetime. The eggs should be placed in these holes broad- 
 end downwards, and tests have proved that they will keep 
 fresh in this position, very much longer than with the broad 
 end upwards. Some keep eggs in bran, but the pierced 
 
 Fig. 14. — ^Travelling Egg Box. 
 
 board is much preferable, and the free circulation of the 
 air round the eggs, assists greatly in their presei-vation. 
 Instead of the pierced shelves, cardboard partitions, as used 
 in egg boxes, may be adopted, but we do not think that they 
 are so good or so handy. 
 
 The advantage of getting eggs to market as soon as 
 possible after being laid, has led to the adoption of special 
 boxes for the purpose of sending them by rail. The old 
 system of packing in straw may serve very well where time 
 is of little object, but it ip clumsy and not very safe. The 
 boxes we are now speaking of, are made in almost all sizes 
 from one dozen upwards, and consist of strong square 
 
272 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 
 
 wooden boxes, generally with lock and key, inside of whiclj 
 are cardboard partitions, forming squares, of sufiBcient size 
 to allow an egg to stand upright in each. Between each 
 row, a sheet of thick felt is placed, and no other packing 
 is required, the eggs travelling in this way with very little 
 danger of breakage. Fig. 14 shows one of these boxes, hold- 
 ing six dozen eggs. The benefits of the system %re obvious, 
 for the boxes are easily filled, as easily emptied, and can 
 be used over and over again, so that the first, is the only 
 cost, and that is by no means a heavy one. Another kind 
 
 Fig. 15.— The " Ovifer" Egg Box. 
 
 of package is that known as the " Ovifer," shown in Kg. 
 15, the eggs in this being held by springs fixed to tin trays, 
 which latter are fitted into a wooden box. It is customary with 
 those who send their eggs to market every day, to date each 
 one as soon as collected, but, whilst in their case such a 
 plan is to be recommended, for obvious reasons it would 
 not be wise for others to do so. But when eggs can be sent 
 out daily, better prices will be obtained, and present ex- 
 press rates, as well as the cheap freight now charged by 
 
Facilities for Carriage. 273 
 
 the railway companies, offer facilities to poultry keepers to 
 reach consumers, which were never given before.' Arrange- 
 ments can often be made with hotels and large houses, 
 for supplying eggs at good paying prices. The energetic 
 poultry keeper, vrill take care to omit no opportunity of this 
 kind, in order to make his profits as large as possible. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 
 Faoe 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 Account, Keeping an . 
 
 23 
 
 Chicken house, Floor for 
 
 67 
 
 Adapting existing buildings 
 
 84 
 
 " Position of 
 
 66 
 
 Andalusian Fowls . 
 
 79 
 
 " Size of 
 
 68 
 
 Apoplexy . 
 
 257 
 
 " yards 
 
 30 
 
 Artificial heating of houses 
 
 45 
 
 Chickens during the first feti 
 
 
 " Incubation 
 
 176 
 
 days . 
 
 213 
 
 " Mothers . 
 
 203 
 
 " Early 
 
 63 
 
 Aseel Fowls . 
 
 80 
 
 Food of . 
 
 238 
 
 Attendant's house . 
 
 64 
 
 " How to secure early 
 
 240 
 
 Aylesbary Ducks . 
 
 137 
 
 ' ' Management of 
 
 215 
 
 American Incubators . 
 
 186 
 
 " Rearing . 
 
 214 
 
 
 
 Cochin Fowls 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 Cochins forty years ago 
 
 12 
 
 Bantam Fowls 
 
 80 
 
 Confinement, EfEect of . 
 
 66 
 
 Bone Meal . 
 
 215 
 
 Consumption 
 
 259 
 
 Brahma Fowls 
 
 83 
 
 Coops 
 
 213 
 
 Breeds, Choice of . 
 
 69 
 
 Cottagers and poultry- keep- 
 
 
 Hardy 
 
 71 
 
 ing 
 
 21 
 
 Non-sitting 
 
 75 
 
 Cramming Fowls . 
 
 248 
 
 " Sitters and mothers 
 
 76 
 
 Cramp .... 
 
 259 
 
 Bronchitis 
 
 258 
 
 Cropbound. . 
 
 2B0 
 
 Bumblefoot . 
 
 258 
 
 Crops, Benefit to, by Geese 
 
 . 147 
 
 Buying birds . 
 
 158 
 
 Cross-breeding. 
 
 4, 126 
 
 " eggs for sitting . 
 
 158 
 
 Cross V. pure-bred Fowls 7 
 
 0, 126 
 
 Caponising Fowls . 
 
 252 
 
 Diarrhoea 
 
 . 260 
 
 Catarrh 
 
 259 
 
 Diphtheria . 
 
 . 260 
 
 Cayuga Ducks 
 
 140 
 
 Diseases of Poultry 
 
 . 256 
 
276 
 
 Index. 
 
 Page 
 Dominique Fowls ... 89 
 Dorking Fowls . . . 89 
 Dressing Fowls, French sys- 
 tem of . . . .250 
 Dud? farms .... 134 
 Ducks, Breeding, hatching 
 
 and rearing . . 143 
 •' Feeding of . . . 145 
 " in small runs . . 143 
 " not to be kept with hens 133 
 ' ' water needed for breed- 
 ers ... 133 
 Dust-bath, The . 53, 172, 269 
 
 Egg organs, Afiections of 261 
 Eggs, airing during incuba- 
 tion . . .171 
 Consumption of . .14 
 Formation of . . 309 
 How to secure early . 241 
 Packing . . .271 
 Preservation of . . 270 
 Prices of . . .15 
 Testing the. . . 173 
 Value of fresh . 16, 18 
 
 Farms, The best plan for . 57 
 
 Farm-yard mongrels . . 125 
 
 Fattening, Methods of . . 245 
 
 Feather-eating . . . 261 
 
 Feeding of breeding stock . 161 
 
 Fencing for runs ... 54 
 
 Fertile eggs, When to expect 161 
 
 Floor for chicken-house . 67 
 
 Food, Effect of bad . . 232 
 
 " for fowls in confint-mt nt 
 
 and at liberty . . 236 
 
 " for sitting hens . . 172 
 
 Page 
 
 Food, qualities of the various 
 grains 
 " the fuel of all life 
 " What is needed in 
 
 Fowls suitable for fattening 
 
 France, Farms in . 
 
 French Fowls 
 
 French table Fowls, Superior 
 ity of . . . 
 
 Fruit trees in runs . 
 
 Game Fowls . 
 
 Qapes .... 
 
 Geese, Breeds of . 
 
 " in Norfolk . • . 
 
 " Management of. 
 General-utility Fowls . 
 Gradual commencement best 
 Gravel and grass runs . 
 Ground, Selection of . 
 
 Hamburgh Fowls . 
 Hatching-boxes 
 Hatching, Management 
 
 during . 
 Health and condition 
 Hobby, Poultry -keeping often 
 
 it ... . 
 Houses, Aspect of . 
 
 " and runs. Size of 
 
 Cheap 
 " Cost of . 
 " elaborate ones not 
 
 needed 
 " Floors in . 
 " Foundation for 
 ' ' Framework for 
 " good ones required 
 
Index. 
 
 ^17 
 
 
 
 Paoe. 
 
 
 Paqb. 
 
 Uousea, Importance of . 
 
 31 
 
 Langshan Fowls . 
 
 . 104 
 
 " in gardens . 
 
 85 
 
 Leghorn Fowls 
 
 . 107 
 
 ' ' Materials for 
 
 37 
 
 
 
 " on wheels 
 
 56 
 
 
 
 " Position of Chicken . 
 
 68 
 
 Malay Fowls . 
 
 . Ill 
 
 " Saving of timber . 
 
 39 
 
 Mania, The Poultry 
 
 . 11 
 
 " Separate 
 
 27 
 
 Manure, The value of Poultry 268 
 
 " Tenant's fixtures . 
 
 37 
 
 Minorca Fowls 
 
 111 
 
 " too large, are objection- 
 
 
 Mongrels, Farm-yard . 
 
 128 
 
 able .... 
 
 38 
 
 Mothers, Artificial. 
 
 . 220 
 
 ' ' Ventilation in 
 
 41 
 
 Muscovy Ducks 
 
 141 
 
 ■' Walls of . 
 
 38 
 
 
 
 " Windows and doors in 
 
 4U 
 
 
 
 Housing of Ducks, The 
 
 136 
 
 Nest boxes . 
 
 . SO 
 
 Hydro-incubator, The . 
 
 179 
 
 Nests, Making the . 
 
 . 168 
 
 
 
 Non-sitting breeds . 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 Number of hens to cock bird 
 
 160 
 
 In-breeding, Evils of . 
 
 159 
 
 
 
 Incubation, Artificial 
 
 176 
 
 
 
 Period of . 
 
 174 
 
 Ornamental Ducks 
 
 142 
 
 Incubator, The Hydro- . 
 
 180 
 
 Overfeeding, Effect of . 
 
 232 
 
 " Owen's Tabular 
 
 184 
 
 
 
 " Arnold's Egg Oven . 
 
 184 
 
 
 
 " Hearson's Champion 
 
 185 
 
 Packing eggs . 
 
 371 
 
 " Patents for 
 
 188 
 
 Parents, Influence of . 
 
 154 
 
 Incubators, Advice to workers 
 
 
 Paris, Poultry In . 
 
 16 
 
 of . . . 
 
 186 
 
 Pay ? Does Poultry-keeping 
 
 23 
 
 
 ' American 
 
 186 
 
 Pekln Ducks. 
 
 189 
 
 
 ' The Monarch 
 
 .194 
 
 Perches .... 
 
 48 
 
 
 ' " Challenge . 
 
 196 
 
 Pleasure In keeping Poultry 
 
 20 
 
 
 ' " Eureka 
 
 197 
 
 Plymouth Rock Fowls . 
 
 117 
 
 
 ' " Climax. 
 
 197 
 
 Polish Fowls . 
 
 117 
 
 
 " Prairie State 
 
 199 
 
 Poultry, Diseases of 
 
 256 
 
 
 ' " Pineland 
 
 200 
 
 " keeping. Recent increas 
 
 B 
 
 
 ' " Thermostatic 
 
 301 
 
 of Interest In . 
 
 13 
 
 
 ' " Simplicity . 
 
 202 
 
 " Who may keep . 
 
 18 
 
 
 
 " Who should not keep 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 PreBervation of Eggs 
 
 270 
 
 Killi 
 
 ag Fowls 
 
 249 
 
 Profit, Aids to secure . 
 
 6J 
 
278 
 
 Index. 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 
 Page. 
 
 Rats, Provision against . 
 
 . 67 
 
 Stocks, Improving present 
 
 131 
 
 Rearing Chickens . 
 
 . 209 
 
 Suburban Residents 
 
 21 
 
 Rouen Ducks . 
 
 . 138 
 
 
 
 Roup .... 
 
 . 263 
 
 
 
 Runs and fencing . 
 
 . 54 
 
 Table Fowls . 
 
 75 
 
 Runs, Size of. 
 
 31-38 
 
 " " Superiority of 
 
 
 
 
 French . 
 
 244 
 
 
 
 Testing sex and fertility of 
 
 
 
 
 eggs. Supposed ways of 
 
 310 
 
 Sale of eggs and Chickens . 129 
 
 Testing the eggs . 
 
 210 
 
 Scotch Grey Fowls 
 
 . 118 
 
 Turkeys as rearers 
 
 235 
 
 Selection, Errors In 
 
 69 
 
 ' ' Breeds and manage- 
 
 
 Sheds .... 
 
 . 85 
 
 ment . 
 
 150 
 
 Silky Fowls . 
 
 . 121 
 
 " Fattening 
 
 153 
 
 Sitters and mothers 
 
 . 76 
 
 
 
 Sitting Hen, The . 
 
 164-170 
 
 
 
 Sitting Hens, Food for . 
 
 . 172 
 
 Water .... 239-236 
 
 " " Place for 
 
 . 166 
 
 Wild Duck . 
 
 136 
 
 Space required for Fowls 
 
 . 53 
 
 
 
 Spanish Fowls 
 
 . 121 
 
 
 
 Stock birds, Importance 
 
 'care 
 
 Yard, Dividing the 
 
 29 
 
 in selection of . 
 
 . 163 
 
 Yards, Plans for . 
 
 29