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The decided favor of the public, and an extensive patronage, seemed to indicate that a new edition was in request, and would, doubtless, be acceptable; it is now presented with some additions and improvements in its general appearance. A few hints on the subject of rearing turkeys, furnished by a friend, on page 239, will, no doubt, be found very useful to the breeders of that valuable domestic fowl. To the gentlemen of the press, who have so favorably noticed our humble endeavors, we tender our unfeigned thanks. Among the many testimonials of approbation, we take the following, being the first we can lay our hands on. Mr. Breck, of the New England Farmer, thus notices the work: " Domestic Poultry.-We have just received from the publishers a practical treatise on the breeding, rearing, fattening, and general management of the various species of domestic poultry, with illustrations and portraits of fowls taken from life. The author of the work is Mr. Bement, the popular landlord of the American Hotel, Albany. From long experience as a public caterer, Mr. Bement is fully qualified to judge of the qualities of poultry, and from his earli est youth, he says, he has taken great interest in rearing it as a matter of profitable investment. The subject is one which comes home to the bosoms and stomachs of every one, particularly about Thanksgiving time, and we would recommend this treatise to all practical farmers and agriculturists who may take an interest in the rearing of this kind of stock." The editor of the Cultivator announces the work as follows: "Amer PREFACE TO THE FIFTH EDITION. ican Poulterer's Companion.-This work is the most complete of the kind yet published in this country. It embraces 380 pages, 18mo. is beautifully printed, and contains many engravings, illustrating the characteristics of the different species and varieties, and exhibiting the most approved plans of buildings and other necessary appurtenances to the successful management of poultry. As a work of practical value, and containing much information on all branches of the subject to which it refers, we have no doubt it will be eagerly sought, and highly prized by the American public." Mr. Allen, editor of the American Agriculturist, says, " We are glad at length to be able to announce this excellent work, which has been delayed some time passing through the press from the unusual care bestowed in engraving the illustrations. There are upward of seventy in number, and our readers can judge of their elegant finish, and general truthfulness and beauty, from the specimens given from it in our columns in the three preceding numbers of this journal. Mr. Bement has been a great poultry fancier for years, and has devoted much time to the breeding, rearing, and diseases of the different varieties of the domesticated feathered race. His book details his knowledge on this interesting subject, thus practically acquired; it may, therefore, be taken as a safe guide in all these matters, and more especially as it is adapted to our own country and its wants; thus making it emphatically the American Poulterer's Companion. Mr. Bement has treated the subject in a lively, agreeable style, and the publishers have issued it in the handsomest style of paper and typography. We are persuaded that the value of its contents, and general beauty of its appearance, will insure it a deserved popularity with all who take any interest in breeding and rearing poultry." " The American Poulterers Companion.-The value of this book is very decidedly indicated by the rapid sale of the first edition. We can not but add our testimony also to its value, after a pretty careful examination of its contents. It is the book which not only every farmer should possess, but also the mechanic, or every one who has a spot of land large enough to accommodate a dozen or two of fowls. In the publication of this work, Mr. Bement has certainly performed a very important service to the community, and the subject can not be con. sidered a small one, when it is known that the value of poultry in New York alone amounted, according to the last census, to $2,373'029 IPREFACE TU TIHE FlFTH EDITiON. and that n1 the states and territories it amounted to the sum of $1,76,170."'-Am. Qtr. Jour. of Agriculture. " The American Poulterer's Companion.-A capital work this, ani one which every person owning a single hen, and anxious to owin more, should possess. It contains admirable lessons for the amateur and professional poulterer, and good will come from an extensive perusal of its practical pages." — U. S. Gazette. The Philadelphia North American thus humorously notices the work. " The American Poulterer's Conspanzon.-The author of this book is evidently no chicken. He takes up the subject ab ovo, and, from his study and experience, is cock sure of the correctness of all hia facts and principles. The performance is a decided feather in his cap, and we hope that he may find the public ready to,shell out in testimony of his success. It would be, to say the least, foul play if so much labor should not have its reward, and, so far as we are concerned, we feel it a duty to spur the attention of our country friends to the author's merits. Without meaning to tread on political ground, we are not sure but he has abundant reason to crow.' 1 ONTE NT S. CHAPTER I. PaX ODUCIO................................. 5 CHAPTER II. General Views- Dowestic Poultry..................... 18 CHAPTER III. General Views: Fecundity of Hens-Expenses and Profits, 32 CHAPTER IV. Food: Fattening,..................................... 46 CHAPTER V. Poultry-Houses,............................... 76 CHAPTER VI. Furniture and Accessories to the Poultry-House,..... 115 CHAPTER VIL Gallinaceous Fowls................................ 130 CHAPTER VIIL Domestic Varieties,............................. i.145 iv CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. PAGO The Pea-fowl and Turkey Varieties,...............204 CHAPTER X. Aquatic Fowls:-The Swan, The Goose, Wild Goose, Bremen, African, Chinese: Habitation, Diseases, Plucking, Fattening,............................ 244 CHAPTER XI. The Duck,............................. 287 CHAPTER XII. Incubation: Feeding and Fattening,...................... 312 CHAPTER XIII. Diseases of Poultry,.......................... 350 CHAPTER XIV. Miscellaneous.....................................3 72 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Fowls reclaimed from their original state-breeding and rearingsome more prolific than others-considered a luxury-object of rearing for market-importance of rearing-mechanics may raise poultry-eggs and poultry prized by all nations-contribution of the poultry-yard profitable-utility of fowls-valuable as any stock -difference in richness of eggs-expensive establishments in England and Scotland-the way in which our farmers manage poultry not the best-every farmer may have an abundance of eggs -rearing poultry for market may be made profitable on small farms-importance-statistics. THE feathered tenants of the farm-yard, reclaimed from their original state of dependence, and pensioners on our bounty, are peculiarly interesting. Though less decidedly important than the sheep, the pig, the cow or the horse, they still rank among the useful; their flesh and eggs are esteemed as wholesome and delicate food, and most are remarked for grace and beauty. In London, and other large towns in Europe, extensive markets for the sale of poultry are established, and the poulterer and the egg-salesman carry on a lucrative business. The general demand for the flesh and eggs of poultry acts beneficially upon the small farmer, and renders their rearing profitable. "The breeding and rearing domestic poultry," 1* 6 INTRODUCTION. says Main, " as one of the branches of rural econo my, includes two special though different objects The first is that of rearing poultry for amusement and for the table of the owner; and the second is, doing the same thing with a view to profit." Every poulterer and every farmer should be aware that some kinds of the domestic fowls are more prolific and hardy than others; that some are of much greater size, and that the flesh and eggs of some species or varieties are much superior in richness and flavor to others. The many suppose that a " pullet is a pullet, and an egg an egg, and that's an end of it;" not so, however, those gastronomes, the old Romans, according to Horace. The epicures were particular in the varieties of the fowls cooked, or that produced their eggs, and even went so far as to distinguish between eggs that were supposed to produce males and females, as the following couplet will show: Long be your eggs far better than round, Cock eggs they are, more nourishing and sound." In this country, poultry has ever been considered a luxury, and consequently not reared in such considerable quantities as in France, Egypt, and some other countries, where it is used more as a necessary article of food, than as a delicacy for the sick, or a luxury for the table. " In France," says Mowbray, "poultry forms an important part of the live stock of the farmer, and it has been said of that country, the poultry-yards supply a much greater quantity of food to the gentleman, the wealthy tradesman and the INTRODUCTION. 7 substantial farmer, than the shambles do; and it is well known that in Egypt, it has been, from time immemorial, a considerable branch of rural economy, to raise domestic poultry for sale, hatched in ovens by artificial heat." The object of rearing poultry and eggs for market, may appear to some but a small concern; but a glance at the late agricultural census, would surprise many who had paid little or no attention to the subject, or not been in the habit of reflecting on the various items that go to swell our agricultural prosperity. The importance of rearing poultry, in a pecuniary point of view, has been little appreciated by the farmer, and on most farms very little attention is paid to the rearing and breeding a greater number than can subsist by picking up waste or refuse grain, or what might escape the pigs and be lost. They are considered as unprofitable, and a very insignificant part of live stock on the farm; still they should not be altogether neglected, for there are very few persons who do not like a fresh-laid egg or a fine fat pullet; and these are some of the fine things which happily can be had in good perfection by the farmer or mechanic, with very little trouble or expense. In the advancing state of agriculture, a peculiar interest is, at the present moment, thrown around every means calculated to advance the interests of rural economy; domestic poultry, though last not least, now comes in for a share, and we are pleased to per ~~8 ~ INTRODUCTION. ceive that more attention has of late been directed to this subject. There is scarcely an agricultural paper which reaches us, that does not contain some inquiries, in regard to their management, varieties, properties, &c. " He who adds," says Boswell, " to the productiveness of any object of nature, which can add a unit to the sum of human subsistence, and which can render that available for the purpose, which was wasted or useless before, must be deemed a benefactor to his species. In this light, even the rearing a few poultry may be viewed; for, by them, much of the refuse of the kitchen may again appear on the table in a new and better form; and if to them can be added the rabbit, the pig and the cow, there is no necessity that anything be lost or thrown away." The industrious mechanic can easily associate the poultry-yard, to add to the comfort of his family, to render his leisure hours more profitable, and to con vert his recreations into a reward. With proper arrangements and attention he may, either in a city or village, at a trifling expense keep at least twenty hens, that will furnish each year from ten to fifteen hundred eggs, and not far from one hundred chickens, plump and full grown, for the table. Among all nations throughout the globe, eggs and poultry have long been used, and highly prized as articles of foode But, the lack of information or the bestowal of proper attention in the management of fowls, the small quantity and ilcgh price of eggs INTRODUCTION. 9 in our markets during the winter season, cause most persons, in moderate circumstances, to do without them, while those of larger means use them as expensive luxuries. From our own experience we can safely say that there are few parts of the farmer's premises, that can be made to contribute, according to the amount of capital invested, more effectually to the comfort of the family, and if properly managed to the aggregate profit of the season, than the poultry-yard, and I am pleased to observe that more attention has of late been directed to the subject of domestic fowls. " Take care of the cents, and the dollars will take care of themselves," is an old maxim, and so far as the farmer's profits are concerned, I think a true one. But few species of animals are of so much utility as the species of the fowl. Whether young, adult, old, male, or female, these birds afford light, wholesome and strengthening food, which is equally suited to those in good health, and to those in a sick or convalescent state; which the art of our modern epicures knows how to transform in a thousand different ways and always agreeable, but which is not less succulent when dressed with temperate plainness. A writer in the Genesee Farmer says: —" Hens are useful, valuable, and as profitable as any stock on the farm; but, like other stock, they should have an enclosure by themselves at certain seasons of the year, especially in the spring, when the sowing and planting begins." 1.0 INTRODUCTION. But, though most farmers keep fowls and raise their own eggs, there are many who have not learned the difference there is in the richness and flavor of eggs produced by fat and well-fed hens, and those from birds that have been half starved through our winters. There will be some difference in the size, but far more in the quality. The yolk of one would be large, fine colored and of good consistence, and the albumen or white clear and pure; while the contents of the other will be watery and meagre, as though there were not vitality or substance enough in the parent fowl to properly carry out and complete the work that nature had sketched. In order, therefore, to have good eggs, the fowls should be well-fed, and also provided, during the months they are unable to come to the ground, with a box containing an abundance of fine gravel, that they may be able to grind and prepare their food for digestion. Of eggs, those from the domestic hen are decidedly the best; but those of ducks and geese may be used for some of the purposes of domestic cookery. At many of the country establishments in England, Scotland and Ireland, the buildings and yard for fowls are arranged on an extensive scale, comprising every necessary building, commodiously planned, and embracing every accessary required for the natural propensities, the comfort and protection of the various kinds. Apartments which can be occasionally heated for the tender birds; basins of water which can be frequently emptied and refilled. INTRODUCTION. 11 and several enclosures of grass or orchard grounds, as outlets for the poultry to range in alternately. The yards and outlets are also surrounrel by high picket fences, to prevent the escape of the fpwls or entrance of enemies. A keeper, male or female, is usually appointed to take care of the wvh.Qle, and receive orders relative to the required supplies of the family. In such establishments no expense is spared, either as to the quality or quantity of food necessary for their support; and, therefore, the various descriptions required by the cook are always of the best quality. The way in which the farmers in general, in this country, manage their poultry is not the best for them or the fowls. They are allowed to run where they please, to lay and sit at any time they may deem expedient; when the hen comes off with her chickens, she is suffered to ramble about, exposing the young brood to cold and wet, which thins them off rapidly; no suitable accommodations are provided for their roosting-places, and they are allowed to find a place to roost where they can, probably in some exposed situation in a tree or out-house; no attention is given to feeding them; and, under such circumstances. it is not to be wondered at that few or no eggs are produced, that few or no chickens are raised, or that fowls are sickly or unprofitable. When with so little expense to himself, a farmer may have an abundant supply of eggs, and raise one or two hundred chickens, it would seem strange 12 INTRODUCTION. that the poultry business should be so little attended to by the owners of the soil. Where crops are sown immediately around the barns, it may be inconve nient to have fowls run at large; but in many cases fifty or a hundred of these birds may be kept, not only without injury but with benefit There are generally large quantities of grain scattered in the barn-yards, and lost unless eaten by fowls there are myriads of insects, such as flies, bugs, worms, grass hoppers, &c., Which require to have their numbers diminished by the cock and his followers; and, evel if constantly kept up and fed, experience shows that, for the amount of capital invested, the poultry-yard contributes, in proportion, as great a return as any part of the farm. Rearing poultry for the market near our cities is more or less carried on by those who have conveniences for so doing; and some keep a large number of hens for laying, but breed no chickens for sale; the eggs yielding much more certain profit. On small farms, near cities and villages, the breeding and rearing of turkeys, ducks, and, in some instances, the keeping of geese, is found profitable. LT show the importance of paying more attention to this, though humble branch of the farmer's business, and that, however small it may appear to some, a knowledge of the amount consumed in some cities would astonish thermi INTRODUCTION. 13 STATISTICS. The annual consumption of poultry and small game in the city of Paris usually amounts to 22,000,000 lbs. "The quantity of eggs used annually in France exceeds," says one of the late journals," 7,250,000,000, of which enormous number Paris uses about 120,000,000." ( The importation of eggs from Ireland in 1837 to Liverpool and Bristol alone, amounted in value to ~250,000. The importation from France the same year was probably greater." " It appears, from the custom house returns of the year 1838, that eggs were imported into England (although loaded with heavy duties), from the continent to the value of more than a million of dollars." " It appears," says M' Culloch, " from official statements that the eggs imported from France (into England) amount to about 60,000,000 a year; and supposing them to cost, on an average, 4d. per dozen, it follows that the people of the metropolis of Brighton (for it is to that place they are most all imported), pay ~23,000 a year for eggs; and suppose the freight, importer's and retailer's profit, duty, &c., raise their orice to the consumer to 10d. per dozen, their total cost would be ~213,000." The number of eggs imported into England from tarious parts of the continent, in 1839, Tas 2 14 INTRODUCTION. 83,745,723, and the gross amount of duty received for the same was ~29,111. It has been ascertained that half a million of eggs are consumed every month in the city of New York. One woman in Fulton market sold 175,000 eggs in ten weeks, supplying the Astor House each day with 1000 for five days of a week, and on Saturday, 2,500. " When we look," says McQueen, "at the immense number of eggs brought from Ireland (50 tons of eggs, and 10 tons of live and dead poultry, having been shipped from Dublin alone in one day), and 66,000,000 of eggs imported from France to London alone; and this immense number, a trifle certainly to what are produced in this country (England), we shall cease to wonder at the large capital (~8,000,000) invested in poultry of all kinds. The quantity of eggs imported into Liverpool from Ire. land, in 1832, was 4097 crates, value ~81,940 sterling; which, at 6d. per dozen, gives 3,297,600 dozens of eggs, and the number 39,331,200. In 1833, the import had increased to 7,851 crates, or upwards of 70,000,000. The number imported into Glasgow from Ireland in 1835, by the custom house entries, was 19,321 crates, which, at nine eggs to the pound, gives the number 17,459,568." It is stated in a Providence paper, that one sloop has regularly, for twenty-three years, made twentyfive trips a year from Westport, Mass., to that port, during which period she has carried to that market. INTRODUCTION. 1b on an average, four hundred dozen of eggs each trip, making altogether a total of 3,450,000, averaging twelve and a half cents per dozen, amounting to $35,500. Large quantities of eggs have found their way from Ohio to our cities, by means of the canals and railroads. In May, 1842, seventy barrels, containing 70 dozen each, amounting in number to 58,800, were sent to Boston per railroad. In December, 1793, the number of turkeys sent to London, by the stage coaches from Norwich alone, amounted to upwards of 2,500, weighing nearly 14 tons. The week preceding Michaelmas day, 1830, forty tons of poultry were sent from Bury St. Edmund's, Suffolk, to London, 30 of which were geese; and 16 tons of the latter were the property of Messrs. Flatt & Walton, poulterers of Yostock and Repworth. Mr. Clarke, of Boston, transmitted to London in December, 1833, the following quantity of poultry:2400 geese and 800 turkeys; Mr. Harris, poultry-man of Spalding, also killed and forwarded to Leadenhall market, 1150 geese, 500 turkeys, 200 ducks, and 30 dozen of fowls.-Mowbray. The production and consumption of poultry and game in Europe, may be judged of by the consumption of Paris, in 1832, which comprised the following articles and animals, according to Count Chalsol:931,000 pigeons, 1,289,000 chickens, 549,000 turkeys, 238,000 geese, 131,000 partridges, 177,000 rabbits. and 174,000 ducks. 16 INTRODUCTION. The editor of the Farmer's Cabinet, published at Philadelphia, says, " A farmer, who regularly attends market, sold during one year poultry and eggs to the amount of about $150, and the expense incurred in their production was so small as scarcely to be appreciable." By referring to the agricultural statistics of the United States, as furnished by the last census, taken in 1839, and published in 1840, it would appear the value of poultry in the Slate of NewYork amounted to $2,373,029, and that of the various States and Territories of the Union amounted to the sum of $12,176,170. More attention has been directed to poultry in the vicinity of Philadelphia, than any other part of our country. The Bucks county poultry, like the Dorking of Surrey, in England, have acquired a greater degree of celebrity even in the New York market, where they are sometimes found in abundance. The foregoing is proof of the magnitude of an interest, which is deemed by most frrmers of too trifling consideration to be worth making any calculation about. It is, without doubt, a proportionately great interest in this country; yet, who in this respect deems it worth attending to? In England there are exhibitions and prizes awarded for the best poultry. At their exhibitions noblemen of the highest rank become competitors. Ear! Spencer, in 1837, carried the highest prize for a turkey, which weighed 20} lbs, Otle capol n was exhi INTRODUCTION. 17 bited which weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz one pullet 6 lbs. 3 oz.; one goose 18 lbs. 2 oz.; one pair of ducks, 10 lbs. 10 oz. Here in America, without the aid and stimulus of exhibitions and prizes, turkeys have been known to weigh over 30 lbs. In a Philadelphia paper it is stated that,'" On Thursday, December 29th, 1842, a farmer from New Jersey obtained $10- for a turkey curiously. The farmer boasted that his turkey weighed 30 lbs., and asked a price for it proportioned to its dimensions. A customer, doubting this, said he would give him five dollars for the turkey if it weighed 25 lbs., and one dollar for every pound over that weight. The defunct turkey was put in the scales and weighed 301 lbs. The gentleman kept his word, paid $10-, and took his fowl home for his New Year's dinner." A pair of chickens were exhibited at one of the hotels in Philadelphia,in April, that weighed 191 lbs. after being dressed. These fowls were bred and fattened by the Messrs. Woods of Haddonfield, N. J. In December, 1822, two turkeys were bred and fed, and sent to Cork, one weighing 33, the other 34 lbs. In the 7th edition of Mowbray on Poultry, it is asserted that " three turkeys were sold at Leadenhall market, December 25th, 1833, which weighed together 91 lbs., and brought three guineas each. One, eighteen months old, weighing 34 pounds, was sold at the same price." 2* CHAPTER II. GENERAL VIEWS: DOMESTIC POULTRY. Propagation and crossing-acquaintance of nature and habits-the cock a living clock-life and attitudes of the cock-mythology, &c.-begins to pay his addresses-peace does not long exist-disposition for fighting-horrible story of Ardesoif-choice of the cock-cleanliness-plumage-poultry-yard a place for the study of natural history-change of colors-best soils-should be kept confined-care entrusted to competent persons-will become too fat-difference in well-fed fowls-easy to feed. UNDER the term Domestic Poultry, are understood the cock and hen, turkey, duck, goose, pea and guinea fowl, to which perhaps may be added, the swan. Although fowls used for the table are, by nature, granivorous, yet all the various species, the goose perhaps excepted, are carnivorous likewise, and great devourers of fish and flesh. By propagation and crossing, gallinaceous fowls have been distributed into endless variety; but without including the more marked breeds, Dr. Bechstein distinguishes eight varieties of the common barndoor fowl; viz. the fowl with a small comb; the crowned fowl; the silver-colored fowl; the slate-blue fowl; the chamois-colored fowl; the ermine-like fowl; the widow, which has white tear-like spots on a dark ground; and the fire and stone-colored fowls. DOMESTIC POULTRY. 19 It is difficult, however, in many cases to identify the distinctions mentioned by foreign writers with the fowls bred in this country. If one wishes to be acquainted with the nature and the inclinations of fowls, one is obliged to have re-:ourse to the poultry-yard; for we know nothing of the habits of wild fowls; but a long bondage has operated such great alterations in the nature of our fowls, that it is not easy to come at their original character. For instance, the tame fowl makes no nest; the wild one surely does. The fecundity of the foif~er is in a measure unbounded; except in the moulting season, it lays almost incessantly; analogy will not allow us to doubt but that, in the wild tribe, the laying must be considerably confined, and that it takes place only at regular times. The cock is to the farmer a living clock, where exactness, to be sure, is not quite as correct as some of our Connecticut made wooden clocks; but is sufficient, nevertheless, to point out the divisions of the day and night, of labor and rest. The attitudes of the cock are those of haughtiness; he carries his head high; his look is bold and quick; his gait is grave; all his motions bespeak a noble assurance; he seems to reign over the other inhabitants of the poultry yard. His activity is indefatigable, and he is never deficient in vigilance. Incessantly taken up with his mates, he warns them out of danger, gets before them, and if obliged to yield to force, which robs him.of one, he for a long time ex 20 GENERAL VIEWS: presses by loud outcries, his anger and his regrets; feeling for their suffering, he again utters long and sonorous exclamations, when by their cries they announce the pains or fatigues of laying. A softer clucking is the signal by which he calls them; his usual shrill crow is, at the same time, the expression of his continual vigilance; the cry of victory after an engagement, and the accent of satisfied love. It was formerly thought that the cock and the nightingale were the only day birds that sung and crowed at night; other species also warble after suigt; but all, as well as the nightingale, are quiet x1en the season of love is over; whereas the tame cock crows every day and every night throughout its whole existence. However, there is some ground to presume, that it is otherwise in a state of nature, and that the crowing of the wild cock is no more, as with otler birds, than the momentary accent of his loves. If the life of the domestic cock be an uninterrupted series of enjoyments, it is also commonly a continual scene of war. As soon as a rival comes forward, the fight begins, and only ends by the retreat of one of the champions. Sometimes both rivals die in the battle. If one of them be conqueror, he immediately celebrates his triumph by repeated crowings and by flapping his wings. The other disappears, abashed at being defeated.-Buffon. " Less spirited than the males, hens are also mildez and more timid; though they fight with each other, and for a moment, with ten times more fury than the DOMESTIC POULTRY. 21 cocks. Their voice is less sonorous; but its different modulations show that they, as well as cocks, have a varied language; after having laid, they utter loud cries; if they call their chickens together, it is by a short grave clucking; they warn them out of danger by a monotonous and lengthened cry, which they repeat till the bird of prey is out of sight; in fine, they keep up, between themselves, a continual cackling, which seems to be a coherent conversation between these very chattering females. There are some hens which faintly imitate the crowing of the cock; they are usually the young ones of the year, and they do not always keep on this mimic fancy, as I have ascertained by following several of those crowing hens, which happened to be at different times in my poultry-yard. As to the rest, they had none of those exterior characters which could bring them near the cock; they lay like the rest, and it is wrong that they should be generally proscribed, as either barren or as ill omened. The housewives of Lorraine, and several other parts of France, are forward in putting to death every hen that imitates the crowing of the cock, which in their eyes is the effect of a charm; hence a very jocular saying, in which there is some meaning, a hen that crows, a parson that dances, a woman that talks Latin; never come to any good.' " In the mythology of the ancients," says Main, " the cock was the symbol of vigilance. Polytheism consecrated it to Minerva and Mercury: it was offered to 2Esculapius, the God of medicine, on re 22 GENERAL VIEWS: covering from illness. The Romans used to keep sacred pullets, and they undertook nothing of consequence before they had consulted the auspices of this prophetic fowl. Its meals were solemn omens, which regulated the conduct of the senate and the armies. The cock is remarkable for his haughty, grave, stately gait, for his courage and vigilance, for his attachment to his hens, for his amorous disposition, and his means of satisfying it. The cock begins to pay his addresses to the hens from the time he is four months old; his tull vigor only lasts three years, though he may live till ten. It is remarked that in cocks of the large species, the procreative qualities are later in coming forward; they probably enjoy it longer. As soon as the cock gets less nimble he is no more worthy to figure in the seraglio; his successor must be the finest, the most brave of all the supernumerary young cocks in the poultry-yard. Peace does not last long between cocks, among which the empire of the poultry-yard has been divided; as they are all actuated by a restless, jealous, hasty, fiery, ardent disposition, their quarrels are frequent, and are generally bloody. A fight soon follows the provocation. The two adversaries face each other; their feathers are bristled up, the neck stretches out, the head low, the bill ready; they observe;each other in silence, with fixed and sparkling eyes. On the least motion of either they set off DOMESTIC POULTRY. 23 together, they stand stiff, rush forward, and dash against each other, and repeat the same manceuvre, till the one that is most adroit, and is strongest, has torn the comb of his enemy, has thrown him down, by flapping him with his wings, or has stabbed him with his spurs. This disposition of cocks for fighting so desperately, especially when they are not used to live together, and meet for the first time, the courage and obstinacy which they evince in this often dreadful contest, have given Englishmen the idea of exhibiting these cock fights in public. It is that sort of tragedy they seem to like in preference. The annals of these sights mention a very singular sympathy between two cocks. They had successfully beaten all the others; they could never be made to fight together, notwithstanding the stimulus of the most hateful passions. Mowbray relates the following: " Every one has heard the horrible story of Ardesoif of Tottenham, who, in April, being disappointed by a famous gamecock refusing to fight, was incited by his savage passion to roast the bird alive, whilst entertaining his friends. The company, alarmed by the dreadful shrieks of the victim, interfered, but were resisted by Ardesoif, who threatened death to any who should oppose him; and in a storm of raging and vindictive delirium, and uttering the most horrid imprecations, he dropped down dead. I had hoped to find this one among the thousand fanatical lies which have been 24 GENERAL VIEWS: coined on the insane expectation that truth can be advanced by the propagation of falsehood; but to my sorrowful disappointment, on a late inquiry among the friends of the deceased miscreant, I found the truth of the horrible story but too probable." The choice of a cock is a very important thing. It is accounted that he has every requisite quality, when he is of a good size, but middling, when he carries his head high, has a quick and animated look, a strong and shrill voice, the bill thick and short, the comb of a fine red, and in a manner varnished; a membraneous wattle of a large size, and colored the same as the comb, the breast broad, the wings strong, the plumage black, or of an obscure red, the thighs very muscular, the legs thick, and supplied with long spurs, the claws supplied with nails rather bent, and with a very keen point; when he is free in his motions, crows often, and scratches the earth with constancy, in search of worms, not so much for himself as his mates; when he is brisk, spirited, ardent, and clever in caressing them, quick in defending them attentive in soliciting them to eat, in keeping them together in the day, and assembling them at night. There are some cocks, which, by being too high mettled, are snappish and quarrelsome. The way to quiet these turbulent ones is plain; their foot must be put through the middle of a bit of leather in a round shape; they become as quiet as men who are fettered at their hands, feet, and neck. The cock loves cleanliness; he is careful of his DOMESTIC POULTRY. 26 coat; you often see him busy in combing, polishing, and stroking his feathers with his bill. If, like the robin and thrush, he has not the ambition of excelling in his note, one may at least think that he is particularly jealous in showing that he has a very loud, shrill, and powerful voice. In fact, when he has crowed, he listens to know whether he is answered; or, should he hear another, he begins again directly, and he seems to defy him to raise his voice above his own. Often of a dark night, this crowing, repeated by every cock in the village, has fortunately reached the ear of the benighted traveller, and has enabled him the better to direct his steps. The plumage of birds has always formed an object of pleasing contemplation. The God of nature has shown by it his love of spreading beauty over all his works, and opening up every source for the pure enjoyment of man. The splendid coloring of many of our domestic fowls is not necessary in itself, and must have been bestowed as a means of pleasure to the beholder. " If people," says M. Reaumur," are affected with the kind of pleasure so transitory to the most enthusiastic florists, who procure it but for a few days, by a world of care and toil, continued through a whole year; if they are affected by the variety and fine combinations of colors in their favorite flowers, the poultry-yard, when well managed, may be made to offer them endless pleasures of the same description." The greater number of cocks, even of the most S 26 GENERAL VIEWS: con mon kind, are beautifully pencilled, and when exposed to the play of the sun's rays exhibit the brightest hues, almost rivalling the gorgeous coloring of the rainbow. The hens are sometimes spotted with great beauty and regularity; some white and silvery, others by their bright orange tints appearing golden, while of the most common kinds there is an almost endless variety. In their colors they embrace the opposite extremes of light and shade, and all the tints that lie between them. These colors are sometimes submitted to very re markable changes in the same individual, at different stages of their existence. When newly hatched, the acutest poulterer could not predict of what precise color they would become, for it is not found invariably to run in the blood. After moulting, some fowls have been known to turn out a different color from what they were before. Even without moulting the feathers of the white have been tipped with black as suddenly as the hair of some men has in the course of a night been turned into grey. The poultry-yard is a place where the student of Natural History will see many things to amuse and instruct. The changes of color which some of the domestic fowls undergo in the process of moulting, are most singular and inexplicable. M. Reaumur gives the following instance of change of color, among many others. " One of his hens, readily distinguished by a crooked claw, had feathers of the ruddy color mixed with brown, so common among DOMESTIC POULTRY. 27 dung-hill fowls. A year after, she was observed to become almost black, with here and there a large white spot. At the second moulting, black was the predominant color, and only a few white patches of the size of a half-crown could be perceived. At the succeeding moult, all the black disappeared, and the hen became pure white." In another case of a cock presented to M. Reaumur as a curiosity, the following changes occurred. In the first year he was of the common ruddy brown mixed with white; in the second, he was all over ruddy brown, or rather red without white; in the third, uniformly black; in the fourth, uniformly white; and in the fifth, white feathers mixed with chestnut and ruddy brown; while at the next moulting he again became a pure white. A similar case lately occurred within the knowledge of the author. Passing a neighbor's yard in the month of July, I observed a beautiful young cock of the Poland variety. His color was red and black, beautifully combined, with a splendid white top-knot of feathers. Wishing to obtain him, I called there in January following, and on inquiry, he was produced to me perfectly white; I objected to him, observing to the owner, that it was a speckled fowl that I wished-one which I saw there in the summer. I was then informed that he was the identical fowl, and that he was the only cock which had been on the premises, and that when he moulted in the fall his color changed by degrees until every dark feather disappeared. 28 GENERAL VIEWS: The following curious circumstance, which happened within the men tory of many of the inhabitants of, and near Bath, J. well worth stating, respecting poultry changing their plumage. Major Brereton, of the above place, had a noted game-cock, entirely of a dark red; and, after his great match, on which depended the sam (of ~36,000, and winning the odd battle, he turned him to a walk, at a place near Bath; the bird had not been long there, when the owner of the farm carne to the Major, and informed him, he was all spangled with white; in a few days after, when the Major went to see him, he found him all over white; or, as it is termed by cockers, a conm plete sinock-not a red feather was to be seen. In the course of some time after, he resumed his former plumage. Dickson, in his work on poultry, with regard to color, relates the following: " I have, at present, a hen of the Spanish breed, which has been of a uniform black for two successive moults, but has now her neck, wings, and tail feathers, tipped with pure white. I have another which was all over a silver grey, but has now her head and neck coal black, with a ring of fine white at the base of the neck, while the rest of the body is finely speckled with black and snow white. It is remarkable also, that this change took place in a few weeks, without any obvious moult, so as to cause her to appear anywhere bare )f feathers." Mowbray, in his work on poultry, relates the fol DOMESTIC OULTRY. 2 lowing instance of the change in color of a turkey. A turkey cock, the property of J. Lee, Esq., which was black in 1821, became afterwar&d perfectly white. This extraordinary change took place so gradually, that in the middle of the moulting, the bird was beautifully mottled, the feathers being black and white alternately." The warmest and driest soils are best adapted for the purpose of breeding and rearing poultry. The greatest success may be expected, attended with the least trouble; however, those who choose to keep them, must use the best place they can command. If possible, it must be a gentle slope, that the water and damp may run off. In both large and small establishments, it will be required to separate some of the fowls from the rest, particularly when particular breeds, such as Dorking, Poland, Malay, or any fancy fowls, are to be reared. Separate pens or apartments must be provided, either at some distance from each other, which is preferred, or with divisions to prevent any intrusion, by which improper crossing might be produced. It is wellsaid by Mr. Beatson, that poultry, when rightly managed, might be a source of great profit to the farmer; but where many are kept, they ought not to be allowed to go at large, in which case little or no profit can be expected; for not only many of their eggs will be lost, and many of themselves perhaps destroyed by vermin, but, at certain seasons, they do much mischief both in the barn-yard and in the 3* 30 GENERAL VIEWS4: field. Poultry, it is thought, ought always to be confined; but if so, instead of a close, dark, diminutive hovel, as is often the case, they should have a spacious, airy place, properly constructed for them. And, from my own experience, each sort of poultry should be kept by itself. Though I have found turkeys and barn-yard fowls very quiet through the day, they do not like to roost together under the same roof; the turkeys are quarrelsome, and will not suffer the hens to come near them. It is best to entrust the management of fowls to some trusty person, who can be depended on; and no other person, except the keeper, whom the fowls know, and the voice and sight of whom rejoice them, must go into the hen-house, for fear of scaring o0 disturbing the hens busied in laying. The proper persons, or those who generally understand the art of rearing poultry, are females, who, accustomed from their infancy to look after the poultry, are acquainted with every particular of rearing, the different processes it requires, and the alterations which circumstances compel to bring forward. Fowls will become fat on the common run of the barn-yard, where they thrive upon the offals of the stable and other refuse, with perhaps some small regular daily feeds; but, at threshing time, they become particularly fat, and are therefore styled barndoor fowls, probably the most delicate and high-flavored of all others, both from their full allowance of DOMESTIC POULTRY. 31 the finest grain, and in the constant health in which they are kept, by living in the natural state, and having the full enjoyment of air and exercise. In well-fed fowls the difference will be seen, not only in the size and flesh of the fowls, but in the weight and goodness of the eggs; two of which go farther in domestic uses, than three from hens poorly fed, or half starved. Fowls are, of all birds, the most easy to feed. Every alimentary substance agrees with them, even when buried in manure; nothing is lost to them; they are seen the whole day long incessantly busied in scratching and picking up a living. The finest, the most imperceptible seed cannot escape their piercing eye. The fly that is most rapid in flight, cannot screen itself from the promptitude with which she darts her bill; the worm that comes to breathe at the surface of the earth, has not time to shrink from her glance; it is immediately secured by the head and drawn up. CHAPTER III. GENERAL VIEWS: FECUNDITY OF HENS-EXPENSES AND PROFITS. Fecundity of hens-to promote fecundity-early hatched pullets best for breeding-will not lay while moulting-old hens cannot be depended on for eggs-to have eggs in cold weather-never allow cocks to run with hens-to promote fecundity —method adopted by the ancients-Reaumur's experiments-some hens lay more eggs than others-our experience-extraordinary products -fowls profitable. THE question is often asked "' why hens cannot be made to lay as well in the winter as in the summer?" They can, to a certain extent; but they require as a condition, that they be well provided with warm and comfortable lodging, clean apartments, plenty of food, in all its variety, consisting of grain, vegetable and animal food, pure water, and gravel, lime, and sand to roll and bask in. A writer in the Southern Agriculturist says:-" To make hens lay in winter, they should be shut up in a warm place. Boiled potatoes, turnips, carrots, and parsnips, are cheap and good food," &c. " The reason why hens do not lay in winter," observes a writer in the New England Farmer, "is because the earth is covered with snow so that they can find no ground or other calcareous matter to form the shells. If the bones of meat or poultry be FECUNDITY OF HENS. 33 pounded and given to them, either mixed with their food, or by itself, they will eat greedily, and lay eggs as well as in warm weather. When hens are fed on oats, they lay better than when fed on any other grain." There seem naturally to be two seasons of the year when hens lay; early in the spring, and afterwards in summer: indicating that if fowls were left to themselves, they would, like wild birds, produce two broods in a year, Spring-hatched birds, if kept in a warm place and fed plentifully and attended to, will generally commence laying about Christmas, or even somewhat earlier. In cold and damp this is not to be expected, and much may, in different seasons, depend on the state of the weather and the condition of the bird. It is a well known fact, that from November to February (the very time we are in want of eggs the most), they are to many a bill of expense, without any profit. To promote fecundity and great laying in the hen, it is necessary that they be well fed on grain, boiled potatoes given to them warm, and occasionally animal food. In Ihe summer, they get their supply of animal food, in the form of worms and insects, when suffered to run at large; unless their number is so great as to consume beyond the supply in their roving distance. I find it quite advantageous, in the summer, to open my gates occasionally, and give my fowls a run in the garden and field adjoining their yard, for a few hours in the days 34 GENERAL VIEWS: when grasshoppers and other insects are plenty. I had two objects in view; one to benefit the fowls, the other to destroy the insects. It will be found, that the fecundity of the hen will be increased or diminished according to the supply of animal food furnished. Hens moult and cast their feathers once every year, which generally commences in August, and lasts until late in November. It is the approach, the duration and the consequences of this period, which puts a stop to their laying. It is a critical time for all birds. All the period while it lasts, even to the time that the last feathers are replaced by new ones, till these are full grown, the wasting of the nutritive juices, prepared from the blood for the very purpose of promoting this growth, is considerable; and hence it is no wonder there should not remain enough in the body of the hen to cause her egg to grow. Old hens cannot always be depended on for eggs in winter, they scarcely being in full feather before the last of December; and then, probably, may not begin to lay till March or April, producing not more than twenty or thirty eggs; and this is probably the cause of the disappointment of those who have supplied themselves at the markets for their stock to commence with, and get but few or no eggs. As pullets do not moult the first year, they commence laying before the older hens, and by attending to the period of hatching, eggs may be produced during the year. An early brood of chickens, therefore, by FECUNDITY OF HENS. 35 being carefully sheltered from the cold and wet, and fed once a day on boiled potatoes, warm, with plenty of grain, in the feeding hoppers (which will be hereafter described), and occasionally a little animal food, will begin to lay in the fall, or early in the winter. "When," says Bosc, "it is wished to have eggs during the cold season, even in the dead of winter, it is necessary to make the fowls roost over an oven, in a stable, or to erect a stove in the poultry-house on purpose. By such methods the farmers of Auge have chickens fit for the table in the month of April, a period when they are only beginning to be hatched on the farms around Paris, although farther to the south. It would be desirable to have stoves more common in poultry-houses near cities, where luxury grudges no expense for the convenience of having fresh eggs." A writer in the Cultivator under the signature of B., says, "I never allow cocks to run with my hens, except when I want to raise chickens." He recommends giving them fresh meat chopped fine, once a day; never allowing any eggs to remain in the nest, for nest eggs. " My hens," continues the writer, "' always lay all winter, and from 75 to 100 eggs each, in succession. There being nothing to excite the animal passions, they never attempt to sit. I have for several years reduced my theory to practice, and proved its entire correctness. It must be obvious that the presence of the male is not necessary for the production of eggs, as they are formed whether the 36 GENERAL VIEWS. male be present or not. Of course such eggs will not produce chickens." In contradiction to the foregoing, Boswell says, "To promote fecundity and great laying in the hen, nothing more is necessary than the best corn and fair water; but malted or sprouted barley has occasionally a good effect, whilst the hens are kept on solid corn, but if continued too long they are apt to scour. It must be noted, that nothing is more necessary towards success in the particular of obtaining plenty of eggs than a good attendance of cocks, especially in the cold season; and it is also especially to be observed, that a cock whilst moulting is generally useless." "' Man," says Parmentier, "who thinks of nothing but his own interest, has attempted several means of arousing hens from their torpidity, when they cease at the natural period of the year to lay, inasmuch as it seems very hard to pass through the winter without the luxury of eating new laid eggs." The method adopted by the ancients was, rich and stimulant food, such as toasted bread soaked in ale or wine, barley half sodden, tares and millet. M. Reaumur made several experiments with aviem to the object in question. A certain class of food, and of seeds, he says, are much extolled in many places, as tending to promote the laying of eggs, but nothing has yet been determined by our choice; for in this way, the sum of the eggs laid by the hens of a poultry-yard, might be distributed in a far more FECUNDITY OF HENS. 3 equable manner, over the several months of the year; and if, as is probable, each hen can only produce a certain number of eggs, we should be glad to have a portion of them yearly produced in winter. The necessity we are under of keeping great quantities of eggs in the season when they are laid, causes an uncommon quantity to be spoiled every year, from too long keeping or want of proper caution in preserving them; and hence the importance of the question-" Whether it may not be possible to make hens lay in winter?" With respect to fecundity, some hens will lay only one egg in three days, some every other day, others every day, and a hen was exhibited at the Fair of the American Institute, at New York, in October, 1843, that was said to have laid two eggs in a day, and Aristotle mentions a breed of Ilissian hens which laid as often as thrice a day. According to our experience much depends on circumstances, such as climate, accommodations, feed and the attention paid to the hens, as to the number of eggs annually produced. It is asserted by Buffon, that a hen, well fed and attended, will produce upwards of 150 eggs a year, besides two broods of chickens; and a writer in the Connecticut Courant, says, "a dozen hens properly attended, will furnish a family with more than 2,000 eggs in a year, and 100 chickens," but from our experience we think this an over-estimate, especially for this cold climate. From 70 to 75 eggs per hen, a year, would 4 38 GENERAL VIEWS: be a fair estimate, for any number of fowls kept together. We find statements from practical writers recorded in our American journals, several instances of extraordinary products of hens, which will enable us to form some judgment on the subject; but it must be borne in mind, however, that these statements have been given generally as extraordinary products. Mr. E. A. Colman, of Chelsea, Mass., obtained from eight hens, from July 7th to August 29th, seven weeks, 293 eggs.-N. E. Farmer. The editor of the Newburyport Herald gives an account of an experiment made with ten hens which produced 1,116 eggs, besides 15 chickens, within the year. The avails of 41 dozen eggs sold, paid all the expense of keeping. It is stated in the Farmer's Journal that from 150 hens, 1,900 eggs were obtained in the month of January; and that five pullets produced 300 eggs from the middle of October, to the middle of April, which is the coldest part of the year. "Mr. E. Tucker, of Milton," says the editor of the Massachusetts Ploughman, " tells us that he obtained 600 dozen (7,200) eggs in one year from 83 hens; this was his highest number of fowls; he sometimes had less; that for 562 dozen (6,744) he took $100 within one cent. The whole amount of his cash expenditures was $56 43, leaving him a balance of $43 57." Mr. Westfall, of Rhinebeck. in the Cultivator, FECUNDITY OF HENS. 39 says, "From 45 hens, I have the past year (1840) raised more than 150 chickens, although I had rather poor success in hatching the eggs. I have sold eggs to the amount of $21 29: have now over 300 on hand, and the year since the receipt of the first egg last spring will not be up till the last of this month (February), and we are now getting from 20 to 25 eggs per day from about 80 hens." A writer in the Cultivator of 1842, says, " This year (1842) I have about 40 hens, mostly pullets, and three cocks. They commenced laying in the latter part of January, and, up to the last of April, about 90 days, have given me about 120 dozen (1,440) eggs.'" A correspondent in the Cultivator who writes more in detail, says, "that when his fowls commenced laying he had 37 hens and three cocks, and when they ceased laying he had 26, the average being 32. In about 300 days, between January and November, they yielded 3,298 eggs." He raised no chickens. The following remarkable instance of fecundity is furnished by Mr. Morent, in the Cultivator. He had three pullets of the Poland or top-knot variety, which were hatched in June. December the 15th of the same year, they began to lay, and from that time to December following, laid 524 eggs. Cost of keeping not exceeding $3 71. They were fed on barley, rice and peas. A correspondent of the Massachusetts Plough l0 GENERAL VIEWS: man gives a most extraordinary account of the sales from the produce of one hen, amounting to the sum of eighteen dollars. The following singular case is related in an English publication. "' ir. James Drinkwater, of Harpenbery, has a hen two years old; it has not a white feather on it, but is as black as jet. For upwards of eighteen months it has laid an egg every other day, and has never been known to change its feathers." A friend living on Staten Island, and who has been pretty successful in the management of poultry, informed me that from 55 hens and 7 ducks, he obtained in the months of January (1842), 182 eggsin February, 324-March, 792-April, 878-May, 915-June, 746-July, 534-August, 650 —September, 346-October, 68-November, 5 —December, 69-making in all for the year 5,509. Allowing the seven ducks to have laid 70 eggs each, would leave 5,019, which divided by 55 gives an average of 91 eggs to each hen. These hens were fed from six to eight quarts of cracked corn per day, and occasionally a few boiled potatoes. Averaging the feed at 7 quarts per day we have within a fraction of 80 bushels of corn, which at 50 cents per bushel amounts to $40, and allowing the eggs to be worth $1 per 100 we have $55 09, from which deduct $40 for food and we have a profit of only $15 09 besides 60 chickens, which, at 15 cents each, would swell the FECUNDITY OF HENS. 41 profits up to $24 09. He gives the prefrence, for eggs, to the silver top-knots and French hens. Another friend who resides in a neighboring cit' and keeps between 30 and 40 hens, informed m that, in 1841, he obtained eggs from his hens throiugl out the year; that is, there was not a single day ii which he did not obtain some. This he accountec for by having very early chickens, as when the old hens ceased laying to moult, the young pullets commenced. In 1842 he kept between 25 and 30 hens, and obtained 2,832 eggs. This, it will be seen, gives a fraction over 94 eggs to each hen, which is nearly double the number we obtained from our hens. His yard is completely protected by high fences and buildings on the north and west, and receiving the full influence of the sun from the south. He has low sheds around the yard to protect them from storms in the day and a warm room in the loft of his wood-house, which is lathed and plastered, to protect them from vermin, and keep them warm in cold weather. In 1840 my hens commenced laying on the 7th of February, and between that period and the 15th of August, when they commenced moulting, we obtain. ed 2,655 eggs from 60 hens; when the year previous, from 100 hens, which were suffered to run at laige, we did not get but few over 1,000. In 1841 they commenced laying the 8th of January, and continued to lay until the 27th of September, when they cease-' entirely, but commenced again on the 13th of Octo 4* 42 GENERAL VIEWS: ber, and continued to lay until the 18th of November, when they ceased, and commenced again on the 1st of December; and up to the first of January, they produced over 4,000 eggs. In 1842 we had 71 hens, which produced within the year 3,509 eggs. In 1843 we kept 69 hens, from which we obtained 3,978 eggs. In order to ascertain by demonstration, and to satisfy ourself, whether the keeping of fowls were profitable or not, we commenced in 1842 keeping debit and credit account with the poultry-yard. We had 71 hens, 12 cocks, 2 ducks, 2 drakes, 3 turkeys, 1 turkey-cock, 5 geese, and 2 ganders-in all 98 head. They consumed within the year as follows: 91 bushels Wheat Screenings, at 21 cts.............$19 11 6 " Rye,..............5s.................3 75 11 ( Millet,.............5s..................6 62 2 " Indian corn,....... 5s.................1 25 3 " Barley,........... 4s..................1 50 2 " Indian Meal,.......8s..................2 00 10 " Small Potatoes,..*. ls..................1 25 $35 48 We obtained 3509 eggs valued at......... $35 09 Sold fowls for........................ 2 00