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i comb. 2 . Face. 3 . Wattles. 4 . Deaf Ear, or Ear Lobe. 
 5. Hackle. 6 . Breast. 7- Back. 8 . Saddle. 
 
 Q. Saddle-hackles. 10. Sickles. 11. Tail Coverts. 
 
 12 . True Tail Feathers. 13. Wing-bow. 
 
 14. Wing Coverts, forming the “bar.” 
 
 15. Secondaries, lower ends forming the wing or lower butts. 
 
 16. Primaries, or flight, 
 not seen when wing 
 is clipped up. 
 
 17 . Point of breast bone. 
 
 18. Thighs. 
 
 19 . Hocks. 
 
 20. Legs, or Shanks. 
 
 21. Spur. 
 
 22 . Toes or Claws. 
 
Dean’s Practical Guide Docks, 
 
 POULTRY: 
 
 Their Varieties , 
 
 Classification, Exhibiting, Treatment, 
 Breeding, Rearing, Housing, 
 Diseases, and General Management 
 
 By EDWARD BROWN, F.L.S. 
 
 Editor of “ The Fanciers' Gazette.” 
 
 WITH' TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY LUDLOW 
 AND FRONTISPIECE SHOWING THEIR POINTS. 
 
 LONDON : DEAN & SON, 160a, FLEET STREET, E.C. 
 
&3i ,5 
 
 B$l 
 
 yHWERSff- Or -• 
 
 ' 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter. 
 
 I. — Introduction - 
 
 II. — The Breeds of Poultry 
 
 III. — American Varieties of Poultry - 
 
 IV. — Asiatic Varieties - 
 
 V. — Bantams - 
 
 VI. — Dorkings - 
 
 VII. — French 
 
 VIII. — Game and other Fighting Breeds 
 
 IX. — Hamburghs - 
 
 X. — Mediterranean Races - 
 
 XI. — Polish ------ 
 
 XII. — Other Varieties not Classified - 
 
 XIII. — Ducks ------ 
 
 XIV— Geese and Turkeys - - • 
 
 XV. — Housing - 
 XVI. — Breeding - - 
 
 XVII. — Rearing - 
 
 XVIII. — General Managemet - - • 
 
 XIX. — Exhibiting Poultry - • • 
 
 XX. — Diseases - - • • • 
 
 Page. 
 
 7 
 
 - i 4 
 
 - 21 
 
 - 28 
 
 - 37 
 
 . 44 
 
 - 47 
 
 - Si 
 
 - 56 
 
 - 59 
 
 - 66 
 
 - 69 
 
 - 75 
 
 - 86 
 
 - 93 
 
 - 10^ 
 
 - 10S 
 
 - 1 16 
 1 24 
 
 - 129 
 
 4A-5U 
 

 . 
 
 
 
 
 
7 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The growth, as a pleasurable pursuit, of poultry keeping 
 during the past generation, has been very remarkable. The 
 modern era of poultry breeding may be said to date from 
 the cochin mania of the mid-years of the century, when 
 every one in England nearly went mad on this subject. 
 Fabulous fortunes were to be made by the culture of fowls, 
 and the nation was to be enriched vastly by the production 
 of poultry. The desire to obtain a share of this wealth was 
 the means of inducing many to enter into the pursuit, but 
 though they found that the profit was ever prospective and 
 visionary, some of them became attracted by poultry 
 breeding, and have never been able to forget its charm. 
 Many of these are to-day amongst our keenest breeders of 
 poultry, and we owe much to them for the way in which 
 they directed the earliest years of the poultry fancy. Of 
 course, there were thousands who simply became breeders 
 for what they could make out of it, and when they found 
 that there was no chance of rapid fortune-making, they 
 abandoned it in disgust. These people never are of much 
 strength to any enterprise, but more frequently a source of 
 weakness. 
 
 Pure bred poultry breeding was known in this country 
 long before the time of the cochin mania, but its range was 
 very limited, being chiefly restricted to cock fighters and 
 the. table fowl breeders of Surrey and Sussex. Almost 
 entirely to the fanciers — that is those who breed poultry for 
 exhibition — do we owe the great increase in the number of 
 breeds, and the enormous development of poultry keeping 
 by amateurs, which has characterised the past thirty-five 
 
8 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 years. Had there been a corresponding advance in the 
 number kept, and attention paid by the agricultural com- 
 munity to their fowls, it would not be necessary to import 
 nearly three and a- half million pounds worth of poultry 
 produce every year from foreign countries. But whilst the 
 fanciers have been hard at work seeking after ideals, the 
 farmers have been content to ignore poultry. But they 
 have ever been willing to join in a selfish and unreasonable 
 cry against those who have entered into poultry breeding as 
 a pleasurable pursuit, and to whom the mere production of 
 eggs and table fowls was of minor consequence. I am 
 willing to admit the fanciers would have best consulted 
 their own interests, and the interests of the country gene- 
 rally, if they had paid more attention to economic proper- 
 ties, for these might have been in nearly all instances, 
 as they have in some of our best breeds, joined to 
 external characteristics, but it must be remembered that 
 the aims of the fancier are not in the direction of increased 
 egg production or of improved table qualities. If at the 
 same time the agriculturists had been doing their share of 
 the work as effectively, the one would have reacted on the 
 other, and we should not have seen the deterioration in 
 some breeds which has undoubtedly taken place. There- 
 fore, in apportioning the blame for the deterioration referred 
 to, I lay it almost entirely on those whose special business 
 in life it is to provide for the food of the people. 
 
 It must not be thought that I am disposed to regard the 
 work of fanciers as being entirely hurtful to the economic 
 qualities of our various races of domestic poultry ; on the 
 contrary, I am firmly convinced that with a few exceptions 
 this work has been most beneficial. New breeds have been 
 introduced, the world has been scoured for fresh varieties, 
 and many of the breeds which thirty years ago were simply 
 local, and whose characteristics were not very well defined, 
 have been improved, and types embodying the qualities 
 have been fixed. But for the efforts of fanciers our races 
 of domestic poultry would be comparatively few, and many 
 varieties which are now amongst our most valuable fowls 
 would be unknown, or if known would be unattractive. 
 Attractiveness is a great factor in all such considerations, 
 
Introduction . 
 
 9 
 
 and no animal need be the worse from a profitable point of 
 view because it is good-looking. I know there are those 
 who regard the introduction of fresh breeds of poultry as a 
 mistake, thinking we have already sufficient for our purpose. 
 With such a view I cannot agree. Some time ago I 
 wrote* : — 
 
 “ There can be no question that the introduction of new 
 varieties tends to the stimulation of interest in poultry 
 keeping. The development of poultry breeding first took 
 place at the time cochins were brought over, and if the eras 
 in the progress of this pursuit could be marked, we are 
 sure each would be indicated by the introduction of some 
 new variety. It is customary for older breeders to sneer at 
 new varieties, and when this sneering has the effect of 
 stimulating the votaries of the latter, we do not object to 
 the result, though we do not approve of its cause. With 
 this sneering we have no sympathy whatever, and we 
 welcome new breeds as indicating new life and spirit in the 
 pursuit. The older breeds in some cases get worn out; 
 they do not meet the new conditions ; but we are as ardent 
 in the maintenance of older varieties as in the support of 
 new ones. There is, in fact, room for all. Of course, there 
 must be some check upon new breeds — that is, they must 
 prove their right to exist and be worthy of recognition.” 
 
 These sentences briefly state the position, and I am glad 
 to know that the views here expressed have met with 
 support in America. The work of fanciers may, therefore, 
 be regarded as beneficial to the entire poultry interest and 
 deserves recognition. 
 
 In addition to those who may be regarded as poultry 
 fanciers, which term is now understood to riiean all who 
 go in for exhibition stock, there is a very much larger body 
 of poultry keepers who simply keep fowls for the pleasure 
 derived from them. They are to be found everywhere — in 
 town, in country, in suburban districts. Some of our 
 keenest poultry amateurs are to be met with in the colliery 
 and manufacturing centres, where under the most unfavour- 
 able conditions they follow their hobby, from which they 
 derive a pleasure which goes far to reconcile them to 
 
 * “ Fanciers* Gazette.’ 
 
10 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 their surroundings. Nearly all this class of poultry keepei 
 has some regard for the produce of the birds; in fact, 
 there are many whose first steps in the pursuit were taken 
 with the object of securing for the table fresh poultry pro- 
 duce. If they have grown into ardent amateurs it is not 
 surprising, for the work attendant on poultry breeding and 
 rearing is most fascinating ; and when it is found — as it 
 has been by many small poultry keepers — that with the 
 pleasure of keeping and attending to fowls, there may be 
 combined the great advantage of securing a supply of really 
 fresh eggs and of well-fed chickens, at a less cost than 
 these commodities can be purchased, the pleasure of the 
 pursuit is vastly enhanced. That this can be done there 
 need be no doubt whatever. In every household there 
 must of necessity be waste pieces and scraps which will be 
 thrown away unless fowls are kept. These scraps will go 
 far to provide all the food needed for the birds, and what 
 little will have to be purchased in addition need only be 
 small ; of course I mean where there is a desire to keep 
 down expenses. If such a desire be absent, then the 
 business may be made a very costly one. There are some 
 people who must have everything of the very best. Orna- 
 mentation must ever accompany usefulness, and if either 
 has to be sacrificed, it must be the latter rather than the 
 former. These, however, are not numerous, for the 
 majority of people are in the happier position of having to 
 make their expenditure fit their income, rather than their 
 income their expenditure. 
 
 There is no reason whatever why the instincts which 
 appear to be inherent in the Anglo-Saxon should not be 
 exercised. I mean the universal desire to control the 
 breeding of animals, and to alter or improve every form of 
 life which is around. Most men are breeders according to 
 their opportunities. If these opportunities are very limited 
 they have to be content with cage birds, or rabbits, or 
 perhaps a few plants. Give them a little more room, and 
 they will work with pigeons or with fowls, and so the 
 gradations go on until they reach the horse and cattle 
 breeders. In the larger interests the skill exercised in 
 breeding becomes of great commercial value, and those 
 
Introduction. 
 
 ii 
 
 who are the most skilful are repaid in hard coin ; but in 
 the smaller interests recompense comes in the way of 
 pleasure and often of health. What influence the breeding 
 of poultry and other forms of live stock has had in the 
 moral, the physical, and the mental well-being of the nation 
 can never be told, but that it has had great influence no 
 one can doubt. For this reason every encouragement 
 should be given to it, and I should like to see a greater 
 growth in the number of poultry keepers, especially amongst 
 residents in suburban and rural districts, though there is 
 no reason why the denizens of our great towns should not 
 share in the benefits to be derived from the keeping of 
 poultry. 
 
 In spite of all that has been done in the direction of 
 spreading knowledge as to the advantages to be derived 
 from the keeping of poultry, there is very much ignorance 
 on the subject. Great as has been the increase of poultry 
 keepers of late years, not nearly half of those who could 
 maintain a number of fowls do so. They appreciate the 
 value of fresh eggs and the pleasure of eating well-fed 
 chickens, but do not seem to think it is possible for them 
 to produce either one or the other. The difficulties in 
 the way are unknown, and, as is very often the case, are 
 magnified, so that there is a not unreasonable dread to 
 venture on the unexplored and unknown. It must not be 
 thought by this that there are no difficulties to face, for that 
 would be nonsense, but it is at the same time true that 
 such difficulties as there are can be met with comparatively 
 little trouble, and it only needs the exercise of common 
 sense to provide for them. 
 
 Those who have an abundance of space at their command, 
 do not require much consideration in this matter ; as they 
 can give vent to their own ideas in deciding whether they 
 will keep fowls or not. They have every opportunity of 
 doing so, and if they decide in the affirmative, it only needs 
 to determine whether they will adopt one system or the 
 other in the arrangement of their runs ; I can, therefore, 
 leave them out for the present. 
 
 The next class is composed of those who have a small 
 amount of space, and these include the great community 
 
12 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 of suburban residents, whose increase in numbers is one of 
 the marked features of our modern life. Of these it is not 
 too much to say that ninety per cent, could easily, and with 
 manifest advantage, maintain a small pen of fowls. Every- 
 one possesses a garden from which a corner could be spared 
 for house and run, and the fowls would contribute to the 
 success of the garden as the garden would to the success of 
 the fowls. It only needs the exercise of a little ingenuity 
 to arrange so that sufficient room is given to the poultry 
 without in any way spoiling the garden. I know that many 
 suburban residents object to have fowls because they think 
 a poultry house can never be made sightly, and from an 
 aesthetic point of view is always an eyesore. This is a 
 wrong idea, for the expenditure of a little money can make 
 a poultry house fit itself into the surroundings, or by a 
 proper selection of run it may be almost completely hidden. 
 I was recently in a gentleman's garden which w r as very well 
 arranged in this respect. The corners were occupied by 
 the poultry houses and runs, before which had been planted 
 clumps of bushes. As only the tops of the houses could 
 be seen from the garden the effect was all that could be 
 desired, as the houses peeping out were rather an improve- 
 ment than otherwise. “ Where there's a will there's a way " 
 is applicable to poultry keeping. 
 
 A third class — and perhaps the largest of all — is formed 
 of those who have either the merest plot of garden or a 
 back yard. The former must make choice of what they 
 will do with the ground. It will only do so much, and an 
 attempt to do more will bring failure all round. Often a 
 mistake is made in this way. Those who care most of all 
 for gardening had better give their attention to that pursuit 
 and be content with it, as it would be futile to attempt both 
 a garden and a poultry run in many of the miniature plots 
 attached to the smaller suburban houses, especially in 
 London ; but if poultry keeping is preferred, then the plot 
 should be given up to the fowls. I do not say that by a 
 judicious planting of roses and creepers a pleasant appear- 
 ance may not be given, but what I want to impress is that 
 only as much as can be done should be attempted. In 
 places like this it would be foolish to undertake the breeding 
 
Introduction . 
 
 *3 
 
 of chickens, but there is no reason whatever why a number 
 of laying fowls should not be kept, sufficient to supply the 
 needs in eggs of a small household ; and where even a back 
 garden is absent, and there is nothing but a yard, this may 
 be utilised for poultry keeping, and by the use of sand, or 
 gravel, or earth, can be made into a very good run. In such 
 places the fowls need more attention than when under more 
 natural conditions, and must have a supply of those things 
 which they would find for themselves, but it has often been 
 proved that poultry can be most successfully kept under 
 such conditions. Of course, if there is a field near in 
 which the birds can wander, the whole thing is very much 
 simplified. 
 
 Another class which might keep fowls to a very much 
 larger extent than is now the case, is composed of the 
 cottagers in our rural districts. It is true that there have 
 been many hindrances put in the way of their doing so, 
 and the conditions of rural life have in this respect been 
 most defective. This is a state of things which we may 
 hope to see gradually remedied, and with it I anticipate a 
 great development of poultry keeping among the cottagers 
 of this country. With lanes and fields around them 
 wherein the fowls can pick up nearly all their living, there 
 is almost unlimited scope in this direction for develop- 
 ment. 
 
 The limitations, therefore, upon the keeping of poultry 
 are, in the majority of cases, self-imposed. There are those 
 who feel that if they went into the pursuit they would wish 
 to do so largely. Their pleasure would come as much from 
 the extent of the work as from its nature. If this is the 
 case, and the desires are so much greater than the oppor- 
 tunities, it will be better to leave the thing alone should 
 there not be strength of will to overcome this weakness and 
 folly, for such it must be regarded. If, on the other hand, 
 there is a determination to make the best of existing circum- 
 stances, and to obtain from them all the pleasure they will 
 afford, poultry keeping offers inducements which are absent 
 from many other pursuits, combining both pleasure and 
 profit to a degree seldom found. The daily evidences of 
 the profit, in the shape of new-laid 'eggs, are most encou- 
 
i4 
 
 Poultry, 
 
 raging, and there is less faith needed than where all is giving 
 out and nothing coming in. One more matter must be 
 mentioned in this context, namely, the value of poultry 
 keeping as a means of health getting. In all pursuits it is 
 felt to be important to have a definite aim, and as it is most 
 desirable that everyone shall take sufficient exercise to keep 
 the organs of the body in proper working order, the value 
 of some defined object with which exercise can be asso- 
 ciated is most desirable. Taking walks becomes monotonous 
 after a time, and when every lane and road is familiar, there 
 are few who can go over the same ground again time after 
 time. For this reason many have found poultry culture 
 just supply the needed incentive to outdoor exercise. I 
 have known persons that were regarded as almost confirmed 
 invalids, who can date their present greatly improved state 
 of health entirely to the time when they began poultry 
 keeping. It may not always be pleasant to go into the 
 open air in order to attend to the fowls, but the benefit is 
 undoubted Some there are who go to an extreme in this 
 matter, and try to do too much. For those who are healthy 
 and have fell vigour of body the limitations are few, and 
 the excitements of exhibiting fowls and of keeping a large 
 poultry-yard will not be found too much, but for all who 
 have not the same robustness it is much better that they be 
 content with operations on a more moderate scale. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BREEDS OF POULTRY. 
 
 The question is often asked, “ How many breeds of 
 poultry are there ? ” This is not very easy to answer, for 
 many varieties are purely local and are not known outside 
 a limited district. There are also others which bear diffe- 
 rent names in different districts, or are so very similar to 
 
The Breeds of Poultry . 
 
 i5 
 
 some other variety that the differences can scarcely be 
 noted. In order that there may be a fairly complete table of 
 the varieties of fowls known in this country, in America, 
 and on the Continent of Europe, I have prepared the 
 following list, which may not contain the name of every 
 variety, but is very complete, and such breeds as are not 
 included are of minor importance, and not likely ever to 
 become popular. I have divided the list in a manner 
 which will make it very easy of reference, and have main- 
 tained the alphabetical order throughout, as that seems the 
 simplest for the purpose. 
 
 American Varieties. 
 
 Dominiques. 
 
 Javas (black and mottled), 
 Plymouth Rocks, 
 Plymouth Rocks (white). 
 
 Wyandottes. 
 Wyandottes (golden). 
 Wyandottes (white). 
 
 Asiatic Varieties. 
 
 Brahmas (dark). 
 
 Brahmas (light). 
 
 Cochins (black). 
 
 Cochins (buff or cinnamon). 
 
 Cochins (cuckoo). 
 Cochins (partridge). 
 Cochins (white). 
 Langshans. 
 
 Bantams (Game). 
 
 Black Breasted Reds. 
 Brown Breasted Reds. 
 Duckwings. 
 
 Malays. 
 
 Piles. 
 
 Whites. 
 
 Bantams (not Game). 
 
 Brahmas. 
 
 Burmese. 
 
 Black and White Booted. 
 Cochins or Pekins. 
 Cuckoos. 
 
 Japanese. 
 
 Malays. 
 
 Nankins. 
 
 Polish. 
 
 Rose Combed Blacks. 
 Rose Combed Whites. 
 Sebrights (golden). 
 Sebrights (silver). 
 
1 6 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 Dorkings. 
 
 Coloured. I Silver Greys. 
 
 Cuckoos. | Whites. 
 
 Surrey fowls are in many respects similar to the Dorkings. 
 
 Barbezieu. 
 Courtes Pattes. 
 Creve Cceurs. 
 De Gournay. 
 
 French. 
 
 Houdans. 
 La Bresse. 
 La Fleche. 
 La Mans. 
 
 Game and other Fighting Breeds. 
 
 Aseels. 
 
 Blacks. 
 
 Black- breasted Reds. 
 Brown-breasted Reds. 
 Duckwin^s. 
 
 Hennies. 
 Indian Game. 
 Malays. 
 
 Piles. 
 
 Whites 
 
 There are very many of the old fighting game varieties 
 that could be mentioned, but as they are almost extinct, 
 and only bred by those persons who still surreptitiously 
 indulge in cock-fighting, it is needless to give them here, 
 especially as in many cases names were given to strains 
 regardless of colour. 
 
 Blacks. 
 
 Golden Pencilled. 
 Golden Spangled. 
 
 Hamburghs. 
 
 Silver Pencilled. 
 Silver Spangled. 
 Redcaps. 
 
 The Mooney and Pheasant Hamburghs are yet used for 
 breeding but never exhibited, and seldom seen except in 
 the breeding pens of fanciers. The Pencilled Hamburghs 
 are called “ Campine ” on the Continent of Europe. 
 
 Mediterranean Races. 
 
 Anconas. 
 Andalusians. 
 Leghorns (black). 
 Leghorns (brown). 
 Leghorns (buff). 
 Leghorns (chamois). 
 Leghorns (cuckoo). 
 Leghorns (pile). 
 
 Leghorns (rosecombed). 
 Leghorns (white). 
 Minorcas (black). 
 Minorcas (white). 
 Spanish (black). 
 
 Spanish (blue). 
 
 Spanish (white). 
 
The Breeds oj Poultry . 
 
 Chamois, 
 
 Ermines. 
 
 Golden Spangled. 
 
 *7 
 
 Polish. 
 
 Silver Spangled, 
 Whites. 
 
 White Crested Blacks. 
 
 Other Varieties, not Classified. 
 
 Bredas. 
 
 Coucou de Malines. 
 Frizzled. 
 
 Naked Necks. 
 Rumpless. 
 
 Russians. 
 
 Scotch Dumpies. 
 Scotch Greys. 
 Silkies. 
 
 Sultans. 
 
 Yokohamas. 
 
 Ducks. 
 
 Aylesbury s. 
 Bahamas. 
 
 Black East Indians. 
 Calls. 
 
 Carolinas. 
 
 Cayugas. 
 
 Decoys. 
 
 Duclairs. 
 
 Japanese Teal. 
 Kasarkas. 
 
 Canadian. 
 
 Chinese. 
 
 Danubian. 
 
 Embden. 
 
 Mandarins. 
 
 Muscovys. 
 
 Pekins. 
 
 Penguins. 
 
 Peruvians, 
 
 Pintails. 
 
 Rouens. 
 
 Sheldrakes. 
 
 Spotted Bills, 
 
 Whistlers. 
 
 Geese. 
 
 Egyptian. 
 
 Sebastopol. 
 
 Toulouse. 
 
 American Bronze. 
 
 Cambridge, 
 
 Crested. 
 
 Turkeys. 
 
 Honduras. 
 
 Mexican. 
 
 Norfolk. 
 
 In the following Chapters I shall describe the more im- 
 portant of these varieties, but it would be impossible to 
 attempt dealing with every one in a work like the present. 
 I shall treat upon them in the order given above, and will 
 
 c 
 
i8 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 not only refer to their leading characteristics, but also state 
 what are the special qualities of each breed, so that those 
 who intend to choose a variety can at once meet their 
 desire for useful and ornamental fowls. 
 
 It may here be desirable to refer briefly to the advantages 
 which attend the breeding of pure-bred stock as against 
 cross-breds. Pure-bred simply means a variety which has 
 been bred until it reproduces itself in its progeny with 
 more or less exactness. There is little doubt but that all 
 our breeds at one time emanated from one, or at most two 
 sources, and the large number of varieties we now possess 
 are the result of natural or artificial selection. In the 
 earlier stages of any breed it is constantly “throwing back 
 to the original parents, and not until the forces of nature 
 have been concentrated in a given direction for a consider- 
 able period of time does this process of “ throwing back ” 
 disappear. Even in our most carefully bred varieties any 
 interference with the regular course of breeding will develope 
 bidden points which may never have been suspected. Upon 
 this question of pure breeding a writer in the Fields some 
 years ago, said : — 
 
 “ Such questions as the following are constantly asked : — 
 ‘ Are the Brahmas a pure breed ? ’ ‘ Are Black Hamburghs 
 
 a pure breed ? ; &c., &c. These queries obviousiy owe 
 their origin to the confusion of the distinction that exists 
 between different animals and between different varieties of 
 the same animal. Let us illustrate our meaning by an 
 example. A hare is a pure-bred animal because it is totally 
 distinct from all other species, or, as naturalists say, it con- 
 stitutes a distinct species. It does not breed with other 
 animals, for these so-called leporines are only large rabbits ; 
 and if it did, the offspring would be a hybrid or mule, and 
 almost certainly sterile, or incapable of breeding. In the 
 same manner the common wild rabbit is a pure breed. This 
 animal possesses the capability of being domesticated, and 
 under the new circumstances in which it is placed it varies 
 in size, form, and colour from the original stock. By careful 
 selection of these variations, and by breeding from those 
 indivicf Is which show most strongly the points or qualities 
 desired, certain varieties, or, as they are termed, ‘ breeds,' 
 
The Breeds of Poultry . 
 
 19 
 
 of rabbits are produced and perpetuated. Thus we have 
 the lop-eared breed, the Angora breed, the Chinchilla breed, 
 &c., &c., characterised by alterations in the length of the 
 ears, in the colour of the fur, in the size of the animals, 
 and so on. It is obvious that by care more new varieties 
 may be produced and perpetuated. Thus by mating silver- 
 greys of different depths of colour, white animals with black 
 extremities are often produced, and these have been per- 
 petuated by mating them together. The breed so produced 
 is known as the Himalayan variety, and as it reproduces its 
 like, is as pure and distinct a breed as any that can be 
 named. 
 
 “But in the strictest scientific sense of the word no 
 particular variety of rabbit can be said to be a pure breed, 
 as, like all the others, it is descended from the wild original. 
 In the same manner we may deny applicability of the term 
 pure-bred to the varieties of any domesticated animal, even 
 if, as in the case of the dog or sheep, we do not know the 
 original from which they are descended. All that can be 
 asserted of the so-called purest-bred variety is that it has 
 been reared for a number of years or generations without a 
 cross with any other variety. But it should be remembered 
 that every variety has been reared by careful artificial 
 selection, either from the original stock or from other 
 varieties. 
 
 “ In the strict sense of the word, then, there is no such 
 thing as an absolutely pure breed — the term is only com- 
 paratively true. We may term the Spanish fowl of pure 
 breed, because it has existed a long period, and obviously 
 could not be improved by crossing with any other known 
 variety ; in fact, its origin as a variety is not known. But 
 many of our domestic birds have a much more remote 
 origin. Where were game bantams fifty years ago ? The 
 variety did not exist. They have been made by two modes : 
 Breeding game to reduce the size, and then crossing the 
 small game fowl so obtained with bantams. Yet game 
 bantams, as at present shown, have quite as good a title to 
 a pure breed as any other variety. In fact, every variety 
 may be called a pure breed that reproduces its o"m like- 
 ness true to form and colour. The statement that .ahmas, 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 Black Hamburghs, Dorkings, &c., are pure breeds is 
 meaningless, if it is intended to imply anything more than 
 that they will reproduce their like, which a mongrel cross 
 between two distinct varieties cannot be depended on doing. 
 There is no doubt that many of our varieties have been 
 improved by crossing with others. The cross of the bull- 
 dog thrown in and bred out again has given stamina to the 
 greyhound; and although generally denied, there is no 
 doubt but that the cochin has in some cases been employed 
 to give size to the Dorking. In the same manner new 
 permanent varieties of pigeons are often produced, gene- 
 rally coming to us from Germany, in which country the 
 fanciers are much more experimental than in England, 
 where they adhere to the old breeds with a true John Bull 
 tenacity.” 
 
 When pleasure is one of the chief objects in view, the 
 appearance of the breed selected must have much to do 
 with the choice, and in poultry there is an abundance of 
 variation in this respect. Every taste can be gratified and 
 every whim met. This can be done without the sacrifice 
 of economic qualities, for, as will be seen in our description 
 of the various breeds, there are fowls noted as layers, others 
 specially strong in edible qualities, some have size, and a 
 few combine all these to a marked degree. Therefore, 
 beauty can be found to lock hands with usefulness. There 
 is yet another consideration which will influence some if 
 not the majority of readers, namely, that pure-bred fowls 
 can be sold as breeders at twice the prices which will be 
 obtained for cross-breds. A buyer will give 3s. 6d. or 4s. 
 for a cross-bred cockerel or pullet, but he does not object 
 to pay 7 s. 6d. or 10s. for one that is pure-bred. Therefore, in 
 the disposal of surplus stock this is a most important con- 
 sideration. The farmer who desires to make poultry 
 keeping a business, may find it advantageous to cross two 
 varieties for layers or early chickens, but all others will find 
 it best in every way to select a pure breed. 
 
American Varieties . 
 
 21 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 AMERICAN VARIETIES. 
 
 The growth of poultry culture in America has led, as 
 might have been expected, to the manufacture of several 
 varieties of poultry suitable for the special conditions to be 
 found on the American Continent. These varieties are 
 acknowledged to be the result of crossing, but they are 
 none the less worthy of acceptation on that account. I 
 have already expressed my opinion on this question of new 
 varieties, and need not discuss the subject again. We owe 
 to the American breeders two varieties at least, which, to 
 use their own expression, “have come to stay,” namely, 
 the Plymouth Rock and the Wyandotte. Both are valuable 
 for general purposes, and the latter is a novelty amongst 
 large fowls, for the Sebright marking has hitherto been 
 almost entirely confined to the Bantams of that name. 
 But not only have the American breeders given to us several 
 new breeds, they have also been the means of bringing into 
 notice fowls from other countries. This was the case with 
 the Brahma, the Leghorn, and, perhaps, with the Java. The 
 latter I have included amongst American varieties, for they 
 are not now to be met with in any other way, 
 
 DOMINIQUES. 
 
 This is a variety which has never become popular in 
 Britain, though it has just the qualities to recommend it for 
 a useful all-round fowl. It is plain in appearance, and has 
 never been taken up by fanciers, which may account for the 
 want of popularity.^ There have at sundry times been pens 
 of this breed imported, but they have not been at all dis- 
 tributed. Now there does not appear to be much chance 
 for the Dominique becoming popular, as the Plymouth 
 Rock has taken the place which might have been attained 
 by it. The Dominique is very like the Dorking in shape 
 
22 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 and appearance, and has been described as a rose-combed 
 Dorking with four toes. It has very much less of the 
 Cochin shape than the Plymouth Rock, but resembles that 
 breed in markings of plumage. Like all the purely American 
 varieties, it has bright yellow legs. Why yellow-legged fowls 
 should be popular in America I have never been able to 
 understand, but the fact is there and it must be recognised. 
 With the exception of the colour of the legs it is an admi- 
 rable table fowl, is a capital layer — much better than either 
 the Dorking or the Scotch Grey — and is very hardy. 
 
 JAVAS. 
 
 Of Javas there are two colours — the black and the mottled 
 — both of which have recently been introduced into Britain, 
 and are very highly praised by those who have kept them. 
 First, however, it may be well to say what is their origin, 
 and on this point there is considerable difference of opinion. 
 There are those who state that the Java is a perfectly pure 
 breed imported from Asia, but this contention does not 
 appear to be supported by the evidence, and it is most 
 probable that this variety is the result of some intentional 
 or unintentional cross which has been perpetuated. The 
 black Java is by no means a new breed in America, for it 
 has been bred there for upwards of twenty years, but strange 
 to say it has only recently been brought over here. It is 
 supposed to have been one of the breeds used in the for- 
 mation of the Plymouth Rock, and thus it seems as if the 
 child had taken the place of the parent. But if it had been 
 the means of producing the Plymouth Rock and then 
 had died, it would have done a work deserving of recog- 
 v 7 nition. 
 
 The following notes on the Black Java, which appeared 
 in the Poultry Monthly some time ago, are from the pen of 
 Mr. J. Y. Bicknell, of New Vork, and tell all that is known 
 about the origin of the variety. Mr. Bicknell says : — “ The 
 chain of facts relating to their origin, although traceable for 
 the space of over thirty years, is not complete — one end is 
 lost. After utilising every available resource we fail to 
 exhume the missing links, yet circumstances lead us to 
 
American Varieties . 
 
 23 
 
 believe that they are of American origin. The first known 
 record of their existence comes from Missouri, where, more 
 than a quarter of a century ago, a noted physician bred 
 them; but even his name, and whether he still survives are 
 unknown to us. Here our history begins : beyond this 
 searching is vain. The Doctor was unwilling to share his 
 stock with his neighbours, refusing to part with it. But a 
 way was provided. Javas did not belong to the class of 
 flowers that were ‘ born to blush unseen.’ They were des- 
 tined to have a record. The gateway was opened and they 
 went forth to 1 multiply and replenish the earth.’ The 
 Doctor’s coachman disposed of enough eggs to plant the 
 seed. From this very source all modern Javas have de- 
 scended. From a pair, or trio, to build upon, they increased 
 in numbers, some of which found their way into New York 
 State about twenty years since, after which all trace of them 
 in Missouri is lost. All true Javas of the present day, all 
 standard Javas — wherever they may be found — descended 
 from the wing of the original stock that was brought into 
 New York. The progeny was divided among neighbours, 
 some of whom retained it in purity, while others crossed it 
 with other fowls, and soon lost sight of it There is not a 
 breeder of Javas now living, unless in obscurity, who has 
 any right to the claim of their origin. Not one of the Java 
 breeders had anything to do — directly or indirectly — with 
 their origin. The above-named facts are all that we 
 possess throwing light on their genealogy, and here the case 
 must rest.” 
 
 In shape the Black Javas are something like the Plymouth 
 Rock, but have less of the Cochin type. They are said to 
 be better layers, but of this I am unable to speak from 
 personal experience. They do not look quite so big, but 
 this is due to the closer feathering of the Javas. They are 
 good on the table, and, in America, are said to be well 
 liked as market fowls. In plumage the Black Java is a 
 brilliant metallic black, with black beaks and almost black 
 legs. The eyes are brown and mild, the comb red, single, 
 and evenly serrated, while the wattles and lobs are red. 
 The tail of the cock is ornamented with long and graceful 
 sickle feathers, the breast is deep and full, the body broad. 
 
24 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 long and deep, giving the bird a compact appearance. The 
 thighs are strong and covered with soft fluff, and the 
 bottoms of the feet are yellow, the shanks being clean, 
 without feathering, and, although black, approach willow as 
 age comes on. The weight of the cock is about ten pounds 
 and the hen eight pounds ; cockerels weigh eight pounds 
 and pullets about six and a half pounds. 
 
 There is an evident relationship between the Black 
 Cochin, the Langshan, and the Black Java; and it may 
 be well, therefore, to indicate the differences between the 
 three. I do not mean that I think they are all the same, 
 but that there is some relationship between them. The 
 Cochins and Langshans have feathers on their legs, the 
 former profuse, the latter scanty ; while the legs of the Javas 
 are clean. The Langshan has pink between the toes, the 
 bottoms of the feet being whitish-flesh colour, while the 
 bottoms of the feet of the Java are yellow. Both the 
 Langshans and the Javas have beautiful flowing sickle 
 feathers, while the tail of the Cochin is full and not flowing. 
 The colour of these three birds is very similar, and they 
 make capital crosses with each other. 
 
 There is another variety of this fowl known as Mottled 
 Javas. These only differ from the blacks in that their 
 plumage is black and white intermixed. In all other re- 
 spects they are identically the same. 
 
 PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 
 
 No breed has made more rapid strides in popular favour 
 than the Plymouth Rock, a variety which we owe to 
 American ingenuity, and which may be regarded as a fowl 
 that will occupy a leading position for some years to come. 
 Although it has been but a few years in this country, the 
 success achieved by it has been very great, and now at our 
 shows it is one of the most numerous. This success is due 
 to various causes. In the first place it is essentially a stay- 
 at-home fowl, for whilst it can forage for itself, yet it is not 
 troubled with a wandering spirit. It is also a capital layer 
 of buff-tinted eggs, which though small in comparison with 
 the size of the fowl are very rich in flavour. It is a first 
 
American Varieties. 
 
 25 
 
 rate table fowl, and the meat upon a well-fed young Plymouth 
 Rock is very rich, juicy, and plentiful. It is hardy, a quick 
 grower, a good thriver, and has a manifest advantage over 
 some other of the Asiatic type of fowl in that it is clean 
 legged. It partakes much of the Cochin shape of body, 
 and it is generally admitted that the Cuckoo Cochin had 
 much to do with giving the colour and shape to the Ply- 
 
 Plymouth RocJcs. 
 
 mouth Rock. The other breeds used were probably the 
 Dorking and the Leghorn. Now it occupies a position of 
 its own, and though there is a great difference in the 
 chickens bred — so far as their colour is concerned — it can 
 be recommended as one of the best fowls we have for all- 
 round purposes. The plumage is of the Cuckoo markings, 
 the legs are yellow, the comb single, and the general ap- 
 pearance pleasing. The universal testimony is that for all 
 
26 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 purposes — pleasure and profit — the Plymouth Rock has few 
 equals. Recently there has been introduced in America 
 white Plymouth Rocks, and as there appears to be a run on 
 white fowls across the Atlantic, there is every probability of 
 these becoming popular. There can be no difficulty to 
 produce this variation, and in some instances it may be 
 preferable to the ordinary kind. 
 
 WYANDOTTES. 
 
 Two or three years ago a new variety of American fowl 
 was introduced into England, and it has already taken a 
 very good hold, so much so that classes are given for it at 
 the principal shows, where they are usually well filled. This 
 is called the Wyandotte, named after a tribe of American 
 Indians. 
 
 The origin of the breed is somewhat doubtful. Certain 
 it is that birds showing more or less the Wyandotte charac- 
 teristics have been known in the States for some years. 
 From what we can learn, to an accident or an unexpected 
 result of a cross between a Sebright Bantam cock and a 
 Cochin hen, with the object of producing Cochin-Bantams, 
 is due the discovery. The progeny were too large for 
 Bantams, but, having the lacing peculiar to the Sebright, 
 they were called Sebright- Cochins. Then a cross between 
 a silver- spangled Hamburgh and a buff Cochin gave another 
 turn to the progeny, and what was done after that we 
 cannot tell. It is lost in the oblivion of uncertainty. 
 These birds were submitted in 1878 (we think) to the 
 American Poultry Association for insertion in the standard, 
 but at that time they were rightly refused a place. The 
 interval of five years before they could again try their fate 
 was used so well that they were then able to win their 
 spurs, and be admitted to the rank of a full-fledged member 
 of the breeds of American poultry. At the same time as 
 the Sebright-Cochin crosses were being made, the cross of 
 a silver Hamburgh cock with a dark Brahma hen produced 
 the race called Eurekas. And it was the union of the two 
 wings or original crosses, with perhaps a little addition of 
 Hamburgh blood, which has made the modern Wyandotte. 
 
American Varieties . 
 
 27 
 
 Careful breeding has fixed the special characteristics, and a 
 further effort in that way will be repaid in the improvement 
 of lacing and markings both in cocks and hens. The 
 ancestry in many respects is easily traced. From the 
 Cochin and Brahma we get the shape and the yellow legs, 
 the Brahma gives colour of tail and hind- quarters in the 
 cock, the Hamburgh gives the rose comb and neat head, 
 and the Sebright the lacing. 
 
 The Wyandotte has a character of its own, and does not 
 in any way resemble any of the other breeds, even if it is 
 to be seen that several varieties have been brought into 
 combination to produce it. The shape partakes more of 
 the Brahma than anything else, though the neck is longer 
 than is found on that breed. There are the clean yellow 
 legs for which the Americans are so partial, and of course 
 the yellow skin. The comb is rose like the Hamburgh, but 
 is smaller than in that breed. The plumage is slate in its 
 
28 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 ground colour, with black markings, which are of the kind 
 known as lacing, that is, each feather is laced or edged 
 with black, and when seen separately form an oval ring of 
 black around the slate ground colour. This is the same as 
 is found on the Sebright Bantam, the plumage markings of 
 which is the ideal for the Wyandotte. This combination is 
 found on no other fowl, and is very pretty in appearance. 
 There is plenty of room for improvement yet, and the skill 
 of breeders will be exercised to bring the variety to per- 
 
 The hens are good layers of tinted eggs, capital foragers, 
 careful sitters and reliable mothers, very tractable, and make 
 large, well-flavoured table fowls. For general purposes -the 
 Wyandotte is an admirable breed, and, when well marked, is 
 very handsome. 
 
 By Asiatic varieties we are understood to mean those breeds 
 which bear some resemblance to the Brahma or Cochin 
 China type. The term is rather a misleading one, for as all 
 our breeders of poultry owe their first parentage to Asia, it 
 appears wrong to pick out a few breeds and classify them in 
 this manner. Especially is this so when we remember that 
 others of our varieties have been brought comparatively re- 
 cently from the East, or, as is the case with a few such as 
 the Japanese Bantams and long tailed varieties, have yet to 
 be kept up by imports. The better term for the varieties 
 which we intend to mention under this heading would be 
 Chinese, for they have all come from the Celestial Empire. 
 However, I suppose it will be better to use the name by 
 which they are best known, for if we were to attempt a cor- 
 rection of all the misleading terms in poultry nomenclature 
 the task would be a very heavy one. By Asiatic fowls I 
 
 feption. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ASIATIC (or CHINESE) VARIETIES. 
 
Asiatic Varieties . 
 
 29 
 
 tfiust be understood to mean Brahmas, Cochins and Lang- 
 shans. 
 
 BRAHMAS. 
 
 A few years ago this variety of domestic fowl held the 
 premier position amongst our breeds of exhibition poultry, 
 but there has been a decline during the last few years, 
 and it would almost appear that the best days of the 
 
 Dark Brhamas . 
 
 Brahma are over. The reasons for this are not far to seek. 
 It might be accepted by many that a mere change in fashion 
 would account for it all, but I do not think that this would 
 be a fair explanation. The fact is that the Brahma is not 
 economically the fowl it once was. Breeding for heavy foot 
 feather and large hocks has weakened the laying powers, 
 and developed the size of the thighs at the expense of the 
 breast. No fowl can maintain a high position without it 
 has good qualities to support it, and the most secure way to 
 bring the downfall of any breed is to make external charac- 
 teristics take the place of more useful points. Brahmas 
 
30 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 ftlso were bred to such a high pitch that they became very 
 valuable indeed from an exhibition point of view, and if 
 this be carried too far it also has an injurious effect. 
 
 There are two colours of Brahmas, the darks and the 
 lights. Both have pretty much the same external charac- 
 teristics, but of the two the lights are the best for economic 
 purposes, and in a place where they will not get dirty they 
 are very suitable. In both colours the head is very small 
 in proportion to the body, short and fine in its lines, and 
 surmounted by what is known as a pea-comb, which may be 
 briefly described as a triple comb, the three ridges running 
 side by side, with the centre one rather higher than the 
 other two, and not more than half an inch in height. The 
 neck, in the cock especially, is very full in the hackle, and 
 has a fine arched appearance, so that the head is forward, 
 just in advance of the breast. The length of the neck 
 depends partly upon the general contour of the fowl, and if 
 the bird is big all over, and full in feather, the length of 
 neck does not matter. The back of the Brahma, what 
 there is seen of it, is wide and flat, but from the neck- 
 hackle, where the feathers join the shoulders, to the root of 
 the tail (the latter covered by what is known as the saddle 
 hackle), the distance ought to be a short one, and have 
 somewhat the appearance of a (J, though the upper part of 
 this latter does not adequately represent the true form. In 
 the majority of varieties the back slopes down to an angle 
 to the tail, which in its turn takes another angle upwards 
 again. But the Brahma does not do this at all, and a 
 sloping back with a whip tail is altogether out of keeping 
 with the contour of the fowl. This shape is special to the 
 Chinese varieties, more so in the Brahma and the Cochin 
 than in the Langshan, in which the tail partakes of the 
 sickle character. 
 
 The body of the Brahma should be broad and deep, 
 with the breast set forward, and the breast-bone^set well 
 between the thighs. The shoulders are prominent, and 
 when the bird is standing it has a big, massive appearance. 
 The wings are but a small part of their economy. The 
 thighs are covered with soft fluff, which is fairly profuse, 
 below which stand out the hocks, or soft feathers which 
 
Cochins . 
 
 3i 
 
 protrude below the thighs. With these come the leg and 
 foot feathers, which in first class exhibition birds, are pro- 
 duced as long as possible, in some cases standing out 
 several inches from the middle of the foot. The hen ought 
 to be of the same shape and carriage as the cock, allowing 
 for the difference in sex. She should have a rather short 
 neck, and short legs. In both colours the beaks and legs 
 are yellow, with red ears, comb, wattles, face and eyes. In 
 lights the ground colour is white, with black striping on 
 hackles and shanks, the tail and tail coverts being of a rich 
 glossy black. In the darks the cock has black breasts, 
 underparts, and thighs, or these may be mottled, and the 
 rest of the body is grey or mottled black and white. The 
 best hens have a ground colour of black, pencilled with 
 white or grey, and the quality of this pencilling is often 
 very perfect. 
 
 / Brahmas are good winter layers, the amount of feathers 
 on their bodies keeping them protected against cold. The 
 eggs are buff-tinted and rich in flavour, but are small in 
 comparison with the size of the fowl. They make fairly 
 good table-fowls, having the merit of size, which in a large 
 family is no small consideration. When not too heavily 
 feathered the hens make splendid sitters and mothers. 
 They can be restrained by a three foot fence, and on that 
 account are very suitable for gardens. 
 
 COCHINS. 
 
 This is the breed which occasioned the great mania of 
 nearly forty years ago, when poultry-keeping was fashionable 
 to a degree. Although the tales told as to the merits of 
 this breed were ridiculous in the extreme, a place was given 
 to the Cochins which it has since maintained. Never since 
 that time has the breed been dethroned from its com- 
 manding position, and though it has not won as many 
 adherents as have some other varieties, yet there have ever 
 been and are earnest devotees, and the Cochin received 
 considerable and wide spread support. Especially is this to 
 be seen at Birmingham where the annual show held at 
 
3 * 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 Bingley Hall is regarded as the great Cochin tournament of 
 the year. Whatever may be the economic merits of the 
 breed no one can deny its beauty, and the richness of 
 plumage which characterises all the colours of the Cochin, 
 together with the massiveness of frame, and the elegance of 
 shape, make it a very perfect combination. As compared 
 with the specimens brought over forty years ago the Cochin 
 of to day is a marvel, and the improvement in all external 
 points is a great tribute to the skill of the English breeders. 
 For those who desire beauty first of all, and who have 
 suitable places whereon to keep Cochins it is a breed to be 
 recommended, and the five colours will provide plenty of 
 variety for different tastes. Cochins are valuable from an 
 exhibition point of view, and first rate specimens command 
 high prices. There is, also, generally a good demand for 
 first rate specimens both at home and abroad. 
 
 Buff Cochins . 
 
 There are very distinct differences between the Cochin 
 
Cochins . 
 
 33 
 
 and the Brahma, apart from the question of colour, in 
 which respeet there is no resemblance whatever between the 
 two breeds. In body the Cochin is more massive than the 
 Brahma; it has a single comb, and the head is larger, 
 whilst the neck is much shorter; the Cochin is the more 
 spread out of the two, and it has not that (J shape which is 
 so characteristic of the Brahma; the back is longer, and 
 the tail falls farther behind. The Cochin also carries more 
 feather, which adds considerably to its apparent size, though 
 it does grow to a great weight. The resemblance between 
 the two are in the colour of the beak and legs, and in the 
 leg and foot feathering. Cochins are very hardy, are best 
 as winter layers, the eggs being very rich and are tinted — 
 the favourite Cochin-China eggs. They are inveterate 
 sitters, but rather clumsy as mothers, consequently upon 
 their foot feathering. For exhibition purposes it is neces- 
 sary to take great care, or the foot feathers will be broken, 
 and that will seriously affect their chances in the show pen. 
 For this reason, and the fact that Cochins are so heavy and 
 inactive, they are not permitted to perch, but have as a rule 
 dry sand or straw to lie upon, and the grass in their runs is 
 usually kept very close cut. I know Cochin breeders who 
 pay as much attention to the grass in their poultry runs as 
 if it were the lawn of some lordly mansion. It is only in 
 this way that the result aimed at can be achieved. 
 
 The variety of Cochins which have been the most 
 popular are the buffs, or as they are generally designated 
 the “ Buffs or Cinnamons,” which are really two shades of 
 the same colour. The distinctive features of the Cochins 
 are found strongest of all in the buffs, and the display seen 
 every year at Birmingham is really wonderful. Here are 
 gathered together the very best specimens of all the leading 
 breeders, and the competition is often so close that a win 
 there is a veritable triumph. There are two colours of 
 “ Buffs,” one is of a pale delicate tint, whilst the other is of 
 a rich lemon, and when a specimen is found perfect 
 throughout in the latter tint it is very beautiful indeed. 
 This colour is the result of many years of breeding, and 
 can only be obtained by the purchase of first-class stock, 
 the value of which is high. There is no variety of fowls*. 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 except perhaps the game, which command better prices 
 than the buff Cochin. The cinnamon Cochin is much 
 darker than the buffs, and is not nearly so popular. In 
 fact, it is seldom seen at shows. 
 
 Second in popularity stand the Partridge variety, speci- 
 mens of which are very handsome indeed when well marked 
 and of good colour. They have never wanted enthusiastic 
 admirers, for there are many districts where the buffs could 
 not be maintained in nice colour, and the Partridge are 
 able to take their place. The standard issued by the 
 Poultry Club states that the colour of the cock is as follows: 
 hackle, orange or red, each feather having a glossy black 
 stripe down the centre. The back and shoulder coverts 
 and wing bow, of rich metallic red. The greater and lesser 
 coverts, metallic black. The primary quills, bay on the 
 outer web, and black on the inner. The secondary quills, 
 part of the outer web forming the wing, bay colour; re- 
 mainder of feathers forming wing butt, black. The saddle 
 from a bright golden colour to a rich orange red, each 
 feather having a metallic black stripe down the centre. 
 The breast, under part of body and thighs, and tail, rich 
 black. In the hen the neck is golden yellow, each feather 
 striped with greenish black down the middle. The re- 
 mainder of plumage is light brown, every feather distinctly 
 pencilled with a darker shade, and uniform over the whole 
 body, the pencilling following the outline of the feathers, a 
 light shaft being very objectionable. In both cocks and 
 hens the comb, face, deaf-ear, and wattles are bright red, 
 the beak yellow and shading to horn colour, the head dark 
 red or orange, the eye orange and pearl, the former pre- 
 ferred, and the legs yellow, with black feathers. Partridge 
 Cochins are found very valuable indeed for crossing pur- 
 poses, and if crossed with a heavy laying variety, produce 
 fowls which give a supply of large tinted eggs. 
 
 Neither the white, the black, or the Cuckoo Cochins 
 have ever been very popular, though there have always been 
 a few supporters who have prevented their passing out of 
 the list altogether. The whites and the blacks especially 
 have always been characterised by brilliancy of plumage, 
 and good specimens are not surpassed in this respect by 
 
Cochins. 
 
 35 
 
 either the buffs or the partridge. The best whites are of a 
 pure snowy plumage throughout, and the blacks are of a 
 rich metallic colour. Both these combinations are very 
 effective and are well brought out by the brilliant red faces, 
 combs, &c., and yellow legs. Cuckoos are even less seen 
 than are the whites and the blacks. In these the ground 
 colour is of a light-bluish grey, each feather being barred 
 across with bands of darker blue or grey. Mr. Wright 
 believes the variety to have been produced by crossing with 
 the Scotch grey variety. It is much more common in 
 America than in this country. 
 
 LANGSHANS. 
 
 One of the most valuable additions to our list of domestic 
 fowls made during recent years has been the Langshans, a 
 variety about which more bad blood has been engendered 
 than any other since the famous Shanghai controversy. 
 The resemblances to the black Cochin in some minor re- 
 spects, and the fact that both have emanated from the 
 Celestial empire have caused many to suppose that Lang- 
 shans and black Cochins were one and the same. What- 
 ever they might have been in the remote past, and on that 
 question I do not here propose to enter, it is certain that 
 the differences are sufficiently distinct now. And it may 
 here be said that the fact of both having come ftom China, 
 and both being black is not sufficient to establish any claim 
 to identity. It is now some eighteen years since they were 
 first introduced into England, and from their beauty, as 
 well as their merits as table fowl and as layers, they have 
 won hosts of friends. They, like all the Asiatic varieties, 
 lay somewhat small eggs, but these are deeply tinted and 
 are very rich indeed in colour. The flesh on a Langshan 
 is beautifully white, and looking at the fowl when alive it 
 could not be credited how much meat they carry on the 
 breast. Their tame nature and domesticated habits make 
 them favourites with all who keep Langhans, and this is 
 especially the case with ladies. In size they do not equal 
 the Cochin, but adult cocks will weigh ten pounds each. 
 The closeness of the plumage and the hardness of the 
 
Cochins . 
 
 £ 6 
 
 "leather is in striking contrast to the Cochin, and though 
 the legs are feathered, this is only to a slight extent, and 
 consequently there is not the same trouble in keeping the 
 foot feather in order, as is the case with Cochins. 
 
 Langshans . 
 
 In order to secure the proper carriage the Langshan 
 must be sufficiently long on the leg ; the head should be 
 well carried back, and in the cock have a long flowing 
 hackle; the shoulders are wide, and the breast very long 
 and meaty ; the tail is fan shaped, and carried very high, 
 with plenty of glossy side hangers, and two sickle feathers 
 carried some six inches beyond the rest. The general 
 bearing is that of an extremely active, intelligent bird. The 
 comb is single, the beak dark horn colour, the head small 
 in comparison with the size of the fowl, the eye large, bright 
 and intelligent, ranging in colour from a lightish brown to 
 very dark hazel, with black pupil; the neck is large, the 
 back broad at the shoulders, rising rather abruptly to the 
 
Bantams. 
 
 37 
 
 tail ; the hackles are full and rich in colour ; the wings well 
 clipped up ; the legs wide apart, and feathered down to the 
 hocks, with feathers running down the outside of the legs 
 and the centres of the two outer toes on each foot; the 
 toes are long and straight, light of bone, and, like the legs, 
 of a dark slate colour, with the skin between the toes of a 
 / vivid pink colour. The plumage is of a dense black 
 throughout, with a beetle-green gloss upon it. The Lang- 
 shan is a good forager, but bears confinement well. It is 
 specially suitable for suburban gardens, but is adapted to 
 almost every place and condition. 
 
 CHAPTER V . 
 
 BANTAMS. 
 
 The popularity which has fallen to the lot of the various 
 breeds of Bantams is not difficult to understand, for, apart 
 from the economic consideration, Bantams have all the 
 beauties of the larger fowls, and can be bred under 
 circumstances where it would scarcely be possible to keep 
 the other varieties. There is something specially attractive 
 about these miniature races of fowls, and where the desire is 
 to have pets the Bantam is decidedly to be preferred. The 
 same if not greater skill is required in breeding the smaller 
 races of poultry, and the knowledge and patience of not a 
 few of our very best breeders have been exercised in the 
 production of Bantams, and in the perfecting of them when 
 reduced from larger varieties. The breeders and fanciers of 
 these small races may be divided into two classes. First, 
 there are those who feel they must keep and breed fowls of 
 some kind, but whose opportunities are so limited that it 
 
Poultry . 
 
 33 
 
 would not be possible to do this in the case of the larger 
 breeds with any degree of pleasure or success. They, 
 therefore, find that a stud of Bantams can be kept on a very 
 small piece of ground, and that with the exception of the 
 size of the eggs and the chickens, the one are as good as the 
 other, and need the same skill to produce first class speci- 
 mens. It is in the manufacturing and mining districts that 
 these Bantam breeders are most largely found. The second 
 class embraces those who breed Bantams because they like 
 them the best of all, and the facility with which the birds 
 can be handled and seen is a very great attraction. The 
 pen room of a Bantam breeder is usually a place of intense 
 enjoyment for those who are fond of fowls, and the way in 
 which Game Bantams will respond to their owner, brings 
 out the characteristics of the birds in a wonderful manner. 
 As pets Bantams may be regarded to have no equals among 
 domestic poultry, and every taste can be satisfied in the 
 large number of varieties which are now to be met with. 
 
 Bantams are divided into two sections, the Bantams 
 proper or variety Bantams as they are called, and the 
 Game Bantams. Of the latter there are six varieties, and 
 of the former upwards of a dozen. The Game Bantams 
 are the most valuable, and have been the most popular, but 
 the rapid multiplication of the variety Bantams is leading 
 to a great increase in the number of those who prefer them 
 to the Game kinds. As there is every likelihood of this 
 number continuing to increase, and as there is more field 
 for the bringing out of new varieties in the not-game sec- 
 tion, it is probable that this will continue to be the more 
 important. 
 
 GAME BANTAMS. 
 
 The varieties of Game Bantams which we have at present 
 are the black-breasted reds, the brown-breasted reds, the 
 piles, the duckwings, the whites, and the malays. The last 
 named are not usually regarded as Game Bantams, but as 
 my object is to make each section complete, and as the 
 malays are undoubtedly game or fighting fowls, I have 
 thought it best to include them here. 
 
Bantams , Not- Game. 
 
 39 
 
 It is needless to give a description of the Game Bantams, 
 as they are simply the miniature of the larger varieties of 
 Game fowls. The nearer they come to the larger varieties 
 the better, and the standard for the one may be taken as 
 that for the other, except in the matter of size alone. The 
 black-breasted reds and the piles are the richest in point of 
 colour, and this fact may be accounted for their being the 
 most popular. 
 
 BANTAMS, NOT-GAME. 
 
 When we come to the not-game section we find a larger 
 number of breeds, many of which are most suited to the 
 conditions of those who go in for poultry-keeping purely as 
 a question of pleasure. They have not the pugilistic nature 
 of the game varieties and for that reason are preferred by 
 many who have not the necessary space for keeping birds 
 apart. The list is a very long one, and there is every pros- 
 pect of its becoming yet longer, for in process of time it is 
 more than probable that all the larger breeds will be repre- 
 sented in miniature. Some of our best and most skilful 
 breeders are at work in this direction, and Mr. W. F. 
 Entwisle may be specially mentioned as having done much 
 in the way of introducing new varieties. In the Live Stock 
 Journal Almanack for 1887 that gentleman gave a brief 
 description of his work during the last ten years, but it is 
 too long for me to quote here. The following is a list of 
 the varieties best known in this country. 
 
 Brahmas. — Mr. Entwistle has succeeded in producing 
 some Brahma Bantams, both light and dark. These have 
 not yet been quite perfected, but are marked by most of 
 the characteristics of this large variety of Asiatic fowl. 
 When really good Brahma Bantams are brought to perfection 
 they will be a decided acquisition. 
 
 Black and White Booted . — Of these there are very few to 
 be seen now, as they appear to have completely gone out of 
 favour. These have pretty much the same characteristics 
 as the white and black rose combs, except that they are 
 very heavily feathered in the legs, more so than any other 
 variety of fowl, and in this respect are not unlike the pouter 
 
40 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 pigeon. It is true that most of the booted Bantams have 
 single combs and in this respect differ from the two varieties 
 named, but this kind of comb is not the invariable rule. 
 These feather-legged Bantams need to be kept in an 
 especially dry place or the foot feather would soon get into 
 a very bad state. 
 
 Pekins . — One of the prettiest of all the not-game varieties 
 of Bantams is the Pekin or Cochin. This should be a 
 miniature of the buff Cochin, and when good in colour, 
 shape, and feathering is very beautiful indeed. As a rule 
 the specimens which have been imported from China or 
 bred from birds so imported are not nearly so good in 
 colour and shape as are our English buff Cochins, but 
 recently these faults have been more or less remedied by 
 reduction of the larger breed. The combination of rich 
 buff colour aud good shape with the heavy feathering is 
 very effective indeed. They have been found rather 
 delicate, but with the introduction of the reduced speci- 
 mens this difficulty in the way of their success will probably 
 be removed. There have also been imported from China 
 some black Pekins which are really black Cochins in 
 miniature. 
 
 Cuckoos . — Of late years these have won a considerable 
 amount of favour, and there are a fair number of breeders 
 scattered about the country. Cuckoo Bantams are thought 
 to have been bred down from the Scotch grey which they 
 resemble in many respects, and in Scotland they have been 
 called the Scotch Grey Bantam. They have a single comb, 
 are Cuckoo in plumage, have a large tail, and white legs. 
 They are active little fellows and are hardy, so that they 
 can be kept under all ordinary conditions. 
 
 Japanese . — These are oddities which owe their origin to 
 the country giving them their name, and where it appears as 
 if poultry breeding is conducted on the strangest lines. 
 They have very short legs causing them to have a most 
 “ dumpy ” appearance, the wings hang down until the tips 
 touch the ground, the tail is very full and is carried so that 
 file sickles touch the head, which is itself thrown back- 
 wards. The head is large for the size of the fowl, and is 
 surmounted by a large single comb, so that the whole 
 
Polish Bantams . 
 
 4i 
 
 appearance is most peculiar. The usual colour is white in 
 body with black sickles and flights, but there are also 
 whites and Cuckoos, though the latter are not very good in 
 their markings. Nankin Bantams are not seen now but 
 partake something of the same characteristics, though they 
 are not so quaint. The colour is usually buff, tipped here 
 and there with black. 
 
 Polish . — One of the most successful introductions made 
 in Bantams by Mr. Entwisle has been the Polish, and in 
 this breed there are now all the three principal varieties re- 
 presented. These are beautiful little specimens and ought 
 for this reason to become very popular indeed. Mr. Ent- 
 wisle has been very successful in exhibiting these Polish, 
 and a number of fanciers have taken them up. When he 
 has succeeded in securing the white crest to the black 
 bodies these should win much favour. 
 
 White Rose Combed Bantams . 
 
 Black and White Rose Combs , — These are amongst the 
 
42 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 best known of all our varieties of Bantams, and are very 
 popular. Their attractive appearance, sprightly manners, 
 and hardy nature make them suitable for almost all con- 
 ditions. The black is the exact counterpart in miniature of 
 the black Hamburgh, and the white only varies in the point 
 of colour which in this case is pure white. The following 
 description of the black variety was written by Mr. Edwin 
 Wright : — “ I consider the correct style, shape and colour 
 is that of the black Hamburgh, but being so strutting and 
 consequential in carriage, their wings drop more than the 
 Hamburghs, and this in moderation I think a decided im- 
 provement. The colour of the plumage should be a rich 
 satiny green black, the richer the colour the better, and it 
 should be uniform throughout the plumage. In cocks the 
 tail should be open and full, and the sickles long and well 
 arranged or curved, keeping tolerably broad at the end; 
 the sides of the tail should be well furnished with secondary 
 sickles or side-hangers, curved in the same way as the 
 sickles, leaving no vacancy between end of wings and tail. 
 The chest should be prominent and rather broad than 
 other wise, the neck gracefully curved and fully-feathered, 
 the hackle being very long and falling well over the back, 
 which should be short and broad. The saddle should also 
 be full, falling well over the sides of the wings. The legs 
 and beak should be black, or as near black as possible. 
 The face should be a bright cherry-red, as also the comb, 
 which should be neatly, firmly, and closely set on the head, 
 level on the top, and not too broad. The comb must be 
 full of work (or sprigs) on the top, finishing up with a well 
 defined spike, which must gradually incline upwards from 
 the head. The ear lobe must be well and closely set on to 
 the head, perfectly milk-white and free from wrinkles or 
 creases, and be round, substantially thick, about the size of 
 a sixpenny piece, and appear to have an enamel looking 
 gloss upon it. 
 
 The hen should be in style and colour same as the cock, 
 but I prefer the wings of the hens shorter and carried closer 
 up than in the cock. The comb and lobe should be on a 
 much smaller scale, but after the same pattern as the cock’s. 
 White rose combs are the blacks in every respect, excepting 
 
Sebright Bantams . 
 
 43 
 
 colour of plumage and legs, which should be pure white, 
 pinky-white, or flesh colour respectively.” 
 
 Sebrights . — Of Sebrights there are two colours, the 
 golden and silver. They were bred in the early part of the 
 present century by the Baronet whose name they bear, and 
 have been and are amongst the most popular of our races 
 of Bantams. The peculiar feature in their markings is that 
 every feather is laced or margined round the edge with a 
 narrow border of black. The colour in the one variety is 
 
 of a golden bay, and in the other of a pure silver white. 
 As the black margin is narrow, the effect is very striking 
 and in first-rate specimens is not surpassed by that of any 
 other breed. Another peculiarity is that the cock is what 
 is called hen feathered, namely, he has a tail like that of a 
 hen, and has not loose hackle feathers. The comb is, or 
 ought to be rose, but in this respect few Sebrights are as 
 good as they might be, the colour of the comb, face, and 
 wattles is purple or livid, and the legs are leaden colour. 
 For beauty this is one of the best varieties of Bantams we 
 possess, and it is also hardy and a good layer. 
 
44 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DORKINGS. 
 
 The Dorking fowl is a native of the chalk hills of Surrey 
 and Sussex, and derives its name from the town of Dorking, 
 around which it is bred in very large numbers for the 
 purpose of supplying the London markets. It is regarded 
 as one of, if not the, oldest of our breeds of domestic 
 poultry, and there seems reason to suppose that a breed 
 presenting some of its characteristics was known at the 
 time of the Romans, for one is mentioned by a writer of 
 that period. The Dorking is par excellence a table fowl. 
 The flavour of its flesh, and the whiteness of its legs are 
 doubtless due to the soil on which it has been bred for so 
 many generations. It is large in size with a square low-set 
 body, and rather short legs. The breast is placed well 
 forward, the back is broad, and the body is long. It is 
 distinguished from almost all other breeds by having five 
 claws or toes on each foot. The Dorking is not a prolific 
 layer, but produces large white eggs. It attains a great 
 size, and has beautiful flesh, both as to colour and flavour. 
 It thrives well on suitable soils, but cannot stand a cold, 
 damp place, nor does it succed will in confinement. It is 
 essentially a farmer’s fowl. There are four leading varieties 
 which are described below. 
 
 Coloured . — This is the variety most commonly known, 
 and it undoubetdly owes its origin to the old grey Dorking. 
 It is largest of any of the varieties. The colour is a mixture 
 of black and white, but not distributed to make grey a 
 proper description, The breast and under parts are black, 
 or black ticked with white, and the tail in the cock is also 
 black. The rest of the body in the male bird shows more 
 of the white and may be described as white and black. 
 In the hen the plumage has more of the reddish tinge, and 
 in some cases the breast is of a decided salmon colour. 
 Either a rose or a single comb is permissible in coloured 
 
Dorkings . 
 
 45 
 
 Dorkings, but as a rule a single comb is seen. It may be 
 as well to state that colour is not made a vital point in this 
 variety, so long as it is within the limits, and both cocks 
 and hens match in the show pen. 
 
 Coloured Dorkings . 
 
 Silver Greys . — This is perhaps the most beautiful of all 
 the Dorking tribe, and good coloured specimens are un- 
 doubtedly very pleasing in appearance. The external 
 characteristics are similar to the coloured variety, but the 
 comb is invariably single. The breast, thighs, under parts, 
 tail, and portions of the wings are of a rich glossy black in 
 the cock, with the other parts silvery white. In the hen the 
 breast is of a rich robin or salmon red, shading off to grey 
 on the lower part, and the rest of the plumage is grey, the 
 body and wing feathers having white shafts and the pencil- 
 lings of darker grey on each feather. It is to be noted 
 that in France scarcely any Dorkings are to be seen other 
 
46 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 than the silver greys, and these are regarded with great 
 favour in that country. This is in itself a tribute to their 
 value and shows that our judgment is right as to their table 
 qualities. Silver greys do not unusually attain the same size 
 as do the coloured. 
 
 Whites . — This very beautiful variety of Dorkings has 
 come greatly to the fore of late, thanks to the exertions of 
 the White Dorking Club, which by providing a standard to 
 be bred for, and by inducing committees of shows to give 
 classes has very greatly increased the number of breeders. 
 Certainly no breed deserves better at the hands of breeders 
 than this, for it has all the good qualities of the Dorking 
 tribe, and is perhaps the hardiest of all. For a long time it 
 was decidedly in the background, but it is rapidly regaining 
 the lost position. It has always been fortunate in having 
 some faithful adherents, who have stood by it well. It 
 does not reach the size of either the coloured or the silver 
 greys, but cockerels can generally be produced to weigh 
 nine pounds. For park lands or woods, or large lawns the 
 white Dorking is especially suitable, and the colour goes 
 well with the surrounding green. If exposed to the sun the 
 plumage will of course become yellow, and for this reason I 
 cannot recommend that white Dorkings should be kept 
 where there are no trees. The comb of the white Dorking 
 is rose and in other respects they are similar to the varieties 
 already named. 
 
 Cuckoos . — These are not very commonly kept, but I 
 think they are more seen than was the case a few years ago. 
 The colour of the plumage is a light bluish grey, each 
 feather being barred with bands of a darker grey or blue. 
 The comb is rose, and the size is rather under that of the 
 two principal varieties. 
 
 Sussex Fowls . — An undoubted relative of the Dorking is 
 the Sussex or Surrey fowl, which is the kind chiefly bred by 
 the poultry breeders of the two counties named. It has all 
 the characteristics of the Dorking except one, the fifth toe, 
 and the absence of that abnormal toe is a decided gain. 
 The colour is altogether different, and is usually of a sandy 
 brown with a few specks of white irregularly scattered over 
 the plumage. Ssmetimes specimens are seen in grey 
 
French Breeds . 
 
 47 
 
 colour, and others partake more of the black red -game or 
 brown Leghorn type. But as feather breeding is not 
 regarded the plumage is not very certain. The leg is rather 
 longer than that of the Dorking, and the feet can scarcely 
 be called white, as they have a pink tinge. The flesh, 
 however, is very white and in this respect is often much 
 superior to that of the Dorking. They have single combs, 
 and are very hardy. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FRENCH BREEDS. 
 
 The French breeds of poultry are produced for their 
 economic rather than their fancy merits. I do not say by 
 this that the purity of race is disregarded, for that it is not 
 so is abundantly proved by the number of high class 
 varieties which are to be found in France. But the utili- 
 tarian element is much more kept in view than is the case 
 with British shows. France may be regarded as the great 
 home of poultry breeders and we shall do well to turn our 
 thoughts in that direction, both for methods of manage- 
 ment and useful varieties of fowls, when economic qualities 
 are our object. There are several varieties which are most 
 valuable and deserve consideration. 
 
 Barbezieux . — This variety has been called the Minorca of 
 France, and so far as appearance goes is most like the 
 English Minorca of any French breed. It has pretty much 
 the same outline, but from the specimens I have seen there 
 is a very evident want of care in the breeding. If the two 
 came originally from the same place it is very probable that 
 the Barbezieux has been crossed. Both fine legs and coarse 
 ones appear to be admissible, for both are to be seen at the 
 Paris shows. If we examine the reports of each a greater 
 difference will at once be apparent. The Minorca is a non- 
 sitter, is very hardy, and can be kept almost anywhere, but 
 the Barbezieux is the reverse of all this. 
 
48 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 Courtes Pattes . — The Courtes Pattes is not unknown in 
 this country, though it has never become popular, but there 
 are a few breeders of this quaint variety of fowls. It is un- 
 doubtedly related to both the La Fleche and the Du Mans 
 varieties, owing its origin to the same district. It is much 
 smaller than either of these breeds, and the legs are very 
 short indeed. From this cause the fowls are inactive and 
 quaint, never attempting to scratch, for which reason they can 
 be kept in gardens without the slightest fear of their doing any 
 harm. The appearance of the cock-bird of this variety has 
 been described by M. Lemoine as follows : — “ the Courtes 
 Pattes cock, notwithstanding his lowness, holds his head 
 upright, as though he had a desire to increase his stature. 
 He is like all the fowls of the department of La Sarthe — 
 the eye large and open. His plumage is entirely black, 
 with greenish reflections. Each feather is very full, especi- 
 ally on the neck. The body is horizontal, wide and long ; 
 the comb fleshy, straight, single, indented regularly with 
 high spikes, and very thick at the base. The beard feathers 
 are long, the ear feathers white and long ; the legs thick, of 
 a direct grey, and very low, not very much more than an 
 inch in length. The tail is fully furnished and the plumes 
 carried high. All these eccentricities give to the Courtes 
 Pattes cock a truly singular appearance. The hen does 
 not look quite so peculiar, and often is rather longer in the 
 leg, sometimes being much longer. Courtes Pattes are 
 very hardy and fairly good layers. They are ready for the 
 market early in the season, when they are made by the 
 great French cooks into a most delicious dish called 
 ‘ Poulets k la Reine.’ ” 
 
 Crevecxur . — This is one of the most valuable of the 
 French breeds for table purposes. It owes its origin to 
 Normandy, and undoubtedly is indebted for its delicate 
 flesh to the rich pastures of that country. It is entirely 
 black in the plumage, has a large chest and beard, with a 
 horned comb. It has hitherto been found rather delicate 
 in this country, though there are those who have had little 
 or no trouble with it even on the most unfavourable soils. 
 
 De Gournay ' — The Gournay is one of the smaller races 
 of French poultry, but is highly spoken of as a good layer, 
 
Houdans . 
 
 the eggs being rather above the average in weight. The 
 breed is not very true to type, but may be characterised as 
 strongly built, single-combed, non-crested birds, with 
 Houdan plumage, but only four toes. The Gournay is an 
 admirable fowl for all districts, and is rapid in its develop- 
 ment. From what I have seen of this variety I should 
 judge that it is a breed well worthy of attention, and as it 
 reproduces itself fairly true to colour it would give satisfac- 
 tion to any one who took it up. 
 
 Houdans . — The Houdan has been so long and so favour- 
 ably known in Great Britain, and so often described in 
 
 Houdans. 
 
 poultry books and papers, that it does not need much 
 introduction. Though its origin is undoubtedly due to the 
 district of Houdan in France, it is now really an English 
 breed, or rather there is an English variety of it. The 
 differences between the French and English Houdans are so 
 much defined that one of the most eminent French writers 
 on fowls speaks of them as two varieties. The plumage of 
 
5 ° 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 the French Houdan is speckled black and white ; there is a 
 small crest, and a leaf comb ; and the body is squat, not 
 very much unlike the Dorking, its alliance with which is 
 also proved by the fifth toe which it possesses. It is not so 
 good a table fowl as either the Creve or the La Fleche, but 
 is very hardy and can be kept almost anywhere. 
 
 * La JBresse . — This breed is regarded as the very finest of 
 all the French breeds for table purposes, and this opinion I 
 can fully agree with. Sometime ago I had the opportunity 
 of testing one, and for quality of meat I never tasted so fine 
 a fowl. It was decidedly superior to the Dorking which 
 was served at the same time. There are two varieties of 
 the La Bresse, both of which are equally relished on the 
 table. The grey variety owes its origin to the department 
 of Bourg where it is largely bred. It is rather small in size 
 and is grey or pencilled in plumage. It has a small crest 
 but a large beard, is active and smart, and those who have 
 kept it say that it is very hardy and easy to rear. The 
 other variety of La Bresse, the black, comes from the de- 
 partment of Louhan. It is similar in all respects to the 
 grey except that it is not quite so long on the leg. Both 
 varieties are admirable layers and the eggs are rich in flavour. 
 The eggs of the black variety is much larger of the two. 
 
 La Fleche . — The La Fleche is also a black fowl but is 
 much taller on the leg than the Creve. It has no crest and 
 possesses a very small horned comb, which gives it a peculiar 
 appearance and at first sight not a very pleasing one. It is 
 native to the district of La Sarthe, now the greatest centre 
 of the poultry rearing industry in France, and the prices 
 realised for the finest fattened specimens in the Paris 
 market are very high. Twenty shillings is by no means an 
 extravagant price. The breed has never become popular 
 in Britain, and is regarded as rather delicate even in France. 
 
 Du Mans . — This is another breed of fowl coming from 
 the Department of La Sarthe, and it has many of the good 
 qualities of the other natives of that district, where as 
 already stated, poultry breeding and rearing is carried on to 
 an enormous extent, and from whence much of the very 
 best poultry which is seen in Paris markets is sent. This 
 breed has never advanced to any great popularity in France, 
 
5 1 
 
 Game and Fighting Breeds . 
 
 but there are signs that it is growing in favour. It is, how- 
 ever, noted for its table qualities, from it being made the 
 renowned dish, “ Poules de Mans.” The plumage is 
 entirely black, like that of the La Fleche and the Creve, 
 but whilst resembling the former in many points, the shape 
 of the Du Mans is less upright, though broad and massive. 
 A distinctive feature is that the small ear feathers are white. 
 The comb is triple, and there is no crest. The hen of the 
 Du Mans is a very rare sitter. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 GAME AND FIGHTING BREEDS. 
 
 Game fowls are always popular, their beauty and courage 
 winning for them hosts of admirers. There are also many 
 old followers of cock-fighting, who now have a strong affec- 
 tion for the various breeds and in memory of the past still 
 keep Game fowls, though they are happily no longer per- 
 mitted to fight them. Some of these votaries of the cock- 
 pit have transferred their energies to the breeding of show 
 birds and are amongst the most successful exhibitors. 
 It is to be noted that a great change has come over 
 the type of game fowls, and old breeders are often very 
 strong in condeming the modern birds. In order to pre- 
 serve the old type a club has recently been established, the 
 object of which is to secure classes at shows for the old 
 English Game fowl, and thus to encourage the breeding of 
 it The old type is shorter in the leg, heavier in build, and 
 looks in every way a better fighting bird. 
 
 Aseels . — This is a variety which has been brought over to 
 this country from India, where there is considerable amount 
 of cock-fighting carried on. They are small as compared 
 with our Game fowls, are very muscular, and intensely 
 puglistic, for which reason they are kept by very few 
 persons. They are of no very certain colour, but the 
 plumage is usually very rich and glossy. 
 
52 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 Black Game . — The introduction of the modern show 
 system has had the tendency to restrict the number of 
 colours to those which were the most popular, and this led 
 to the extinction of some varieties. At one time black were 
 not at all common, but until very recently they were 
 scarcely ever seen for a considerable number of years. 
 There has, however, been an attempt to revive the variety, 
 chiefly due to the efforts of Mr. E. Cambridge Phillips, 
 F.L.S., of Brecon, and some very fair specimens have been 
 exhibited. 
 
 Black- Breasted Reds . — This is regarded as the chief of all 
 the Game varieties, and it generally occupies the premier 
 position at shows. First rate specimens have sold for up- 
 wards of ;£ioo, and it is quite a common occurrence for 
 birds to be sold at ^30 each. The following description 
 of a Game fowl from Wright's Book of Poultry will stand 
 for all the breeds: — “Beak to be strong slightly curved, and 
 stout where set in the head. Head rather inclined to be 
 long, and not round and bullet shaped ; the least possible 
 indent over the eye gives a snake like appearance which is 
 much admired. Eyes bright red, rather prominent, with a 
 fearless expression. Face a fine smooth skin ; the throat 
 the same. Ears red, not inclined to white. Neck rather 
 long, and a little arched; short hackle with the points just 
 meeting between the shoulders, but reaching very little on 
 the back. Back flat, wide at shoulders, and narrowing to 
 the tail. Breast round and full. Stern to be clear between 
 the hocks, not let down, but a clear line. Saddle feathers 
 close and short and not too many of them. Wings strong, 
 and not over long, having a great substance at the shoulders; 
 not confined close at the breast, but to be seen a little 
 detached, as if ready to fly at the first intruder — be he cat, 
 dog, or cock — the points resting over the thighs, but under 
 the saddle ; tail medium length, neither too long nor short, 
 Dut nicely carried ; neither 6 squirrel ' nor drooping, but 
 between the two ; not much spread out, but nicely 
 ‘ Venetianed/ with about seven secondary sickle-feathers 
 each side, the one nicely fitting just above the other ; of 
 course the two main sickles about four or five inches longer 
 than the straight tail. Thighs round, stout, full of muscle, 
 
Game and Fighting Breeds. 
 
 53 
 
 -m, rather long, but well carried in close to the body — not 
 gtilty, but so that you can distinguish their form and where 
 set in when facing you. Shanks medium length, nicely 
 rounded, neither flat nor quite round, with a nice joint in 
 setting on to the thigh bone, well standing apart, and beauti- 
 fully scaled. Spurs set low and inclined to point back Feet 
 flat; toes well spread out, and the hind toe to come 
 straight and flat out from the foot; not as many do, droop- 
 ing just so as to put the point to the ground. This latter 
 form is nearly as objectionable as what is termed duck- 
 footed, which is when the hind toe inclines to point forward 
 the same way as the front toes. The toes should be a good 
 length, and well spread out with good strong nails.” 
 
 The face and wattles of the black red are bright red, the 
 eye of the same colour, the beak horn colour, the hackle 
 bright orange, or orange red : the back rich red : the 
 shoulders and shoulder coverts red : the wing-butts black : 
 the wing bow rich red : the greater and lesser coverts glossy 
 black and metallic reflections, forming a distinct bar : the 
 
54 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 primaries, black except two lower feathers, the outer web oi 
 which is edged with bay : the secondaries, part of outer web 
 forming wing, bay colour, remainder of feathers forming 
 wing butt, black : the tail is a lustrous black, and the tail 
 coverts are a glossy green black : the breast and under part 
 of body and thighs are black : and the legs willow. The 
 hen has a body of light partridge colour, a golden neck 
 hackle striped with black, and a light salmon breast, with 
 thighs of the same colour but paler. 
 
 Brown- Breasted-Reds . — The Brown Reds are not quite so 
 attractive in point of colour as the black reds, but a good 
 lemon is very handsome. The face in this variety is of a 
 dark purple, and the eyes and beak black : the legs are very 
 dark willow, or nearly black : the neck hackle is lemon 
 coloured or golden, and in the cock the back is lemon, with 
 the remainder of the plumage black, except the wing bow 
 which is lemon. In the hen all the plumage is black 
 except the neck hackle, and in some cases where the 
 breast is laced. 
 
 Duckwings . — This is a very beautiful variety of Game, and 
 the markings form a very effective combination. There are 
 two accepted colours, the yellow and the silver Duckwings. 
 the difference between the two is that in the former the 
 ground colour is orange to cream, and in the latter it is 
 silver white. All the body is one of these colours except 
 the shoulder coverts, the wing butts, the greater and lesser 
 coverts, the primaries, the breast, under parts, and tail which 
 are black. In the hens the breast is salmon-coloured and 
 the remainder of the plumage grey. The legs of the Duck- 
 wing are yellow. 
 
 Indian Game . — There has been brought into prominence 
 of late a variety known as Indian Game, in whose interest a 
 club has recently been formed. The name is a misnomer, 
 for though the original birds undoubtedly came from India, 
 they have been crossed, probably with the Malay, and it 
 would be much better if, as has been suggested, they were 
 called 4 Cornish Game.’ These fowls are large and show 
 much of the Malay type. They are very useful and make 
 admirable crosses, being also splendid table fowls, with an 
 abundance of meat on the breast. 
 
Game and Fighting Breeds . 
 
 55 
 
 Malays . — This variety has never become popular, and it 
 is not at all probable that it ever will be so. Its appearance 
 is much against it, for it presents an almost ferocious aspect. 
 It is possessed of heavy muscular limbs, of very powerfully 
 formed shanks, and of a head which is cruel looking in the 
 
 Indian Game. 
 
 extreme. The effect of this is considerably heightened by 
 the almost featherless face, and the peculiar shaped comb. 
 Malays are not often kept by anyone who has not the 
 advantage of abundant space. 
 
 Piles . — The Pile Game rival for beauty the Black Reds, 
 and are preferred by many. The combination of rich 
 orange, red, and white is very effective, especially with the 
 yellow beak and legs, and the bright red comb, face and 
 wattles. In the cock the neck hackle is orange or chestnut, 
 the saddle, back, wing bow, and wing bay red ; and the 
 remaining part white. In the hen the neck is of a light 
 gold, the breast salmon, and the remainder of the plumage 
 white or creamy white. 
 
 White Game . — In this variety, of which not many are 
 to be seen, the comb, face, deaf ear, and wattles, and 
 
56 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 eyes are red, the beak and legs yellow, and the plumage 
 pure white. 
 
 There are some other kinds of Game fowls occasionally 
 seen, such as the Birchin, the Ginger Red, the Wheaten, 
 and the Henny, but these are not at all common or sought 
 after and need not be more than mentioned. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HAMBURGHS. 
 
 The varieties known as Hamburgs embrace some of the 
 most beautiful of our domestic fowls. Why they received 
 the name they now bear is difficult to determine, for in no 
 way have they had any connection with the German city on 
 the Elbe. The Spangled and the Blacks are undoubtedly 
 English, whilst the Pencilled came to us from the Nether- 
 lands. However the name has been given and will remain. 
 There are five varieties, all of which are characterised by 
 great beauty of plumage, by a sprightliness of carriage which 
 is most pleasing, and are noted for their prolificacy. They 
 are very close and compact in body, have a neat head sur- 
 mounted by a shapely rose comb, have a large sweeping 
 tail, and clean legs. They are best suited to places where 
 they can have a considerable amount of liberty, as they do 
 not thrive well in confinement, and in fact it is very difficult 
 to restrain them within bounds, for a Hamburgh thinks^ 
 nothing of a ten foot fence. Their eggs are rather small 
 for market purposes, but this is no serious drawback when 
 all the eggs are consumed in the household. Few varieties 
 can equal the Hamburgh in a combination of beauty and 
 economic qualities. 
 
 Blacks . — The Blacks are the largest in point of size and 
 lay the largest eggs of any of the Hamburgh family, except 
 the Redcap which will afterwards be referred to. All are 
 non-sitters and partake of the same characteristics. This 
 
Hamburghs — Gold and Silver Spangled. 
 
 57 
 
 variety has very brilliant metallic black plumage, in some 
 cases it having a decidedly greenish tinge. The ear lobe 
 ought to be pure white and about the size of a sixpenny 
 piece. This with the neat head and a good shaped comb 
 makes a very happy combination. 
 
 Gold and Silver Pencilled . — These two varieties owe 
 ./ their origination to one source, the Netherlands, where are 
 now to be seen the campines bearing much the same 
 characteristics. They are the smallest of the tribe, and are 
 characterised by great beauty of plumage. It is impossible 
 here to give a full and detailed description of both varieties 
 of Pencilled Hamburghs, and a few particulars as to their 
 plumage must suffice. In the golden variety the ground 
 colour is of a rich, bright gold, and in some specimens this 
 is very rich and even. The cock has this colour on his 
 head, hackles, back, breast and thighs, and a black tail, 
 the sickles, however, being edged with brown or bronze. 
 The wings are tipped with black sufficiently to be seen. 
 The hen has the gold colour in the neck hackle, but all the 
 other parts of the body are marked or pencilled with 
 bars of black. The finer these bars the better the bird. 
 Some specimens are remarkably perfect, the whole 
 body showing the pencilling from the throat to the 
 tip of the tail. This is altogether different from the 
 spangling which will presently be described. The only 
 difference between the Golden and Silver Pencilled Ham- 
 burghs is that the latter are of a silvery white where the 
 former are golden, for in all other respects they are the 
 same. At one time in our shows there was a considerable 
 amount of trimming of Hamburgh combs, but I am glad to 
 think that this is more rare than formerly. 
 
 Gold and Silver Spang led .--— The Spangled varieties of 
 Hamburghs were originated and have been most largely 
 bred in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where 
 many of the principal breeders yet are to be found. First 
 rate specimens may be met with in out of the way places 
 up amongst the hills which border these two counties, and 
 some of the keenest and cleverest breeders never think of 
 exhibiting. The Spangles are larger than the Pencils, 
 but in shape and style present the same appearances. The 
 
5 8 Poultry. 
 
 difference between the two markings is that instead of the 
 feathers being bared or marked with a number of fine 
 transverse stripes of black, each one is tipped, or spangled, 
 or mooned with black. As the white of the feather is 
 
 Spangled JJamburghs. 
 
 sufficiently shown, the ‘ moon 7 is thrown up in relief, and 
 the result is that the body appears to have a white ground 
 covered with a large number of round or oval black spots, 
 the effect of which when the marking is regular is very 
 pleasing indeed. 
 
 Redcaps . — The Redcap must be regarded as a relative of 
 the Spangled Hamburghs. It is found in the South Riding 
 of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Probably it is the original 
 Golden Spangled Hamburgh, the latter having been im- 
 proved in markings whilst the former has stood still. It is 
 now coming rapidly forward into favour and promises to 
 take a good place, its great laying powers recommending it 
 to all who desire a supply of eggs. Its eggs are much 
 larger than are laid by the Hamburghs, and it is very hardy, 
 
Mediterranean Races . 
 
 59 
 
 as well as a good table fowl. In colour of plumage it is 
 very similar in every way to the golden Spangled Ham- 
 burgh, but the spangling is not nearly so regular, or the 
 colour so rich. The most prominent feature in this breed 
 is the comb, which is very large indeed and as compared 
 with that of the Hamburgh is decidedly coarse, in some in- 
 stances hanging over to one side of the head. Many object 
 to the Redcap on this score and there can be no question 
 that it is often sightly. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MEDITERRANEAN RACES. 
 
 From the shores of the Mediterranean Sea we have received 
 several of our most valuable breeds of domestic poultry. 
 These comprise all those that are commonly called the 
 Spanish races, but though many of them are from the 
 Spanish Peninsula they are not all from thence. The type 
 and the characteristics are very similar. All are clean 
 legged, have well-made close set bodies, large combs, 
 and are specially noted for their prolificacy as layers. This 
 last point has been the means of winning for them great 
 favour, for a fowl which will produce such an abundance of 
 fine eggs, as do the various members of these Mediter 
 ranean tribes, is certain to be very popular. 
 
 ' Anconas . — The following description of this little known 
 variety appeared some time ago from the pen of Mr. A. 
 W. Geffecken in 7 he Fancier s* Gazette : — “Having had 
 from time to time inquiries about Anconas, and hearing 
 that Mr. A. L. H. Hennah was said to have the only pure- 
 bred birds of this kind left in England, I wrote to him and 
 asked about them. He informed me that Anconas were 
 originally imported from Ancona by Captain Rowse of the 
 Bugle , and were now nearly extinct. He said they had 
 yellow legs, yellow beaks, more or less marked with black, 
 
6o 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 creamy lobes, very large combs, low on the legs, tail very 
 erect, back short, plumage black and white. As he had 
 none to spare me at that time, and having some time pre- 
 viously been offered some birds of this kind by a fancier on 
 the Continent, I asked him to send me the best he could 
 get, and after much trouble and delay he succeeded in 
 getting what I wanted. 
 
 "/The plumage in both sexes is mottled black-and-white, the 
 more evenly mottled the better. The feathers are chiefly 
 black tipped with white. The black in the plumage is very 
 glossy. My continental friends inform me that they are 
 hardy ; in fact, one goes so far as to assert that they beat 
 the Leghorns. My birds have been housed since their 
 arrival in a shed open at one end, and have, in spite of east 
 winds, &c., proved very satisfactory. Some began to lay 
 the day after arrival, and have laid very steadily since, 
 good, white eggs, which have proved to be very fertile — 
 every egg set having hatched up to-day. They are small 
 eaters, and in every way worthy of notice.” 
 
 Andalusians . — The origin of this variety cannot be traced 
 with any degree of certainty. About forty years ago some 
 were brought over to England from Andalusia, but they do 
 not appear to have been quite the same as those we are 
 now accustomed to see. They were, however, probably the 
 basis from which the present variety has been built, other 
 breeds having been used in the work. The colour is — 
 breast, deep blue, and the rest of the plumage a deep slate 
 blue, with lacing of darker colour, save in the cock, where 
 the hackle and sickle is of a rich glossy black, or a deep 
 purple. The comb is single and large, the ear-lobe small, 
 and white, and the legs are leaden colour. The Anda- 
 lusian, like all its family, is a prolific layer of large eggs, but 
 does not stand confinement well. Under favourable con- 
 ditions it is hardy, and upon the table it shows up fairly 
 well. 
 
 Leghorns . — These fowls owe their origin to the shores of 
 the Mediterranean Sea, whence they were first taken to 
 America about twenty years ago. Fowls of this type are to 
 be commonly found in northern Italy, and on the Continent 
 of Europe they are called “ Italiens.” To the Americans. 
 
White Leghorns . 
 
 61 
 
 however, belongs the credit of first discovering their value, 
 and of developing their special qualities. They are noted 
 as laying fowls, and have few equals in this respect. Pullets 
 will begin to lay at fifteen weeks old, and in other ways they 
 are as precocious. They are light in body, very active and 
 sprightly, good foragers, very tame, and. yet at the same 
 time are very handsome. The shape of the body is 
 that of the Spanish races, z.e., close well up on the leg, 
 and they have large comb and wattles. At first there were 
 only the whites and the browns, but these have been largely 
 
 White Leghorns . 
 
 added to, and now there are seven varieties. All have, 
 however, the same characteristics, and the yellow leg, except 
 in the blacks, is found in all of these. As already remarked 
 the great quality of the Leghorns is their fecundity. They \ 
 are very hardy, can be kept almost everywhere, thrive well 
 in confinement, and are very handsome. 
 
 White Leghorns were the first to be introduced, and they 
 have always maintained their position, for a more beautiful 
 fowl can scarcely be seen. The pure white plumage, the 
 
6 2 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 coral red firm, erect comb, and pendent wattles, the white 
 ear-lobe, and the bright yellow low legs, together with a 
 sprightly carriage, is a combination not often met with. 
 The whites lay large eggs of good flavour. 
 
 Browns have exactly the plumage of the black-red Game 
 and this fact led many people to suppose that they were 
 merely a cross from that fowl. When first introduced they 
 were of a good size, but an attempt was made to improve 
 the colour by crossing with the variety of Game named. 
 This had the effect of hardening the plumage, of reducing 
 the size, and of weakening the laying powers, but the error 
 made has since been realised, and as fast as possible is 
 being rectified. Brown Leghorns do not lay quite such 
 large eggs as do the whites, but produce as many in number. 
 The variety is specially adapted for towns and districts 
 where the white of the other colour would soon become 
 dirty. 
 
 Within the last few years Black and Cuckoo Leghorns 
 have been introduced in America, and there is no reason to 
 believe that they are not pure bred, for it is not at difficult 
 to obtain these colours. The Cuckoos have the well- 
 known cuckoo markings, and the blacks have that colour 
 throughout the plumage. In the latter case the legs are 
 black also, or nearly so. And there have been other 
 variations introduced by engrafting rose combs upon 
 Leghorn. I have not yet seen a rose-combed Leghorn, 
 but should think that this would not in any way spoil the 
 appearance of the fowl, and in very cold climates there 
 would be less danger of frost bite to a rose comb, than to a 
 large single comb. 
 
 During 1886 a very pleasing addition to the list of 
 Leghorns was made by the introduction of Pile Leghorns. 
 These have all the markings of the Pile Game, and the 
 rich red and pure white are a most effective combination 
 In fact I cannot but regard the Piles as the most beautiful 
 of all the varieties. They are said to be equal to the best 
 in all other respects. 
 
 In Denmark Leghorns are very popular, and there are to 
 be found several varieties unknown here. At a show held 
 in Copenhagen a few years ago there were exhibited Browns, 
 
Minorcas . 
 
 63 
 
 Partridges, Blacks, Dappled Greys, Chamois (or Buffs), and 
 Whites. The partridge coloured were much richer than the 
 browns, and there was a golden tinge in the plumage which 
 was very striking. The dappled greys were black and white, 
 but totally different to the Cuckoos, being more the colour 
 known as ‘ Pepper and Salt.’ The Chamois were buff in 
 body with white flight and tail, each feather of the tail 
 having a margin of buff running around it. These were a 
 variety with which I was very much pleased at the show 
 named, and I am glad some have been introduced here. 
 
 Minorcas .. — No variety of fowl has made more rapid pro- 
 gress of late than the Minorca, both in this country and 
 America. Up to a few years ago Minorcas were unknown 
 outside Devon and Cornwall, where they have been very 
 carefully bred for a long period of time. They were un- 
 
 Black Minorcas . 
 
 doubtedly in the first instance brought over from the 
 Peninsula, as have most of the other members of the 
 
6 4 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 Mediterranean races, but have been vastly improved under 
 the careful culture of the Cornish breeders. When once 
 introduced their valuable properties soon made them 
 popular in this country, and they have spread all over 
 Britain. The demand for them in America has been 
 enormous, and they have created a greater furore in that 
 country than has been known in connection with any other 
 breed of poultry before. Nor is this a mere freak of fashion, 
 for they have qualities which will sustain them anywhere. 
 They are very hardy, bear confinement well, and are most 
 prolific layers of large eggs. A writer in one of our poultry 
 Journals recently called attention to another point in whioh 
 this splendid breed commends itself to practical poultry 
 keepers, namely, the exceptional value of the male bird for 
 improving other stock. This writer gives an instance which 
 occurred in his yard. He said — “ In addition to my pure- 
 bred birds I have been breeding for table purposes from a 
 few cross-bred hens mated with a Minorca cock, among them 
 being a large buff-coloured pullet, which I selected wholly 
 on account of her size, and not for laying, as she did not 
 begin to lay until February, although hatched in the 
 previous May. Some of her pullets, however, hatched 
 April 3rd, looking very forward I kept them as a test, and 
 got the first egg from one on the 2nd of September, the 
 bird being one day short of five months. The sister birds 
 were evidently within a week or two of laying. I think the 
 result may safely be put to the credit of the Minorca blood, 
 the mother being such a late bird, and I cannot conceive 
 any more striking proof of its value in any similar circum- 
 stances. ” 
 
 There are two kinds of Minorcas, the white and the 
 black, but the former are very rarely seen. They are not 
 unlike White Leghorns in most respects, the legs, which are 
 white in the Minorca and yellow in the Leghorn, being the 
 principal difference. Therefore, in speaking of the Minorca, 
 we are always to be regarded as meaning the black variety. 
 The general colour of the Minorca is similar to that of the 
 Spanish, namely, with a stately upright carriage, mounted 
 on fine, shapely legs, with the head drawn back, and sur- 
 mounted by a large single comb, with long pendant wattles 
 
Spanish. 
 
 65 
 
 below the beak, and a round, full, prominent breast. The 
 Minorca is somewhat lower on the leg, and of a -stouter, 
 squarer build than the true Spanish, and in the head points 
 the comb is usually very much larger. In fact, we regard 
 it as too large, for often in closely kept fowls the head is 
 unable to sustain the large comb, and it topples over on 
 one side. In the hen the comb always lies over, but we 
 prefer to see birds without such very large combs. Breeding 
 could soon reduce them to more reasonable limits. But 
 the great difference between the two breeds is in the face. 
 That of the former variety is entirely white, and the object 
 of breeders is to get it as large as possible ; but in the latter 
 the face is coral red — hence the name by which it is known 
 in many places, red-faced Spanish — with a white earlobe. 
 The fact that the tendency in the fine bred Minorca, is for 
 the white earlobe to spread all over the face, shows to us 
 that at; one time the Spanish themselves had red faces, but 
 in the Minorca we always object to a bird showing white on 
 the face. It would, indeed, be a sorry day for this variety 
 were * it to follow in the wake of the Spanish, so far as the 
 face is concerned. 
 
 Spanish . — When the term Spanish fowls is used it is 
 generally understood to mean the Black Spanish, for though 
 occasionally other two colours, the blue and the white are 
 seen, it is very seldom that this is the case. I do not 
 remember to have seen one exhibited for some years, 
 and at times I fear that they may be regarded as extinct. 
 Certainly they deserve a better fate than that for both are 
 valuable, though perhaps in face of the Andalusian and the 
 white Minorca there is no real need for them. The black 
 Spanish was some years ago a most popular breed, and 
 at one of the earlier Birmingham shows there were upwards 
 of three hundred pens of Spanish exhibited. It, however, 
 suffered an eclipse, but of late there has been a considerable 
 revival, due to the efforts of the Black Spanish Club. This 
 has been entirely in the direction of exhibition specimens, 
 which have undoubtedly improved. The undue develop- 
 ment of the white face has enfeebled the breed, and it is 
 not nearly so good for ordinary purposes as it once was. 
 Consequently it can scarcely be recommended for those 
 
66 Poultry . 
 
 Black Spanish. 
 
 who do not care to go in for exhibition. Anyone who is 
 anxious for show honours can find plenty of scope for skill 
 in breeding, and for the exercise of care in management, 
 with the black Spanish variety. They are good layers of 
 large eggs, but are rather delicate. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 POLISH. 
 
 One of the handsomest of our breeds of domestic fowls, 
 and one which is especially suitable for those who keep 
 poultry chiefly for the pleasure derived from them, is the 
 
Chamois, Ermines , and Golden Polish. 
 
 6 7 
 
 Polish, of which there are several varieties. These fowls do 
 not as their name implies owe their origin to Poland, but 
 are really natives of the Netherlands. They are of medium 
 size, have a compact well shaped body, a round full and 
 prominent breast, with an erect and strutting carriage, and 
 blue legs. But the chief feature is the crest which in good 
 specimens is globular and very large. The shape of the 
 head is very peculiar, and is described by Darwin as a 
 “hemispherical protrubrance of the frontal bone.” This 
 appears to be necessary in order to support the large crest. 
 Polish are often regarded as delicate, but if they are allowed 
 to get their crest wet, that is liable to induce colds. With 
 this exception they may be regarded as very hardy, and as 
 they are non-sitters, and capital layers, they can be recom- 
 mended both for their beauty and usefulness. The following 
 are the different varieties : — 
 
 Chamois . — With respect to this variety Mr. Boothby, one 
 of our leading authorites on Polish, wrote recently — “The 
 Buff, or Chamois, is another very handsome sub-division of 
 this family, and has been until quite recently very scarce in 
 this country. They differ from the golden in being laced 
 with white instead of black, and the ground colour is gene- 
 rally several shades lighter than in the golden; in fact the 
 colour may be more correctly described as buff or yellow 
 than bay. Each feather should be buff laced with white.” 
 At the Paris show of 1886 I saw a novelty in Chamois 
 Polish. This was really double laced. There was the light 
 bay or gold colour in the centre of each feather, with a thick 
 line of dark bay around it, and then the white rim. This 
 is, however, the only specimen with this marking that 1 
 have seen. 
 
 Ermines , — In Holland and Belgium a variety of Polish 
 may be seen which are called ‘Herminee,’ or Ermines. 
 These are almost white, but there are small black stripes 
 scattered about the plumage, in the same way as is the 
 case with a judge’s ermine. The effect, in good specimens, 
 is very pleasing. 
 
 Golden . — With respect to this variety Mr. Boothby says : 
 
 * Live Stock Journal Almanack, 188&. 
 
68 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 “The Golden Poland is a bird of no ordinary type of 
 beauty, whether we speak of the cock or the hen. The 
 cock is of a rich bay colour throughout, intermixed with 
 rich black lacing; the wing coverts and secondaries should 
 be of this bay, laced with black, as also the breast and the 
 tail, and if the beard be brown laced with black it is pre- 
 ferable to a beard entirely black. The crest should be 
 
 large and well formed The hen is quite as beautiful a 
 
 bird as her mate ; in fact, 1 think, if anything more so. 
 She should be of a very rich bay colour throughout, each 
 feather being accurately and evenly laced with black, from 
 the crest to the tail, and not excepting either, although the 
 crest in young birds is often a good deal darker than the 
 rest of the plumage. It gets lighter, and generally whiter, 
 at the first moult. The tail is also seldom so clear as a 
 Sebright Bantam’s, which it should be, and sometimes is. 
 Of comb or wattle in any of the Polish varieties, excepting 
 wattle in the white crested black and blue, there should be 
 none. 
 
 Silver . — “The Silver Poland is a grand bird, differing 
 from the golden chiefly in the ground colour, which should 
 
 Silver Spangled Polish 
 
Other Varieties. 
 
 69 
 
 be, instead of the bay, a pure silvery white. The marking 
 should be the same as in the golden — viz., laced through- 
 out, although of late years there has been a very general 
 tendency in the cock birds to be spangled instead of laced 
 on the breast. This is not desirable. In the silver variety 
 there is not the difficulty of obtaining the rich ground 
 colour which is so hard to breed in the golden. As a con- 
 sequence of this, large crests are more easily obtained in 
 these than among the golden ones. I think massive crests 
 are more common in this sub-variety than in any of the 
 other Polish fowls.” 
 
 Black Crested Whites . — Upon this beautiful variety Mr. 
 Boothby says: — “The black with white crest seems to be 
 distinct from the other sub-varieties. It is beardless, whilst? 
 the others are generally bearded. It is also rather smaller, 
 more delicate in constitution, and distinct in shape and 
 habits from the other sorts. They are very pretty fowls, 
 quite unique in appearance, and are very good layers ; in 
 fact, amongst the best of the whole family. In plumage 
 the body of the fowl, tail, wings, &c., are all jet black, 
 excepting the crest, which should be pure white, but a few 
 black feathers are always to be found in the front of the 
 crest — of course, the fewer the better.” 
 
 In addition, to the varieties named, there are whites, 
 blacks, cuckoos, and I have seen blues, resembling the 
 Andalusian in colour of plumage. These, however, need 
 not be more than mentioned. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 OTHER VARIETIES OF POULTRY. 
 
 There are several varieties of poultry which are more or 
 less rare, or have so distinct a postion of their own, that 
 they could not be incorporated in the foregoing chapters. 
 Some of these have classes given to them at the leading 
 
70 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 shows, whilst others find a home in that resort for neglected 
 varieties, the “ Any Other Variety Class.” Some are 
 beautiful, and simply require to be pushed in order to be- 
 come popular, whilst others for various reasons would never 
 respond to efforts of this kind, they being necessarilly limited 
 to a few individuals who prefer the rarer breeds. Amongst 
 them we name the following : — 
 
 Bredas . — This is a variety which is largely met with on 
 the Continent, sometimes, however under the name of 
 Gueldras. It resembles to some extent the Houdan, but 
 has not so large a crest, and the plumage has really more of 
 the Cuckoo marking. It is a very useful breed, and largely 
 adopted as the common fowl of the country in many parts 
 of France and Belgium. 
 
 Coucou de Malines . — A breed of fowl which is very largely 
 found in the Low Countries. The following description, 
 which appeared some years ago in the Live Stock Journal , 
 describes them very fully : — “ This breed of fowls are highly 
 esteemed in the Low Countries, and especially in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the city from whence they derive their name 
 with their cuckoo plumage. They are esteemed very highly 
 as table birds, being of large size with delicious flesh, and 
 were spoken of by M. Willems, the great contractor of Hal, 
 as the most advantageous fowl he had kept. 
 
 “The cock is a large upstanding fellow, measuring twenty- 
 six inches high, with large frame, but not very heavy bones. 
 The weight is about nine pounds, though this is when 
 unfattened. They are broad, full chested, and slightly 
 feathered on the legs, which are white in colour. The face 
 and ears are red, and the comb a single one of medium 
 size. The breast is as a rule well spangled, but the other 
 parts of the body are not very good in this respect. The 
 hens are better marked, are boatlike in shape, with a fine 
 head, and usually weigh about six pounds, and are said to 
 be very hardy, good mothers, and capital layers.” 
 
 Frizzles . — Sometimes the term “Friesland fowls” is given 
 to the varieties to which the former name is given because 
 of the frizzled condition of the plumage. This peculiarity 
 lies in the fact that all the feathers stand out from instead of 
 lying flat against the body. These birds are by no means 
 
Necked Necks — Rumpless— Russians. 
 
 7 ' 
 
 new, but have been found in all parts of the Eastern 
 Archipelago, in Japan, the Mauritius, Ceylon, and even the 
 West Indies. As every feather is curled back the wrong 
 way they present a most grotesque appearance. The most 
 usual colour shown in this country is white, but very hand- 
 some partridge specimens have been seen, and also black. 
 The last named is, in our opinion, the most handsome. 
 
 Naked Necks . — From Transylvania there have come fowls 
 which have a peculiar, and certainly not pleasing, ap- 
 pearance. These birds have no feathers whatever on the 
 neck, though the head and the rest of the body is feathered 
 as usual. How this pecularity originated it is impossible to 
 decide, for the legend which attributes it to one of the pro- 
 genitors having been scaled on the neck is not sufficient. 
 
 Rumpless . — Occasionally there are fowls met with that 
 have no tail feathers, the saddle hackle falling down over 
 the hind quarters. We believe it is a fact that there is a 
 race of these birds in the Island of Arran, partaking very 
 much of the Brown Leghorn character except, of course, the 
 tail. Nor is this a mere sport occasionally met with there, 
 for the progeny breed true to their parents so far as this 
 one point is concerned. In an experiment which came 
 under our own observation, wherein a Rumpless cock was 
 crossed with some brown Leghorn hens, rather more than 
 half the chickens had no tails. These fowls are capital 
 layers, but very peculiar in appearance, yet for those who 
 prefer something out of the common they may be adopted. 
 
 Russians . — There is a breed of fowls known as the Black 
 Russians which are bred to some extent in the United 
 States of America. Very seldom, however, have any like 
 them been seen in England, though there can be no doubt 
 that fowls of a something similar character are to be met 
 with in the east of Europe. It has been stated that the 
 fowls called Russians found across the Atlantic have been 
 simply manufactured, and the name given to them for want 
 of a better. This may or may not be so, but if it is, the 
 producer has come remarkably near to the real Russians. 
 In other quarters the origin of the breed is attributed to the 
 Cossacks of central or Southern Russia. In plumage they 
 are of a glossy-green black, very thickly feathered, especially 
 
72 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 about the head and neck. The comb is double or rose, 
 fitting close to the head, and wattles small, nearly hidden 
 by the beard. The breast and body are full and deep, the 
 skin yellow, and the legs dark lead colour, shading to 
 yellow. These Russian fowls endure rigorous winter 
 weather, and the hens are stated to be the best winter layers 
 of all domestic poultry, as well as good mothers. They 
 are of medium size, weighing from six to eight pounds, and 
 excellent table fowls, with a very pleasing carriage. 
 
 Scotch Dumpies . — This is one of the names given to a 
 variety of fowl at one time very popular in Scotland, and 
 characterised by extreme shortness of leg. The colour and 
 body resembles very much the Scotch Grey, but the close- 
 nesss to the ground gives them a very dumpy appearance. 
 They are excellent, or rather, were excellent, all-round 
 Jowls, and profitable to keep. 
 
 Scotch Greys . — Amongst all the different breeds of birds 
 one of the least known south of the border is that described 
 
 Scotch Greys. 
 
Scotch Greys . 
 
 73 
 
 as a “ large handy Cuckoo Dorking without the fifth toe/ 
 but they are rather longer in the leg than the Dorking, and 
 square in the body. Yet the description given is not very 
 far from the truth, for the Scotch Grey partakes of the 
 Dorking type more than that of any other. The cock 
 weighs from eight to nine and a half pounds, when a year 
 old, and the hens, as a rule, about a pound less. The 
 groundwork of the plumage is a beautiful blue-grey, with 
 nest-moons of a metallic black on every feather. In both 
 male and female the pencilling or marking should be equal 
 all over, from the tiny feathers on the face to the sickles, 
 though, of course, it is easier in this respect to say what is 
 wanted than to obtain it. 
 
 The Scotch Grey is a first-class all-round fowl, and for 
 that reason very suitable indeed for all purposes. It is a good 
 layer of large white eggs, well flavoured, not, of course, 
 rivaling any of the non-sitting varieties, but laying an average 
 of over ioo eggs per annum, which is by no means a bad 
 total for a hen that attends to maternal duties, and is also a 
 good table fowl. It must be remembered that ioo eggs of 
 the size and flavour the Scotch Greys produce are quite 
 equal to 150 of some other breeds. They are eggs which 
 require a larger egg-cup than the Staffordshire Potteries are 
 accustomed to make. Scotch Greys are also capital mothers, 
 not clumsy, and good sitters, and are very attentive to their 
 chickens. As table fowls they are very little inferior to 
 Dorkings in the quality of their meat. The frame is not 
 quite so large, and perhaps the keel or breast bone not so 
 deep as in the Dorking, but there are very few persons who 
 could tell the difference between one and the other when 
 on the table. The Scotch Greys have a very decided 
 advantage over their cousins, if we may term the Dorkings 
 by this name, and in that they are much hardier, and can 
 therefore stand cold soils where the others would die off. 
 They are wonderfully healthy, and are small eaters. They 
 cannot be said to bear confinement well. Scotch Greys are 
 small eaters, but there is one thing they must have, and 
 that is green food. If they do not get this they fail to thrive, 
 and often contract fhe habit of feather-eating. But where 
 space and green food can be given we know of no better 
 
74 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 fowl than this for farm purposes, and can therefore strongly 
 recommend them. 
 
 Silkies.— The peculiarity of the Silky fowl is that the 
 feathers do not web, and have a loose, soft, silky appearance, 
 more like hair than feathers. They are gentle and especially 
 suitable for ladies' pets, make admirable mothers, and are 
 content with modest quarters in respect to size. They par- 
 take largely of the Cochin character, in shape of body, and 
 that variety is to some extent liable to silky feathering. 
 Silkies should be quite white, with a nice globular crest, 
 have five claws, feathers on the legs, but no sign of vulture 
 hocks, and a short tail. The combs are small, round, and 
 knobby, and black or purple in colour, with turquoise blue 
 ear lobes. They are good layers, and the flesh is excellent 
 eating, but being of a deep violet colour the birds have a 
 dirty appearance on the table when cooked, and consequently 
 they cannot be sold as table fowls. But for the natural pre- 
 judice against flesh of this colour they would be regarded 
 as good for table. 
 
 Sultans . — Another variety of fowl often seen at shows is 
 the Sultan, which comes from Turkey, and is there known 
 under a name of which the English cognomen is the literal 
 translation. It is nearly forty years ago since the first 
 specimens were brought to this country, and though never 
 very numerous, they are always to be found. They are 
 about the size of the Polish fowl, and evidently of the same 
 family, but are perfectly white in plumage, and have far 
 more profuse feathering. The crest is large, and the beard 
 flowing. Unlike the Polish the legs are feathered, and they 
 have very heavy vulture hocks. In fact there is no other 
 fowl so extensively furnished as is the Sultan, and good 
 specimens are handsome indeed. They are capital layers 
 and very docile, do not sit, but require well kept grass, or 
 the foot-feather becomes bad, which soon spoils their 
 appearance. 
 
 Yokohamas . — This is the name given in this country to 
 various Japanese long-tailed fowls which have been im- 
 ported during recent years, but they are sometimes known 
 as Phoenix. The proper names by which they are known 
 in their own country are, Shinowaratao and Shirifuzi. The 
 
The Varieties of Ducks . 
 
 75 
 
 great peculiarity is in the long-tails, which trail far behind 
 them, and when exhibited require double cages. It has 
 been stated that in Japan these tails only moult once in 
 three years, and that they have been known to grow to the 
 length of seventeen feet. The birds are kept in cages high 
 and narrow, and sit on a perch covered with straw rope, 
 without room to turn round or get down. The food and 
 water is placed at either end of the perch, and they are 
 carefully lifted down three times daily for a little exercise. 
 It is only by this treatment that the tails can be obtained 
 to the length named. They are very handsome and of 
 course in this country can only be kept by a few. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE VARIETIES OF DUCKS. 
 
 Whilst ducks may be spoken of as the most profitable of 
 all domestic poultry, some at least of the varieties can be 
 regarded as very beautiful, and especially suitable to those 
 who keep their poultry for pleasure. The richest and most 
 beautiful combinations of colour are to be met with amongst 
 the different varieties of ducks, and there are few birds of 
 any kind which excel in this respect the Mandarin or the 
 Carolina. For the keeping of ducks it is desirable to have 
 water, especially if for ornamental purposes. It is true that 
 ducks can be kept without any such sheet of water, but they 
 are not satisfactory except it simply be for the supply of the 
 table, when they are better with merely a tub or pool of 
 water. Even in this case we do not think the breeding of 
 ducks can be carried on very satisfactorily without a supply 
 of water in which the birds can have a swim. Exceptions 
 may be given where this has not been so, but they only 
 prove the rule, and we should take it as a sina qua non for 
 successful duck breeding, that the adult birds have water to 
 disport themselves in. Those, therefore, who have not a 
 supply of water will be wise to buy the eggs they wish to 
 
76 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 hatch, in order to obtain that stamina which would certainly 
 be absent from ducklings bred by birds in strict confine- 
 ment. Given fair play ducks are the hardiest of all domestic 
 poultry, and in the economic varieties at least they can be 
 reared almost anywhere. 
 
 There is a large number of varieties of the duck family, 
 some of which are rare. No complete and yet popular list 
 was given up to a short time ago, when a most valuable 
 little book was published written by “ Henwife,” and 
 entitled “ Ornamental Waterfowl ” This is most exhaus- 
 tive, and the result ef very careful research and personal 
 observation. In a few cases we have been indebted to it 
 for information otherwise not easily obtained. 
 
 Ducks are the easiest of all poultry to rear. Given a 
 roomy, airy house, for they must not be overcrowded or put 
 into a close atmosphere, a reasonable amount of room, a 
 pool of water, and plenty of food, they will thrive amain. 
 They are great eaters, but not very particular in what they 
 do eat. Of course, if put up for fattening they should not 
 be given the same amount of room, and in that case it is 
 all the better not to give them an open pond to swim in* 
 but merely a tub for bathing. 
 
 The following are the varieties of duck chiefly known in 
 this country : — 
 
 Aylesbury Ducks derive their name from the Buckingham- 
 shire capital, which, so charmingly situated in the vale of 
 Aylesbury, is famous as the seat of a great industry in the 
 breeding and rearing of spring ducklings. There is some- 
 thing in the soil which lends itself to this pursuit, for certain 
 it is that many of the finest birds are bred there, though of 
 late some other districts have almost rivalled it. There is 
 no finer duck for all purposes than the Aylesbury. Its 
 beauty of plumage, which is of the purest white, its hardi- 
 ness, fecundity, and size, combined with rapid growth and 
 extraordinary quality of flesh it at once in an unrivalled 
 position. The Aylesbury duck is heavy in body, and stout 
 in leg, the appearance being that of a boat upon short sup- 
 ports, set rather back. The bill is long and in the best 
 specimens is of a delicate flesh colour, but this is sometimes 
 difficult to obtain from the Vale in which they have origi- 
 
Black East Indian Ducks . 
 
 77 
 
 nated. In America the bill may be orange, and it is a 
 moot point whether it would not be desirable to make the 
 colour of bill of lesser importance than at present. The 
 legs are of a deep orange, and the only difference between 
 the drake and the duck is that the former has a couple of 
 
 Aylesbury Dudes. 
 
 curled feathers in his tail, and is larger. Drakes will reach 
 ten pounds in weight, and ducks eight pounds. The great 
 point is in the rapidity with which the Aylesbury duck will 
 fatten, and we have frequently killed specimens at eight 
 weeks old scaling four pounds. These, of course, have 
 been fed all their lives on fattening food. 
 
 Bahama Ducks . — This is a very pretty variety of the 
 duck, specimens of which are frequently seen at exhibitions. 
 The following description appeared in the “ Bazaar ” some 
 years ago : — “ This variety, termed by naturalists the Bahama 
 Marbled Duck ( Dafila Bahamensis ). Is in length about 
 i8| inches, and if inches in bill, which is of a lead colour, 
 
78 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 reddish on the sides. In the young it is of a red brown, 
 the colour changing as in the Rouen. The tail and back 
 are brown, edged a lighter brown. The crown is a sepia 
 brown ; the breast grey, spotted brown ; the wing spot or 
 bar is a metallic violet, with a narrow stripe of buff on the 
 front side and a broad one on the back; the legs are a 
 dark colour. There is no dissimilarity between the sexes.” 
 
 Black East Indian Duck . — This variety is one of the 
 prettiest of the ornamental ducks, and their small size 
 makes them specially adapted for ornamental purposes. 
 There has been considerable discussion as to the source of 
 their origin, as specimens have been brought from such 
 widely apart countries as India and South America, but it 
 would appear that the Black East Indian is not found in a 
 wild state in any part of the world. It has probably been 
 produced from the wild duck by a sport, and is simply a 
 miniature specimen of the Cayuga which it resembles in 
 every particular except that of size. They have not been so 
 popular of late years as might have been expected, for they 
 have been so much in-bred to satisfy the foolish demand for 
 very small size that rearing them has become very difficult 
 It is a law of nature that small specimens exhibit greater 
 beauties than do large ones and as the plumage is a great 
 point with judges they have gone far to ruin the breed by 
 insisting upon small size. Some of the most perfect birds 
 seen in the show pen do not weigh more than two pounds. 
 The upper part of the plumage is of a dazzling greenish- 
 black, with the under parts deep black. The legs should 
 be as black as possible, but they get lighter with age. The 
 bill of the duck is black, but that of the drake has usually 
 a yellowish under tint, and is slate coloured at the tip. 
 symmetry and brilliancy of plumage are two great requisites 
 in this variety of duck. 
 
 Call Ducks are in reality Bantam specimens of the 
 Aylesbury and Rouen varieties. Their name is derived 
 from the fact that they keep up a ceaseless quacking, just 
 such as would attract the attention of birds flying overhead. 
 They have also been called the Decoy duck, as they were 
 used at one period for drawing wild ducks into the meshes 
 of fowlers. They are a hardy, attractive kind of duck, but 
 
Carolina Ducks . 
 
 79 
 
 from their active natures cannot be caught if kept on a 
 large sheet of water, but must be shot if they are to be 
 killed. 
 
 Carolina Ducks . — This is one of the most beautiful 
 varieties of the duck tribe, and as its name implies is a 
 native of America, being found throughout the Northern 
 States. Its beauty consists in the richness of its plumage. 
 In Lewis Wright’s Poultry Book (Cassell & Co.) it is stated 
 that the adult drake has a red bill, margined with black 
 nearly to the tip, with a spot of black between the nostrils, 
 and a sort of hooked nail at the extreme point. The irides 
 of the eye are orange red. The crown, front of the head, 
 and pendent crest are a rich glossy bronze green, changing 
 into violet, and beautifully marked with a line of pure white 
 running from the upper mandible over the eye, with another 
 band of white proceeding from behind the eye, and both 
 mingling their long plumes with the green and violet of the 
 beautiful crest which is so marked a feature in the Carolina. 
 The throat and a kind of collar in front are pure white, 
 curving up in the form of a crescent to nearly behind the 
 eye. The cheeks and side of the upper neck are violet. 
 The breast claret colour, and marked with small white spots, 
 which increase in size till they reach the white of the belly. 
 Each side of the breast at the shoulder, has a large crescent 
 of white shaded by a broarder one of deep black imme- 
 diately behind it. The sides of the body, under the wings, 
 are thickly marked with fine undulating parallel lines of 
 black, over a ground of yellowish drab, the flanks being 
 ornamented with broad semi-circular bands or stripes of 
 white shaded with black. The sides of the vent are light 
 violet ; the tail coverts long, of a hair-like texture at the 
 sides, and in colour of a deep black tinged with yellow. 
 
 The back is a dusky bronze tinged with green ; the tail 
 tapering, and black glossed with green above, dusky below; 
 wing spot, blue and green. The legs and feet are yellowish 
 red, with strong hooked claws. About June the plumage 
 changes to nearly the same colour as the female, the drake 
 resuming his brilliant dress in September. The head of the 
 duck has also a small crest. Behind the eye is a bar of 
 white, the chin and throat also being white. The head and 
 
So 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 neck are dark drab; the breast a dusky brown marked 
 with white spots; back and part of the wings dark glossy 
 bronze brown. The brighter the reflections of gold and 
 green over the duck the more she is esteemed in value. 
 She has a wing spot like the male but not so bright. 
 Carolinas prefer to build their nests in trees, and do not 
 thrive so well unless they can have liberty. It is better to 
 hatch the eggs under hens, as the ducklings require great 
 care and attention to overcome the natural delicacy of their 
 constitution. 
 
 Cayuga Ducks . — The Cayuga is one of the best of our 
 races of ducks, but it has never yet received the amount of 
 recognition its qualities deserve. In point of economic 
 merits it is equal to any other variety, and when in full 
 plumage it is very handsome indeed. It is said to have 
 been found in North America, and though for a time there 
 were doubts as to its purity, some thinking it to be a cross 
 between the Black East Indian and the Rouen, it has 
 been now generally accepted as a distinct breed. It is in 
 almost every respect the same as the small variety just 
 named, the exception being in point of size, for whereas the 
 Black East Indian is a very small duck the Cayuga is large, 
 ranging from seven to ten pounds in weight, according to 
 the sex and the manner of feeding. They are very hardy, 
 prolific layers, good feeders, and have the very obvious re- 
 commendation of being “stay-at-home” birds, not having 
 the predilection for wandering away which characterises 
 some of the other varieties. The plumage is a brilliant 
 black throughout, and in carriage, shape, and general ap- 
 pearance they are regarded as one of the handsomest races 
 of the duck tribe. The Cayuga duck is a good sitter, but a 
 somewhat careless mother, and, therefore, it is regarded as 
 the better plan to use hens for hatching out the eggs. 
 
 Decoy . — Is simply another name for the Call ducks men- 
 tioned above, and they are often designated thus at shows. 
 
 Duclairs . — A variety of duck is well known in France 
 under this designation, which is derived from the town of 
 Duclair, situate on the banks of the Seine between Rouen 
 and Havre. Around there they are bred in vast numbers. 
 That they are more or less related to the Rouen there can 
 
Mandarin Ducks . 
 
 8r 
 
 be no manner of doubt, but they have been considerably 
 altered from the original. The ducks are usually black, with 
 a white neck and breast, and one snowy feather at the end 
 of each wing, though in some cases the wings are tipped 
 with violet. The drake is of a beautiful grey colour, with 
 emerald green head and neck, and wings of bluish green. 
 They are good layers and splendid for the table. 
 
 Mandarin Ducks . — The Mandarin duck is one of the most 
 beautiful birds that can be found, having a brilliancy of 
 colour and a richness of marking which is almost indescrib- 
 able. It has become a great favourite of late years, especially 
 with those who have small sheets of water. It is a native of 
 
 Mandarin Ducks. 
 
 the celestial empire, and has been called the Chinese teal, 
 being there bred with great care and highly prized. Mr. 
 Riley, secretary of the Waterfowl Club, says (in th e Stockkeeper) 
 that the Mandarin is very small, in fact, a toy. The general 
 appearance of the body is short and plump, head almost 
 round, bill small and short, but not very thick. It is very 
 difficult to describe on paper the intricate and beautiful 
 plumage of the drake. His bill in colour is a light pinky 
 
82 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 red, with a tip; the eye deep red or black; on the pate a few 
 long feathers form a crest, which is very prominent when the 
 bird is angry or excited. These feathers from the base of 
 the bill are a deep metallic green, shading into deep claret or 
 chestnut down the back of the head. A band of lovely cream 
 colour stripes right across the cheek or face from the bill, 
 extending a little way down the side of the neck. A few 
 rich reddish feathers below this cream colour form a kind of 
 ruff in front of the neck. These are very peculiar and are 
 not found on any of the other varieties we have spoken of. 
 The breast is a rich deep claret. Separating the breast from 
 the body feathers are two bands of white edged with black, 
 the sides of the body being a greenish-maize colour, shaded 
 with delicate wavy lines of deep grey of a similar nature to 
 the grey-lined water feathers of the Rouen drake. The 
 under body is very light or whitish grey, and the wing 
 feathers brown edged with white. Another peculiarity of 
 this variety is the furnishing of the wings, which bear a shell, 
 or shield-like, appendage, tipped at the edges with pale green. 
 The legs are of a rich pink colour. All this gorgeous plu- 
 mage is exchanged in summer for the more homely duck 
 feathers. The plumage of the duck is of a more sober 
 description, being simply a pencilling or mottling of brown, 
 or rather a greenish brown, the bill and legs being the same 
 as the drake. 
 
 Muscovys . — These are sometimes called the Peruvian 
 ducks, and that designation would appear the more correct, 
 as they come from South America and have no connection 
 whatever with Muscovy, or Russia. This name would ap- 
 pear to have been given because of a Musk odour which the 
 variety gives forth. They are very striking in appearance, 
 but by no means handsome. The body is long and unwieldy, 
 rather shallow, and the head and tail are so carried as to 
 add to the long appearance, the latter being fan-shaped but 
 quite flat The neck is short and the feathers have a loose 
 ragged appearance, whilst around the eye and spreading 
 down to the beak is a fleshy protrubrance known as a car- 
 buncle, which does not add to the beauty and the Muscovy 
 is as peculiar as he looks, for he has a vile temper, and it is 
 
Pekin Ducks . 
 
 83 
 
 not safe to keep him with other fowls. Where size is desired 
 then he is found valuable for crossing 
 
 Pekin Ducks . — This variety is a comparatively modern 
 importation, and has only been known in Europe for about a 
 dozen years. At one time it appeared as if it would take the 
 place of all the other varieties, but the “ furore ’ in its favour 
 did not last very long, though there are still many breeders 
 of it, and large classes are to be found at the various shows. 
 It is of Chinese origin, and very hardy, having in this respect 
 done good service by giving a needed stamina to some of 
 
 Pekin Drake 
 
 the other varieties. It is probably the best layer of all 
 ducks, and where eggs are chiefly sought for it can be re- 
 commended, as it will thrive almost anywhere, being a 
 capital forager. With respect to size it is most deceptive, 
 for the abundance of feather gives it the appearance of a 
 
8 4 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 large duck, whereas it is much smaller than the Aylesbury or 
 the Rouen. The flesh also does not compare well in flavour 
 with these breeds, being rather dry. In shape it differs from 
 other varieties of duck, being totally devoid of keel, and 
 the carriage almost upright, not unlike the penguin, for 
 the legs are placed far back on the body. The head is short 
 and thick, and the bill strong and stout. Considerable 
 discussion has arisen as to the colour of the Pekin, but it is 
 usually accepted that it should be of a light canary yellow 
 tinge, as if the under coat were yellow and the upper white. 
 A pure white Pekin may be found, but the canary yellow is 
 to be preferred. The bill is of a deep orange, the eye black, 
 the legs and feet a bright orange, and are small in bone. 
 The tail feathers are larger and stronger than are found on 
 other varieties. For crossing they are valuable, and, as al- 
 ready stated, as layers they have really no equal. 
 
 Pintails . — In addition to the Bahama already noted there 
 are three other varieties of the Pintail family of ducks. The 
 common Pintail is found in this country, and there are also 
 the Red-tailed, and the Chilian Pintails. The two latter 
 especially are very ornamental, and are often seen at shows. 
 They thrive well in confinement, and can be recommended 
 for their beauty. 
 
 Rouens .—* This famous variety of duck is commonly sup- 
 posed to derive its name from the city of Rouen in France, 
 but it is also suggested, and with some amount of authority 
 that the name is derived from “ Roan, ” as in many parts 
 the breed is known as the Roan duck, and in yet other places 
 as the “ Rowan ” duck, the latter term being that given to 
 fields kept up until after Michaelmas, in order that the corn 
 may sprout for stock. In respect to plumage the Rouen is 
 almost identical with the Mallard or Wild duck, and it is 
 characterised in the drake by all that richness of colouring 
 which is so striking in the latter, at least during the winter, for 
 in summer it puts on an almost feminine garb. Certainly of 
 the larger varieties of duck there is none so lovely as this 
 when it is in full feather. The brilliant green of the head 
 and neck, the rich claret of the breast, the delicate grey of 
 the underparts, and the variations of the wings makes a very 
 beautiful combination. The Rouen grows to the largest size 
 
Sheldrakes — Spotted Bills . 
 
 85 
 
 Rouen Ducks. 
 
 of any of the better known varieties, but it does not mature 
 nearly so rapidly as does the Aylesburys, and consequently 
 it is not so suitable for early marketing. It is an excellent 
 layer, with very fine flesh, and very hardy — in fact one of 
 the most valuable breeds of duck that we possess. 
 
 Shieldrakes . — Of this family there are several well known 
 varieties, and they are found in various parts of the world. 
 They partake largely of the Marine rather than of the Fresh- 
 water character, and are large in body, so much so that they 
 have sometimes been called geese. They are not often met 
 with in captivity except in Zoological Gardens, and their 
 domestication is not easy, as they require plenty of liberty 
 and carefull attention. They are sometimes also called 
 Kasarkas. 
 
 Spotted Bills . — This pretty variety of the duck comes to 
 us from the far east, and is a native of India, Burmah, and 
 Ceylon. It is a true wild duck, and yet easily domesticated, 
 
86 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 being very amiable in temperament. Specimens are often 
 seen at the various shows, and can be obtained from dealers 
 without much difficulty. The plumage is not so brilliant as 
 that of some other varieties, but is pleasant, the ground 
 colour being a slaty brown, with white and green markings. 
 
 Whistlers or Tree Ducks . — Of this family there are several 
 members, and they have the peculiarity of perching in trees, 
 though they are web footed. They have a slight body with 
 very long neck and legs, and a short tail, and at first sight 
 would not appear to be ducks at all. They require plenty of 
 space as they are given to wandering. The name comes 
 from the sound emitted by them. 
 
 In addition to those we have here named there are many 
 others which are, however, so rare that they do not come 
 within the scope of our work. Those who desire to carry 
 the study further cannot do better than consult the work by 
 “ Henwife ” already named. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 GEESE AND TURKEYS. 
 
 Where fowls are kept for their economic value, and the 
 place is suitable, Geese and Turkeys are amongst the most 
 profitable branch of poultry keeping. But in themselves 
 they afford a vast amount of pleasure in rearing, more 
 especially perhaps the Turkeys. There is in both a very 
 large variety of breeds from which to make a selection, 
 though when profit is the primary consideration the choice 
 is much limited, as the Toulouse and Embden Geese, the 
 Bronze, the Norfolk, or the Cambridge Turkeys are found 
 to be the most profitable. Geese are easily kept, as they 
 are very hardy, and grow very rapidly, but Turkeys are very 
 delicate in the early stages of their career and need the 
 most watchful attention. They should not be kept in a damp 
 place, but require to be well sheltered, and fed carefully, 
 
Canadian , Danubian and Embden Geese. 87 
 
 but given that the habitat is suitable, and that proper care 
 is exercised, they soon get over this period and afterwards 
 do not require any special attention. 
 
 The following are the leading varieties : — 
 
 Canadian Geese . — This is a variety of Goose which though 
 not very well known has been more or less kept in confine- 
 ment, especially in America, where it is crossed with the 
 common goose, to which it imparts strength of constitution 
 and an improvement of flesh. It cannot be kept in ordi- 
 nary confinement, and to retain it even on a large sheet of 
 water it is necessary to cut the wings. No one should 
 attempt to keep the Canadian goose who has not a lake 01 
 running stream of good dimensions, but under these cir 
 cumstances it is very ornamental. It attains from ten to 
 fourteen pounds, and has a graceful neck. The head, 
 upper part of the neck, quills, and tail are black, the back 
 and wings are brown, the edges of the feathers being 
 lighter ; there is a broad cut in the fore neck running up 
 the sides of the face, having the appearance of a patch of 
 white on each cheek. The upper tail coverts are white, the 
 bill and feet being black. 
 
 Danubian , or Sebastopol Geese. — This variety has the 
 same peculiarity which has been noted previously in con- 
 nection with Frizzled fowls, namely, that the feathers are 
 turned the wrong way, and thus a very shaggy appearance 
 is given to the bird. This, however, applies only to the 
 back half of the body. It is a most valuable variety, and 
 especially sustable for ornamental waters in that they are 
 not so much disposed to roam as are some of the other 
 geese. The plumage is pure white and the general form 
 resembles the Embden. The bill, legs, and feet are a 
 bright red, and it has a bright blue eye. They do not 
 attain so great a weight as do the Embden and the Toulouse, 
 and are usually from nine to twelve pounds. They make 
 splendid layers and capital table geese. 
 
 Embden Geese . — The name given to this variety is derived 
 from the town of Embden in Hanover, and it is probable 
 that the original importations came by way of Holland. 
 There is very little difference in the contour of the varieties 
 of geese, and this simply partakes of the general character, 
 
88 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 being large in body, with medium length of leg, a long neck, 
 and a small flattish, head. The Embden is pure white in 
 colour, and is often far more generally known by the name 
 of White Geese than by that which we have given to it. 
 It is very ornamental on a large sheet of water, but in con- 
 sequence of the colour of the plumage ought not to be kept 
 except where there is plenty of water. Its great quality is 
 rapid growth, and for this reason it is more especially 
 suitable for the production of early goslings for table or 
 the market. It does not attain to the same weight as does 
 the Toulouse, and the latter, therefore, is better for securing 
 Christmas geese, but earlier in the season it will be fit for 
 killing several weeks before the last named variety. It is 
 an excellent layer, very hardy, and a good forager. 
 
 Egyptian Geese . — The Egyptian is a purely ornamental 
 variety, and is very different in appearance to those named 
 before. It has longer legs, is lighter in body, has a short 
 neck and legs, and is very erect in carriage, whilst it is pos- 
 sessed of more colour than is usually seen on geese. They 
 are found in many parts of Africa and are largely met with 
 on the banks of the Nile, from which fact the name has 
 been given. They are difficult birds to keep in that they 
 are terribly savage and will fight each other, their owner or 
 attendant, and persecute any other fowls that happen to be 
 within their power. For this reason, though they are un- 
 boudtedly attractive in appearance, they are not to be 
 recommended, unless they can be given a place apart. 
 
 Toulouse Geese . — This is the well known grey goose which 
 is most common of all this family, and for those who wish 
 size it is the one to be chosen. Of this goose vast numbers 
 are sent to the great markets every year, and, as has already 
 been stated, it develcpes to an enormous size. They are 
 very massive, and the double breast which extends well in 
 front of the legs almost touching the ground gives them a 
 square appearance. The colour throughout is a brown grey 
 shading off lighter in parts, and the feathers are as a rule 
 edged with a lighter shade of the same colour. They are 
 very hardy indeed, good layers, but as a rule the geese 
 do not sit. Some of the sizes attained by these birds at the 
 great shows are fabulous, and for mature table specimens 
 
American Bronze Turkeys . 
 
 89 
 
 they are decidedly the best of all the varieties of geese. 
 They are not so suitable for early killing, for during the 
 early periods of their growth they make simply bone and 
 skin, and though they may appear large will be found little 
 more than what we have just mentioned. Later on, how- 
 
 ever, when they have grown and fill out, the flesh is both 
 plentiful and excellent in quality. They may be fed up 
 very cheaply, and buying young goslings in the early autumn 
 for fattening up very profitable, or for those who only 
 wish to supply their own table provides a cheap way of 
 securing well-fed geese from time to time. 
 
 American Bronze Turkeys .— The handsomest as well as 
 the largest of Turkeys is the American Bronze, many of 
 which have been introduced into Europe of late years. 
 They are characterised by both vast size and beautiful 
 • plumage, but we do not think that they are quite so fine in 
 flavour as the native Turkey. They have a long graceful 
 
9 o 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 neck, a broad and full breast, a deep well rounded body, 
 drooping wings, and a large fan-like tail, the colour being a 
 dark, lustrous bronze on the back neck, and tail, with deep 
 black breast and body which is pencilled with white. The 
 
 American Bronze Turkey . 
 
 cock turkey is very much larger than the hen, and the 
 sexes usually weigh about twenty seven pounds for the 
 males and sixteen pounds for the females, but as high as 
 fifty pounds have been reached. Thus they combine both 
 beauty and size. 
 
 Cambridge Turkeys . — Are very much allied to the 
 Norfolk though they are very different in colour of plumage. 
 These two breeds are the finest produced in this country, 
 and they provide all the finest specimens sold upon the 
 London markets just previous to Christmas. They are very 
 extensively bred in East Anglia, and few farms there do not 
 produce a flock of geese during the year. The Cambridge 
 
Crested ' Norfolk , and White Turkeys . 
 
 9i 
 
 is the larger of the two varieties named, and as it partakes 
 of the bronze in colour it is not unreasonable to suppose 
 that it has been secured by crossing with the American 
 bronze. The Cambridge Turkey is very handsome indeed, 
 has a good upright carriage, a commanding appearance, a 
 full tail, and broad well-fleshed breast. They grow well on 
 suitable places, and attain a large size. 
 
 Crested Turkeys . — Specimens have sometimes been met 
 with ornamented with crests, but this seems to be merely a 
 sport, and although attempts have been made to perpetuate 
 the variation, they have thus far failed. 
 
 Norfolk Turkeys. — The variety known by this name is 
 entirely black in plumage, and is certainly very handsome. 
 It has all the same characteristics as the Cambridge, but is 
 not quite so large in size. It is often spoken of as being 
 finer in flavour, but this is accompanied by greater delicacy 
 of constitution, and the greatest care has to be exercised 
 during the early stages of the young turkey’s growth. 
 
 White Turkeys . — In many parts of the continent, especi- 
 ally in France and Holland, white turkeys are very common, 
 and there are a few breeders in this country. The white 
 turkey is a very handsome bird, grows to a good size, and if 
 kept where his plumage is not easily soiled he is to be 
 recommended. Their snowy white plumage, red hood and 
 frill, and black ermine tuft on the breast make up a very 
 handsome combination. 
 
 In addition to those we have here named there are several 
 other breeds of both Geese and Turkeys which are known. 
 They are, however, either so uncommon or so nearly alike 
 some other variety that we have not described them. Our 
 description, however, of ornamental varieties would be in- 
 complete without some particulars of the Guinea Fowl and 
 the Swan, both of which are especially suitable for orna- 
 mental purposes. 
 
 Guinea Fowls . — The two varieties of Guinea Fowls 
 are the white and the speckled ; the latter are perhaps 
 more frequently met with, and very handsome birds they 
 are when in full feather and well pencilled, any white wing 
 feathers in this variety being detrimental and against their 
 chance of winning a prize. Elegance of plumage, together 
 
92 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 with size, are the chief points in the show pen. The cock 
 bird, it may be mentioned, is easily distinguishable from the 
 Guinea hen by a competent judge, the wattles being much 
 larger and the plumage more brilliant in the male. The 
 eggs of the Guinea fowl, says Mr. G. S. Rawson, “ are very 
 rich and of fine flavour, and smaller than those of the 
 common hen; they are considered excellent eating and are 
 much esteemed. The birds themselves are by no means to 
 be despised, and by many are counted a great delicacy, 
 frequently realizing eight shillings per couple in the 
 poulterer's shop; the rather high price is no doubt ac- 
 counted for by the small numbers annually reared, the 
 Guinea fowl being rejected chiefly on account of its wan- 
 dering habits, its rather hash and disagreeable voice, and 
 its unsociableness with all kinds of domestic poultry. The 
 Guinea hen lays a considerable number of eggs during the 
 summer months, and the period of incubation is generally 
 twenty seven or twenty eight days. When hatched, the 
 young birds, which are nicely marked, are much more 
 tender th/m chickens, and want considerable care and at- 
 tention, they require food frequently — meal mixed with a 
 little new milk, hard boiled eggs chopped very fine, with a 
 little green food such as chives, or onions, cut very small, 
 will be found the most advantageous diet during their early 
 growth. Let the young Guinea fowls remain entirely under 
 shelter the first forty eight hours, and it must be remembered 
 that when young, it is not advisable to allow them to ramble 
 among the grass, moist with dew, in the very early morning. 
 The chicks soon begin to search for insects, and as they 
 get older are able to consume the ordinary food given to 
 chickens. Young birds when ready for killing generally 
 weigh three or four pounds each. Even when reared by the 
 common hen, as they gradually attain age they begin to 
 exhibit the wild characteristics of their parents. Constant 
 attention when young is very requisite in the successful 
 rearing of Guinea fowls.” 
 
 Swans . — There are several varieties of the Swan, but 
 where possible to be kept, the white' variety is the most 
 handsome. They, of course, require freedom, and cannot 
 be kept except on reasonably large sheets of water. They 
 
Housing. 93 
 
 must be permitted to breed in their own way, and are kept 
 purely for ornamentation, though they make a “royal” 
 dish. 
 
 While Swan. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HOUSING. 
 
 Except where some elaborate structure is required a poultry 
 house is not difficult to make by any one who is at all handy 
 with tools, or has a reasonable amount of joinering ability. 
 But even a novice can generally adapt many places to his 
 purpose, and make a very good poultry house at a small 
 
94 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 cost. Those who only keep a few fowls for supplying their 
 own tables need not spend more than a few shillings over 
 the matter, and will have a good house without much outlay, 
 though there may be more or less trouble involved. But 
 few things that are worth having can be got without trouble 
 to ourselves. Even if we escape this trouble someone else 
 must have it, so that the difference between one or the other 
 is very slight indeed. Of course, where the operations are 
 carried on extensively, then it becomes a more difficult 
 question, and it may, and probably will, be better to pay 
 someone else for doing the work. Where, however, anyone 
 has time and inclination it is a capital form of exercise to go 
 in for some open air joinery in this way. Some time ago I 
 visited a large poultry yard, where was an extensive range of 
 poultry houses, all of which, together with the runs, were 
 put up by the owner and his assistant, the former declaring 
 that he had never enjoyed anything more than the exercise 
 obtained in this way. Of course, to him it was a mere 
 hobby, but where it is a matter of business, then the loss 
 of time involved would be more than many could incur, 
 and they would probably find it pay them better to get 
 someone else to do the work. In many cases, however, this 
 would not be so, and we can recommend all who wish for a 
 poultry house to build it themselves, as they will thus get a 
 greater interest in the whole pursuit, as well as obtain much 
 personal benefit from the exercise. 
 
 Naturally first come those who have places which they can 
 adapt to the purpose ; and I may give a few general directions 
 which will be of service to them. I can only give general 
 directions, for what will do in one case will not in another, 
 and there would be no benefit obtained from only one kind 
 of building. Unused out-houses, shed, stables, or vans, 
 may all be adapted, and I have known carriages of all kinds 
 used in this way. The first matter to secure in a house is 
 that it shall be dry both above and below, for a damp place 
 would not only militate against the thriving and laying of the 
 fowls , but would also engender disease . There is more 
 
 danger, perhaps, in the use of a damp stone or brick build- 
 ing than a wooden one, for the latter is much sooner and 
 more effectively dried than the former can be. But as one 
 
Housing 
 
 95 
 
 of these can only be damp from some defect in the building, 
 or its position, in the former case it can be cured, though in 
 the latter that is more difficult. If however, the rules laid 
 down be acted upon, and a house be not used if damp, no 
 matter from what cause, then there can no danger at all. 
 Sometimes the walls and roof of a house are perfectly good, 
 but from a bad floor there is always a damp coldness about 
 it, and in this case it is the more dangerous because less 
 easily seen than when the fault is the building. I have, 
 however, said enough to show the importance of having a 
 perfectly dry house. The floor can be easily remedied if it 
 is at fault, and it should be dug out to the depth of fifteen 
 or eighteen inches, and half filled with course gravel broken 
 brick, burnt clay ballast, or stones. If sand is very plen- 
 tiful I should fill in the other half with that material, as it is 
 clean, easily renewed, and a capital disinfectant. But if not, 
 then a compost should be made of sand, ashes, lime, and 
 water, and spread on the top. Dry, however, the floor 
 must be if the birds are to thrive, though it must not be 
 cold, and cement would be first-rate if it were not that it is 
 very hard and cold to the feet. Bricks would also make a 
 good floor, but the manure gets between and saturates them, 
 affecting the whole house. 
 
 The next point to claim attention is that of ventilation, 
 and in speaking of it I must not be thought to be inventing 
 things for the purpose of giving trouble, for this is a matter 
 of the highest importance, and one that can be secured in a 
 T ery easy manner. No animal can thrive so long as it 
 breathes a foul and vitiated atmosphere, and when we re- 
 member that fowls spend on the average one-third to half 
 the day on the roost, it will at once be seen that what re- 
 lates to the air they breathe during that period must greatly 
 influence them. Without a fresh supply of air the oxygen 
 soon gets exhausted, and without oxygen animal life cannot 
 \ e maintained. So that, whilst it is very seldom the atmos- 
 phere becomes so impure as to cause death, a deficient 
 s upply of oxygen must be injurious. In a brick or stone 
 building the work is very easily done. Two or three of the 
 perforated bricks that are now made can be put into the 
 gable walls of the house, and if near the apex of the roof 
 and opposite each other, they will carry off all foul air and 
 
9 6 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 secure ventilation. In the winter, when the weather is very 
 severe, it may be desirable to leave only the ‘holes in one 
 brick open, or a sliding shutter may be used to cover the 
 whole, and this will be the better plan of the two, because 
 the supply of fresh air can be regulated according to the 
 season. These bricks must not be where the fowls will 
 roost in the direct line of draught, which of itself is a very 
 dangerous thing. In a wooden house holes can be bored 
 in the gables or in the eaves, and the same provision made 
 for the supply of air. The cost in either case will be very 
 slight, and this need be no barrier to the plan, though if 
 more expensive it would be quite worth the cost which it 
 entails. 
 
 The house must next be well lime-washed out, and when 
 this has been done, and some provision made for the ad- 
 mission of light, the window either being placed in the 
 walls or in the door, then the internal fittings will complete 
 it ready for the tenants. Perches should face the light, for 
 fowls always roost with their faces in that direction, and it is 
 better to have these perches too low down than too high. 
 In fact, low perches must be accepted as a rule for heavy 
 birds, for they otherwise injure themselves in getting up and 
 down. For Cochins, Brahmas, Dorking, &c., a foot above 
 the ground is about the right distance, but perches for lighter 
 fowls may be higher. These perches are best made of deals 
 about five or six inches wide, and a couple of inches thick, 
 with the edges cornered off. A very good style for a house 
 where only about a dozen birds are kept, is to make Lie 
 perch of a J shape, the three ends resting upon supports 
 fastened to the walls, though simple straight perches will do 
 as well. Nests may be made by a couple of bricks or by 
 bottomless boxes or baskets, but whatever is used let it be 
 so that, when moved, the whole nest falls to pieces, for, then 
 there is no danger of vermin being harboured, which is al- 
 most certain to be the result when fixed nests are adopted. 
 
 Those who have an outhouse into which they can put the 
 birds need very little more, but for all who have not such 
 a place, then one must be provided specially. Very good 
 houses indeed can be made out of hogsheads, which ffaybe 
 brought for half-a-crown or three shillings each ; that is 
 good, roomy, and complete. I once saw a pamphletstating 
 
Housing, 
 
 in 
 
 that a good hen house could be made out of a large barrel 
 and cost not more than eighteen- pence, but the writer either 
 lived in a locality where hogsheads were at a discount, and 
 I have not come across the place yet, or he was writing at 
 random. The prices I have named are about the market 
 value, for I have often purchased barrels in this way, and 
 good ones are well worth the money. They can generally 
 be got from grocers, who receive their soft sugar in this way, 
 and by being on the look out, extra good ones may easily be 
 obtained. What must be seen to is that the staves are all 
 sound and in good order, for if they are not so the whole 
 will be at fault, and probably will require taking to pieces 
 and new staves putting in. The bands, the top, and the 
 bottom should also be examined. The whole, in fact, re- 
 quires to be sound throughout, and it will then make a 
 really good house. As soon as purchased it should be pro- 
 perly cleaned out. A sugar hogshead will soon be cleaned 
 if left where some flies can reach it, but there are many 
 others to be secured, chiefly those used for iron ware, which 
 do not need anything being done in this way. It should 
 when cleaned be placed where it will get perfectly dry, in 
 summer out in the sun, or at other seasons of the year in a 
 warm shed. This is to absorb all the moisture which may 
 remain in the wood, for if damp the inmates cannot possibly 
 thrive as they otherwise would. Probably the drying will 
 reveal some weak places, and there are almost certain to be 
 interstices between the staves. The former, if not very 
 large, can easily be covered by pieces of tin, but the latter 
 should all be properly closed up, either with clay, or, what is 
 better, with putty. Much will depend upon this being pro- 
 perly done, and it is worth a little extra labour and cost at 
 first, preventing after expense, and ensuring the comfort of 
 the birds, without which they cannot thrive properly. 
 
 As soon as this has been done, it will be necessary to fit 
 the top on. In the top must be placed a door, sufficiently 
 large to admit of the inside being cleaned out, and also a 
 trap door for the fowls. I have generally made the former 
 by fixing the upper half of the lid to the barrel, and hinging 
 the lower half to it, the latter, of course, forming the door. 
 Then, if a catch is provided, the inside can easily be got at, 
 and cleaned out without any difficulty whatever. It should, 
 
 H 
 
9 3 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 however, be made to fit securely, and can either have a lock, 
 a bolt, or a simple button for fastening. If the trap is to be 
 at this end it had better be in the door itself, with a flap to 
 close it at night. But if the barrel is to stand where both 
 ends can easily be reached, then it may be the better plan, 
 to put the trap in the opposite end, and thus the house can 
 be cleaned out and the eggs collected without disturbing the 
 birds, for the nests may be placed near the large door. This 
 done, or perhaps before the door is fixed, the inside should 
 have a thick coating of limewash, in which some carbolic 
 acid or powder has been mixed, and the outside a coating 
 of tar or paint, the former preferred. When perfectly dry, 
 the house may be placed in position, and it is better to stand 
 it a little above the ground on bricks or balks of wood. If 
 thought necessary, what is now the upper side may have 
 an extra coat or two of tar, so as to make it even more im- 
 pervious to the wet, and it may be made still better by put- 
 ting some felt or tarpaulin on before the final coat of tar, or, 
 what is less expensive and almost as effective, a large sheet 
 of stout brown paper. Two or three holes in each end near 
 the top, a perch, and a couple of bricks for a nest, will com- 
 plete the house, at a cost of not more than four or five 
 shillings, and, if the hogshead has been a full sized one, it 
 will hold comfortably half-a-dozen hens and prove a com- 
 fortable habitation for them. 
 
 Other kinds of cheap houses can be made out of the bacon 
 boxes which come in such large quantities from America, and 
 which can be bought very reasonably from wholesale pro- 
 vision merchants. Two of these, each with a side knocked 
 out and the open spaces fitted together, make an admirable 
 and a very inexpensive house. They, of course, need a large 
 door and a trap for the fowls, as well as the other arrange- 
 ments already noted, but the most important matter of all 
 is to see that they are properly dried before being used. 
 The wood is damp all through at first, and this drying must 
 be effectively done or the house will never be right. All the 
 interstices must be filled up, and when this is well attended 
 to, these boxes make capital houses, for the wood is thick 
 and substantial. As the roof will be flat, it is important to 
 have a sloping roof put on to carry off the wet, which would 
 otherwise stand upon the top, and find its way through. In 
 
Housing. 
 
 99 
 
 this case, it also is better to raise the house above the 
 ground, and to well tar or paint it. The large foreign pack- 
 ing cases, in which toys and lighter class of goods are 
 brought, make good houses, when the wood of which they 
 are built is sufficiently thick. But, as a rule the strength 
 appears to be in the stays which surround the box, and the 
 sides are generally of rather thin wood. When a really sub- 
 stantial box can be got at a reasonable price, it will make a 
 capital house, but requires to be dealt with in the same way 
 as described for bacon boxes, so far as the roof, doors, and 
 internal arrangements are concerned, and it may be con- 
 siderably improved by the addition of windows. 
 
 In all those yards where large numbers of chickens are 
 hatched, it is worth the cost to have a good shed built, int<? 
 which the coops can be placed for the first week or two, 01 
 during a spell of very bad weather. No one can estimate 
 the value of a place like this but those who have had one, 
 and the prevention of mortality in chickens by the use of a 
 good shed is very great indeed. A sudden chill in cold or 
 wet weather is sure to cause the death of many of the newly- 
 hatched birds, if the coops are not in the open, but in such 
 a shed as I have just suggested they are kept safe in the 
 severest weather, and will be almost entirely unaffected by 
 the variations of the outside atmosphere. Not only is a shed 
 useful in this way, but as the youngest birds have to be fed 
 the last thing at night, for the first ten days or a fortnight of 
 their existence, the having in a shed enables the feeder 
 to attend to them more comfortably, and a simple lantern 
 will be sufficient to light up a good sized shed, whereas the 
 reflection from it would scarcely be enough to illuminate a 
 single coop. The ease with which chickens can be fed in 
 this way offers no excuse for neglect of so important a duty, 
 but it is against human nature to turn out on a cold, wet 
 night. And as both attendant and chicks are equally re- 
 luctant to be disturbed under such conditions, the birds often 
 go without that which they certainly ought to have and which 
 is needful to preserve them from semi-starvation, and to lay 
 the foundation of a strong fowlhood. 
 
 The position of the shed is an important consideration. 
 One that is built or adapted for the purposes of a chick- 
 en house should face to the south, south-east, or south-west, 
 
IOO 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 and have a glass front, either wholly or partially. The 
 object of having it in this position, and of the glass front, is 
 that the early morning rays of the sun may get inside, as 
 these are most beneficial and far better than all artificial 
 heat. Few can realise the difference between a house with 
 an aspect like any of those I have mentioned, and one facing 
 in any other direction. The former will generally be warm 
 and genial, whereas the other will be cold and chilling. Es- 
 pecially early in the year these fugitive rays of the sun are 
 very valuable, and they ought to be secured, which can only 
 be effected by having the house in the right position. The 
 back of the chicken house should be against a brick or stone 
 wall, if this is possible, as it will be considerably warmer 
 than if out in the open. The floor should be very dry sand 
 to the depth of several inches, and it is advisable to excavate 
 the same about sixteen or eighteen inches, and half fill the 
 space with coarse gravel or broken bricks, which should be 
 well beaten down. Upon the top of this the sand should be 
 placed. A floor like this will always be dry and sweet, and 
 upon it the coops can be put without bottoms. The chicks 
 will thrive amain, and there will be no danger of contamin- 
 ation if the sand be raked over daily, and renewed once a year. 
 Of course the house itself should be well put together, and 
 perfectly dry over head, and the nearer it is to the dwelling 
 of the attendant the less probability is there of the birds 
 being neglected. I always like to see the chicken yard next 
 to the house in which the poultry keeper resides, for such an 
 arrangement conduces to the facility with which the birds 
 can be seen, and conseqently to their welfare, often pre- 
 venting their being neglected. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 BREEDING. 
 
 If only one or two hens are to be set during the season, 
 then an outhouse, or an unused part of the fowlhouse may 
 be put on one side for the purpose. Or, again, if there is a 
 
Breeding . 
 
 IOI 
 
 coop at liberty the hen may be allowed to sit in this on the 
 ground, but the latter plan can only be adopted in mild 
 weather. The best way when there are several hens to be 
 set is to select some room as a hatching place, and do all 
 the work in it. This may be an empty fowlhouse, an unused 
 stable or coach-house, or a loft; in fact almost any place 
 will do, so long as it is somewhat even in temperature 
 (rather cool than otherwise, so long as it is not actually 
 cold) and it is properly ventilated. It is necessary, also, to 
 see that it is not damp overhead or actually wet below, 
 and I prefer it when the room is rather dark than otherwise. 
 There are few farms, or country or surburban houses or cot- 
 tages, that have not a place which meets all the requirements 
 here enumerated. In a loft above a stable, measuring about 
 eight feet square, I have had at times a dozen hens sitting 
 at one time, and the facility with which they could all be at- 
 tended to made the work comparatively light. In fact 
 twelve hens could be looked after just as easily as one-third 
 that number scattered about. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that in a room or house 
 where several hens are sitting together, some arrangement 
 must be made to keep them separate and out of sight of each 
 other, both during the time of sitting and whilst feeding. 
 Otherwise there will be constant warfare, which will only 
 end in the destruction of the eggs and the killing of the 
 chicks within them. To secure this result there is nothing 
 better than having hatching boxes. These are made about 
 fifteen inches square and eighteen inches high, with no bot- 
 tom, but sides and top only. The front is made a door so 
 that by it the birds can get in and out, and holes in the top 
 and sides give the necessary air to both hen and eggs. 
 These boxes can stand side by side, but it is well, for the 
 better circulation of the air, to have them six or eight inches 
 apart, and thus a medium-sized room will hold a goodly 
 number of the boxes. Within the box is placed a layer of 
 sand or soil, three or four inches thick, hollowed out in 
 saucer form and covered with soft straw. The hens can be 
 allowed out to feed in turns once or twice a day by simply 
 opening the door in front of each box, and the eggs will 
 then obtain the necessary cooling. The advantage of a 
 plan like this is that the variation of temperature outside 
 
102 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 does not affect the hens so much as if they were set here, 
 there, and everywhere, and consequently many a sitting of 
 eggs is saved which would otherwise be lost — a very import- 
 ant difference, as every poultry keeper will be prepared to 
 admit. 
 
 There is another plan which I saw in use at the establish- 
 ment of a well-known fancier, and which is a very good one. 
 This gentlemen has coops made of a triangular form, about 
 twenty-four inches long by twelve inches wide, and twelve 
 inches high. There is only one end to the coop, the other 
 end being perfectly open. To fit on the coops there are 
 runs, also triangular in shape, but instead of both sides 
 being of wire lattice as is usual, one is made of corrugated 
 iron, the other sides and one end being of wire lattice, and 
 one end quite open. When it is used, either as a hatching 
 pen or a coop, the run is put over the open end for a few 
 inches, it being made large enough for this purpose and thus 
 effectually keeps the hen in and intruders out. These can, 
 of course, be used for hatching either in the open or indoors. 
 If put side by side the hens will be provided with a good 
 roomy hatching box, and if food and water is placed in the 
 run, they can come off for feeding whenever they choose to 
 do so. The gentleman at whose poultry yard I first saw 
 this plan adopted, had some six or eight coops in a coach- 
 house, the floor of which was thickly covered with sand. 
 The corrugated iron sides were useful here also, as they 
 effectually prevented the inmate of one coop seeing her 
 companions. He had also reversed the ends of the runs, 
 so that for convenience in cleaning and arrangement half 
 the coops were on one side and the remainder on the other. 
 Nothing can be simpler than this plan, and the advantage 
 of being able to use the coops both as hatching boxes and 
 coops is a saving of cost, and in this way better than the 
 system previously described, for in that case the boxes can 
 only be used for hatching purposes. There is just this dis- 
 advantage, however, that twice the number of hens can be 
 accommodated in a room fitted up with the hatching boxes, 
 than where there are the runs just described But in the 
 latter case this may be balanced by the fact that the time 
 required for attention is very much less. 
 
 It is to be noted that the attention given to a hen during 
 
Breeding 
 
 103 
 
 the period of incubation must be constant and regular. 
 She must have food and water daily, and be permitted to 
 come off her nest once or twice a day — lifted off if she will 
 not come voluntarily, as she will assuredly foul her nest if 
 left. A dust bath should be provided for her, otherwise 
 she will be sure to get infested with insects, and give these 
 to the chicks when they are hatched. The prevalence of 
 gapes I am inclined think is due more to this cause than 
 any other* When the hen is off feeding, the nest should 
 be examined to see whether all is right, for sometimes eggs 
 roll away, though if the nest has been properly made this 
 should not be so. Sometimes, also, an egg has got broken, 
 and if this is the case, or if the nest has been fouled, all the 
 eggs should be placed in a bowl or pail of water heated up 
 to 105 degrees, and then properly washed with a sponge. 
 The nest should be remade and the eggs returned to it, but 
 before the hen is allowed to go on again, her breast, thighs, 
 and legs, must be thoroughly washed, for if this is not done 
 some of the eggs will probably adhere thereto with the re- 
 sult that more will be broken. We have known a whole 
 nest spoiled from so simple a cause as this. 
 
 Then there is the question of moisture. This is most 
 important, more important than many persons are prepared 
 to admit. If it is not attended to the eggs will be dried, 
 and the chicks, if they come to maturity, will be unable to 
 break through the toughened shell and skin. The reason 
 why I always make so strong a point of having a good layer 
 of soil below the hatching boxes, and also in the bottom 
 of the boxes themselves, is that the moisture may be given 
 in the best way, namely, by keeping this soil damp — not 
 wet — and then the warmth of the hen draws it upwards, 
 thus supplying the eggs with all the moisture they require. 
 The water should not be poured upon the nest, but around 
 the box, and it must be regulated according to the season 
 of the year. In early spring a pint of hot water twice a 
 week will be sufficient, but in warm weather this quantity 
 every day will not be too much, as the atmospheric evapo- 
 ration is much greater than in colder weather. 
 
 A few words respecting the testing of the eggs during in- 
 cubation will be welcome to many readers, as there is much 
 misconception on the matter. At one time many poultry 
 
104 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 keepers had a very decided objection to interfering in any 
 way with the eggs during the time of sitting, but this has 
 been shown to be a mere sentimental objection, and that 
 there are many advantages to be obtained from so testing 
 them. I have, both when hens were doing the work, and % 
 when the eggs were in incubators, always tested the eggs 
 during the process. The first time is on the seventh day, 
 and by candle light. The object of this test is to see 
 how many of the eggs are fertile, so that all clear ones 
 may be taken away, and as they are still good for culinary 
 purposes, it will be seen on that account alone there is a 
 very strong argument in favour of the system. In large 
 establishments some hundreds of eggs can be saved in this 
 way every year, which will represent a respectable item in 
 the annual returns. But there is another and still more im- 
 portant argument in its favour, namely, the space occupied 
 by these useless eggs can be filled up, and the work either 
 of hen or machine kept to such eggs as are of real value for 
 hatching purposes. For instance, if three hens are set at 
 one time (we always set two or three together), and on the 
 first examination it is found that one-third of the eggs are 
 infertile, when the useless ones are removed there will just 
 be sufficient for two hens, and the third can be set again 
 with a fresh batch of eggs. The fact is, this test en- 
 ables, as a rule, as many chicks to be hatched with two- 
 thirds the number of hens that would be needed under the 
 other system of giving a hen a sitting of eggs and allowing 
 her to go on to the end, whether they are fertile or not. 
 This is no small consideration, and as I never yet found 
 any evil result from the examination of eggs, there is no 
 question in my mind as to the value of this plan. 
 
 Coming to the practical question, the method of ex- 
 amination is to remove the eggs from off the nest either 
 when the hen is feeding, or lifting her off specially at night, 
 and holding them between a candle or lamp and the eye. 
 The best time is to do it at night, and a candle can be 
 placed at a convenient height for the purpose. First take 
 an egg in the left hand, holding it between the forefinger 
 and thumb, using the other finger of the hand as a shade 
 to keep the light away from the eye. The right hand is 
 next put around the part of the egg left exposed, and the 
 
Breeding. 
 
 105 
 
 fingers of that hand used also as a shade. The object is to 
 permit the light only to be seen by the eye through the 
 body of the egg, and a very little practice will enable anyone 
 to hold it properly. Some use cardboard, cutting in it an 
 oval hole scarcely so large as the egg, and there are also egg 
 testers sold at about a shilling each, made of tin partially 
 covered with black cloth. These are perhaps the simplest, 
 though I have always been able to test much more quickly 
 when using only the hands as already described. When the 
 egg is fertile there will be seen, at the seventh day, a large 
 black spot in the centre of the egg, covering it so that it is 
 perfectly opaque, but getting lighter nearer the edges. 
 If the examination had taken place a day or two earlier, 
 there would have been seen a small black spot in the centre, 
 and a host of little streaks, or veins, radiating from it. But 
 at the seventh day, these cannot be distinguished, for the 
 chick is then beginning to assume more of its natural form. 
 This opaqueness is the sign that the egg is fertile, for an un- 
 fertile one is clear to the end, no matter how long it is sat 
 upon. Some people we have met with could not accept 
 this test They thought that perhaps the chick would 
 develope if sat upon a little longer, but every fertile egg by 
 the seventh day has developed sufficiently to declare itself 
 in an unmistakeable manner. I have sometimes been de- 
 ceived when testing incubator eggs at the third or fourth 
 day, but never at the seventh, and thus it is better as a rule 
 to accept that time for applying the test. It is possible to 
 distinguish fertile eggs at the end of 60 hours, but that only 
 comes after long practice, and is unnecessarily early. In 
 cubator workers may do it for their own amusement, but I 
 should never advise those breeding with hens to disturb 
 the sitters in this way, as it is very liable to upset them. 
 
 The second test is made on the nineteenth day, that is, 
 two days before the eggs are due to hatch. This is by 
 means of warm water, and it has a double purpose; first, 
 the discovery of all dead chicks, and second, the softening 
 of the shell, so that the chick may more easily find its way 
 out. The plan I have always followed is to get a pail, or 
 large bowl, nearly full of water, heated up to 105 degrees; 
 that is, just as hot as the hand can comfortably bear it. If 
 a bowl is used it should be a deep one, say, not having less 
 
io6 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 than six or eight inches of water in it, and the difficulty of 
 finding sufficiently deep has lead us to use a pail. The 
 eggs are removed from the nest and placed in the w^ter, 
 when it will be seen that the majority of them will float 
 broad end upwards, about two-thirds in and one-third out if 
 the water. Those that sink are generally useless, and may 
 be put out of the reckoning, as they are generally addled 
 eggs, that is, eggs which have been fertile, but have been 
 arrested at some stage of their progress. Some have stated 
 they have known eggs that sunk to hatch, but I have never 
 once done so, and of the scores I have broken not one has 
 been alive, or even fully formed. In a few moments some 
 of the eggs will be seen to jump about in a curious manner, 
 caused, it is said, by the effort of the little prisoners to get 
 out, and I have known some to almost leap out of the 
 water. It is better when the eggs have been in the water 
 three or four minutes to put back into the nest without 
 drying, those that so jump, and if there are any that do not 
 move it may be accepted as a fact that they are dead, pro- 
 bably containing those chicks that have died from the 
 fourteenth to the eighteenth day. The hen will be able to 
 give full attention to the reduced number that are left to 
 her, if it is a reduced one; and there is a decided advantage 
 in not having eggs to fill up the the nest, which will only be 
 in the way, and perhaps hinder the proper hatching of the 
 others. 
 
 From time to time there has been great attention given 
 to the question of artificial incubation and rearing, and a 
 considerable amount of success has been attained in this 
 direction. The study is by no means a new one, for in the 
 first half of last century a French savant wrote a work on the 
 subject detailing his experiments. Since that time many 
 machines have been invented, some of which were suc- 
 cessful so far as the mere hatching of chickens was con- 
 cerned, but whether from their intricate arrangements for 
 the keeping regular of the temperature, and consequently 
 from their great cost, they did not achieve any permanent 
 success. Of late years machines on a different principle 
 have been introduced, in which the regulating part has been { 
 greatly simplified, and as these are sold at reasonable prices, 
 
Breeding. 
 
 107 
 
 they have been extensively used both in this country, 
 France, and America. 
 
 There is a great amount of pleasure to be derived from 
 working an incubator. All the process of hatching can be 
 noted, and the daily operations which are necessary, followed 
 by the climax of hatching, possesses a great fascination. By 
 means of incubators many invalids, and those whose delicate 
 health precludes their going into the open air in unfavour- 
 able weather, can enjoy the pleasures of poultry keeping. 
 Not only so, but incubators make poultry-keepers, especially 
 those who have non-sitting varieties, independent of the 
 broody hens, who are often very erratic in their movements 
 and either will not sit when they are wanted to do so, or 
 want to sit at the time they are not required. The owner 
 of an incubator can have hatchings at any season of the 
 year when he can secure fertile eggs. 
 
 The two chief makers of incubators are Messrs T. Christy 
 and Co., and Messrs Chas. Hearson and Co., both of Lon- 
 don. The former firm were the introducers into this coun- 
 try of the hydro-incubator which wrought such a revolution 
 in incubator working. This type of machine has gone out 
 of use in Britain, though it is still found in France where it 
 originated. The alterations made in it by the Messrs. 
 Christy have been in the direction of self heating. But pro- 
 bably the most successful incubator on the market is the 
 Hearson, which from its simplicity in working and effective 
 regulation has won great favour. It is made in all sizes, 
 and being very nicely finished, is no disfigurement to a 
 dining or sitting room. It is specially noted for its splendid 
 regulator. This consists of a hermetically sealed metallic 
 capsule, in which is a fluid that expands at the heat of 104 
 degs, The result is that when the heat named is attained 
 the capsule acts upon the regulator, and the temperature is 
 at once lowered. This machine is also noted for its ad- 
 mirable provision for ventilation, and for the supply of fresh 
 air to the eggs — a most important matter. It has met with 
 a very great amount of success, and can be confidently recom- 
 mended as a most valuable machine. It is made in various 
 sizes, from thirteen-eggs capacity upwards, others are the 
 " Field,” “ Hilliers,” the “ Westmeria.” 
 
io8 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 REARING CHICKENS. 
 
 In order to obtain success the poultry-keeper must give 
 continued attention to his stock during the whole of the 
 year, but it is also true that his vigilance needs to be re- 
 doubled during the chicken rearing season. A careless 
 man who allows his fowls to look after themselves the rest 
 of the year may manage, under certain favourable conditions, 
 to make them pay, that is, they may succeed in spite of his 
 neglect. But I have never yet met with one who neglecting 
 them in the chicken season really succeeded. Success is only 
 to be measured by the opportunities. What would be suc- 
 cess under one set of circumstances is failure under another. 
 Chicken rearing needs careful and constant attention, as the 
 best prices for the produce, or the best exhibition specimens, 
 are only to be obtained by those who have their birds out 
 early in the season. If we are willing to let the hens choose 
 their own time for hatching, they will postpone the com- 
 mencement of operations, as a rule, until April or May, and 
 the progeny will be late all the year. But choosing our 
 own time, by taking the trouble to think over the matter, 
 and by expending the needful energy in the business, we 
 can have birds on the table very early in the year. Suc- 
 cessful chicken rearing requires careful management. It is 
 no use pretending that this is not so, for that would be 
 misleading. But given the willingness to expend the time and 
 the trouble necessary, success is within the reach of all. I 
 have known some of the best and most healthy fowls 
 hatched and reared under most unfavourable conditions. 
 In other hands the whole thing would have been a miserable 
 failure. But the secret was not far to seek. It was simply 
 that the attendant knew what was necessary to be done, and 
 did it. Knowledge is good, but knowledge without ap- 
 plication is useless. Whilst there is this danger, of neglect, 
 another danger is equally to be avoided, namely, that of 
 pampering. Amongst poultry there is quite as much harm 
 done by overkindness as by the opposite kind of treatment. 
 Ninety per cent of the diseases which trouble the domestic 
 
Rearing Chickens. 
 
 109 
 
 fowl are due to injudicious feeding. Thus, what is needful 
 in the management of chickens is to strike the happy 
 mean — to give the birds all the attention they require, but at 
 the same time not to go to the other extreme and ruin their 
 constitutions by pampering. 
 
 The treatment of the chickens when hatched will much 
 depend on the time of year when that operation takes place. 
 If the weather is mild the hen with the chickens may be 
 put out in the open air. Removal of the coop to fresh 
 ground, and proper feeding will be the great work to be 
 done. Not much need be said with respect to coops. 
 Almost any coop that is roomy, well made, shelters the in- 
 mates both by night and day, and has a loose floor, will 
 serve the purpose. A loose floor is the most desirable, in 
 order to facilitate cleaning. Each time the coop is removed 
 to fresh ground which should be every day, it can be pro- 
 perly cleaned out. When the weather is cold or stormy, 
 it is better to have a chicken house in which to keep the 
 coops. This is, in fact, almost essential where very early 
 chickens are bred, and its cost will soon be saved by the 
 greater success attained in rearing. If this is not practic- 
 able, a coop may be employed, which will give greater pro- 
 tection than those ordinarly used. I came across one of 
 this kind in France, and recently looking through an old 
 Magazine saw the same kind of thing. It is really a double 
 coop consisting of two compartments. The whole is fifty- 
 four inches long by two feet from front to back. At one 
 end is the nesting place two feet by eighteen inches, which 
 is boarded all round, and also has a partition between, 
 separating it from the rest of the coop. In this partition is 
 a small outlet large enough for the hen to pass through. 
 The other end is also boarded all round, but here is no 
 partition, so that the inner side is open altogether. The 
 centre of the front, which occupies eighteen inches, is 
 formed of laths sufficiently apart to permit the chicks to pass 
 through, but not the hen. The nesting place and the 
 shelter at the end of the coop have wooden floors — moveable 
 for cleaning purposes — but the centre has no floor at all. 
 The top of the coop may either be gabled or have a simple 
 lean-to. For rearing early in the season where there is no 
 chicken-house, this is by far the best arrangement I have 
 
no 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 met with. It has the very desirable advantage of giving 
 the hen considerably more room than is usually the case in 
 coops, not compelling her to live all day where she and her 
 brood sleep at night. It also provides admirable shelter 
 for the chicks in bad weather. It has other uses, for when 
 the hen desserts her brood if the coop is not wanted again 
 for younger chickens it makes a capital home for a few 
 weeks for the orphans, and a perfectly safe one. Later on 
 in the year, it can be made into a house for a single cock, 
 which it is desirable to keep by himself. 
 
 Many other kinds of coops could be described, but they 
 are familiar to almost everyone. The best are those with 
 moveable floors, and one sold by Spratts Patent, is a very 
 useful form of coop. 
 
 I have already mentioned the necessity for a constant 
 change of ground. This, of course, applies to those chicks 
 that are placed in the open air. Unless this is attended to, 
 they will never thrive. It is, indeed, surprising that 
 they so soon foul the ground, for if a good coop with 
 eighteen or a dozen chicks are put out, the grass will be 
 gone in twenty-four hours. Even if they do not eat off all 
 the grass completely it is desirable to remove the coops, as 
 the turf can be kept better in this way. By thus changing, 
 the coop may be placed on the same ground a week or 
 ten days afterwards, and the rest will have made it as fresh 
 as it was before being used. Grass is a great help to the 
 chicken rearer, when it is at command, but it cannot be re- 
 garded as indispensable. Thousands of birds are reared 
 every season, and successfully reared, which have never had 
 a grass run. Of course when such a run cannot be given 
 green food in some form must be substituted, but this 
 question will be dealt with presently. In a chicken house 
 it is better to have sand as the floor than anything else. 
 This will only need renewing once a year at least, but it 
 must be well raked over daily, and the droppings removed, 
 and dug over once or twice a month. Wherever chickens 
 are kept it is most important that perfect cleanliness be 
 observed. Without this is attended to insects and vermin 
 will annoy the birds, and under these conditious they cannot 
 be expected to thrive. After each batch has occupied the 
 coop, it should be well lime-washed out, and the floor 
 
Rearing Chickens . 
 
 hi 
 
 ought to be covered every day with fine ashes, dry earth, or 
 sand. The question of feeding is of so much importance 
 that I deal specially with the subject in another chapter. 
 
 Where an artificial mother or brooder is used instead of 
 the ordinary method the great fear is lest the chicks have 
 too much heat. It is especially necessary under these cir- 
 cumstances that there be no coddling, and if the brooder 
 can be placed where the chicks are compelled to go direct 
 from the machine into the open air, except, perhaps, in the 
 most unseasonable weather, they will be all the better for 
 this exposure. The machine may be very considerably 
 cooled down during the day, after the inmates are a week 
 old, and a careful examination at nights is very desirable in 
 order to see that the heat is not too great. A common 
 mistake made with artificial mothers is over-crowding. 
 Not more than a dozen should be put into one machine, or 
 rather, into the compartment of a machine. 
 
 The point wherein the majority of chicken raisers fail is 
 with respect to feeding. One of the most difficult matters 
 to instil into the minds of poultry keepers is that the feeding 
 of their stock must be very carefully and systematically 
 done. Over-feeding is the cause of nearly all the diseases 
 to which poultry both old and young are subject. Thus it 
 will be at once apparent that if it is important to feed adult 
 fowls in the right manner, it is especially so in the case of 
 young chickens. The former may under certain conditions 
 throw off the evil effects of bad feeding, but this is scarcely 
 possible in the case of young and growing stock, when 
 the frame is being formed. The very desire to feed the 
 birds sufficiently very often leads to the giving of either too 
 much or too rich a food. The delicate stomachs of the 
 little things need food that shall be of a suitable nature, and 
 full of nourishment. This very fact leads to error. Rich 
 food is not necessarily nourishing, and vice versa . 
 
 Chickens do not require any food during the first twenty- 
 four hours after they are hatched. The contents of the 
 yolk-bag. which bag is absorbed into the stomach im- 
 mediately before hatching takes place, contains sufficient 
 nourishment for the first day, and any attempt to compel 
 the chick to swallow other food is likely to do more harm 
 than good by the derangement of the digestive system. 
 
X 1 2 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 There will be no difficulty in getting the chicks to eat if 
 they are simply left alone for the first twenty-four hours after 
 making their debut into the world. All such practices 
 as the giving of a pepper-corn to the newly hatched chick 
 are most objectionable and are founded either on supersti- 
 tion or ignorance. Such pungent things as pepper-corns 
 must be very trying to a delicate organ like the stomach of 
 a young chick. That still more objectionable practice of 
 tearing off the horn or scale which nature has placed on the 
 beak of chicks to enable them to break open their prison 
 house, combines cruelty with other things, for this scale will 
 drop off itself within a few days. The less chickens are in- 
 terfered with during the early stages of their growth the 
 better. 
 
 The first food should consist of hard-boiled eggs, chopped 
 fine, and mixed with twice their bulk of bread crumbs. 
 Those eggs which have been sat on for a week, and proved 
 to be infertile, answer capitally for feeding the chickens. 
 Failing these we purchase duck eggs in preference to using 
 fresh eggs from the hens, unless the latter are excep- 
 tionally plentiful. Only as much of the egg and bread 
 crumbs should be prepaired as will serve two or three times, 
 for it soon loses its freshness, and if sour will cause scouring. 
 It should be slightly moistened with milk, but very slightly, 
 just sufficient to damp it. Much depends on the way in 
 which the bread crumbs are prepared. The way we have 
 have always adopted has been to rub the bread — stale bread 
 is to be prefered — through a fine sieve turned upside down. 
 In this way they are not only speedily made, but are fine 
 and even, which is almost impossible to secure if simply 
 rubbed in the hands. On cold or wet mornings it will do 
 good to add a little seasoning, such as aromatic compound, 
 to the mixture, and the same thing is desirable with the soft 
 food afterwards. Bone meal should always be mixed with 
 the food of chickens. This egg and bread crumbs may be 
 continued for about a week, when the alternate foods may 
 be of some such food as Spratts Poultry Meal, which, without 
 hesitation, we have found to be most valuable for rearing 
 chicks during their growing stage as a soft food, for we 
 should never think of giving that or any other soft food 
 alone, and it appears to be a combination of just what 
 
Rearing Chickens. 
 
 ii3 
 
 chickens require, and yet it is not unduly stimulative. It can 
 be fed for the whole of a chickens life without the least injury 
 or evil effects. Chamberlin’s and Calway’s Meals are also 
 very useful for the same purpose. When the chicks are 
 eight or nine days old they may have the egg and bread 
 crumbs discontinued, in place of which may be given a little 
 boiled rice, but not much of that, and some oatmeal mixed 
 with barley or wheat meal. Or, if it can be obtained, in place 
 of the oatmeal, some ground oats. When the birds are 
 about a fortnight old a little crushed buckwheat may be put 
 down to them, as they will not be able to manage the whole 
 corn until they are older. From the time I have already 
 stated, they may be gradually accustomed to a plainer diet, 
 until four months old, in the case of the more rapid growing 
 breeds, and five months in others, when they will require no 
 different treatment to the other fowls. 
 
 An important matter to be considered is the time of 
 feeding, for the most inexperienced will see that young 
 animals and birds need smaller quantities but at shorter in- 
 tervals than do adults. The following may be regarded as 
 a very good table for the periods at which chickens should 
 be fed : — For the first week or ten days, every two hours ; — 
 from ten days to a month old, every three hours ; — after 
 that five times a day; — and when two months old four times 
 a day. It is most desirable that the times of feeding be as 
 equally divided as possible and be strictly observed. 
 Doctors say that there is nothing worse for children than 
 irregular meal-hours, and this is just as injurious in the case 
 of chickens. The first feed should be early in the morning, 
 say about an hour after daybreak. This may necessitate 
 early rising on the part of some person, but the case of 
 getting up early is a most essential one for the chicken 
 raiser. It can scarcely be expected that chickens that have 
 to run about hungry for hours after they are astir will thrive 
 properly. Some poultry raisers leave a little hemp-seed 
 over night so that the birds can help themselves in the 
 morning. This is undoubtedly better than nothing, but 
 they will be more likely to do well if they have a warm feed 
 first of all. Then until the chicks are a month old they 
 should have a feed about nine or ten o’clock at night. This 
 entails trouble, but it will well repay any trouble involved. 
 
Poultry . 
 
 114 
 
 Food should be given sparingly and never left for long. 
 The system of feeding I have found best of all is to only 
 give as much as is eaten readily. Lately there have been 
 those who have written in favour of always leaving food so 
 that the birds, both young and old, can help themselves, 
 but I do not believe it is a better method. A hungry chick 
 is a thriving one. 
 
 Much contention has been raised as to whether chicks 
 should have water or not. As to whether they can be 
 raised without liquid needs no discussion. This has been 
 proved possible. But what is possible is not always advisa- 
 ble, and I think it most desirable that the chickens should 
 have access to water. They will only drink as much of it 
 as their system requires. At one time I used a flat shallow 
 dish with rings so that the chicks could not drown, which 
 they are most likely to do in an ordinary dish. But a 
 fountain that has been introduced by Spratts Patent is 
 much better. The cup is inside instead of outside, as is 
 usually the case with fountains, and the chicks cannot get 
 bodily into it. One important thing in the feeding of 
 chickens is a supply of green food. If they are being reared 
 on a piece of juicy grass they can do without anything else, 
 but even then a supply of fresh lettuces will be to their 
 benefit. Should there not be good grass the lettuce be- 
 comes indispensable. 
 
 It is necessary to remind the reader that the directions 
 given here for the feeding of chickens refer to those that are 
 intended to be kept as layers or as stock birds. If to be 
 fattened as spedilly as possible and killed off, then another 
 course of treatment should be adopted. Under these cir- 
 cumstances the food should be such as will develope flesh 
 and not bone. For this purpose boiled rice and Indian 
 corn should form the staple food. But upon this point I 
 shall have more to say. 
 
 The question of artificial rearing is one which appears to 
 be indissolubly connected with that of artificial hatching. 
 It is true that artificial rearing was a practical success long 
 before artificial incubation. At one time there were breeders 
 who hatched all their chickens under hens, but reared them 
 in mothers, or brooders as they are called in America — a 
 much better name I think. The same is still adopted by 
 
Rearing Chickens . 
 
 ”5 
 
 some breeders, who believe that it is better to hatch the 
 fowls naturally, but prefer to rear the chickens so hatched 
 under brooders. There is no practical reason why the 
 artificial methods should not be adopted throughout, and 
 chickens who have never known what it was to have a 
 living mother, thrive just as well and are as healthy as those 
 who have been subjected to more natural conditions. The 
 advantages of the artificial mother are, that a larger number 
 of chickens can be kept together, that they can be attended 
 to more easily by the attendant, that they are not troubled 
 with the diseases which are the direct result of contact with 
 the hen, such as gapes — that deadly enemy to chicken life, 
 and that they grow, when properly attended to, more 
 rapidly. The pleasure of the pursuit is also enhanced to 
 many poultry keepers by the fact that the chicks are entirely 
 dependant on human aid, and it must be conceded that 
 there is always a fascination about any methods which are 
 a variation from that of mother nature. 
 
 All the makers of Incubators sell mothers or brooders, 
 the principal of which is more or less the same, though the 
 methods of application may vary, and also the way of 
 heating. In all English machines the heat is given from 
 above, and with one exception they have a tank filled with 
 water, kept to a certain temperature by a lamp or by gas. 
 The exception is a novel application of the French Briquet 
 for the purpose of rearing. The Briquet is used largely in 
 France for the purpose of heating carriages, small rooms, &c. 
 The fuel is in the form of bricks and is largely composed of 
 charcoal. It will burn several hours when once lighted, and 
 gives out a good heat without any objectionable fumes. 
 All that is necessary is to place the brick in the fire for a 
 minute or two until it takes fire, and if then placed in the 
 metal receptacle will gradually burn away. The manner in 
 which this has been applied to the purpose of artificial 
 rearing, is by hanging it in an ordinary coop, sufficiently 
 above the floor of the coop to permit the chicks standing 
 under it. In this way they obtain all the heat they can 
 require for brooding, and the height of the Briquet is varied 
 according to the size of the birds. There is little or no 
 danger of overheating, which is so frequently a cause of 
 trouble with the ordinary brooder. And there is not the 
 
n6 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 least fear of overcrowding, for as the source of heat is sus- 
 pended and there are no fixed sides to it, the birds equally 
 obtain the heat they desire. And as the coop is made on 
 the ordinary principle it can stand either in the open or in 
 a chicken house. 
 
 In America a different system is adopted, in that the 
 majority of the most successful brooders there are heated or 
 warmed from below. It would not be fair to say that they 
 are heated from below, for there is no tank under the floor. 
 To actually heat from below would, I opine, be fatal to suc- 
 cess, and be as injurious as it is to hatch eggs with under 
 heat. But the heat is really given in the form of warm air, 
 which rises from below. There is no tank, but a current of 
 air is made to pass through the brooder, and before entering 
 into it is warmed by means of a lamp around which it must 
 go. Flannel or something of that nature is provided for the 
 birds to place their backs against, and the whole atmos- 
 phere is warmed. Those who have tested this system, 
 reported very highly indeed of its results. 
 
 In all rearing with artificial brooders it is essential to 
 success that the most rigid cleanliness be observed, that 
 the chickens be carefully fed, and that they be placed on 
 fresh ground every day. Coddling is also to be avoided, 
 and the birds should be exposed in the same way as would 
 be the case if they were under hens. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 
 
 In all enterprises success or failure often depends upon the 
 minor points of detail, which in themselves appear to be 
 very trivial. But as a chain is only so strong as its weakest 
 link, so any work can only succeed if proper attention is 
 paid to the details of management. We regard, therefore, 
 the present chapter as of great importance, and ask for 
 careful perusal of the matters raised herein, and application 
 
General Management. 
 
 ”7 
 
 of them to the poultry yard. First and formost we must 
 place the question of 
 
 FOOD AND FEEDING. 
 
 It must ever be remembered that food is the fuel to keep in 
 operation the life of the animal, and without its aid in 
 repairing the daily waste of the system a stoppage must take 
 place and death ensue. It will be at once apparent to any- 
 one who gives the matter a moment’s thought that food 
 must have more direct influence upon the condition and 
 productive powers of the fowl than anything else, because 
 the fowl can only be looked upon as a machine, giving forth 
 in another form that which it receives. A portion of the 
 food goes to make up for the natural waste and to sustain 
 the bodily strength, and without it there would be a gradual 
 expenditure of the powers and collapse. Any addition of 
 the quantity of food which is just sufficient to sustain life, is 
 used either in the production of flesh or eggs. Whether 
 the food shall be used in one or other of these ways will 
 depend first upon the tendencies of the fowl and then upon 
 the nature of the food, and it is, therefore, not only im- 
 portant to have the right kind of fowls, but at the same time 
 to give the right kind of food. There is one restriction, 
 however, and that is, too much food must not be given, or if 
 the object be the production of eggs, it will be defeated, and 
 perhaps, if prolonged, disease be caused. The best guide 
 for laying hens is just to give as much as they eat readily, 
 and then remove all that is left, but to birds that are in- 
 tended for the table more can be given, especially if they 
 are to be killed soon, but it is necessary not to feed them in 
 this way too long, or they will begin to sicken. 
 
 Leaving out of the question the food which can be got on 
 a farm and is of little use for any other purpose we will take 
 the various grains in common use. Analysis proves that 
 oats are about the best balanced food for general purposes ; 
 but buckwheat and barley come next ; and wheat, beans, 
 and peas bring up the rear. And on the other hand Indian 
 corn and rice have an excess of fattening properties ; there- 
 fore, the first named are most suited for layers, whereas the 
 last are valuable for fattening. Milk is also useful for the 
 
n8 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 latter purpose, as it is greater in fat or oil, in proportion to 
 its solids, than any other grain. We would select as the 
 best foods for laying fowls, oats, buckwheat, barley, and 
 wheat in the order named if given separately, but it is much 
 better to mix them in equal proportions, with a few peas 
 added also. Upon no account, except in cold or wet 
 weather should Indian corn be used, and then only in small 
 quantities. It is a most valuable grain for many purposes — 
 in fact, one of the best known — but feeding heavily on it 
 will stop the supply of eggs. There is an advantage in 
 having the grain mixed, as a variety is thus presented to the 
 fowls, and they do not tire so readily as if only one kind is 
 provided. The mixture we have recommended contains all 
 that is necessary, but dari, which is a small white Egyptian 
 grain, can be added. It is better also to mix with it any 
 wheat tailings that may be on hand to make up for its 
 deficiencies. 
 
 In a state of nature fowls live entirely upon grain, green 
 food, and worms, but when domesticated a different plan is 
 found requisite. Soft food is a great help to the promotion 
 of laying or putting on of flesh, and it should always be 
 given as a first feed in the morning, as soon as possible 
 after daylight. Any of the grains already mentioned will 
 answer if ground up, but it is essential to have the meal 
 fresh, sweet, and good. Ground oats (not oatmeal, but the 
 oats ground up, husk and all) is the best thing we know of. 
 This is a very common food in Surrey and Sussex, but is 
 sometimes difficult to get in other places. Millers will grind 
 a sack or two, if ordered, but the oats must be plump and 
 dry, and the stones newly dressed. If this is given as soft 
 food, we would then omit the oats from the corn mixture. 
 Barley meal, coarse wheat meal, and buckwheat meal are all 
 good foods, and a good mixture can be made of one part 
 ground oarts, one part barley meal, one part buckwheat 
 meal, and one part boxings or pollards. After mixing well 
 together, take out as much as is wanted for one feed and 
 put into a pail or tub, with any boiled potatoes, meat 
 scraps, &c., that may be available, and in wet or cold 
 weather a small quantity of stimulating powder. Then 
 hollow out the centre a little and pour a little boiling water — 
 
Dust Baths . 
 
 119 
 
 actually boiling, we mean — into it. Stir up with a strong 
 wooden spoon or stick, and keep adding the water and 
 stirring until it is all moistened through. It must not be 
 sloppy, but crumbly moist, so that it will just stick together 
 if made into balls. Give to the birds as hot as possible, 
 and in dishes, except the feeding place is cemented or 
 flagged, when it may be thrown down one ball at the time, 
 stopping immediately the birds appear to have lost their 
 eagerness. In addition to the ordinary meals there are 
 several prepared foods, which are largely sold, such as 
 Spratts Poultry meal which has so long stood the test, 
 Chamberlain's Canadian Meal, Calway's, Lambert's, &c. 
 These will be found first-rate for special purposes, or mixing 
 with the ordinary meal, and can be purchased from agents 
 in every town. 
 
 The number of times to feed fowls during the day is im- 
 portant, and depends largely upon the place where the 
 birds are kept, as they get much more to eat by foraging on 
 an unlimited run than in a confined space, and of course do 
 not need so much artificially. More people overfeed 
 than underfeed, and this may be done by keeping food con- 
 stantly near the fowls or feeding them too often. On large 
 runs twice a day is quite sufficient, the first feed to be soft 
 food, and the last hard corn, to be given an hour before 
 they go to roost ; but when the run is confined, and there 
 is no heap from which the birds can get plenty of worms 
 and slugs, a handful of grain may be given in the middle of 
 the day. Green food must be provided if there is not 
 plenty of grass, for without this in one form or another the 
 birds will not thrive. The object of all feeding is to keep 
 the birds strong and healthy, and careful attention in this 
 direction will be well repaid. 
 
 Dust Baths . — Those who know the value of a dust bath 
 for fowls, summer and winter, consider it essential to suc- 
 cessful poultry keeping. And how few of our poultry 
 keepers are there who give their fowls an opportunity of 
 revelling in a heap of loose earth or ashes during their con- 
 finement, 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 cleanser and renovator, and is as 
 necessary for cleaning the feathers of fowls from vermin 
 
120 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 and effete matter, as a pure cool water bath is to a person 
 of cleanly habits. Poultry with free range in summer will be 
 able to help themselves to a dust bath, if they have to roll 
 in the newly made flower or vegetable beds, but with fowls 
 in confinement the means and material must be supplied. 
 A dry mass of sand or road-dust, fine loam or coal ashes, 
 old mortar, or in fact anything of that kind will do. This 
 mass of dry material should be under a shed to protect it 
 from rain in the summer time, and in the sunniest corner 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 purpose 
 of a 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 wild birds, we can see them in the open 
 clearings and 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 pulverize the 
 earth, if in lumps, and they will then adjust their feathers. 
 Then by the rapid action of their claws dust themselves 
 thoroughly, and by shaking rid themselves of lice. The 
 dust bath is made more effective by putting a handful 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 be 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. 
 
 Killing Fowls . — To many amateurs the killing of the 
 surplus stock is a matter of great difficulty. It is simply 
 because there is a want of knowledge as to the best way to 
 secure the end, with the least pain to the poor victim. 
 There are some poultry keepers who are totally unfited for 
 such work as this, and they had better leave it alone, for 
 their nervousness will cause them to bungle. The killing of 
 a fowl is not a difficult matter, when we know the way, 
 namely, by wringing their neck, as birds with severed heads 
 would be objected to by the purchasers. This wringing the 
 neck is not at all hard to learn, but it needs a firm grip, 
 
Dressing Poultry . 
 
 1 21 
 
 and a quick hand. The neck is broken by the double twist 
 and drawing which cannot be described on paper, and 
 those who are likely to have many birds to kill will do well 
 to find some poulterer and be taught in a practical manner. 
 In this way it can be learnt very speedily. But for those 
 who are killing for home consumption there is a much 
 better manner, and one which can be described, for it is so 
 simple. In this case the legs of the bird to be sacrificed 
 should first be tied together, and the victim hung to a nail 
 in the wall or to a beam, and at such a height from the 
 ground that its head will be about level with the chest of 
 the slaughterer. This is to make the operation more easily 
 performed. Next the bird should be struck on the head 
 with a mallet or block of wood, the object of which is to 
 reduce sensibility and thus limit the amount of suffering. 
 Then the windpipe should be severed with a sharp knife, 
 and the wings having been left loose for the purpose will 
 cause the blood to flow very freely, and thus, as well as by 
 the severance of the windpipe, more speedily produce death. 
 There is another benefit in the method here recommended, 
 namely, that the blood is drained out of the body, making 
 the flesh a better colour, and at the same time postponing 
 decomposition in case the fowl has to be kept for some 
 days. The muscular action in this way is very small, and 
 does not represent any feeling of pain by the bird. Spratts 
 Patent make a most useful shilling knife for killing fowls. 
 
 Caponising . — In France the greater portion of the best 
 fowls are Capons, and the effect of this operation is to 
 obtain them a much larger size than would otherwise be 
 the case. 
 
 Dressing Poultry ( French Method ). — In France the pre- 
 paration, or dressing of the fowls after they are killed has 
 been reduced to a science, it being there recognized that 
 this has much to do with the appearance of the birds both 
 when offered for sale, and when they are served up on the 
 table. The birds are plucked immediately after they are 
 killed, and then laid upon shaping boards, with their backs 
 upwards. These boards are simply flat pieces of wood, 
 about the same width as the fowls, having a block or pad at 
 one end to support the rump, and one at the other end for 
 the neck. Thus the bird is kept perfectly level. Great 
 
122 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 care is taken to see that the fowl is manipulated soon after 
 it is killed, and before it is cold. The rib-bones are bent 
 in, and the knee pressed into the back ; by this means the 
 breast is forced inwards, and the legs fastened over it so as 
 to keep the breast in its place. It is then laid back 
 upwards upon the shaping-board, with a wet linen cloth 
 fastened tightly over by means of tapes around the bottom- 
 board. When kept in this way for twelve hours, it is then 
 fit for anything, and there is no loose, flabby fiesh to repel 
 the sight. It must not be omitted that when fastened down 
 it is well soaked with cold water. This shaping of the birds 
 accounts for much of the great difference between French 
 and English fowls. When the cook receives the bird she 
 cuts the string which fastens the legs, and forces them down 
 again. This brings out the meat on the breast without the 
 bone rising again, as the ca'rver discovers when he com- 
 mences operations. 
 
 Moulting is the process of shedding the feathers 
 which occurs in nearly all the feathered tribes annually, as a 
 first step to the assuming of an entirely new habit or 
 covering. When in a perfect state of health the process 
 goes on smoothly and easily, the birds not suffering in the 
 least from the operation. In hens the only difference seen 
 is that they cease, or ought to cease, laying. But when 
 they are enfeebled from any cause the strain on the system 
 prolongs the moulting and leaves the bird weaker than at 
 the beginning. Under the former conditions the moult 
 should be over in six weeks, and the time for it is the late 
 summer and autumn. Every year, however, the time taken 
 is longer, and the evident strain on the system greater. 
 The first moult generally takes place when the fowls are 
 from eighteen to twenty months old, though there is a 
 casting of the chickens feathers a year or more before. 
 During this critical period of the fowl's life it must be sup- 
 plied with materials for the formation of the feathers, and 
 the food must be nutritious and abundant. Meat is 
 specially useful and the birds eat it ravenously, but it is 
 better to give it cooked, and of course, judiciously, They 
 must have plenty of vegetables, and the best grains are 
 wheat and oats, both of which contain the needful elements, i 
 but are not heating. All forms of fat-forming materials, 
 
Preserving Eggs. 
 
 123 
 
 such as grease, Indian corn, and the like should be withheld. 
 And it is desirable to give to the birds in their drinking 
 water three or four times a week a little of what is known 
 as the Douglass mixture. This is made as follows : — sul- 
 phate of iron, \ lb . ; sulphuric acid, 1 oz.; dissolved in two 
 gallons of water. One teaspoonfull of this mixture should 
 be used to a pint of water. With protection from cold and 
 this treatment the birds should come through the moult 
 safely and well. 
 
 Preserving Eggs . — One of the most common methods is 
 that known as the “liming” process, in which the eggs are 
 put into a pickle consisting of a mixture of slack lime, salt, 
 and water. A barrel is half filled with cold water, into 
 which is stirred slacked lime and salt in the proportion of 
 about one-half pound of each for every pailful of water, or, 
 as some recommend, three-quarters of a pound of nitre to a 
 half barrel of water is used instead of the salt. The eggs, 
 which must be perfectly fresh, are let down into this mixture 
 with a dish, when they settle in the bottom. Packed in 
 this manner, if kept in a cool place, eggs will keep fresh for 
 several months. To obviate the limy taste of the eggs and 
 the brittleness imparted to their shells, if kept too long in 
 this way, they should be rubbed all over with lard before 
 put in the pickle. Prepared in this manner it is claimed 
 they will keep perfectly fresh for six months or more, if 
 stored in a cool cellar. Another method strongly recom- 
 mended by some is to take a dozen or so at a time of new 
 laid eggs, and immerse them for five seconds in boiling 
 water containing about five pounds of common brown 
 sugar per gallon of water. The eggs should then be placed 
 on trays to dry. The hot water is said to cause the for- 
 mation of a thin skin of hard albumen next to the inner 
 surface of the shell, while the sugar effectually closes the 
 pores of the latter. When cold, the eggs should be packed 
 in a mixture of one part of charcoal and two parts dry 
 bran. A method abopted by the French is as follows : 
 melt four ounces of clear beeswax in a porcelain dish over a 
 gentle fire, and stir in eight ounces of olive oil. Let the 
 resulting solution of wax in oil cool somewhat, then dip the 
 fresh eggs, one by one, into it, so as to coat every part of 
 the shell. A momentary dip is sufficient, all excess of the 
 
124 
 
 a Poultry, 
 
 mixture being wiped off with a cotten rag. The oil is 
 absorbed in the shell, the wax hermetically closing all the 
 pores. It is claimed that eggs thus treated and packed 
 away in powdered charcoal in a cool place, have been found 
 after two years as fresh and palatable as when new laid. 
 Some use parafin which melts to a thin liquid, at a tempe- 
 rature below that of boiling water, instead of the wax and 
 oil, claiming for it that it is cheaper, odourless and tasteless. 
 It is used in a manner similar to the others. Coated in 
 this way, and put in lime pickle, the eggs may be kept for 
 months, or if put in charcoal and kept cool, they may be 
 preserved for a much longer time. Dry salt and also dry 
 bran, are sometimes used for this purpose but under these 
 conditions the eggs are not protected from dampness as 
 effectually as by other means. As a packing material for 
 transportation, a mixture of eight parts bran with one of 
 powdered quicklime is of great value. 
 
 Before concluding this chapter we desire to urge upon all 
 to keep an account of their poultry yard, not merely for the 
 satisfaction of knowing exactly what it has cost, but also as 
 a record for the future. An account of this kind has the 
 manifest advantage of tending to the prevention of extrava- 
 gance, and to many at least it is a great pleasure if the 
 pursuit can be made a source of profit. The account need 
 but be very simple, showing the expenditure and receipts, 
 the number of eggs laid, how disposed of, and at the year's 
 end can be balanced up in the ordinary way. Such an ac- 
 count is often the means of closing the mouths of captious 
 critics who are for ever crying out that “ Poultry keeping 
 will not pay.” 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 EHHIBITING POULTRY. 
 
 Many poultry keepers who are not fanciers or regular ex- 
 hibitors are glad to send a bird or two to a local exhibition, 
 and the information as to how they can give their fowls the 
 
Exhibiting Poultry . 
 
 I2 5 
 
 best chance of success will be welcome. Shows are now 
 very numerous. It is very important indeed for the attain- 
 ment of success that the birds are made to look their best. 
 I do not mean by this that any unfair methods should be 
 resorted to in order to improve the fowls and make them 
 seem what they are not, for trimming or faking in any or 
 every form I most strenuously denounce. But simply that 
 the birds shall show themselves in the best way they can. 
 What is known as condition is the having of fowls or animals 
 in the pink of health and bloom. Condition is, or ought to 
 be, healthiness, for anything in perfect health has a beauty 
 which can be supplied in no other way. This is one of the 
 so-called secrets in exhibiting ; and the exhibitor who can 
 send his specimens in the best condition stands a much 
 better chance of winning than those who neglect this matter. 
 Many a bird has beaten a better one, just because it was 
 well shown. Its good appearance brings out the merits 
 of the fowl, whereas in the other case, the bad con- 
 dition — rough pum age, dull appearance, and listless 
 manner — so detracts from the other good points that the 
 Judge cannot place it as high as it would otherwise be. It 
 is perfectly right that this should be so, and the exhibitor 
 who sends an ill-conditioned specimen to a show deserves 
 to be beaten for his neglect of so important a point. 
 
 It will be seen how desirous it is that birds should be 
 exhibited in good condition, and the question naturally 
 comes, how to obtain it ? If condition be healthiness, then 
 to secure this the fowls must be kept healthy. It is true 
 that many exhibition birds are far from healthy, and that 
 brilliant plumage is a result of breeding or feeding. But 
 birds so fed and bred do not last long. Feeding them up 
 on rich food may apparently succeed for a time, but soon 
 the natural result follows, and they lose that which gave 
 them their prominence. Sooner or later this forcing system 
 of feeding is found to be a failure. The experience of all 
 exhibitors teaches them that the most natural system pays 
 best in the long run. F.or the early chicken show birds 
 are often forced unnaturally, but very seldom is a winner at 
 such shows of any use in the winter exhibitions. By that 
 time the forcing has brought its natural results, and the 
 fowl is unable to bear the strain. Those that are allowed 
 
126 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 to grow naturally, to mature slowly, to develope properly, 
 stand the best, and ultimately are the best birds. Fowls 
 intended to be killed early may be forced with advantage, 
 but those designed as breeders or for exhibition ought not 
 to be fed up in this way. Hence we find many of the most 
 successful exhibitors seldom exhibit their breeding stock and, 
 as seldom breed from those kept for exhibition. 
 
 When the birds to be exhibited are selected, the best plan 
 is to allow them as much liberty as possible up to within a 
 week of the Show. The object of this is to permit them to 
 strengthen and mature. They are then each, or in pairs, 
 put into a large pen or cage, something like the pens used 
 at Shows, but larger — say, for large birds a four feet by two 
 and a half feet, and for small birds two and a half feet 
 square. This cage is placed in a comfortable room or warm 
 house, and on a bench about three feet from the ground. 
 One object is to make the birds familiar with confinement 
 in a pen, to accustom them to the passing of anyone to and 
 fro before the cage, and to the stirring up process so com- 
 mon at shows. The owner should therefore train the birds 
 in this way whilst they are in the pen, for many a first-class 
 specimen has lost a prize because of its wildness. When 
 anyone comes near a pen containing one of these untrained 
 fowls it rushes about, jumping up and down endeavouring 
 to escape, and neither a Judge or anyone else can see what 
 it is like. All this can be prevented in the way I have 
 stated, and some fowls, Bantams especially, have nearly as 
 much drilling as a regiment of raw recruits. They thus get 
 to understand the whole business, to know what is expected 
 of them, and show themselves off to the best advantage. 
 Ordinary fowls do not need as much training as is generally 
 given to Bantams, and as much as can be done in a week 
 will take from them the fear of being looked at, and of 
 being kept in a small pen. It is as well, also, to handle 
 them once or twice each day. Judges often require to get 
 a bird out of the pen to examine it. If it submits to the 
 process willingly it has a better chance of success than if it 
 struggles, violently as many young birds do. 
 
 From what has been already said it will be seen that I 
 do not believe in feeding birds for show upon artificial and 
 forcing diet. The reasons for this have been already stated. 
 
Exhibiting Poultry. 
 
 127 
 
 But it is quite allowable that slightly richer food should be 
 given, so long as it is not overdone. My plan has been to 
 give a little aromatic compound in the soft food — Spratts’ 
 Food is admirably suited for feeding show birds — and twice 
 or thrice during the week of preparation mix a little linseed 
 in the soft food. This is best prepared as follows : — for a 
 pint of water a fourth of a pint of whole linseed will be 
 needed. Let the water boil, and whilst on the fire throw in 
 the seed. The sudden application of the heat causes the 
 seed to burst, and if the water is allowed to gently boil for 
 ten or fifteen minutes, the linseed will be found to have 
 absorbed all the water, and the whole will be a jellified 
 liquid. This whilst hot should be mixed with the meal, and 
 will contain sufficient moisture to take up enough meal to 
 feed nearly half a score of birds, for which number the 
 quantity named will be sufficient. Before sending it away to 
 the show take the fowl out of its pen, stand it on a box or 
 hamper, smooth down the feathers the right way with the 
 hands. This is very effective in obtaining an evenness of 
 feather, and preventing roughness of plumage. And before 
 they are sent off to a Show the faces, combs, wattles, ]egs, 
 and feet should be well washed. This is if the bird has not 
 been entirely washed, a process absolutely necessary to 
 light-plumaged fowls, and often beneficial to others also. 
 
 To those who have not tried it the process of washing a 
 fowl may appear a very simple matter, and so it is — when 
 you know the way. But as a rule very few persons succeed 
 in washing a fowl properly the first time or two, and ex- 
 perience is the best teacher, though a description as to how 
 to proceed will indicate the right way. The articles needed 
 are a tub or tin bath (a sitz bath does admirably), some 
 white curd soap, a sponge, a nail brush, some dry towels, a 
 drying hamper or cage, and a good supply of water heated 
 up to 105 degrees. The tub or tin must be of a good size, 
 and I like it best if oval in shape, as it lessens the risk of 
 breaking the tail accidentally. It should be sufficiently 
 deep so that when forced down into a sitting posture it will 
 be covered' with water, except the head. There should be, 
 in addition to what I have enumerated, a pail of milk-warm 
 water, and yet another, with cold water, both of which will 
 be required for the final operations in the washing itself. 
 
128 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 The cold water is sometimes useful in another way. Some 
 birds faint through fear or excitement, and they can be best 
 revived by throwing cold water on the head. Should any 
 one faint there is no need to be alarmed. Occasionally a 
 bird does die, but very seldom indeed, and although I have 
 washed hundreds I never had one succumb in my hands. 
 
 Washing any live thing is always troublesome, and it is 
 better to have two persons for the purpose, except in the 
 case of very small birds. This is especially necessary when 
 a fowl is tubbed for the first time. The assistant should 
 take the bird, holding it firmly by the wings and legs — a 
 wing and a leg in each hand — and place it in the water with 
 its tail to the washer, who will then sponge it thorougly 
 until it is soaking wet all over. Next a lather is made by 
 means of the brush and soap, in which the fowl should be 
 almost enveloped. The lather thus formed should be 
 thoroughly rubbed into the feathers, using more soap if 
 needs be, and in order to get to every part of the body it 
 will be necessary for the assistant to turn the bird round 
 several times, and even upside down, for the washing will 
 be useless if any part be neglected. The brush can be 
 applied to the wings and feet, just taking care not to break 
 any of the feathers. The great secret in washing is not to 
 be afraid of the bird, but at the same time to avoid injuring 
 it. Roughness must not be used, but it must be well and 
 thoroughly rubbed, either with hand, sponge, or brush, for 
 unless all the dirt is got out, the feathers will never look 
 nice, and will dry roughly. 
 
 When it is thought the bird is thoroughly washed, the 
 next step is to get all the soap out of the feathers, for which 
 purpose the warm and cold water are needed. The assis- 
 tant must lift the bird up out of the tub and hold it above, 
 or, if other birds are to be washed, over another vessel or 
 sink, and the warm water poured over it, followed by the 
 cold. This is one of the most important parts of the whole 
 process, and the object is to wash the soap well out of th^ 
 feathers. If enough water is used, and the bird turned 
 over once or twice, this will be done. Next, all the water 
 that can be should be squeezed out with the hands, after 
 which the bird, being placed upon a table or some other 
 firm place should be dried as much as possible with the 
 
Diseases. 
 
 129 
 
 towels. Rubbing the feathers well is an important matter, 
 and though they may be well ruffled in the process, they 
 will be all the better for it, coming right again when dried, 
 often to the surprise of the novice. 
 
 Thus much done the fowl is ready for the final drying 
 before the fire. The simplest method of drying is to have 
 an unlined exhibition hamper, covered all over with a cloth, 
 except the front. On the bottom clean straw should be 
 laid, and a block or perch for the fowl to stand on put 
 therein. This hamper should be raised up so that the 
 bottom will be level with the lower bar of the fire grate, and 
 the heat will get well below, rising all round. In drying, 
 the fire must not be too hot, or the cage placed too near, 
 but it should be sufficiently close to allow the heat to get 
 well in. A couple of hours should make the bird perfectly 
 dry, and twelve hours after that it can be sent off to a Show 
 with safety. It is best before doing so to rub the feathers 
 down the right way way with a soft linen cloth or silk hand- 
 kerchief, thus to smooth them as much as possible. A 
 very little oil on a sponge may be used to brighten the 
 comb, wattles, face, and legs, but it must be very little, or 
 more harm than good will be done. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 DISEASES. 
 
 The study of disease as affecting the domectic fowl has been con- 
 siderably increased of late years, and many of those well qualified for 
 the work have undertaken it. Amongst the most famous are MM. 
 Pasteur and Megnin, two well known French savants, the former be- 
 ing the greatest experimentalist of the day. They have given their 
 attention to special diseases which have attacked fowls, some in the 
 form of epidemics, but the inquiries made by them have very con- 
 siderably widened the general knowledge of poultry disease. It is 
 also true that of late years there have been more diseases. A portion 
 of this has been more apparent than real, thp number recorded being 
 increased because better defined. At the same time, however, there 
 can be no question that disease has increased in extent, and for this 
 we blame the evil methods of feeding, and the absolute folly of 
 breeding from diseased stock. 
 
 K. 
 
13 ° 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 A sick fowl can be very easily distinguished, in that it mopes about 
 the place. Sometimes it is very difficult to say what is the matter 
 with it, as the body being covered with feathers these prevent a cor- 
 rect diagnosis being formed. But the descriptions given in the fol- 
 lowing pages will help materially in this direction. 
 
 Apoplexy in Fowls . — Frequently we hear complaints that fowls 
 which are apparently in the best of health fall off their perches in 
 a kind of fit, or are found lying dead in the house in the morning. 
 Such a state of things may be taken to mean that there is something 
 wrong in the system which has induced appoplexy. Generally this 
 trouble arises from overfeeding, which causes cerebral pressure, due 
 to congestion of the vessels of the brain, or the rupture of a small 
 one. Of course, some varieties, as some men, are more liable than 
 are others to appoplexy, but all are more or less so if there is the 
 exciting cause. It has been known that chasing a fowl has induced 
 appoplexy in it, and in those birds that from their condition of body 
 are likely subjects, intense heat, and straining in laying hens may be 
 the immediate cause. When seized the bird suddenly falls to the 
 ground either in a state of complete or partial insensibility, or in 
 some cases dead. Professor Hill recommends “ bleeding, which 
 may be accompanied by puncturing the vein, underneath the wing, 
 four to five drachms of blood being taken from a nature bird ; am- 
 monia to the nostrils, turpentine or strong tincture of iodine to the 
 back of the head, and, as soon as there is ability to swallow, a pur- 
 gative should be given, and the bird afterwards must be kept on low 
 diet.’* We should recommend that when appoplexy makes its ap- 
 pearance in a yard that the system of feeding be carefully enquired 
 into to prevent further mischief. 
 
 Bronchitis is frequently met with in fowls, and though it can scarce- 
 ly be said to be hereditary, yet there can be no question that fowls 
 troubled with Chronic Bronchitis transmit a tendency to their 
 descendants. It is really a developed form of of common catarrh. 
 There is usually no cold in the head, but the breathing is found to 
 be laboured, and there is a ruttling in the throat, accompanied by 
 a cough. In asthma there are much the same symptoms but no 
 cough. Medicine is not so much needed as attention to the atmos- 
 phere in which the brds are kept. It should be warm and moist, 
 and if the sufferer is a valuable bird we should recommend its being 
 placed in a room wherein is a fire, upon which can be kept a pan of 
 water steaming the apartment. The water may be medicated with 
 hops, poppy heads, or carbolic acid. Warm food should be given in 
 which is a little stimulating powder. The most valuable remedy for 
 this disease is Euphorbia Pilulifera. 
 
 Bumble Foot . — Heavy fowls are frequently troubled with an en- 
 largement or protrubrance of the ball of the foot, which is known by 
 the name of Bumble Foot. When examined the foot is found to 
 present large and uneven protrubrances, mostly on the bottom of 
 the main part of the foot, and sometimes extending to the back or 
 side of it. While the skin is necessarily overdrawn to cover the 
 abnormac growth sometimes there is no inflammation of the cuticle. 
 In some case upon opening the swelling the inside is full of a dry 
 
Diseases . 13 1 
 
 granular substance which has to be removed by means of a spoon. 
 When that is the case the part should be washed out, and dressed 
 with a preparation of carbolic acid, and vaseline, and afterwards 
 bandages so as to prevent the dirt getting into the wound. In other 
 cases the swelling partakes more of the nature of a hard corn which 
 should be cut out, and the part painted with strong tincture of iodine. 
 If there is much heat it is better to give doses of homeopathic tincture 
 of aconite, but in the absence of heat internal medicine is unneces- 
 sary. Under all circumstances the bird affected should be kept upon 
 a bed of soft straw or hay, and the foot kept clean. The cause of 
 bumble foot is generally high perches, or the birds, when of a heavy 
 kind, being kept upon stones or hard ground. 
 
 Diseases of the Comb . — The comb is not subject to many diseases in 
 that it is formed of hard flesh, but it is frequently affected by other 
 and internal complaints, being a barometer as to the health of the 
 fowl. More especially does it indicate when there are stomach de- 
 rangements. A fowl in health has a bright-red comb, and when it 
 is dull the cause should be sought for. White Comb. This is gen- 
 erally due to overcrowding, to bad feeding, and the absence of green 
 food. The comb becomes covered with scurf, which if not checked 
 in process of time extends down the neck, and the feathers fall off. 
 It is really a form of scurvy. When white comb appears there 
 should be immediate attention to the food, and a wholesale and 
 liberal diet, pure water, grit for the assistance of digestion, and an 
 abundance of vegetables should be given with a strict regard to 
 cleanliness. A good aperient should be given two or three times and 
 some sulphur mixed with soft food. The comb should be anointed 
 with a little vaseline. Afterwards the birds, when cured, should 
 have a good tonic. Sores . — When eruptions break out on the comb, 
 the treatment must be chiefly internal, though the sores should be 
 touched daily with a little olive oil in which a few drops of carbolic 
 acid have been mixed. The internal treatment should consist of, 
 first, an aperient, and then sulphur or charcoal in some form, mixed 
 with the food being the easiest way, though made up into pills is per- 
 haps the most effective. 
 
 Cropbound . — In the spring and the autumn, fowls are frequently 
 troubled with crop swellings, of which there are two kinds. That 
 most common is known as crop bound, in which the crop becomes 
 charged with a mass of food unable to find its way into the stomach 
 because of some obstruction in the passages As a rule the bird eats 
 more than usual, because its desire for food is not satisfied, but this 
 food simply adds to the mass in the crop, which soon hangs down 
 like an overcharged pouch. If not relieved the sufferer dies from 
 starvation. An excess of green food is a very frequent cause of 
 cropbound, especially after it has been withheld for a time, and a 
 twig of indigestible substance swallowed by the fowl will result in the 
 same thing. If discovered at an early stage cure is very simple. 
 First, some salad oil or melted lard should be poured down the 
 throat, and the mass in the crop works gently by the hand. This, 
 if properly done, will cause the food and the fluid to mix, and when 
 the mass has been well broken up, it will in the course of a few hours 
 
132 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 pass away. Warm water may be used instead of the oil, but is not 
 nearly so effective. It the desired result be achieved, nothing more 
 need be done except to take care that the food given is of the very 
 lightest kind and limited in quantity, or permanent distension of the 
 crop may result. In about a week’s time, if all goes well, the fowl 
 may be put on to the regular diet. When the kneading process is 
 ineffectual, an operation becomes necessary, but it is a very simple 
 one. An incision should be made length-wise in the upper part of 
 the crop, about an inch and half in length, with a sharp penknife or 
 lancet. And through the aperture so made the contents of the crop 
 should be removed, using for that purpose a small egg spoon. 
 Sometimes the mass is so hard and large that it cannot pass through 
 the aperture, and in that case it must be broken up, which can be 
 accomplished with care and patience. The mass is usually very of- 
 fensive, and to remove any contaminating matter from the crop this 
 organ should be washed out with sanitas fluid, or any similiar non- 
 poisonous disinfectant. It is also desirable to pass the finger, well 
 pared and oiled, into the orifice below the crop so as to be certain 
 that there is no obstruction there. This done the incision must be 
 sewn up, and for this purpose a small bent needle is best, as by it 
 the skin can be more easily gathered together, and silk or horsehair, 
 not thread, must be employed. The inner and the outer skins should 
 be sewn separately, Food must be limited in quantity, and be light, 
 such as sopped bread or Spratt’s food, and no water should be given 
 for a few days. If care is not taken at the time there is a great 
 danger of the trouble returning again. 
 
 Diarrhoea in fowls is very common, and the exciting causes are 
 very numerous indeed. The symptoms are, however, so very self- 
 evident that no poultry keeper who pays the slightest attention to his 
 stock can fail to note them. The most frequent causes are improper 
 feeding, cold, and the presence in the intentines of some irritant. 
 Frequently a slight looseness of the bowels is simply caused by 
 change in the food, and it is also often the means of preventing some 
 serious disease, this being the way in which nature carries off the 
 trouble ; for that reason, therefore, it is not advisable to take strong 
 measures to stop slight looseness, as it may right itself in a day or 
 two. But if continued for long, and especially if the discharge be- 
 comes offensive, it is necessary to deal with it, as it is very weaken- 
 ing. Bone meal may at the outset be mixed with the soft food, as 
 this is not only a cure, but is also a preventive, and should on that 
 account be mixed always with the food of chicken. Boiled rice in 
 which some powdered chalk has been mixed is very useful in the 
 earlier stages. When neither the bone meal or the boiled rice and 
 chalk are effective it is then necessary to take stronger steps, and one 
 of the best remedies is chlorodyne, one or two drops of which should 
 be given in a teaspoonful of water twice of thrice a day. Or in its 
 place a pill may be given, composed of a grain of opium and five 
 grains of rhubarb. Any fowl affected with diarrhoea should be fed 
 entirely on soft food and have no green meat. 
 
 Diphtheria . — Of late years this fearful disease has spread very 
 much amongst poultry, and large numbers have died from it. The 
 
Diseases . 
 
 133 
 
 cause is undoubtedly the bad conditions under which so many fowls 
 are kept. It is also most cutagious, and when it is present cure 
 is seldom effected, except by such heroic remedies as carbolic acid, 
 and prevention must be aimed at by the owner. The ground should 
 be well limed, the runs if possible renewed, and the houses lime- 
 washed inside and tarred without. Little’s Soluble Phenyle is very 
 valuable for cleaning grass runs, and troughs. 
 
 Egg-Bound Fowls . — Sometimes a hen is unable to lay her egg, 
 which blocks up the passages leading from the oviduct. Unless re- 
 leived the result must be fatal sooner or later. A hen so affected 
 will be seen to visit the nest repeatedly without result, and evinces 
 general distress, with a depression of the wings and tail. The stop- 
 page may be the result of contraction of the egg passage, or of an 
 abnormally large egg. If the latter the remedy is easy, but when 
 the former is the cause then the matter is more serious. For large 
 eggs, which can be discovered by an examination of the bird, the vent 
 should be softened by salad oil, followed by an injection of the same 
 if not effectual within an hour. Great care must be taken in hand- 
 ling or making an injection, for if the egg be broken the result will 
 probably be fatal. Warm treacle in which some chopped groundsel 
 has been mixed, is often found of service in obstinate cases. We 
 have also known benefit derived from the holding of the bird above 
 a jug of hot water, allowing the steam to enter the vent. Contract- 
 ion of the vent is generally accompanied by inflammation, either the 
 cause or result of the contraction. This can be discerned by heat of 
 the part, and feverishness of the bird. As an internal remedy 
 homeopathic tincture of aconite should be given. The vent and sur- 
 roundings should also be fomented with a weak solution of aconite, 
 and laying should be stopped so as to give the organs a rest. 
 
 Feather Eating . — Fowls kept in confinement are often found peck- 
 ing the feathers out of each other, and if the habit is not checked it is 
 copied by others until the whole of the stock are found to be given 
 to the practice. Hens are generally the culprits and cocks the 
 victims, the latter standing quietly by and allowing the feather 
 eaters to perform their own sweet will. This is one of the most dif- 
 ficult things to cure that the poultry keeper has to contend with The 
 habit, for it is a habit, may be caused in various ways, but is gener- 
 ally attributable to one of two causes — first, the presence of insects 
 amongst the feathers, the irritation from which causes the birds to 
 stand and be plucked, for that relieves them; or, second, the want of 
 something which the feathers supply. When the former is the in- 
 citing cause of feather eating it is not difficult to remedy, so far as 
 destroying the insects is concerned, but often this does not remove 
 the habit. A good dust bath with plenty of carbolic powder in it 
 should be provided, and the pluckers removed to pens by themselves. 
 The second inciting cause is the want of something which the 
 feathers appear to supply. This is much more difficult of cure, for 
 there is no means of determining for what the nature of the fowls is 
 seeking. Various methods should be tried. The giving of plenty of 
 young juicy lettuces, or hanging up cabbages by string just within the 
 reach of the birds have both been found to answer the purpose. 
 
134 
 
 Poultry . 
 
 Burying the food and compelling the birds to work for it will some- 
 times secure the desired end, and we have known feeding on soft food 
 alone mixing with it one-third the hulk of bone meal to have also suc- 
 ceeded. And some time ago an American paper stated that experi- 
 ments had proved that feather eating had never been found to pre- 
 vail among the flocks of fowls when they had a grass plot or lawn on 
 which to run, or when plenty of fresh, sweet, clean, and tender hay 
 was readily accessible. It is impossible to give any remedy that will 
 be successful in all cases, and the various suggestions we have made 
 should be tried 
 
 Gapes in Chicks . — Of all the enemies to chickens this is the most 
 deadly, and at the same time the most difficult of cure. It only at- 
 tacks young birds, and the symptoms are, probably, not unfamiliar 
 to many readers. They consist in a gaping for breath on the part of 
 the chicks, which action is caused by the presence of small red worms 
 which lodge themselves in the wind-pipe, and if not removed the 
 chick soon dies of suffocation. How these worms get there, and from 
 whence they come, it is very difficult to decide ; but they are evident- 
 ly communicated by the hen, as we have never yet heard of artifici- 
 ally hatched and reared chicks being troubled with gapes. The 
 worm found in the throat is about half an inch long, and as many as 
 two dozen have been found in that of a single bird. Many measures 
 may be adopted as preventive in addition to those already mention- 
 ed. Good food is necessary — food of a sound nutritious nature, and 
 some poultry-breeders have been accustomed to anoint the head of 
 the chicks soon after they are dry with a preparation made as fol- 
 lows : — Mercurial ointment, loz.; pure lard, loz.; flour of sulphur, 
 $oz.; and crude petroleum, £oz. It is applied to the heads of chicks 
 in a semi fluid-state, and is said to be and infallible remedy. As 
 soon as the disease has been discovered, steps must be taken at once 
 to get rid of the insects, or the birds will speedily suffocate. The 
 most successful cure is the use of the powders so commonly adver- 
 tised, especially Kaylde, made by Chamberlain and Smith of Nor- 
 wich. 
 
 Congestion of the Liver is a disease which has developed very 
 greatly of late years, due partly to confinement in small runs, the 
 earth therein becoming foul, and to feeding on rich foods. We be- 
 lieve that much of the liver disease of late years has been caused by 
 the use of maize, or Indian corn, which, whatever it may be in other 
 countries, is not suitable as a regular food in Western Europe. 
 Small quantities may be given in winter but should not be employed 
 at other times. This disease generally declares itself in hot weather. 
 The fowl affected is seen to be depressed, the comb being pale, and 
 perhaps yellow; the evacuations are irregular and bilious, the ap- 
 petite is uncertain, and thers is sometimes sickness. The only 
 external symptom other than the comb is a slight heat below the 
 breast bone. The treatment should consist of, first, an alteration of 
 the diet, giving plain food, limited in quantity, and plenty of exercise. 
 An aperient, such as sulphate of magnesia and bicarbonate of soda, 
 ten grains of each, should be given daily for a week, and do^es of 
 honuepathic tincture of phodophyllum twice a day. Heavy fowls are 
 
Diseases . 
 
 135 
 
 most subject to this complaint, and when once affected the greatest 
 care should be exercised in feeding both them and their progeny. 
 At the same time it is imperative that the ground upon which they 
 are kept should not be foul. 
 
 Rheumatism is by no means uncommon in old fowls, and is not 
 easy of cure. Cold and damp are the exciting causes, but 
 there is a disordered or abnormal condition of the blood. The cold 
 checks the excreting powers of the skin, and some of the humours 
 which would in the ordinary way be eliminated are absorbed by the 
 blood. Rheumatism is easily distinguished by the swelling and stiff- 
 ness of the joints, and the evident pain which the bird suffers. There 
 are two forms of Rheumatism, the acute, and the chronic. With the 
 former there is mere swelling and fever, but the pain in the latter is 
 more intense and continuous, the bird being stiffer in its gait. The 
 cure of this disease is often very tedious, and much patience is 
 required. The legs should be bathed in warm water, and after being 
 carefully dried, be rubbed with turpentine or arnica lotion, and after- 
 wards cased in flannel. In very severe cases a decoction made from 
 poppy heads has been found very efficacious. Internally the treat- 
 ment will vary according to the kind of rheumatism. In acute 
 rheumatism and where there is much fever, homoeopathic arnica 
 should be given, afterwards followed by sulphur given daily in the 
 soft food. The blood must be purified ere cure can be looked for. 
 Chaulmoogra oil has also been highly recommended for this disease. 
 
 Roup .— This is the name given to several forms of disease pre- 
 senting pretty much the same symptoms, but yet not the same. 
 When a common cold is accompanied with foul breath, offensive 
 discharge from the eyes and nostrils, and a puffing up of the face, it 
 is known as roup. The exciting cause is undoubtedly cold, but 
 the system has already been in a bad state. Frequently the Roup 
 becomes diptheric, which is the most dangerous form. At other 
 times it is scorfulous, which may settle in the face, or what is quite 
 as likely attack the lungs and develope into consumption. In the 
 latter case it is tuberculous. Roup is highly contagious, and once 
 entering a yard, the probability is that it will attack a large number, 
 and be fatal. Hitherto the only real cure for the diptheric form has 
 been by innoculation, but that is out of the reach of the ordinary 
 poultry breeder. For the other forms several medicines have been 
 introduced, and we have heard good accounts of the curative pro- 
 perties of Chamberlin & Smith’s Roup Pills. But treatment must be 
 given in other ways, namely by attending to the conditions under 
 which the birds live and to their food. One great means of spreading 
 roup is when new stock is introduced. It is always desirable to keep 
 such a fowl- by itself for a few days, and also those returning from a 
 show. The latter are often terrible means of spreading disease. 
 
 Scaly Leg. — Scaly Leg is a disease well known to most poultry 
 breeders; in a few cases the legs appear dry, the natural scales 
 become enlarged, or appear so, and instead of lying naturally flat on 
 the shank, are partially folded away from it, in some cases almost 
 
1 3 6 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 into an upright position. The upper surface of the claw in some 
 instances being similarly affected. Mr. J. H. Jenkinson recently sug- 
 gested that for internal treatment an entire change of diet is the first 
 step, with a more liberal supply of green food and an occasional dose 
 of Epsom Salts. External treatment consists in first removing, if 
 possible, the whole of the incrustation by the aid of hot water, car- 
 bolic soap, and a fairly hard brush, and six hours afterwards, i.e ., 
 when thoroughly dry, saturating the effected parts with petroleum 
 oil or sulphur ointment, repeating the latter each day and the 
 washing as required. For very severe or complicated cases there 
 are special ointments sold. 
 
 Post Mortem Examinations . — It is very often necessary to make a 
 post mortem examination of fowls that have died suddenly and from 
 no apparent cause. The benefit of such examination is that the 
 causes which have led to the fatal result may severally be avoided. 
 It is impossible to make an examination of this kind successfully 
 without a knowledge of the various organs in a fowl, and their appear- 
 ance in disease. It is much more satisfactory to forward the fowl to 
 an expert who will give a clear and certain reply. The Fanciers 
 Gazette gives the benefit of these examinations free to its readers, and 
 they are made by Mr Sewell M.K.C.V.S., of 55 Elizabeth Street.,. 
 Eaton Square., London, S.W., to whom the bodies should be sent. 
 
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 With Illustrations in colours of modern modes of serving dishes, and 
 joints as cut by the butcher. Price Is. sewed, in emblematical cover in 
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 Practical directions for cooking and serving up all sorts of Provisions, from a single 
 Joint of Meat, with Vegetables, to the finely-seasoned dishes of Poultry, Fish, and Game, 
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 Tarts, Custards, and other Pastry. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD HINTS FOR YOUNG HOUSEWIVES. Proper 
 
 arrangements and receipts for Forty Dinners, suitable for families 
 and family parties. New Edition, revised throughout. By Martha 
 Careful. Price Is. cloth, lettered. 
 
 This is indeed the ** Book of Books ” on the subject— It is arranged in accordance with 
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 ECONOMICAL COOKERY ; including invalids and children’s cookery. 
 By Georgiana C. Clark. 6d. cover in colours. 
 
 THE COTTAGE HOUSEWIFE; FOR THE MECHANIC or 
 
 LABOURER. By Martha Careful. Price Id. 
 
 A very cheap and valuable little manual, in which is given the most economical manner 
 living, and the best and cheapest way of cooking homely food. 
 
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DEAN’S PRACTICAL BOOKS FOR THE REARING AND BREEDING 
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 With Beautiful Oil Coloured Portraits. By Francis, Price 3s. Gd. 
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 CANARIES AND MULES; THEIR VARIETIES AND POINTS. 
 
 How to Breed, Rear, and Keep in Health, with Remedies for the 
 various Diseases to which they are subject. By James Sabin. Price 
 Is., with coloured pictures of the fifteen varieties of the Canary. 
 
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 H G. ADAMS’S BECHSTEIN’S HANDBOOK OF 
 
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 or aviaries. With Portraits of all the Feathered 
 Pets. Price 2s. 6d., cloth gilt.' 
 
 THE BIRD-KEEPER’S GUIDE AND BRITISH AVIARY ; or, 
 
 SONG BIRDS: How to Rear and Keep them in Health, and 
 how to preserve them when dead. With Addenda on the 
 various Breeds of Canaries. By Thomas Andrewes. Fron- 
 tispiece in Colours. Is. sewed. 
 
 Or, bound in cloth, with twenty plates, showing the Male 
 and Female Bird of the several varieties, with their Eggs. 
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 of Houses, &c. Price Is. 
 
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 J. M. Moffatt. Large and well-executed Engravings of the several 
 kinds of Fowls. New edition, improved by F. Crook, Esq. 6d. 
 
 PROFITABLE FOWLS AND EGGS; AND HOW TO MAKE 
 MONEY BY THEM. With Illustrations by Harrison W eir * Price 
 6d. post free. 
 
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 Manufacturers of Valentines , Christmas, Birthday t and Easter C’<mt ds. 
 
Just ready , Price One Shilling. 
 
 THE AMATEURS ZOO; 
 
 OR, 
 
 PET ANIMALS: 
 
 Their Habits and Characteristics , and how 
 to Treat them in Captivity . 
 
 By ARTHUR PATTERSON, 
 
 Author of 64 Notes on Pet Monkeys,** &c. 
 
 With 44 illustrations. 
 
 Besides giving copious information as to the management of the several 
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 tion as to Pet Purchasing, Feeding , , Diseases and Treatment of Accidents % 
 Cages , Breeding , Stuffing, and General Management . 
 
 The following < 
 
 Agouti 
 Armadillo 
 Asiatic Civet 
 Badger 
 Bats 
 Beaver 
 Cat, domestic 
 « Egyptian 
 ,, Persian 
 „ wild 
 „ tiger 
 
 Cavy, or Guinea Pig . 
 Chipmunk 
 Civet, African 
 „ Asiatic 
 „ lesser 
 
 Coati-mondi, brown 
 „ red 
 
 Coypu 
 Dormouse . 
 
 Ferret 
 
 Flying Squirrel 
 Fox, Arctic 
 
 s are dealt with : — 
 
 Fox, common 
 
 « flying 
 
 Genette 
 Gerbille 
 Greentree Frog 
 Hare 
 Hedgehog. 
 
 Ichneumon 
 Indian Mice 
 Jackal 
 
 Jeroba , or Humping 
 Mouse 
 
 Kangaroo Bat 
 Lemur, ring-tailed 
 Macaques 
 Mangabey 
 Marmoset 
 Marmot 
 Mice, common 
 „ fancy 
 „ harvest 
 Monkeys , various 
 Mungoos, African 
 
 Ocelot 
 
 Opossum 
 
 Otter 
 
 Paca 
 
 Paradoxure 
 Phalanger, sooty 
 „ vulpine 
 Polecat 
 Porcupine 
 Poyou 
 Prairie Dog 
 Babbits 
 Baccoon 
 Rats , fancy 
 Beptiles 
 
 Saddleback Jackal 
 Seal 
 
 Snake, ringed, 
 
 Squirrels 
 
 Stoat 
 
 Tortoise 
 
 Weasel 
 
 Wild Cat 
 
 LONDON: DEAN & SON, 160a, FLEFT STBEET, E.C. 
 
DEAN’S 
 
 |)fap far Jjamt ^erfarmaita mtfcr gomtg %ttm. 
 
 In this series the Publishers have adapted the old favourite tales of childhood, 
 that they m,iy afford lively recreation in place of Charades, and give hints as 
 regards the i ment of Costumes, Scenery, &c. The Dialogue is simple and 
 spirited, the scenery diversified, and the Moral excellent. 
 
 By Myra Craeg. 
 
 THE PRINCE AND THE WITCH. 
 
 In Three Volumes , handsomely bound, cloth gilt, 3s. 6 d. each . 
 Price ONE SHILLING. Gilt, fancy illustrated cover, 
 
 BY MISS CORNER, 
 
 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. 12 illustrations by Alfred 
 
 Crowquill. Is. 
 
 WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT. 12 illustrations 
 
 by Alfred Crowquill. Is. 
 
 CINDERELLA and the LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER. 
 
 12 illustrations by Alfred Crowquill. la. 
 PUSS IN BOOTS; or, THE MILLER’S 
 FAVOURITE SON. 6 illustrations by 
 J. V. Barret. Is. 
 
 MOTHER GOOSE AND THE GOLDEN 
 
 EGGS. 10 illustrations by Harrison 
 Weir. Is. 
 
 CHILDREN IN THE WOOD. 11 illus- 
 
 trations by Harrison Weir. 1«. 
 
 THE MILLER’S MAID. 13 illustra- 
 
 tions hy Tod6. Is. 
 
 The KING and the TROUBADOUR; 
 
 or, KING RICHARD AND BLONDEL, 
 with SLEEPING BEAUTY. Two Little 
 Plays. Is. 
 
 By Amy Whinyath*. 
 
 PRINCE BULBO. Dramatised frc 
 
 Rhyming Fairy Tale. Is. 
 
 By Aimeh. 
 
 LITTLE BLUE BELL AND WILL 0’ 
 
 Thackeray’s Rose and the Ring . With 
 illustrations. Is. 
 
 GABRIELLE; or, THE RED CAP OF 
 
 LIBERTY. 4 illustrations and ohromo 
 
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 THE TRUE STORY OF CATHERINE 
 
 PARR ; or. How King Henry VIII. ’s 
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 formance. By Elsa D’Esterre Keeling. 
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 HOW MATILDA, FIRST QUEEN OF 
 
 ENGLAND, WAS WOOED AND WON. 
 A Play in Four Acts, for School and 
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 Keeling. 6 d. 
 
 cover, is. 
 
 ALADDIN and the WONDERFUL LAMP. 
 
 Illustrated by John Proctor. Is. 
 
 LITTLE DEWDROP and JACK FROST. 
 
 A Play for Little Children. 6 d. 
 
 FAIRY ROSEBUD; or, the ENCHANTED 
 MAYPOLE and THE FLOWER FAIRIES. 
 A Play for very Little Children. In Two 
 Acts. 6<f. 
 
 Or the two bound in One Volume, It. 
 
 By Averall. 
 
 The ASTROLOGER’S SPELL. A Persian 
 
 Sensational Drama. Is. 
 
 By Campbell Rae-Brown. 
 
 A HEART HISTORY A Comedietta I HER FIRST AT HOME. A Duologu# 
 
 in One Act. 6 d. I In One Aot. 6 d. 
 
 LONDON: DEAN & SON, 160a, FLEET STREET, E.C. 
 
 Office of “ The little-One' s O’wn Coloured Picture Faber." 
 

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 636.5B81 C001 
 
 POULTRY