nnn i Miah a fo Ki ee Seas = ae New York State College of Agriculture At Cornell University Dthaca, N. J. —, Library Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu3 1924090115142 GEYELIN’S POULTRY BREEDING, N A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. AS CARRIED OUT BY THE NATIONAL POULTRY COMPANY (LIMITED), BROMLEY, KENT. NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL HATCHING, REARING AND FATTENING, ON ENTIRELY NEW AND SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES, WITH ALL THE NECESSARY PLANS, ELEVATIONS, SECTIONS, AND DETAILS, AND A NOTICE OF THE POULTRY ESTABLISHMENTS IN FRANCE, BY GEO. KENNEDY GEYELIN, C.E. WITH A PREFACE BY CHARLES L. FLINT, SECRETARY MASSACHUSETTS STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. AUTHOR ''MILCH COWS AND DAIRY FARMING,” ‘‘ GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS.” WITH TWENTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS. BOSTON: A. WILLIAMS & CO., 100 WASHINGTON ST. 1864. cs Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by A. WILLIAMS & Co., In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. Stereotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry, No. 4 Spring Lane. PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. Most of the experiments in keeping poultry on a large scale have either failed entirely or only partially succeeded. What is the cause of failure in such cases? Is it to be found in any inherent difficulty in the system itself, or does it arise from the want of the application of rational principles? Why should not poultry keeping as a business succeed as well in proportion to the num- ber kept as poultry keeping on a small scale? Why may not an individual succeed as well with a thousand inmates of his poultry yard as with fifty or a hundred, provided he gives the proper attention to the individual wants and requirements of each? This little work attempts to answer these questions, and it appears to do so satisfactorily. It has attracted a great deal of attention, not only in England, where poultry keeping is followed with enthusiasm, but also in this country, where, if it is followed on a smaller scale, it is very generally pursued as a necessary con- comitant of every farmyard. No work on the subject (3) 4 PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. has treated of poultry in a commercial point of view, —that is, the keeping of poultry in large numbers, as a business operation,—so fully or so completely as this of Geyelin; and hence it may be said to be the only truly valuable work on the subject. Poultry will not bear over-crowding any better than other stock. It must have space enough for pure air and ventilation. It is not essential that it should have free and unlimited range. Some breeds of ‘domestic fowl bear confinement well. Some are not disposed to wander far from their headquarters even if they have their liberty, while others are never easy unless they have full freedom to go wherever they please. It is probable that too little attention has been paid to this point in the attempts made to keep them on a large scale, where they must, of course, be subjected to more or less confinement. Again, so far as we know, most of the attempts made in this direction appear to have had the production of poultry for market as a leading object, while it is a question whether, commercially speaking, it is desirable to grow fowls mainly for meat. There is more profit in eggs as the leading pursuit, leaving the production of meat as secondary or incidental to the primary object. No doubt the soil of any location has an important influence on the health of poultry. A cold, heavy, un- drained locality is quite unsuited to the poultry yard. The soil should be warm, dry, and sunny, one that is good for grass. If plenty of fish offal were accessible, it should furnish a considerable part of the food. As to breed, it might be any of those commonly known as PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. 5 “everlasting layers,” of which, perhaps, the Leghorn, sometimes called the White Spanish, or Andalusian, is as desirable as any. To meet with eminent success on a large scale, it would be necessary to resort to artificial hatching and rearing, both of which are perfectly feasi- ble; for no one could afford to rely upon hens for this purpose where the primary object was to obtain the largest number of eggs. Suppose, then, the chickens were hatched from the first of April to the middle of May. At five weeks old they could be turned out and treated according to one of the following systems : — ist. Enclose grass land in quarter-acre lots, with a small poultry house in each, or a quadruple house in the centre of four lots, with accommodations for fifty hens— never more. Young chickens might do well in somewhat larger numbers through the summer, but it would be safer, as a general rule, to limit the number to fifty. 2d. Build coops of lath or thin boards, about ten feet long, four feet wide, and two feet high,—four feet in length at one end to be a tight house, or coop of boards, with floor and feeding conveniences, water, &c.,—the latticed portion to be bottomless. Arrange handles at each end, so that two men could lift and move the whole. Set these coops upon grass ground, and move them their length or width daily, thus affording a fresh grass run. Twelve chickens should do well in each. As soon as they can be distinguished, separate the cocks from the pullets, and zever allow them together except for breed- ing purposes afterwards. As soon as the cocks are marketable, sell them, reserving only the best individuals 6 PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. as breeders, with little, if any, regard to consanguinity. Keep an unlimited supply of cracked corn before them until they are large enough to eat it whole, when it may be given them uncracked. This, with grass, is their main diet. Give also some variety with a little animal food. The pullets should begin to lay early in October, when they should have a plenty of fish waste, and lime in some form, in addition to the grain. In twelve months from the time they begin to lay they should produce one hundred and fifty eggs each, and if prop- erly cared for they might do more. As soon as the hens stop laying and begin to moult, kill and sell them. The white Leghorns are always ready for the table. I do not know that this movable coop has been tried on a large scale; but there seems to be no reason why it should not prove successful. Grass will grow wonderfully under it; and this could be used either for soiling or for hay. Some other conveniences would, of course, be necessary in winter. A coop of the above-mentioned size would accom- modate twelve laying hens; and four of them, with forty- eight hens, would probably do better than the same number in the enclosure plan, and avoid the necessary investment for fences and repairs. Some say poultry in such confinement, when a@// their wants are supplied, will pay better than when running at liberty, either in growth, fat, or eggs; and it is probably true. Now, if one coop will succeed, or if one enclosure like that described will succeed, what conceivable rea- son is there why any number should not? We all know that success in anything depends as much upon details PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. 7 as upon plan. Without attention to either, failure is certain. With only one, success can be but partial. These are only suggestions to those who are interested in the subject. This little treatise is full of suggestions of a practical character, valuable even for those who are keeping poultry only upon a small scale. If I suc- ceed in placing it within the reach of those who have sought in vain to procure a copy, I shall have accom- plished my object. Cuarues L. FLint, Sec’y Mass. State Board of Agriculture. Boston, May 8, 1867. PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. In writing this essay on poultry breeding, I have endeavored to avoid all technical expressions and the usual verbiage to swell a book. Neither have I touched upon topics which have no immediate concern with the subject matter, but I have confined myself exclusively to giving publicity to such facts as I have proved by actual experience; and I firmly believe that this treatise on poultry breeding, in a purely commercial point of view, is the only one ever published, in this or any other country, from which the public can learn how to enter upon a highly profitable and pleasing undertaking, and this without having to pay the usual heavy penal- ties of experimenting. I must, however, caution the reader not to be startled by the novel plan of hatching, rearing, and fattening poultry which I advocate, and of which they cannot find corroboration in any other book; and I advise them, before criticising the prin- ciples ‘herein put forth, to well weigh all that is stated, when I doubt not that every one will admit that the principles are logical and based upon sound sanitary (9) Io PREFACE. and scientific laws. To increase the size of this pub- lication, I might, like others, have copied and annexed chapters on diseases and their remedies; on races and their peculiar distinguishing features; on artificial in- cubation from the ancient Egyptians and Chinese to the present day; on the history of domestic fowls from the Assyrians to 1865; but to publish a voluminous book is not my object. My desire is to impart to the public in general, in as few words as possible, with the assistance of comprehen- sive sketches, and even then leaving them ample lati- tude to engross, certain general rules and matters as- certained by experience on profitable poultry breeding. Should I be fortunate enough to accomplish this object to the satisfaction of the public, my task will bear its own reward by a rapid development of poultry breeding in England, as well as in other countries, | which will add materially to the wealth and comfort of nations. From the last: Trade Returns it appears that up- wards of three hundred million of eggs are now im- ported annually into England! Can anything show more forcibly the immense and profitable field that lies open to English enterprise in poultry breeding? G. K. G. BELGRAVE House, ARGYLE Square, W. C. CONTENTS. Page CONSIDERATIONS ON THE NECESSARY APPLIANCES TO Suc- CESSFUL PoULTRY BREEDING. . 3 “ : : - 13 A Poultry Home. The Open Run. . 16 The Glass-covered Run. The Roosting and Lavine Hour: 18 The Hatching-Room. ‘i . 20 Reference to Plan and Perspective Section of the Poultry Home and Vinery. . : . 20 GENERAL RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN ‘Poumey Beno: 24 The Laying of Eggs. ‘ : 5 2 . : j - 26 The Ovarium. . . : ‘. a 2 2 ‘ . 27 Natural Hatching. . ‘ . - 28 General Observations on Poultry F ood and Dritk, . : 3E The Drink for Poultry. . :. ei . . a . +: JBI Food for Young Chickens. . . : : : 32 The Food for the Breeding and tapas Stock. : . 2 32 The Food for the Fattening Stock. 2 5 33 Preparation of the Fattening Food. Pouliry anti, ‘ - 34 The Feathers of Fowls. The Moulting of Fowls. ‘ i 35. Diseases in Poultry. . . . : _ - i : a 35 Various Races of Poultry. . ‘ : : 36 Killing and Dressing Poultry for the Wavtcet. 5 . s » 37 Machinery, Implements, and Utensils. ‘ ; z : 38 Artificial Hatching. . e . . . : - 38 The Artificial Halehing Reoins. 7 is 5 : 3 c 43 Portable Artificial Hen for Hatching. . : F + 45 Artificial Poultry Hens for Rearing Chickerk. F ¢ f 48 Reference to Perspective Section of Artificial Hen. . + 50 Artificial Rearing Home. . 5 51 Reference to Perspective Section of Artificial Rea Home. 52 Artificial Vermin Nursery. s F , < 3 53 Improved Fattening Pens for Crauming Poultry. : 5 55 Preservation of Eggs. . : . 4 ‘é : 4 - 56 Whitewash. Lime Water. . . . . 3 . : 58 Oxide and Sulphate of Iron. General Plan of Buildings. . 59 (11) 12 CONTENTS. Bird’s-Eye View and Section of a iii didi naticas Estab- lishment. . : 5 . 60 The Patent Vermin Seeeactioni Trap. 7 . 66 EstIMATE OF REVENUE AND EXPENSES FOR A Poutrry- BREEDING ESTABLISHMENT OF 3000 STocK Fowts. 68-70 Tue Laws or Nature IN RELATION TO PoULTRY KEEPING. 71 Egg Preserving. 7 . f 3 + 4I Patent Pneumatic SciPindicating Rirtiont Jars. . . . a5 Packing the Eggs. . : - 76 Why Eggs should be pauked wilh the Small End upwards é 97 Warming Poultry Homes. ‘ ¢ F - 497 Our System of selling Poultry. . i - : 78 EXTRACTS FROM THE * JOUBNAE OF HorticoL Ture AND CoTTaGE GARDENER.” eee ny ee ee = Home Supply of Poultry and Eggs. : . : . z - 83 Poultry and Egg-preserving Company. : : - : 85 Home Supply of Eggs and Poultry. : . . 86 Poultry Keeping from a Commercial Point of View: P 88 Poultry and Egg Company. . ‘ P - QI Poultry Keeping from a. Commercial Point of View. . . 93 Report oF Mr. GreyELin, May 17, 1865... . . - 96 Poultry Breeding. . . . . . 97 Vegetable Growing or Market Gardening. . 3 . - 98 Poultry Breeding and Vegetable Growing. . é ‘ ‘ 99 Estimate of Revenue and Expenses. . . . . + 99 Proposed Stock. . , . = te é F + 100 Working. . - . - IOI REpoRT OF MR. Guyetoy ON THE Pourrry ESTasiisH- MENTS IN FRANCE, JULY 10, 1865... : : . + 103 The Object of the Voyage. . . - : : . + 104 Natural and Artificial Incubation. . 3 . . . - 107 The Rearing of Poultry. 7 . 7 3 ; : . It Feeding and Fattening. . . ‘ . . . . - 113 Killing and Dressing. . 3 . . . . + 116 Utilizing the Waste Broducts, ‘: : ‘ - . : - 118 The System of Selling. . : . : : . 68 ey mike CD ae REG POULTRY BREEDING. CONSIDERATIONS ON THE Necessary APPLIANCES TO SuccEssFUL PouLTRY BREEDING. + A UNIVERSAL notion prevails that poultry cannot pos- sibly be bred with profit except on farms, and then only when bred in large quantities. This is a most mis- taken idea, as a few heads of poultry will yield pro- portionately as much profit as any larger numbers. For instance, whereas in large establishments heavy expenses are incurred for buildings, rent, machinery, and labor, these charges do not occur with the amateur breeder who attends on his own poultry personally. It is true that large establishments can buy their cereals cheaper, and grow their own vegetables; but this, again, is com- pensated with the amateur who obtains a better price for his eggs and poultry, even if used for his own con- sumption, than the large breeder, who is obliged to sell his produce through a salesman at wholesale prices. However, to obtain such satisfactory results, it is abso- lutely necessary to observe certain sanitary laws in the construction of the poultry home, and to see that the (18) 14 POULTRY BREEDING IN dietary scale is conformable to the confined state, and, in fact, providing poultry with an equivalent of such food as they could pick up when in a free state. The poultry home I suggest is applicable alike to amateurs and large breeders, and is intended for the accommoda- tion of one cock and six hens for breeding, or twelve hens for laying, and twenty-four to thirty half-grown chickens; and as the same principle must be carried out, whether in small or large establishments, it follows that where it requires only one home for seven, twelve, or thirty birds, it will require one hundred homes for seven hundred, twelve hundred, or three thousand birds, and so on in proportion to the magnitude of the breeding establishment. This plan has, moreover, the advantage of keeping the races and sexes separate, of affording an easy inspection, and of extending and multiplying the homes gradually with the growth of the establish- ment, besides facilitating the labor in feeding and hatch- ing, and the sanitary requirements. Another erroneous idea entertained is, that poultry will never thrive well in a confined state; whilst, in fact, they will thrive much better, and be much more productive than when left roaming about in all weathers in search of food, pro- vided the directions given hereafter are implicitly fol- lowed: however, it is so far true, that poultry confined in a damp and ill-ventilated place, and having a deficient and ill-adapted diet to their confined state, can never thrive; but whose fault is this? Why, it might as well be said that a person cannot thrive during solitary con- finement, when it is well known that prisoners with a regular diet, comfortable cells, and appropriate labor, A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 15 soon become very sleek and healthful in appearance, and that in proportion there are less disease and fewer deaths in prisons than among the free population who are compelled to seek a precarious living in all kinds of weather, and whose homes are wretched hovels, de-. ficient of all sanitary requirements. Moreover, farmers have now for a number of years carried on successfully the rearing and fattening of cattle in confined spaces (which are called stall-fed cattle), and which system, although nominally more expensive, is yet far more profitable than the ordinary rearing of cattle ; and why should the same system not be extended to poultry? In general, the management of poultry is considered of too little importance, and is left pretty well to chance: it is true that of late years the poultry exhibitions have created a taste for poultry breeding; but this is confined solely to amateurs and what may be called fancy poultry breeding. Yet, amongst all domestic animals, the fowl is in proportion to its cost or keep the most profitable and useful; and hereafter I will prove by figures ob- tained by actual experience that poultry can be reared | and sold at the rate of four pence per pound, and leave a handsome profit. Now, such results — particularly when butchers’ meat is at ten pence and one shilling per pound, and moreover daily rising in price on ac- count of the increase of population and the decrease of pasturage — ought to prove a sufficient stimulant to the public at large to give a little more attention and con- sideration to an increased production of such valuable animal food, which, by proper management, would, 16 POULTRY BREEDING IN 7 within a very few years, become as much the food of the poor as it forms now a delicacy for the rich only. A Pouttry Home Ought to consist of four separate compartments, exclu- sive of the glass-covered passagé which runs the whole length of the building, to facilitate the service at all times and weather. ist. A roosting and laying compartment. 2d. A glass-covered run, in which they can be con- fined in wet weather. 3d. A hatching-room. 4th. An open run. Tue Open Run. Starting with the well-ascertained fact that poultry cannot possibly thrive or be kept in good health on damp ground, it becomes necessary, where there is no surface gravel land, to make an artificial dry run: this is best accomplished with concrete, which, besides being cheaper than flag-stones or bricks, does not absorb the moisture, and is much warmer to the feet. This run should be formed slightly concave, as shown by Fig. 9, and have an incline towards its end, where the rain-water can be discharged into a drain com- municating with the duck pond. During summer a few inches deep of gravel, and in winter about nine inches deep of horse manure, ought to cover the floor of this run, which will afford the fowls ample exercise by scratching and running. The gravel A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 17 and horse manure should be turned over at least once a week, and renewed whenever they become too much impregnated with the fowls’ droppings. This will pre- vent the diseases which a tainted ground gives rise to among poultry. The sides and top should be formed of galvanized iron-wire netting of about one and a half inch meshes for full-grown poultry, and one inch meshes for chickens. In fine weather the food should be thrown broadcast on this run; but in wet weather the poultry ought to be fed from feeding-vessels placed in the roost- ing-room, and near to the door of the covered run. Fig. 2. Drinking Fountain. Feeding Trough. Feeding Fountain. The above fountains are constructed on the principle that when placed with their opening towards, and about one foot from, the wall, the poultry will be unable to scratch any dirt in, nor can the droppings from the perches fall in. Some persons advise boarding the sides of the run to the height of two feet, to prevent the cocks of the ad- jacent run from fighting together; this, however, in so narrow a run, would partially exclude the sun, which is not desirable; besides, cocks after a few days’ ac- quaintance become very neighborly. 2 18 POULTRY BREEDING IN Tuer GLASS-COVERED Run. The floor of this compartment should be composed of at least six inches deep of finely-sifted gritty stuff, such as road dust, ashes, and sand, and on this it would be well to sprinkle occasionally some flour of sulphur, which would prevent vermin breeding on the fowls. It is the universal belief that fowls powder themselves to get rid of vermin on their bodies; but such is not exactly the case. The fact is, fowls, like all other feathered tribes, perspire freely, particularly so during night time: this perspiration clogs their feathers; con- sequently they perform their ablution in gritty dust on the same principle that human beings do in water, to get rid of the dried perspiration and to expand their feathers. The same can be seen performed by the birds of the air, which, on a dry, hot summer day, make their ablutions in the dust of the roads. In this run the fowls ought to be kept close during wet weather, as wet feathers are most injurious to their health, particularly when in a confined state. Tue Roostrnc anp Layinc Room Should be kept scrupulously clean, swept out daily, and occasionally thoroughly whitewashed, the floor slightly sanded over daily. The nests, in a sanitary point of view, ought to be made of earthen ware, partly filled with fine sand or cocoa-nut refuse, and slightly sprinkled over with flour A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 19 of sulphur. The roosting perches should be formed of hot-water pipes, as they are of the utmost importance to keep the poultry warm during the cold nights, and cool during hot nights, and which will induce a con- tinuous laying of eggs during a time when they are most scarce either for hatching or consumption. Most persons must have observed that even the heaviest fowls will seek to perch nearest to the ceiling, and that when roosting their feathers are ruffled or open. This is easily explained by all persons con- versant with the aerostatic laws; namely, that heated air being lighter than cold air it will ascend; consequent- ly the warmest place in a room will be nearest to the ceiling; therefore fowls open their feathers when roost- ing to admit the warm, ascending air. Another impor- tant point in the construction of this’ room is the creation of a perfect ventilation without causing any draught. Different gases, varying in their specific gravity, are formed in this room, namely, carbonic acid, which is a heavy gas and hangs near the floor, the ammoniacal gas from the excrements of fowls, and carburetted hy- drogen gas from the exhalation of the fowls, both of which gases are light, and consequently rise to the ceil- ing. It becomes, therefore, necessary to adopt a princi- ple of ventilation by which both the heavy and light gases can be got rid of without causing a draught, which would be prejudicial to the health of the fowls. This is accomplished by two pieces of perforated zinc, one opposite to the other, near the floor, and the same near the ceiling, and at least twelve inches above the roosting perches. 20 POULTRY BREEDING IN Tue Hatcuinc-Room, In my plan, is situated immediately above the roosting- room, and composed of two compartments—the one in which the hen sits, the other where she has a sup- ply of gritty dust to perform her ablutions. REFERENCE TO PLAN AND PERSPECTIVE SECTION OF THE PouLTRY HomME AND VINERY. A is a glass-covered passage running the whole length of the building, and from which communication is ob- tained by means of doors to all the compartments of the homes on either side. This passage ought to be about six feet wide and eight feet high to the rise of the roof. a is a flue formed of bricks and covered with paving- tiles, with ventilation at certain distances. This flue runs the whole length of the building, and ought to be about nine inches wide and fifteen inches deep: it serves for warming the building by means of hot air, steam, or hot-water pipes, and the admission of heat is regulated by means of the ventilators. The floor should be formed of concrete, the sides of whitewashed boards, and the roof of glass with mov- able frames at certain distances to allow of ventilation. This passage can be turned to a profitable account by being used as a vinery or conservatory without extra cost. £& is the roosting-room, about three-feet square and six feet high. The floor should be made of concrete, A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. Fig. 4. Poultry Home and Vinery. 21 22 POULTRY BREEDING IN the sides and ceiling of whitewashed boards; the parti- tions of the nest should also be made of whitewashed boards, and the nest of earthen ware; but the top board covering the nest should project a few inches to prevent the droppings falling in. ¢ is a door communicating with the passage, and @ with the covered run. In this door an opening ought ‘to be made provided with a glazed slide for the egress and ingress of the fowls. In this compartment fowls should be fed in wet weather, and the drinking foun- tain ought also to be placed here. The perches of cast-iron pipes should. be about three inches in diam- eter, and placed respectively three and four feet from the floor. ga Fig. 5. Hatching-Room. Fig. 6. C, the hatching-room, is composed of two compart- ments — one for the gritty dust, and the other for the nest, which should be of earthen ware, the same as for the laying nests. The floor, sides, and ceiling are of whitewashed boards. The compartments are eighteen inches square by two feet high, the door glazed, and with perforated zinc above for ventilation; the roof covered with asphalted felt. A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 23 D, the glass-covered run, should not be less than six feet long, three fect wide, four feet high to the rise, and six feet to the apex on top of the glass frame, which ought to be movable to admit of ventilation. The sides should be formed of whitewashed boards. A perch can also be fixed with advantage in this compartment. : WZ Fig 7. Fig. 8. £, the open run, should be not less than twelve feet long, three feet wide, and three feet high. The plan I recommend for the construction of open runs consists of separate wooden frames six feet by three feet (see Fig. 6), on which the wire netting is fixed, and grooved Fig. 9. , uprights, in which these frames are slid. (See Figs. 7, 8.) The frames forming the top can be joined together by 24 POULTRY BREEDING IN hinges. By adopting this plan, the whole run can be removed in a few minutes, or any part can be taken away for repair without interfering with the others, or some spare frames might even be kept in stock to re- place those that want repairing. GENERAL RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN POULTRY ‘i BREEDING. The Breeding Stock. ist. The hens selected to breed from should be kept apart from the cock until they are at least twelve months old; and the cock should not be less than eighteen months old before he is put with hens, as a too early call on nature degenerates the breed. 2d. Whatever races are selected, they should be the most perfect specimens that can be obtained, as the first outlay will repay itself. 3d. That the distinct races be kept strictly separate except where it is intended to obtain a cross breed; and for this the finest specimens of both races and sexes should be selected. . 4th. Not more than six hens should be allotted to a cock. 5th. After the third breeding year it is advisable either to sell the. stock or to fatten them for the market, as they become less fecund, and their progeny are apt to ‘degenerate. 6th. The eggs should be collected at least three times a day, as in a fecundated egg, when set upon for a few hours, the germ very soon gets developed, and the egg is afterwards unfit for hatching. A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 25 yth. The stock must be fed regularly at sunrise and the afternoon an hour before going to roost. The Laying Stock. ist. When it is intended to sell the eggs for consump- tion it is advisable to pen hens up without a cock to prevent the eggs being fecundated, as they will then keep fresh much longer; this system of keeping hens by themselves has another great advantage, as they will lay a great many more eggs during the year. 2d. About twelve to eighteen hens can be kept to- gether in a home, as shown by Fig. 4. 3d. The eggs should be collected twice a day. 4th. For feeding, the same rule applies as above; and the reason for selecting sunrise and afternoon for feed- ing time is, that it is before and after the laying time, during which the hens on their nest would get no food. The Chickens. tst. From the time they are hatched to the time when they begin to roost, not more than twelve chickens ought to be kept in one compartment, as they will hud- dle together, and the weak ones either get crushed or suffocated. 2d. The place where the young chickens retire to ought to have a dry floor, and be kept scrupulously clean; and as the floor is the coldest part of a room, their roosting-box ought not to be more than twelve inches high, and to be slanting, which will keep the warm air in the roost. (See Fig. 14.) 26 POULTRY BREEDING IN 3d. As soon as they begin to roost on perches, they can be removed to a poultry-home, say about thirty to each home. 4th. When the cockerels can be distinguished from the pullets, they should be penned up separate. From this stock the breeding and laying stock will be selected to replace old ones. 5th. The feeding of chickens ought to take place not less than three times a day, and be of a liberal kind, with plenty of finely-chopped green vegetables, and an occasional supply from the vermin nursery, but no meat should be given. 6th. Occasionally a little flour of sulphur and oxide of iron mixed with their food will keep them in good health, also sulphate of iron and lime water in their drink. The same is applicable for all kinds of poultry. Tue Layinc oF Ececs Takes place in the morning during the summer months, and gradually later in the day as the winter approaches, until moulting time arrives, when the hens cease laying till they have their new feathers, which takes about two months. Although a hen can only lay a determined number of eggs during her lifetime, yet her laying may be stimulated by an appropriate diet (see Food), as also by a genial temperature kept in the poultry-home. It has been satisfactorily proved that under such cir- cumstances a hen will lay at least thirty eggs more during the winter months, a time when they are most A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 27 valuable both for artificial hatching and consumption ; and taking an establishment with two thousand laying and one thousand breeding hens, the extra profit will be as follows: Three thousand hens at thirty extra eggs equal ninety thousand at 15s. per hundred, £675, to be ascribed solely to a warm temperature and appropriate diet; but this is not the only advantage derived from a genial temperature during the winter months; it may, save, perhaps, hundreds of pounds in the loss of poultry from diseases caused by exposure to damp and colds. As the laying can be forced by artificial means, so can it also be retarded; and when it is intended to keep some hens for laying during the time that others are moulting, which generally begins in September, it is only necessary to pull out the feathers of such hens, and thus produce an artificial moulting about two months sooner, say early in July, when they will cease laying until their feathers have grown again. Tue Ovarium. It has been ascertained that the ovarium of a fowl is composed of six hundred ovulas or eggs; therefore a hen, during the whole of her life, cannot possibly lay more eggs than six hundred, which in a natural course are dis tributed over nine years in the following proportion : — First year after birth, . . . es 15 to 20 Second es te - F . : + 100 “ 120 Third ef fhe ogy . . . + 120 * 135 Fourth ue re . . . . + I00 ‘* 115 Fifth fe es . . . . 60 “ 80 28 POULTRY BREEDING IN Sixth year after birth, . . ‘ . + 50 to 60 Seventh - ae : i . . 35 ‘* 40 Eighth ss es . . . ‘ - 15 ‘ 20 Ninth oo et . . . . . r “ 10 It follows that it would not be profitable to keep hens .after their fourth year, as their produce would not pay for their keep, except when they are of a valuable or scarce breed. NaturaL HatTcuHIneG. The hens of all kinds of gallinaceous fowls sit for twenty-one days; ducks of the usual kind, such as Aylesbury, Rouen, and others, twenty-eight days; Mus- covy ducks, thirty to thirty-five days; geese, thirty to thirty-five days; Guinea fowls, twenty-eight to thirty days; turkeys, twenty-eight days; pea hens, twenty- eight to thirty days. With a view of obtaining more eggs in a given time from a fowl, many writers suggest to prevent the hen from sitting by cooping her up in a dark place on a low diet. Nothing can be more cruel than to force nature without giving that neces- sary rest which overwork requires. Already the do- mesticated fowls lay many more eggs than wild oncs between their hatchings, and by a judicious housing and feeding, can be made to lay still more; but then it is absolutely necessary to allow her to recruit her strength by a rest of twenty-one days on her nest, and a liberal poultaceous diet, as the laying of eggs, and more particularly of large ones, is attended with con- siderable pain, as is evidenced by the difference of sound hens utter before and after their laying, and A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 29 also from their uneasiness whilst on their nest. Besides, domesticated fowls are naturally of a sociable disposition, and to separate a hen from her companions, and to keep her on a low diet when she requires rest and nourishing food to recruit her strength after she has become exhausted from the pain of laying and the drain on her constitution by the rapid formation of eggs, is the height of cruelty, and would surely not be practised were breeders aware of the injury they do the health of their hens. I do not say that hens should be permitted to rear their brood, as that would be waste of time, and most hard work to a kind mother, who will but ill feed herself to provide as much as possible for her young; she has rest neither day nor night, as she is compelled to remain in an unnatural position to cover her young ones. The rearing can be performed with greater success by artificial mothers, as will be explained hereafter; but what I do advise those persons who have a regard for the health of their fowls, and their own interest into the bargain, is to allow Nature her own way by giving a hen her twenty-one days’ rest, and the while a quiet place and nourishing poultaceous food; after which time she can be returned to her own home, when in a few days she will recommence laying. When a hen wants to sit she utters a peculiar cluck, ruffles her feathers, and wanders about, searches dark corners, and is evidently ill at ease; she is feverishly hot, and resolutely takes to a nest in which there are eggs, whether of her own production or not matters little to her; at this time a hen will allow herself to be separated from her companions, and placed in solitary confinement, without fretting, provided she has a nest and eggs to sit 30 POULTRY BREEDING IN upon. It is not advisable to allow a hen to hatch in her ordinary home, and amidst her companions, who are fond of usurping the nest, and laying fresh eggs in it. A warm moisture being necessary to the hatching of strong and healthy chickens, as evidenced by wild birds and hens that sometimes unobserved will hatch a brood under a hedge in the fields, I recommend the sitting nest to be made of earthen ware, the same as for laying, with this difference, that a fresh-cut piece of turf should be placed on the sand, and on which the eggs are put; the heat of the hen will soon generate steam, but whenever the turf gets too dry, some water may be poured on the sand underneath. The number of eggs to be placed under a hen must necessarily depend .on her size. A Dorking, Cochin China, or Bramah Pootra, or other large breed, can with every certainty hatch at least fifteen eggs; and as regards the selection of eggs, all I can advise is to select fresh and good-sized ones. ; Some persons pretend to be able to tell whether an egg is fecundated, and whether it will produce a male or female bird; but these assertions have as yet not been satisfactorily proved. A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 31 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON PouLTRY Foop AND Drink. When poultry is kept in a confined state its food must be appropriate. A fowl kept in a free state on a farm can with advantage be fed all the year round with barley or oats only, as she will supplement her meals with ani- mal and vegetable matters of her own finding; therefore an equivalent should be given to penned-up poultry; but again, as they have not so much bodily exercise as when in a free state, their digestive powers are weakened, con- sequently they are subject to inflammation of the bowels when fed on whole grain only. After this explanation, my readers will understand the reason why I advocate all grains to be ground, and the meat and vegetables to be minced; but apart from the sanitary consideration, it be- comes an important economical fact in a large breeding establishment, as it is well known that poultaceous food made of pounded grain, and which calls little on the digestive organs, has far greater feeding and _ fattening qualities than the whole grains. There is another point connected with the feeding to which I wish to allude. The diet should be varied almost daily, but green vegetables finely minced ought to form part of every meal, and occasionally some oxide of iron, and at other times flour of sulphur, mixed with their food will greatly tend to keep poultry in good health. Tue Drink FOR PouLTRY. The water should be changed daily, and occasionally clear lime-water, and at other times sulphate of iron mixed with it. 32 POULTRY BREEDING IN Foop ror YounGc CHICKENS. Indian and barley meal, boiled rice, mashed potatoes, bread crumbs, &c., steeped in milk and water; any of the above, separate or mixed together, will do well. Finely-chopped green vegetables daily, and occasionally hard-boiled eggs chopped fine, with a supply from the vermin nursery. The water should be supplied between two saucers (see fig. 11) to prevent wetting themselves, 0) Fig. 12. or to scrape the food out. The inner saucers can be partly filled with coarse sand. Clean water and a plentiful supply of food given about four times a day, and with the comfort of the artificial mothers, chickens will keep in better condition than when left to roam in search of food with a hen. Tur Foop ror THE Breepinc anp Layinc Stock Can be composed of a mixture of the various cereals, coarsely ground, and made into a stiff paste. This food should be put in the feeding fountains, where it can- not be wasted or dirtied. Occasionally, in fine weather, whole grain can be thrown broadcast in the open run. Finely-chopped vegetables, such as'the waste of’ the kitchen garden, mangold-wurzel, swedes, &c., in a green A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 33 state, mashed boiled potatoes, and rice; minced boiled meat mixed into a paste with the liquor from the meat, and seasoned with salt, pepper, finely powdered oyster shells, or a little chalk, forms a genial condiment. The broken victuals from hotels, large establishments, &c., can also be used with great advantage for the food of poultry. Powdered charcoal, oxide of iron, and flour of sulphur, mixed alternately at certain intervals with their food, will keep them in perfect health. Tue Foop For THE FATTENING STOCK. _As they are still more closely confined, they require a poultaceous diet of a highly fattening nature and of easy digestion. When once poultry is penned up for fattening the diet ought not to be varied. There are three different ways adopted in feeding poul- try for fattening : — ist. A free feeding, consisting of supplying a fowl with food and water ad libitum. ‘This takes much longer time, is more expensive, and less satisfactory in the flesh. 2d. Forced dry feeding, which consists of cramming the fowl with pills of poultaceous food twice or three times a day, and giving water ad lbctum. 3d. Forced liquid feeding consists of reducing the poultaceous food to a liquid state with milk and water, then to pour it down the fowl’s gullet, by means of a fun- nel, three times a day, and not to supply them with any water. ; 3 34 *POULTRY BREEDING IN PREPARATION OF THE FaTTENING Foop. Barley meal, or mixed in equal quantity with Indian meal, made into a stiff paste with milk and water, and seasoned with bay salt. This paste is then either made liquid, for liquid feeding, or into pills, which should be dipped into milk and water before they are given, so as to facilitate the swallowing. Experiments have proved that the seasoning poultry food with bay salt produces the following advantages : — 1. To render the fattening of shorter duration. 2. To produce, with the same quantity of food, more flesh and fat. 3. To give the flesh greater firmness and flavor, and to the fat more compactness and a finer grain. Molasses or sugar mixed with the meal has also good fattening qualities. The duration of fattening must much depend on the condition, age, and health of the fowl, and in this, the same as in administering the food, actual ex- perience is the best teacher, as no rules can well be laid down. Pouttry MANuRE or GUANO. With the ordinary way of breeding poultry, their valu- able manure is lost, and we actually send ships to the Pacific, and all over the world, to fetch those very drop- pings of fowls which we despise to collect at home. Yet, on a large breeding establishment, the collection of this manure, so much sought by florists, will yield a consider- able extra profit, which can safely be calculated at. the rate of fifty pounds per thousand fowls annually; but A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 35 as vegetable growing, the refuse of which is good food for poultry, is almost a necessary adjunct to a large breeding establishment, this manure would be still more valuable to the proprietor on his own land. Tue FEATHERS oF Fow Ls Are another source of profit in large establishments, where they can be sorted and dried, as they will then fetch a much higher price, and may be computed at ten pounds per thousand heads. Tue Mouttine or Fow1.s . Is classed by many writers on poultry under the head of diseases, which it is not; but is only a natural process with most animals in changing their summer coat for a winter one: nevertheless, it is a great drain on their con- stitution, and fowls, during moulting time, ought to be kept warm, and liberally dieted with warm and stimu- lating food, such as boiled oatmeal seasoned with salt and pepper, chopped onions, mashed potatoes, and occasion- ally bread crumbs soaked in strong ale or weak gin. Oxide of iron, lime water, and sulphate of iron can also be given with advantage. This diet will accelerate the moulting, and produce a speedier resumption of laying. DisEASES IN PouULTRY. Most books on poultry contain a more or less lengthy description of the various diseases fowls are subject to, and prescribe certain remedies ; all of which help to swell 36 ; POULTRY BREEDING IN a book, but are perfectly useless for all practical purposes. We might as well try to doctor ourselves for diseases of which we know nothing. The diseases in fowls may chiefly be ascribed to our variable climate, to dampness and cold, to injudicious feeding, and to ill-ventilated roosting-places. A diseased fowl, as will have been observed by many, is never kindly treated by its healthy companions, and, in my opinion, the best and most economical cure for a dis- eased fowl is to kill her before she gets too far gone, and whilst yet fit for the market; and if not fit for the market, she will, when hacked up, make good food for the pigs. I acknowledge myself ignorant of the diseases in fowls, consequently of their proper treatment; and as I have no wish to teach the public that which I do not understand myself by simply copying from other books, I shall only state that, with judicious feeding and housing, according to my plan, there ought not to be one diseased fowl in a thousand. Various Races oF Pouttry. On this subject I would refer the reader for the desired information to some special publication, as it does not exactly enter into the considerations of poultry breeding in a commercial point of view. All that is necessary to know of the different races is to be able to distinguish those that are. the best layers, the best setters, and the best table fowls, and never mind about the particular points or feathers, the distinguishing characteristics of a fine breed. Now, where eggs are the sole object, some small breeds A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 37 lay larger and more eggs than larger fowls; for this, Hamburgh, Spanish, and some cross breeds may be kept with advantage. As for fowls that will give, credit to the breeder for their weight after being fattened, Dorkings, Bramah Pootras, and Cochin Chinas, and their crosses should be -selected. Kiititinc anp Dressinc PouLtRy FoR THE MARKET. Almost every locality has its own system, but I may advert to a few facts on this subject: Poultry, when bled to death, is much whiter in the flesh. I should advise the following plan as the very best, causing instant death without pain or disfigurement : — Open the beak of the fowl, then with a pointed and narrow knife make an incision at the back of the roof, which will divide the vertebre, and cause immediate death: after which hang the fowl up by the legs till the bleeding ceases; then rinse the beak out with vinegar and water. Fowls killed in this manner keep longer and do not present the unsightly external marks as those killed by the ordinary system of wringing the neck. When the entrails are drawn immediately after death, and the fowl stuffed, as they do in France, with paper shavings or short cocoa-nut fibres to preserve their shape, they will keep much longer fresh. Some breeders cram their Poultry before killing to make them appear heavy; this is a most injudicious plan, as the undigested food soon enters into fermentation, and putrefaction takes place, as is evidenced by the quantity of greenish putrid-looking fowls that are seen in the markets. 38 POULTRY BREEDING IN Macuinery, IMPLEMENTS, AND UTENSILS. Without desiring to recommend any particular plan for the saving of labor, it is yet desirable to state that in any establishment of magnitude the expense of labor forms a prominent item, and that it will therefore be to the inter- est of the proprietor to invest a certain capital in the purchase of such machines and utensils as will not only economize labor, but also perform the work much better than it could be done by manual labor. The principal machines required are a grinding mill for the grain, a pug mill for mixing the poultaceous food, a mincing machine for the meat and vegetables, a potato- mashing machine with wooden rollers, a sifting machine for sand and vegetables, a weighing machine, scales, and sundry smaller machines. Also a steam-boiling apparatus, a heating apparatus, and in fact such appliances as will not only economize labor but also materials, and particularly fuel. The manual labor itself ought to be subdivided in such a manner that each person has a particular branch to attend to, by which every one will very soon become so expert in the special duty, that the work will be performed much better and in less than half the time. ARTIFICIAL HaTcHING. Let it be well understood from the onset that I do not advocate artificial hatching and rearing in exclusion of the natural method, but solely as an absolutely necessary accessory in any large breeding establishment. Take, A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 39 for instance, one thousand breeding fowls; they will lay about one hundred and fifty thousand eggs per annum under ordinary circumstances. Now, supposing a fowl to sit twice in the course of the year, she could, there- fore, not rear, allowing for casualties, more than twenty chickens: this would give only twenty thousand chickens per annum; whereas, with the assistance of artificial means, the remaining one hundred and thirty thousand eggs could also be hatched, and in lieu of twenty thou- sand there could be produced at least one hundred and thirty thousand chickens, allowing also for casualties. What a result from science applied to practical pur- poses! Sceptics will of course say it looks very well on paper, but it will never do — it has been tried before and failed. Now, for such reasoning there are endless facts that have forced themselves upon public consideration under similar circumstances ; to my own recollection I have heard man- ufacturers say that they should never give up hand-looms for power-looms, that the goods turned out did not come up to hand-woven: I have seen those who refused to fol- low the current of improvements swept away from the list of once notabilities. Up to this very day many object to gas, and will not allow it to be a great improvement on our old oil-lamps ; yet were gas ceased to -be manufactured to-morrow, what would be the general feeling? For railways and steam- boats to cease running, and to have to revert to our old stage-coaches and sailing-ships, would be not only intoler- able, but perfectly impossible. I might adduce hundreds more parallels, with a view 40 POULTRY BREEDING IN to prove to sceptics that improvements are not only abso-, lutely necessary in all that relates to our comfort, particu- larly towards an increase in our food, but also that they are perfectly unavoidable, as many farmers who at first resisted the improvements in farming by drainage, ma- chinery, and applied chemistry, have found to their cost. Therefore, in adopting the expression of artificial means, as more readily understood, I do not mean to convey that it is an entirely distinct mode of breeding poultry, but solely an addition to the mode already adopted, and with- out which poultry breeding can neither be carried on to a large extent nor with great profit. My intention at first was to divide this treatise in two parts —the first to rearing poultry in a natural way, the second by artificial means — with a view to please those of my readers who object to any artificial means; but in vain have I endeavored to draw a line where natural means end and artificial means begin. The fact is, the domesticated fowl’s life is as much artificial as our own mode of living. In truth, with the progress of civilization we insensibly and gradually create for ourselves artificial wants, which by degrees become absolute necessaries, and amongst a thousand others I may mention tea, coffee, potatoes, sugar, tobacco, &c.; and for the cheap produc- tion of such necessaries we create artificial labor (ma- chines), steam-power, and artificial manure. Yet with all this evidence of steady progress and improvements before them, and in the current of which they are drawn and carried onwards without knowing it, there are num- bers of even well-informed persons who ridicule anything new as preposterous—a sure failure, not wanted; the A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 41 old thing is the best after all; and yet these very persons are a living evidence against their assertions. True they will never be found among the pioneers of progress, which, if their shallow minds could possibly arrest or hinder, they would too gladly do; but they can no more help themselves being dragged in the wake of progress than they can stop the revolutions of our earth or the tides of the sea. From such persons we should never have had steam-power, railways, telegraphs, machinery, &c., to economize and multiply labor, to annihilate space and time; and yet these persons share in. the benefit such improvements have created with the greatest com- posure, taking them as fazts accomplis, never giving a moment’s thought that but a short time ago they were what they choose to call new-fangled things; they forget that the very clothes they wear, the food they eat, and the beverages they drink are mostly obtained in their superior and cheap form by artificial means; that, in fact, chemi- cal and mechanical results are combinations of artificial means. For the raw materials we must, of course, de- pend on Nature; but even those we can in some measure improve by art. Therefore, when I speak of breeding poultry by arti- ficial means, I do not wish to convey that eggs (the raw material) can be produced without a hen; but, when we have eggs, to produce chickens, and from chickens fowls, by a wise appliance of such laws and combinations as science teaches us, as superior to brute care as much as artificial labor by machinery is superior to manual labor, as hot-house-grown fruits and flowers excel those grown in the open air, and as stall-fed cattle are superior to those from the pasturage. 42 POULTRY BREEDING IN There is nothing absolutely new under the sun; even hatching chickens by artificial means has been car- ried on in Egypt, China, and other Eastern countries from the remotest ages to the present day: yet in England it has hitherto proved a failure in a commercial point of view. It is true that in Egypt, where they hatch many millions of poultry annually, artificial hatching is a trade of itself, carried on by many hundred proprietors of ovens; and their successful hatching will be apparent when it is stated that they sell one hundred newly-hatched chickens for about three shillings, or that they will return sixty chickens for every hundred eggs intrusted to them for hatching, free of charge. It is also true that the climate and soil in Egypt are more favorable than in England to the rearing of poultry; but then why should we not appeal to science to assist us in overcoming the drawbacks of our soil and climate? No doubt we shall never be able to produce poultry as cheap as in Egypt, where climate, soil, labor, and cost of land are eminently favorable to a cheap production ; but in compensation we can get far higher and in proportion more remunerative prices for our poultry, their feathers and‘manure. It is an acknowledged fact that the artificial hatching of eggs in England, although carried out on principles not in strict harmony with natural incubation, has yet proved far more successful than the artificial rearing of chickens. This, of course, is ascribable solely to the improvident way chickens are treated before they have their natural protection, their feathers, in a climate where the sudden changes in the temperature of the atmosphere, and the almost everlasting humidity of the soil, act prejudicially A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 43 on young animal life; but surely these are difficulties which can easily be overcome? Do we not produce in England, by artificial means, as splendid tropical fruits as any tropical climate can produce? And why not sur- pass Egypt in rearing poultry — if not in cost, at least in quality and in scientific feeding and fattening, for which far more remunerative prices are obtained? Well, all this can now be accomplished in England by any person who will follow my plan of hatching, rearing, and fatten- ing poultry by artificial means. This plan must necessarily be modified according to the importance of the breeding establishment, and the number of eggs to be hatched daily from one to a thousand; but the main principles of a successful artificial breeding of poultry will under any circumstances remain the same. Tue ArtiriciaL Hatcuinc-Room. S tn * At in WAIL ING i LI I WESt ties SS His Fig. 13. Perspective Section, 44 POULTRY BREEDING IN The floor of this room should be of concrete, the sides of movable glazed frames, and the roof of boards covered with asphalted felt, slates, or zinc. The interior ought to be fitted along the sides with movable shelves, which can be drawn out for cleaning; these shelves will be divided into separate compartments three feet long, two feet wide, and one foot high; the sides should be made of galvanized iron wire; so also the front, which forms a door. In each” compartment ought to be a frame lined underneath with long fleece, the same as in the portable artificial mothers. In these compartments the chickens are placed from their birth up to a week or ten days old, after which they are put under the care of an artificial movable hen, in small establishments, or in the rearing home in large establishments. (See fig. 17.) These compartments ought to be covered with felt carpet, which must, however, be kept well cleaned, and occasion- ally dipped in boiling water. , The best way to supply food and water to so young chickens is by means of two saucers, one within the other, between which the food or water is put. This will pre- . vent their wetting themselves or scratching the food about. (See fig. 11.) This hatching-room will require no heating apparatus, as the heat from the hatching apparatus, which is kept in A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 45 the middle of thisroom, will keep the temperature suffi- ciently high during winter. Near the ridge of the roof ventilating frames should be fixed, and near the floor one or two sliding doors should be provided to allow of the admission of cold air. Chickens hatched in a dry atmosphere will never be so strong and healthy as those hatched in a moist temper- ature, as is evidenced by the difference in the appearance of a brood hatched in a loft and one hatched in a field; and as a moist temperature is highly desirable it should be provided for in artificial hatching. PorTaBLe ARTIFICIAL HEN FoR HatcuIne. The apparatus represented by fig. 15, although only RERRRRRRHAMAAR ES SEE EE S QD KY ~— ES ‘eS SS SS S ES SS > S SS AQUA ENT ETT TS a i ‘ Fig. 15. Perspective Elevation of Artificial Hen for Hatching. 46 POULTRY BREEDING IN calculated to hatch one egg per day, combines the same advantages as one capable of hatching a thousand eggs per day, and will answer all the requirements of an amateur breeder ; besides, itis so portable and convenient in its construction that it can be placed in a bed-room, which, while hatching, it will keep warm day and night, at an equal temperature, and the light from the gas or lamp will serve as a night-light. TOT Ent =n = UIT Fig. 16. Transverse Section. From the above perspective elevation and section it will be seen that the hatching apparatus consists of separate parts. 1. A glass-covered box. 2. A water-tank. 3. A floating vessel. 4. A gas or oil lamp. The glass-covered box is made of japanned tin; it has a glass door through which the light can be seen; the bottom of this box is perforated in the centre for the admission of air to the lamp, and the other part is car- A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 47 peted to receive the chickens as they leave their shells. About twelve inches from the bottom are four brackets, to receive the water tank ; the lid has a perforated border for the escape of the vitiated air and steam from the water. The sides are provided with handles for carrying the box from one place to another, and it stands on four knobs to allow a free passage of air underneath. The water-tank is made of tin, and a little smaller than the box, so as to allow about half an inch free passage of air all round. The floating vessel is also made of tin, and is a trifle smaller than the water-tank, so as to allow of its floating in it. The centre of this vessel has an oval opening, in which a registering thermometer is kept to show at all times the temperature of the water. The bottom of this vessel is covered about one inch deep with silver sand, on which the eggs are placed. By means of the central opening, and that between the tank, the temperature is kept in a constant moist state. The lamp can be for oil or gas, but gas is certainly preferable. The management of the apparatus is so simple that it can be attended to by a child, and only a very few direc- tions will be necessary : — 1. Fill the tank with hot water till the floating vessel reaches the top level, then see that the water has a tem- perature of about one hundred and twelve degrees, after which light the lamp, and should the heat of the water increase, reduce the flame ; but if the temperature rises or decreases but slowly, it can be regulated by admitting more or less air through the door of the box. z. The principal point, however, is, that the tempera- 48 POULTRY BREEDING IN ture on the sand should not vary much from one hundred and five degrees, and it will be found that with water-heat of one hundred and twelve degrees, the sand will be one hundred and five, and on the eggs ninety-eight degrees. For beginners, however, it is always best to put the ap- paratus in action a day or two before placing eggs in it. 3. Turn the eggs once or twice a day, and keep the water replenished as it evaporates. ArtiFiciaL Pouttry Hens ror REARING CHICKENS. Where poultry breeding is carried on as a commercial undertaking, and where it is intended to rear the great- est number of chickens with the least number of hens, and this without interfering with their laying, artificial mothers are of the utmost importance. The functions of a hen towards her chickens consist of forming a covering to prevent the natural heat of their unfledged bodies from cooling; also to break into small pieces any food that is too large for them; and lastly, to protect them against danger. Now, my artificial hens not only do all this, but they perform the duties a great deal better, and with less casualties to the chickens. Most writers on poultry do not believe in artificial hatching or rearing; yet might they as well doubt grow- ing tropical fruits and plants in England. Chickens do neither require artificial heat nor that of their mother ; all that is necessary is to provide them with a suitable covering of their bodies until they are full fledged, to preserve their natural heat, the same as with infants. During cold weather, however, their homes 49 A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. ‘SUDO Sulvsy 1oJ Wa [RMOYNIY ofqvpIOT Jo uoNoeg aayoodsied “LT “SLA eee 12 >< IF 9 A 4 & Bas : — —f, l = BF binnrnn-n--ntm <—Tft Ervn ee o ty} S, ry a 50 POULTRY BREEDING IN must be warmed the same as for full-grown poultry ; then a good ventilation without draught, a dry floor, sun light, and a small run. The portable artificial mother, particularly recom- mended to breeders and amateurs, is shown by fig. 17. She performs her duties towards her chickens with far greater success than a hen possibly could do. REFERENCE TO PERSPECTIVE SECTION OF ARTIFICIAL HEn. A is a glass-covered frame three feet long, fifteen inches wide, two feet high at the apex, and twelve inches at the rise of the glass frame. This forms a dry run in wet and cold weather. c is an air-flue across the frame for the necessary ventilation, and formed of perforated zinc. At each end of this flue a ventilator is fixed, by which the admission of air can be regulated according to the tem- perature of the atmosphere. It will be apparent that chickens are not exposed to draught by this arrangement of ventilation. dis a frame lined with long fleece, under which the chickens will roost the same as under the wings ofa hen, and will even prefer the artificial mother, as I have ascertained by experience. e is about one inch deep of ashes, which may be sprinkled over with flour of sulphur: they make a dry and warm footing, and retain the heat; but they should be renewed or sifted once a week. f, the floor, should be slightly covered with sand and renewed every day. g' is a small door, communicat- ing with the open run. 4% is a glass frame, made to open by means of a slide or by hinges. A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 51 B is the movable open run, six feet long, fifteen inches wide, and twelve inches high. It is made of galvanized iron wire, which not only keeps the chickens from dan- ger, but also prevents them from roaming. The artificial mother being portable should be taken: in-doors every afternoon during the cold weather, and in the daytime should be placed on grass or dry land. However, for large breeding establishments, the arrangements would be different, and are explained in the “ Artificial Rearing Home.” ARTIFICIAL REARING Home. In poultry breeding establishments of any magnitude the portable artificial mother could not well be used with advantage ; its cost, and the labor that would be required for a proper attendance on the chickens, are obstacles which cannot be overlooked without loss to the breeder ; in fact, as I have stated before, in any large establishment a judicious arrangement for saving labor and for per- forming the work systematically by subdivision of labor, becomes of the utmost importance in a commercial point of view. Although the principles of the portable mother are strictly retained in the arrangement of the rearing home, yet it will be seen that where many thousand chickens have to be attended to in separate compartments containing not more than twelve each, the building, as shown by fig. 18, must necessarily facilitate the work of cleaning, feeding, warming, and general supervision. 52 POULTRY BREEDING IN OUTTA Fig. 18. Artificial Rearing Home— Perspective Section. REFERENCE TO PERSPECTIVE SECTION OF ARTIFICIAL Rearinc Home. A is a sunk passage lined by brick walls, the floor formed of concrete, with a provision for drainage; along the whole length of this passage hot-water pipes should be fixed immediately under the roosting-place a. A door communicates with the covered run 4, and wire netting is fixed over the door ¢ for ventilation. The roof of this passage can either be glazed or formed of boards covered with asphalted felt, but provision must be made for an efficient ventilation. This passage should be about five feet wide between walls, and six feet high. & is the glass-covered run ; it differs from the portable hen only in this, that here the sides are formed of galva- nized iron wire, and only the front is made of boards; the A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 53 floor is made of concrete, covered with gritty dust. This run can also with advantage be made a little larger, say four feet long, eighteen inches wide, and two feet six inches high. C is the open run; the floor can be formed of concrete or gravel, with an incline towards a gutter for quick drainage. The sides and top can be made of galvanized iron wire, and on the same plan as shown in the poultry home (fig. 6). ARTIFICIAL VERMIN NURSERY. This is a most useful department in a poultry breeding establishment, as it will supply the poor prisoners with those dainty little morsels which in their free state they will never tire to look after. It is well known that from the chicken to the old hen they prefer insects and worms to any grain — in fact, fowls are omnivorous, but their carnivorous appetite predomi- nates, and they would very soon become unfit for human food were they indulged in their predilection; only in a free state they have to perform hard work in their search of insects and worms, of which, after all, they find but a scanty supply; it would, therefore, not be advisable to give fowls in a confined state too much of animal food, but only in such quantities as will prove a stimulant with- out injury to their health. The effect on a fowl fed too freely on animal food be- comes soon perceptible ; she will pull out her feathers, and even peck her flesh until the whole of her upper body is one mass of raw flesh. 54 POULTRY BREEDING IN | o Fig. 19. Section of Vermin Pit. It is not intended that vermin should replace the mince meat in the food for poultry, but it should occasionally be given in addition as dainty morsels in wet or cold’ weather. The vermin nursery is formed of a succession of pits with concrete bottoms and brick-lined sides; the top is covered with a trap, to prevent the rain entering, which might kill the vermin. (See fig. 19.) To propagate vermin, put in alternate layers of mould and vegetable and animal matter, such as horse dung, garden refuse, entrails of animals, dead animals, blood, &c., until the pit is filled. In a short time fermentation will commence, and the mixture will soon be converted into a living mass of vermin. If the fermentation take too long, it may be hastened by watering. In winter it is well to cover the mixture with horse manure, which will keep the vermin warm and alive. This process of obtaining vermin is inexpensive, and it will be found very serviceable in winter for young chick- ens, and for stimulating the fowls to lay. A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 55 IMPROVED FATTENING PENS FoR CRAMMING POULTRY. These fattening pens are so constructed that they can be placed in the open air, forming a building of them- selves. 9000000 o000000 A O 2 ~~ 3 y > pp \ z : z 67. 7 Se Fig. 20. Perspective Elevation of Improved Fattening Pens for Cramming Poultry. 56 POULTRY BREEDING IN Each fowl has her own compartment, and is thus placed in solitary confinement, and without being able to see other fowls, which accelerates considerably the fattening. The floors of the cells should be drawn out daily, and cleaned and whitewashed; they must then be returned with the dry underside uppermost, and some sand sprinkled on. The cells should also be whitewashed for every fresh occupant. The doors are solid boards, with a piece of perforated zinc for ventilation at the top, and a drinking-cup at the bottom. These pens combine all the sanitary require- ments for the speedy fattening of fowls. . PRESERVATION oF EcGs. Much has been written about the preservation of eggs, and many are the suggestions, but none have as yet given satisfaction, and for the sole reason that the structure of the egg is not considered in relation to the physical and chemical laws which govern evaporation, permeation, and putrefaction. The shell of the egg being porous, to admit air to the chicken during the process of incu- bation, allows also part of the liquid to evaporate, and the air to permeate when they are not used soon after being laid, and the air acting on the animal matter produces early decomposition and putrefaction, particu- larly so in a fecundated egg, in which the germ is first decomposed. Clear eggs, the produce of hens who have not been with a cock, keep fresh much longer. This can easily be exemplified by putting an old fecundated egg and an old clear egg under a hen whilst sitting, when it A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 57 will be found that after the twenty-first day the fecundated egg is putrid, and the clear cgg fit for use. To exclude the air from the egg, and to prevent the evaporation of its liquid, it has been proposed by some writers to pack the eggs in salt, lime, bran, saw-dust, &c., by others to keep the eggs immersed in lime-water, in salt water, or both combined; others, again, suggest to varnish or oil the eggs, and some even to parboil them. There can be no doubt that, were the object to be accomplished solely to preserve the eggs from getting putrid, some of these suggestions might be employed to advantage; but there is more required than simply to preserve the egg from putrefaction; for instance, for kitchen use, and the breakfast table, eggs ought not only to be preserved fresh, but also free from any foreign flavor, such as lime, salt, bran, saw-dust, varnish, and oil must necessarily impart to the egg through its porous shell; and as for breeding from such preserved eggs, it is out of the question. Who has ever seen any chickens hatched from salted or mouldy eggs, or from such as have been varnished or oiled, which latter process stops up the pores through which the air, so indispensable to the formation and development of the chicken, must be admitted ? Now, the most effective, simple, and economical plan for truly preserving eggs, and without imparting to them any foreign flavor, or rendering them unfit for hatching purposes, is to use the patent stoppered glass jars, with vulcanized India-rubber joints (see fig. 21), and proceed thus : — Immediately after collecting the eggs, put the jar in hot 58 POULTRY BREEDING IN water, and when thoroughly warm, so as to rarefy the air, place the eggs in the jar, the pointed end uppermost, and pack and line with paper shavings or cocoa fibres to prevent them from breaking; then close the jar before taking it out.of the water, and it will be found that eggs preserved by this method will be fit for hatching twelve months after, and that those intended for the breakfast table will be as fresh as on the day when laid. WHITEWASH. A large quantity of whitewash will necessarily be re- quired for sanitary purposes, but if prepared as follows, it will possess the advantages of preventing the wood from taking fire or from decaying. Dissolve in warm water sulphate of alumina, (alum), sulphate of copper (blue vitriol), and mix with the whitewash. LimzE WATER Is most beneficial for an occasional drink to fowls; it is a preventive of many diseases, and assists the formation of bone and eggs. Prepare as follows : — A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 59 Pour over quicklime some warm water, and when the lime is slaked and settled, draw the clear water off, which can be kept for a considerable time. The lime will be useful for whitewash. OxIDE AND SULPHATE OF IRON. Both these can be purchased cheap from any drysalter, but they are so easily prepared that they may as well be manufactured on the establishment. The oxide of iron (or rust) is most useful for making and improving the blood; and the sulphate of iron, a weak solution containing a large quantity of oxygen, will keep fowls lively and assist digestion. Prepare as fol- lows : — Take a quantity of old nails or small pieces of iron, put them in an earthen-ware vessel, then pour over them sul- phuric acid diluted with water. The liquid will take up a certain quantity of iron, and form sulphate of iron or green vitriol. The rust (the oxide of iron) is obtained by mixing some diluted soda (carbonate of commerce) with the sulphate of iron. The oxide will then be precipitated, and the liquid forms sulphate of soda, which is a good liquid manure, which mix with the food or drink, as given under the heading of Food, pages 31-33. GENERAL PLAN oF BUILDINGS. A breeding establishment on the above scale will re- quire about four acres of land for the buildings. Six buildings, each three hundred feet long, will contain 60 POULTRY BREEDING IN 2.) S a oy) — : < 300 FEET- > Fig. 22. General Plan of Buildings. twelve hundred homes for poultry. (See fig. 22.) Thena building on each end, joining the six buildings, and which will be used for artificial hatching, stores, and all neces- sary offices. The cost of the whole will be about three thousand pounds. An uninterrupted covered communi- cation is thus had with every part of the establishment, and the whole forms a quadrangle. Birpv’s-EYE Vizw AND SECTION OF A POULTRY- BREEDING ESTABLISHMENT. In giving a description of the above plan for a poultry- breeding establishment, I feel compelled to notice certain observations on my system which appeared in a sporting paper. From beginning to end I clearly stated that I do not consider it possible to breed poultry profitably in large numbers on the present system, whatever care might be taken in a sanitary point of view; also that arti- ficial hatching is quite of a secondary consideration, only A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 61 to be resorted to during the time when hens are not broody, as I fully explained under the head of Natural Hatching, page 28. From the above sketch it will be seen that a glass- covered passage, six feet wide, which can serve as a vinery, communicates with the poultry homes on each side. These homes consist of two runs, each twelve feet long by three feet wide; one is a closed run with gravel floor, the other an open run with horse manure. Above these two runs are two similar runs for chickens. These runs are enclosed with wire-work next to the passage and next to the field; the partition between the runs is close- boarded, so as to keep the inner run warm during winter. Efficient ventilation is provided along the whole length of the glass-covered passage immediately above the runs. The glass-covered passage will form an excellent vinery, and this without any extra expense for building or warm- ing; and the vines will necessarily absorb a large quan- tity of carbonic gas, and assist in keeping the air pure, and the soil will generate a genial, moist temperature, so essential to animal life. The above system of keeping poultry has, moreover, many other advantages, such as — Slow-feeding and weak fowls will be able to get suffi- cient food, which they cannot when a great number are fed together. The food can be supplied in the required quantity and quality to each breed or class, as it must be evident that the breeding and laying stock require a dif- ferent diet to chickens or poultry intended for the market. Each cock having orly a certain number of hens allotted, they will be served better. 62 POULTRY BREEDING IN The means of collecting and profitably using the poul- try manure. The constant renewal of the ground will prevent it getting tainted from the fowls’ droppings. The temperature should be kept equal, and cold and dampness prevented. Preventing diseases from exposure to cold, and wet, and contagion. Economy in food, as poultry will eat much less when warmly housed, and deprived of roaming about. Keeping breeds and sexes separate. Enabling precise statistics to be obtained as to the com- parative productiveness of the various breeds, and also in ascertaining what hens have ceased laying. The early detection of hens wanting to sit. Obtaining a larger number of eggs, and in seasons when most scarce. A genial temperature will induce the hens to sit, not- withstanding cold weather. This system, however, like all new systems, must be extended gradually, as old birds which have been accus- tomed to roam will fret and lose in appearance the first few months, but the young that are reared and fed on this system will thrive much better, and at less expense for food, than under the present mode. The annexed sketches, one for an improved self-supply- ing drinking fountain, and the other for supplying poul- taceous food without possibility of waste, are particularly recommended as most efficient : — A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 63 Fig. 23. Improved Drinking Fountain. ; | AS Fig. 24. Improved Feeding Trough for Poultaceous Food. The following will be found a useful form for keeping correct statistics of a poultry-breeding establishment : — 64 POULTRY BREEDING IN Laying Stock. Home No. 50 (cost price, each, 3s. 6d.), 12 Spanish, 42 weeks old. 8 th 3. _ or bo ea] Del g . | fe Bo} & (8a) 8 )g | 8 3 oy General Remarks. oy oO = ° o A q 8 a Ib. 02. Pints,; d. 1o/r1 8}—|—|{—|—]| 22 | $ Hee wR OMW CONT OANAW DH | May, 1865, 13 A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. Thirty Chickens. Home No 60 (cost price, each, 3¢.), Bramahs, 10 weeks old. 65 May. Food. Cost Bint. Died. Sold, Cocks Hens. General Remarks, WO ON ANA bb a. o4 16 14 66 POULTRY BREEDING IN Tur PATENT VERMIN ATTRACTION TRAP. Poultry and chickens in farm-yards are exposed to great dangers from the number of vermin which are ever ready to pounce upon them in their unprotected condition ; the rat, weasel, marten, wildcat, and fox are equally. de- structive ; therefore a trap to secure these pests, irrespec- -tive of size, has long been felt a desideratum. Juma 12S Fig. 25. Patent Vermin Attraction Trap. From the above sketch it will be observed that the trap consists of an oblong box, the end of which draws out, and is provided with a looking-glass in the internal side, which attracts the vermin on looking in. The entrance of the trap is formed of two spring doors made of wire, which allow the vermin to enter with’ the least pressure. These doors have sharp points where they meet, which, although not felt by the vermin on entering, will prevent it from withdrawing after having once introduced its head. Near to the looking-glass a bait is suspended, and a cage is also fixed with a chicken to serve as a decoy. These traps are self-setting, simple, inexpensive, fit for all sizes of vermin, and safe for the house, farm-yard, or game preserve. BIRDS-EYE VIEW : ; cn OF A a = = > ae J Pou.ttrRy-BREEDING ESTABLISHMENT, | OeeE SEATS / SEETELES 1 — — Z Lf (LT ees, SUI HL PLAN London. e PANN esta IN Open Run. z Si. CLOSE Ru. f O ya PASSAGE. fi , ide I Ee J A il Ciose Run. v4 ! Z ia a i Oren Run. The central glass-covered x6 ll” passage can be used as a i” Vinery, or Arboretum. f The Poultry and Chicken Homes are ‘ill on each side of the passage. The Duck Pond is in the quadrangle formed by the building. “NOSVAL QUIS 9} TOF IOYSIY OSB Ss] IOGB'T g -4]UO SPIIq UOARS TOAO PapPLAlp SI eUIOY, “BUAYUS ISTIYA Woy B JO OUI} PUT POOS OY} IOJ OFIVYO B ST g “BULQOWY IOS Plos 000'Os DUB B JO osuadxa ot} SB ‘sass¥lO Joyo 04) UE UBY} JOYS AyIessaoau ST T ‘qUaTIYSTqVISe OY} 10} peatesal oq [1s 00009 ‘S39e OOO'OST a40qe 94} JOT 0 o &go'ex : 0 o fgo'ey SEE aE ———_—— - & © O goor sss esses + + Gourd ON =. oo Sl+ oo Sk ‘sees + Sumnuue iad yova pg ‘sr ,“1oqeT]o o gS seoses ss fumuue sod youve ‘sz yv oInueyr Oo o Szz Cd ‘yova winuuR © Oo o OSI SS Rees sie Bee + (yoo "pf ye suoyorys aad ‘pg ‘sb sia JO areys Surpnpur ‘pooy 000'ZI 10 ‘YO¥a SUdHSIYD ZI JO spoo1iq OOOr OO Sil taee ees srs sees ovapgs€ye [0 oO Sig‘ * : ‘yova -p€ jo sord oSevroay uv ye ,“uINU Salipuns puv ‘fang uo. ‘teqdeo jo ysor9} UT -uv rad oo0'0$1 10 ‘uay yows woy sS8a ofr ‘ps ¥ *SHSNAXY ‘ps ¢F *HANTARY (‘auozy » 02 ¥20D 2uUQ pun suazT x25) ‘“SHOOO 091 CNV SNHH 0001 HO MOOLS ONIGATAUaA *¥9025 pun ‘sJurqyy \Fuspyng of o00eF qnogn fo hvyzng uv apy ‘SSTMOA MOOLS 0008 AO LNANHSITAV LSA ONIGHHYE-AULINOd V wor SHSNUdIXH GNV ANNTATY AO ALVWILST “SUSYITYS 1OJ POO} oy} sv apqenyea aq ‘raaomoy ‘TL YOM 0 Oo 7gothy 0 0 olgz de ea A Mie V0 (ois ba) ‘sd3a 1va[o se pamol[e a1¥ 8399 o00or 0 oO zgotls 69) © 0 FQ ttt ttre ee eee es Cop uO amuLy 0 O gor ters tes + ‘ove *pr ‘op WoL sidyyEI 0 0 OSzg ss erreeeas “pg *sz 3% ‘suayo1y9 C00'0$ (amozy v 07 anof-Ajuomz ynogy — ‘Foyanyy 2y2 A0f pauayznf puv ‘pjo syzuozy x29) ‘WONNV Udd 00009 ‘SSVIDO NAMNOIHO oo ztt+ © 0 git Phe ee ee ee ee tyes ope qe s0qeT 0 o zlgt +++ ++ ‘syquour xis Joy ‘youa *p6 ye ‘poo 0 0 bzQ ‘yee ‘pE ‘solipuns pure Guar ‘Jang 4saroquy © 0 OOST ++ +++ ++ “DQ aaoqe se op Ssulyojvy Joy yova ‘pf puv ‘yova ‘p£ ye s88a o00'09 Oo O oo77y oo oSS'r Ce oy 4yoid aN 0 0 OSg oO O OOL SR pee ese i 2 se os toe Sova at “roger, | Oo oO oob PES Bee We as els Sek hove eh “pod. © 0 OST +++ + ‘yD¥a*pg ». . ‘£1,814 Io oO * As at present projected, the building will be three hundred feet long, and contain fifty homes for fowls, and fifty for chickens ; every home will consist of two rooms, one open and one closed, each twelve feet long and three feet wide. 100 Value of Buildings POULTRY BREEDING IN REVENUE. Value of Plant and Materials Value of Old Stock Value of Young Stock . ‘ Be ote From Eggs . 3 F Deduct Expenses - 6 Leaving a Net Profitof . 3 Cocks. Hens, — 400 Proposep Stock. Layinc Stock. Common Fowls, at 3s. each £ 500 300 125 + 2,500 416 13 £3,841 13 4 - 1,814 10 O 00 0 OF -o00 08 £2,027 3 4 BH HK Se & 4 RR SH HH BH HR RP HH HH Lal BS Lwwwwwwwwnw ww AA wn a BREEDING STOCK. Créve Coeur La Fleche Houdan Dorkings, gray ee partridge Cochins, buff 5 partridge Bramahs, light es dark Spanish, black Hamburghs, golden ee silver Poland, black ee golden Which will produce about 6120 Eggs for hatching, taken at an average of 120 ‘Eggs for each Hen per annum, and al- lowing 1120 Eggs for casualties, will give 5000 Chickens. = 65 Birds, atgos.each . . 2. Total Cost of Stock . A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. Io! As the Company’s object is to sell eggs as well as rear poultry, the proportion of the above laying stock to the breeding stock will be found the most economical. Tak- ing the average of eggs from a hen to be one hundred and twenty per annum, this gives about fifty thousand eggs from the laying stock, besides hatching about five thou- sand eggs from the breeding stock, allowing even only one sitting per annum to each hen; and as chickens begin to lay at six months old, and making a fair allowance for male birds, we may anticipate fifty thousand eggs from them within the next twelve months. WorkInc. EXPENSES. £ 3s d. Keep of 465 Old Birds, at 6s. per head : . - 139 10 oO Keep of 5,000 Chickens till twelve months old, at 3s. perhead. 3 . . . . - 750 Oo 889 I0 oO REVENUE. 100,000 Eggs, atid.each . ‘ ‘ a F - 416 13° 4 5,000 Chickens, at 1os. each . ee ‘ : + 2,500 O O 2,916 13 4 Deduct above Expenses. “ ‘ A - 889 10 o Leaving a Net Profitof . F : : £2,027 10 oO Thus taking the cost price of the parent birds at twenty shillings each, and the young ones only at ten shillings each, we obtain in the first year a most valuable stock, part of which we can dispose of, as well as the stock of common fowls. 102 POULTRY BREEDING IN In the foregoing I have made no allusion to artificial hatching, which can be entirely dispensed with in an establishment where the object is not to rear poultry only, but also to produce eggs for the market; and you will perceive that the commercial success does not depend on artificial hatching, but on a judicious system of housing, feeding, and rearing poultry; yet we shall avail ourselves of artificial hatching at a period of the year when it is highly profitable to hatch chickens, and at a time when hens are not broody; but even at the most inclement season I anticipate that we shall have a great number of broody hens, on account of the genial temperature we . shall be able to maintain in the building. As regards the provisions made to rear chickens with less casualties than by the present system, I doubt not that they will prove as satisfactory as they are ecu- nomical. -I remain, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, Gero. K. GrYELin. A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 103, REPORT OF MR. GEYELIN ON THE POULTRY ESTABLISHMENTS IN FRANCE. JuLy 10, 1865. GENTLEMEN: Having at your request undertaken a journey to France with a view to promote the interest of our Company, I now beg to lay before ‘you my observa- tions on the subject, and which for more conciseness I have arranged under the following headings : — The Object of the Voyage. Natural and Artificial Incubation. Rearing Poultry in France. Fattening and Feeding. Killing and Dressing. Utilizing the Waste Products. The System of Selling. The Distinct Breeds. Caponage and Virgin Cocks. Opinions on my System of Poultry Breeding and Rural Economy. 11. Analysis of my Observations. SD) fot ON yu BS Loa 9 104. POULTRY BREEDING IN 1. THE OBJECT OF THE VOYAGE. The primary object of the voyage was to ascertain everything connected with poultry breeding in France, which might assist in promoting the success of our undertaking; also to inquire into the truth of numerous assertions in the public papers, that there existed in the vicinity of Paris most extensive Gallinocultural estab- lishments, which by their particular system of artificial incubation, rearing, and feeding poultry on horseflesh, realized in one instance, viz., in that of M. de Soras, upwards of £40,000 per annum. I need scarcely say that, after the most searching investigation within a radius of forty miles of Paris, my opinion has been fully confirmed that such establishments do not nor can possibly exist; moreover, I can now firmly assert that there is not one establishment in existence within fifty miles of Paris where poultry breeding is carried on otherwise than on the old farm system; in fact, as you will perceive hereafter, I have spared neither time nor expense in this inquiry: yet, although I have been unable to trace anything like a system in poultry breed- ing in France at all approaching to that we are about to carry out, it cannot be denied that I have obtained very valuable information, which will, no doubt, prove of great advantage to our Company: moreover, I ob- served such startling novelties connected with poultry breeding in France, that I deemed it to the interest of our society that at least two of the directors should come there also to enable them to corroborate this A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 105 report, which otherwise might have borne the appear- ance of exaggeration in many respects, and perhaps have still left a doubt in the mind of many persons whether I really made all possible inquiries into the truth of the reported existence of Gallinocultural estab- lishments in France. I will now briefly relate the steps I have taken to inquire into this matter. At the Jardin des Plantes of Paris, which corresponds to our Zodlogical Society in Regent’s Park, also at the Acclimatation Society in the Bois de Boulogne, where the various breeds of poultry form an important object, the existence of any such Gallinocultural establishments in France was totally un- known; and they observed very justly that if any such really were to exist, they would be the first to know of it. Next I called three consecutive market days at the wholesale poultry market, La Vallée, Paris, where all the poultry, dead or alive, forwarded from the vari- ous parts of France, is sold by auction from five till nine o’clock in the morning. Several agents and poul- terers made inquiries for me of poultry merchants from the diferent parts of France, but with the same result. I made further inquiries at the dead poultry market at the Halles Centrales, also of a number of fancy poul- try dealers, but all to no purpose; a few days later, on calling again at the Jardin d’Acclimatation, Monsieur A. Geoffroy St. Hilaire, the director, told me that a friend of his had informed him that such an establish- ment really did exist at Mouy, near Beauvais in Pi- cardie, and he gave me his card, and the following in writing, adding, however, that he did not believe in it, 106 POULTRY BREEDING IN 4 and that he should feel obliged by my communicating to him the result of my investigation : — “‘ They tell me that M. de Soras has at Mouy, near to B., a large poultry-breeding establishment; but if my inquiries are right he ought to have at Mouy 12,000 fowls, with which he supplies the Paris markets.” I then telegraphed the following: ‘De Soras, M. (express) B. Have you an establishment for poultry breeding? Reply by return of mail. GEYELIN.” At the same time I posted a letter to the same effect, and asking permission to visit the establishment. The reply to the telegram was— ot known; the letter as yet has not been returned; but to make the inquiry triply sure, I started myself for Mouy; arrived at Reil Junction, I was informed that such an establishment really did exist at Mouy, and within half a mile of the railway station, which news delighted me, to know that my journey was not like a wild-goose chase; there- fore, on arriving at Mouy, I proceeded at once to the poultry establishment, but not of M. de Soras, whose name is not even known to any person in that neigh- borhood, but of M. Manoury, éleveur 4 Angy prés Mouy, to whom I briefly related the object of my call. I was received with every courtesy, and informed that he knew of no such name as M. de Soras, nor of any establishment of the kind, but that he devoted his time to rearing some five thousand heads of poultry per annum; he neither fed them on horseflesh nor supplied the markets of Paris; that he sold none but pure breeds, A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 1047 . and those to gentlemen and fancy poultry dealers; never- theless, that his system of hatching, rearing, and feeding was so different to that adopted by others that it might possibly have given rise to those exaggerated reports; after which he conducted me over his establishment, and explained most minutely the system he has adopted, which, however, I need not explain in this part, as I shall have to refer to it under the several headings. I will now conclude by adding, that I have visited all those places in France so justly famed for their poultry, and from which those celebrated breeds of Houdan, La Fleche, and Créve Cur are obtained, where, also, I met with the utmost courtesy in my inquiries, though I had been informed that the farmers never explained or showed their system of poultry rearing to any one, which possibly may be true as regards their countrymen. 2. NaTuRAL AND ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION. Of artificial incubation I have observed four different systems, which, although said to answer well, are yet far from being applicable to hatching in a commercial point of view. It matters, indeed, very little what sys- tem is adopted, provided the heat is maintained at an even temperature: to obtain this, various regulators have been invented, but none of which can as yet dis- pense with personal care. They all say that their regulators are perfect if the temperature of the room can be kept at the same degree of heat during incuba- tion; that then they can regulate the heat of the incuba- tor to any given degree; but as such conditions of a 108 POULTRY BREEDING IN uniform temperature are impossible to maintain, con- sidering the variations in the temperature of the atmos- phere, I consider artificial hatching too expensive for ordinary purposes, and only to be adopted at certain times of the year, and then only in establishments where the heat can be maintained at a uniform temperature, day and night, by personal care. At the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, the manager of the poultry department, M. Vallée, employs an ap- paratus of his own invention, which he has patented, and for which he has obtained prizes at two exhibitions. The principle consists of water heated by means of'a lamp as a medium for’ hatching: the temperature is regulated by admitting more or less cold air by means of a valve opened or closed by a mercury float. At the Jardin d’Acclimatation two systems of artificial incubation are in use, and although both are on the hot- water principle, yet’ they differ materially: the one is heated by means of a lamp, and the temperature regulated by a valve admitting more or less cold air, and which is effected by a piston acted upon by the expansion or condensation of air under different temperatures; the other consists merely of a zinc box covered with non- conducting materials. This apparatus requires neither lamp, regulator, or thermometer; the hot water is re- newed every twelve hours; and it is said to answer admirably. The eggs are placed in a drawer under- neath the water tank, but I cannot help thinking that with an atmospheric temperature at or below freezing. point it would be very difficult to prevent the rapid cooling of the water. , A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 109 The next and last system of artificial hatching I shall notice is that shown to me by M. Manoury at Mouy. It consists of an ordinary wine cask lined on the inside with plaster of Paris. In this cask several trays with eges are suspended, and the top of the cask is provided with a certain number of vent-holes for admitting air, which is regulated by means of vent-pegs: the cask is surrounded to the top with a thickness of about four feet of horse manure. Though I am assured that this principle answers well, I entertain serious doubts about it for the same reasons as before stated. The Natural Hatching Differs entirely from what I ever saw before, and in some parts of France forms a special trade carried on by persons called couveurs, or hatchers. These hatch for farmers at all times of the year at so much per egg, or purchase the eggs in the market, and sell the chickens, as soon as hatched, from threepence to six- pence each, according to the season of the year. This system may aptly be called a living hatching machine, and, in my opinion, it is the very best and cheapest way of hatching, as will be seen by the following de- scription : — The Hatching-Room Is kept dark, and at an even temperature in summer and winter. In this room a number of boxes, two feet long, one foot wide, and one foot six inches deep, are ranged along the walls. These boxes are covered in IIo POULTRY BREEDING IN with lattice or wire work, and serve for turkeys to hatch any kind of eggs. Similar boxes, but of smaller dimen- sions, are provided for broody fowls. The bed of the boxes is formed of heather, straw, hay, or cocoa fibres ; and the number of eggs for turkeys to hatch is two dozen, and one dozen for hens. At any time of the year, turkeys, whether. broody or not, are taught to hatch in: the following manner: Some addled eggs are emptied, then filled with plaster of Paris, then placed into a nest; after which a turkey is fetched from the yard, and placed on the eggs, and covered over. with lattice: for the first forty-eight hours she will en- deavor to get out of her: confinement, but soon becomes reconciled to it, when fresh eggs are substituted for the plaster of Paris ones; they will then continue to hatch, without intermission, from three to'six months, and even longer ; the chickens being withdrawn as soon as hatched, and fresh eggs substituted: after the third day the eggs are examined,-and the clear eggs withdrawn, which are then sold in the market for new laid; but, as they may be soiled or discolored from having been sat upon, they clean them with water and silver-sand to restore their original whiteness. The turkeys are taken off their nest once a day, to feed, and to remove their excrements from the nest; but, after a while, they cease self-feeding, when it is necessary to cram them, and give them some water once a day. Amongst some places I visited, in company with two of your shareholders,.may be, mentioned ‘the farm of Madame La Marquise de la Briffe, Chateau de Neuville, Gambais, near Houdan, where we observed twelve tur-, A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. IIr keys hatching at the same time; here, also, we witnessed the rearing and fattening, which will be alluded to here- after. In another place, —that of Mr. Auché, of Gambais, a hatcher by trade, — we observed sixty turkeys hatching at the same time; and we were informed that, during winter and early spring, he had sometimes upwards of one hundred hatching at the same time, and that each turkey continued hatching for at least three months. At the farm of Mr. Louis Mary, at St. Julien de Faucon, near Lizieux, in Calvados, I saw a turkey that was then sitting, and had been so upwards of six months; and as I considered it rather cruel, the hatcher, to prove the con- trary, took her off the nest, and put her in the meadow, and also removed the eggs; the turkey, however, to my surprise, returned immediately to her nest, and called in a most plaintive voice for her eggs; then some eggs were placed in a corner of the box, which she instantly drew under her with her beak, and seemed quite delighted. Moreover, I was informed that it was of great economical advantage to employ turkeys to hatch, as they eat very little, and get very fat in their state of confinement, and therefore fit for the market any day. 3. Tue Rearinc or Pouttry. It seems strange that although in all countries the great difficulty of poultry breeding is the successful rearing, that no adequate means have ever been devised to coun- teract the influence of climates. In France, like here, a cold or wet spring is equivalent to a great loss in poultry, and it seems to be admitted everywhere that cold and wet 112 POULTRY BREEDING IN do not agree with poultry ; therefore, were it not for some novelties I observed in the rearing, to which I shall allude presently, I might well have said that their system is no better than our own; in fact, they show an utter disregard of all sanitary considerations; and without wishing to particularize any establishment, whether public or private, I may state that even the best conducted left room for great improvement in this respect. In some parts of France, where poultry breeding is carried on as a trade, they seldom allow a hen to-lead the chickens after being hatched, as the hen is more valuable for laying eggs; but they intrust this office either to capons or turkeys, who are said to be far better protectors to the chickens than a hen: they require, however, a certain amount of schooling preparatory to being intrusted with their charge, and which consists in this: When a turkey has been hatching for some months, and shows a disposition to leave off, a glassful of wine is given her in the evening, and a num- ber of chickens are substituted for the eggs; on waking in the morning, she kindly takes to them, and leads them about, strutting amidst a troop of seventy to one hundred chickens with the dignity of a drum-major. When, how- ever, a troop leader is required that has not been hatching, such as a capon or a turkey, then it is usual to pluck some of their feathers from the breasts, and to give them a glass of wine, and, whilst in a state of inebriation, to place some chickens under them: on getting sober the next morning, they feel that some sudden change has come over them; and as the denuded part is kept warm by the chickens, they take also kindly to them. Another important matter in rearing poultry is their A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 113 feeding, which differs also very much with our own, but which I shall have to notice under a subsequent heading. In conclusion, I feel in justice bound to say that these artificial living protectors are most efficient to shelter chickens in the daytime, and in the evening they are placed with their charge in a shallow box filled with hay, from which they do not move till the door of the room is opened next morning. I must not omit to mention that the chickens are not intrusted to the mother, or a leader, before they are a week old, and then only in fine weather. 4. FEEDING AND FaTTENING. The system of feeding poultry in France is far more judicious than our own; and I may safely assert that I have not noticed a single instance of poultry being fed on whole grain, as it is the case with us. On inquiring the reason why they fed by meal made into a stiff paste, I was informed that whole grain would be too expensive, produce less eggs, too much fat, and cause more disease when the fowls are fed ad izéztum, so as to completely fill their crop, which renders the digestion difficult. The food is mostly composed of about one half bran and one half buckwheat, barley, or oatmeal made into a stiff paste, with which the fowls are fed twice a day, namely, at sunrise and sunset; this diet is given indiscriminately to old and young. In some farms, where the poultry have not the run of meadows, they are provided with a certain amount of animal and vegetable food, which system is so consonant with my own notion that I will now describe that followed at an establishment already 8 114 POULTRY BREEDING IN noticed. All the waste of butchers’ shops are obtained at the expense of collecting them; these are boiled, the fat skimmed off, which, when coagulated, is with the waste finely minced, and mixed with the meal; after which the waste of the kitchen garden, such as cabbage- stalks, are boiled in the liquid, and mixed with bran, sour poultry food, &c., which is then given to the pigs, who thrive admirably on it. Buckwheat is considered prefer- able to all other grains as a stimulant to laying eggs, and in winter a certain amount is given whole. The chickens, for the first week after being hatched, and in winter for a much longer time, are fed by hand on barley-meal mixed with milk, stale bread soaked in water, and green food finely chopped. . The Fattening of Poultry Whilst the rearing is carried on by farmers, the fatten- ing forms quite a special trade, and chiefly in the hands of cottagers, who purchase the chickens either from farm- ers or in the market; moreover, it is the exclusive trade of a few villages in each poultry breeding district, such as Goussainville, de Saint Lubin, de la Haye, &c., near Houdan, Villaine, and Boce, near La Fléche au Mans; also some hamlets near Saint Pierre Dive, Lizieux, Cal- vados. In these localities the system of fattening differs, however; the one consists of liquid cramming with bar- ley-meal and milk, given by means of a funnel introduced into the throat of the fowl three times a day; this process is exceedingly expeditious, as one person can easily cram at the rate of sixty fowls per hour, and the fattening lasts from fourteen days to three weeks, according to the dis- A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 15 position of the chicken to take. fat; the selection of the fattening stock requires some judgment, as some chickens are constitutionally too weak, and others have not the frame to receive fat. This system of liquid cramming is principally adopted in the neighborhood of Houdan; and to give an idea of the importance of this trade, I will now give a short extract from the pamphlet I was kindly pre- sented with from a most intelligent agriculturist, Monsieur De la Fosse, Proprietaire 4 Orval, Goussainville prés Houdan: — “Tt is to be desired that our excellent and pure breed of Houdan should be propagated in every other country as much as it is in our own, where the poultry trade has taken such a development that it forms one of the princi- pal sources of riches. A few exact statistics of this trade in our immediate neighborhood will give a correct idea of its importance. At the markets of Houdan, Dreux, and Nogent le Roi, there are sold annually upwards of six million heads of Frat poultry, namely : — Per Week. Per Month. Per Year. Houdan . . . 40,000 160,000 1,920,000 Dreux. . . « 50,000 200,000 2,400,000 Nogent le Roi . 35,000 140,000 1,680,000 Total 4 6 2 Ae we SS 4 “Gfodojo00.” This does not include the sale of chickens and poultry, which forms a separate trade. Monsieur De la Fosse also deprecates the use of fat for fattening purposes, as it deteriorates the -fineness and flavor of the flesh. In the districts of Le Mans and Nor- mandy, the fattening is performed by dry cramming, viz. : 116 POULTRY BREEDING IN the meal of barley and buckwheat is made into a stiff paste with milk and water, then formed into pills two inches long and half an inch in diameter ; these are dipped into water, and forced into the throat of the fowl, until the crop is filled, twice a day; it is, however, of impor- tance not to cram a fowl until she has digested the pre- vious meal, as otherwise it might produce inflammation and death. A most ill-founded notion prevails with all fatteners — that poultry will fatten much quicker without light or ventilation, and without ever removing their excrements, which makes these places most offensive and unhealthy ; no other reason could be assigned to me than that they’ were quite sure that the smell of the excrements stimu- lated the fattening ; in this there is about as much reason as in the notion our farmers used to entertain that pigs could only thrive in filth. In one place, however, which I visited in company with Monsieur Noel, proprietor of the Lion d’Or at La Fléche, a most intelligent man, and himself a large farmer, the cottager had provision made for the excrements to fall through the floor of the pen; and on pointing out the innovation, he prided himself on his invention, as, said he, I can now remove the manure, and the feathers of the fowls get less dirty, and the birds have also more air. This, surely, is a step in the right direction. 5. Kitiinc anp Dressinec. This also is a speciality, carried on by men called Tueurs et Appréteurs; they are astonishingly expert in their business ; and unless witnessed, as we have done, it A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 117 would appear incredible that one man can kill and pluck at the rate of one fow! per minute, or sixty per hour: the price paid for this work is about one farthing per head for lean and one halfpenny for fat poultry. The system of killing differs, however, in this, that whilst in Paris they make a gash in the throat, in the country they stick the poultry in the back of the roof of the beak; but both cause immediate death ; the latter, however, is the clean- est and most desirable. They deprecate our system of twisting the neck, as cruel, discoloring the flesh, and causing early putrefaction of the coagulated blood. When a man kills, he has three baskets near him, into which he drops the feathers according to size; and the reason of plucking the fowls instantaneously after death _is the great saving in time, and the prevention of tear- ing the skin, which latter cannot well be avoided when the fowl once gets cold. The Dressing. The lean fowls are immediately emptied of their intes- tines; but not so with the fat stock, which contain a large quantity of valuable fat, which is used for basting, and to give flavor to lean poultry. With chickens they take care to leave the down on, as an index of their age, and in all fowls they leave about half a dozen feathers in the rump, which gives a very pretty appearance. As soon as the fowl is plucked, and before cold, it is laid on its back on a bench, and wrapped round with a wet linen cloth to mould its shape, and to give the skin a 118 POULTRY BREEDING IN finer appearance; however, they use no flour, as with us, to give an old hen the appearance of a chicken. The fat poultry is drawn and dressed by cooks; they make an incision under the leg to withdraw the intestines, by which means the fowl is not disfigured. 6. UritiziInc THE WasTE PRODUCTS. Poultry Manure. In France, as well as in our own country, most eminent chemists have proved by analysis that poultry manure is a most valuable fertilizer; and yet, for want of a proper system in housing poultry, it has as yet not been rendered available to rural economy. The celebrated Vauquelin says that when the value of manures is considered in relation to the amount of azote they contain, the poultry manure is one of the most active stimulants; and when, as a means of comparison, the following manures are taken in parts of 1000, it will be found that, — Horse Manure contains . : . - 4.0 parts of azote. Guano, as imported, . : : - 49-7 % as Guano, when sifted of vegetables and stones, . . . . . - 539 * oe Poultry Manure, . a . i » 830 * as In France, as in England, the poultry manure is left to accumulate in the poultry homes, to the loss of farmers and to the detriment of the health of fowls. The Feathers Are carefully collected and sorted, and when well dried sold to dealers. A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 11g The Intestines Are boiled, the fat skimmed off, which is sold separate ; the intestines are then minced as food for poultry, and the liquid is used for feeding pigs. The Combs and Kidneys Are sold to pastry-cooks — the first for decorating. and the latter for flavoring pies. The Head, Neck, and Feet Are sold to hotels, restaurants, &c., for flavoring sauces, or boiled down to make chicken jelly. 7. THE SYSTEM OF SELLING Poultry in France is far preferable to our own, although, in my opinion, it would be still better were poultry sold by weight. However, a farmer or merchant who con- signs poultry to Paris is sure to obtain a true return of whatever they fetched, as he does not rely, as with us, on the honesty of a dealer. At the wholesale poultry market, La Vallée, in Paris, where all poultry, dead or alive, is forwarded from all parts of France, there are a number of licensed agents to whom the poultry is consigned, and who &ell it by auction to the highest bidder; this market is a curious scene, and worth seeing, from four till nine in the morning, where thousands of crates, of all descriptions of poultry, are disposed of, and cleared out, before twelve o’clock in the day. 120 POULTRY BREEDING IN Every village has its weekly markets, where farmers and their wives bring their produce for sale, in preference to selling it at the farm-yard. The police regulations in these markets are strictly enforced. The various products are classified before the market begins. Each person is bound to keep his assigned place, and not allowed even to uncover his goods, and much less to sell, before the bell rings, under a fine of five francs. At the ringing of the bell, the bustle to uncover, the rush of buyers, and the chattering, are worth while to witness. The dealers and merchants take up their stand outside the market, where they send all the products they purchase. The seller has a ticket given him, with the purchase price on it, and is paid on delivery of the goods at the dealer’s stand. It seems almost incredible to believe, that even in some village markets, within two hours, such a vast amount of business can be transacted with the greatest order and decorum. Some merchants will purchase from two thousand to three thousand pounds of butter; others, twenty thousand to thirty thousand eggs, or some thou- sand heads of poultry, &c.; all which are taken to their warehouse to be sorted, packed, and perhaps forwarded the same day either to London or Paris. I may add, that the current price for every commodity is fixed and known immediately after the market opens, and depends entirely on the demand and supply. For instance, fat chickens fetched four shillings each; twelve eggs, sevenpence; butter, tenpence per pound, &c. For the foregoing information, I am mainly indebted to Mr. H. Lindon, Jr., a most obliging gentleman, who rep- resents at Lizieux the Messrs. Lindon Brothers & Co. of A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 121 London, general merchants; in his company I have vis- ited several farms, and attended market, at which he makes purchases of butter, grain, &c., for the London market. 8. Tue Distinct Breeps. There are three perfectly distinct breeds, all very char- acteristic in their appearance; and, when of pure race, they are very true to all their points. I shall only give a cursory description of the appearance of those we have now at our establishment in Bromley. Hloudan Fowl. Whatever has been said to the contrary, this breed, when pure, is most characteristic; but it must be ad- mitted, that most of the farmers near Houdan know as little of the pure Houdan breed as those of La Fléche and Crévecceur know of theirs; and, if you were to order some first class birds of them, irrespective of price, they would with good conscience forward fowls of a large size — but, from a want of knowledge, some cross breeds. To illustrate this, I may mention that I could have pur- chased, at the markets in those respective localities, splendid thorough-bred specimens for about three shil- lings, the price of common fowls,—but which were worth in France even one pound each. There are, how- ever, in each locality, some persons who take an interest in their pure breeds, particularly since they have been encouraged by the award of prizes from poultry exhibi- tions. 122 POULTRY BREEDING IN The Houdan fowl has a very bulky appearance, its plumage invariably black and white spangled —a crest of the same color; comb, triple, the outsides opening like two leaves of a book, and the centre having the appear- ance of an ill-shaped long strawberry. With the cock the comb is very large, whilst with the hen it ought to be scarcely perceptible. The legs are strong, and of a lead color, with five claws, the two hind ones one above the other. Strongly-developed whiskers and beards both in cocks and hens. This is one of the finest races of fowls, but its qualities surpass even its beauty; besides the smallness of their bones, the fineness of their flesh, they are of an extraordinary precocity and fecundity ; they lay large and white eggs, and the chickens are fit for the table at four months old. It is, however, observed that they are very indifferent for hatching. The weight of adults is from seven to eight pounds, in which the bones figure for one eighth. The chicken, when four months old, weighs, without the intestines, about four and a half pounds. The Créveceur Race, In outward appearance, resembles closely the Houdan, but its crest, whiskers, and beard are still more developed ; the crest is only double, and projects like two horns with the cock, but with the hen it is very small; the whole plumage ought to be perfectly black, although there are some white, also blue varieties, which are, however, only a degeneration; legs black; the claws, four in number, are stronger and longer than those of the Houdan. This breed is said to be superior, in all respects, even to A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 123 Houdan fowls, and justly esteemed as the most preco- cious and finest in the world, as the chickens are fit for the table at three months old, and at six months old weigh from seven to eight pounds when fattened; the eggs also are larger, and of a beautiful white. La Fléche Race. This breed differs entirely with the two preceding ones. In appearance they resemble the Spanish; the plumage, which is jet black, fits close to the body, and gives an idea of less bulk than those of Houdan and Crévecceur, although they actually are heavier fowls. They are very long in coming to maturity, but which happens generally at the season when poultry is most scarce, on account of which, coupled with the exquisite flavor of the flesh, they fetch fabulous prices; and even at the time I was at La Fléche, the beginning of July, the fat chickens sold in the market at five shillings each. Skin white, fine, trans- parent, and very elastic, which enables them to take an extraordinary amount of fat. The weight of adults is from eight to ten pounds, and the bones less than one eighth of the weight; when standing erect they measure twenty-two inches in height and twenty-three inches in circumference, taken from under the wings. The legs, and four claws, of a lead color, are strong; the comb in appearance like two horns, like those of Créveccurs, with a little crest behind; the face white, like the Span- ish, and a horn on the beak like that of the rhinoceros, form the principal characteristics of this fine race. It is said they begin to lay early in the year; but their eggs, though abundant, are smaller than those of other 124 POULTRY BREEDING IN French breeds, and as regards sitters they are considered as bad as the Spanish. g- CaPponaGE AND Vircin Cocks. There seems to exist a considerable difference of opinion in various parts of France as to the necessity of castrat- ing young cocks for fattening purposes. In some locali- ties they pretend that when cocks are not allowed to associate with the opposite sex, they will attain, when fattened, a greater weight, and be much finer as regards flavor of flesh; others again say that when a cock is cas- trated, it can be kept till a more mature age without deteriorating its quality, and by this attain an extraordi- nary weight when fattened, besides making them useful as troop leaders of chickens, as before described. I can- not decide which of the two systems is the best or most advantageous, any more than I can decide about the two systems of cramming, without making experiments ; this much, however, I have noticed, that virgin cocks fatten very readily, and fetch prices as high as capons. 10. OPprInIONS ON My SYSTEM OF PoULTRY BREED- ING AND RuRAL Economy. Wherever I went and whenever I had an opportunity, I promulgated my system of poultry breeding in connec- tion with rural economy with a view to elicit opinions, having been taught by experience that diversity of opinion is the greatest stimulant to improvement and progress. Without naming any individual opinion, I may state that, A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 125, without exception, all were favorable as regards the practicability of the undertaking when carried out on an extensive scale, as then the working expenses would be at their minimum and the returns at the maximum; that they do not consider it difficult to rear chickens in-doors, as their winter and spring chickens are all reared in out- houses. Some, however, hold it to be beneficial for fowls to get wet, with which I differ, as they are not amphibious, and require only dry dust to clean them- selves. The separation system is much approved of, as it enables the races to be kept pure, in which they find the greatest difficulties in farm-yards: the arrangement for nests, feeding, warming, and ventilation are likewise commended — in fact I was told several times, “‘ Ah, you Englishmen, when you do anything you do it well and on a grand scale.” 11. ANALYSIS OF My OBSERVATIONS. Fiction, when well told and supported by imaginary statistics, bears often more semblance to truth than reality itself; this fact was never better illustrated than by the interesting account given by some ingenious and inven- tive mind of certain Gallinocultural establishments, whose illusive existence was stated to be in the vicinity of Paris, and where the exclusive diet of the fowls was horseflesh. The story seemed so plausible, and the details so minute, that it was accepted as a fact, and in due course published in numerous scientific and other papers of this and other countries; indeed, the fact that fowls are omnivorous, and that they have a predilection 126 POULTRY BREEDING IN for animal food, is so well known, that had it not been explicitly stated that their exclusive diet was horseflesh, I should have credited it myself; my doubts did, how- ever, not arise on account of the use of horseflesh, — which is just as good, and perhaps better, than many other animals’ flesh for the food of poultry, — but solely on account of its pretended exclusive use. I have been informed at the Jardin des Plantes and at the Jardin d’Acclimatation, in Paris, that this subject has created as much interest and deception in other countries as our own, as persons from Russia, America, and, other parts of the world, had come on purpose to Paris to visit those imaginary establishments. Whether on account of the daily increasing price of animal food the public mind was prepared to believe in the existence of such Gallinocultu- ral establishments, where they slaughter fifty horses per diem for the food of poultry, or whether the publication of such fictions does more harm than good, I will not ven- ture to discuss; nor can I say whether the persons who were disappointed in the object of their journey were com- pensated by learning some profitable matters not included in their programme of inquiry ; but what I can assert, and which I believe will be fully borne out by the preceding report, is, that my journey to France will prove in many respects most beneficial to the interest of our Company. In support of this assertion I cannot do better than quote what I stated in my first report, viz., — “We are not about to carry out any new invention in poultry breeding, but merely a wise combination of well-established facts: individually, the facts are well known; but a combination of them applied to poultry A COMMERCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 127 breeding has hitherto escaped the notice of rural econo- mists.” Such is, in fact, the case in the undertaking we are about to carry out; namely, a combination and adoption of all the most successful systems in poultry breeding, whether of this or any other country; and it must be as satisfactory to you to know, — after having honored me with your confidence, — as it was pleasing to me to see, that the system of poultry breeding we are carrying out at Bromley, in Kent, combines every element of success. With the exception of hatching by the aid of turkeys, rearing by turkeys and capons, and some other novelties connected with poultry breeding, and which we shall adopt, the soundness of my system is now proved by the successful working of its several parts in various places of France. I can now with every confidence congratulate you for having founded the first Gallinocultural establishment in the world, and one that will prove as beneficial to you as it will be a boon to the nation at large; and which soon must become the national nursery for all pure races of poultry from whence farmers and others can be supplied with first class breeding stocks at moderate prices; an establishment, it is to be trusted, that will not only prove the foundation to an increase of animal food and the ame- lioration of poultry breeds, but also prove the means of poultry becoming cheaper and of more general use than it now is. LATE PUBLICATIONS. Chemistry of the Farm and the Sea. By Jas. R. Nicuors, M. D., Editor ‘‘ Boston Journal of Chemistry and Pharmacy.” In 1 vol., 12mo., elegantly bound in cloth. Price $1.25. These popular Essays, under the titles of ‘Chemistry of the Farm,” “Chemistry of a Kernel of Corn,” ‘‘ Chemistry of a Bowl of Milk,” *“‘ Food and Health,” ‘“‘ The Chemistry of the Dwelling,’ “Chemistry of the Sun,” ‘«Chemistry of the Sea,” etc., originally appeared in the ‘ Boston Journal of Chemistry and Pharmacy,’? where they have been read by thousands of readers, and by their clear, plain, and convincing style, adaptation to all classes by the new and glowing facts brought to light, that the publishers have been induced to have them collected, some new subjects added, and the whole carefully revised and published in book form. Geyelin Poultry-Breeding in a Commercial Point of View. With a Preface by Cuartzs L. Fiint, Secretary Mass. State Board of Agriculture. 1 vol., 12mo., with 27 illustrations. Price $1.25. As carried out by the National Poultry Company, (Limited), Bromley, Kent; Natural and Artificial Hatchery, Rearing and Fattening on entirely new and scientific principles, with all the necessary Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Details, and a notice of the Poultry establishments in France, by GEORGE KENNEDY, C. E. High Farming without Manure. By M. Gzorcr Vite, Professor of Vegetable Physiology at the Museum of Natural History, Paris. 1 vol. 108 pages. Price 35 cents. Six Lectures on Agriculture, delivered at the Experimental Farm at Vin- cennes. Quincy on the Soiling of Cattle. Illustrated from experience ; and an Address containing Suggestions which may be useful to Farmers, by Hon. Josian Quincy; with a Memoir of the Author, by Epuunp Quincy. lvol. 12mo. 101 pages. Price $1.25. “The practice of ‘ Soiling of Cattle,’ as it is called, or keeping them all the ear round in their stables, with only a daily and short liberty of yard, having leet a frequent subject of attention, and an object of proffered premium by the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, the author, in conformity with their request, was led to communicate his own practice and experience on that mode of managing stock.” Sold by all Booksellers, and mailed, post paid, by the Publishers, A. WILLIAMS & CO., BOSTON. The Great New England Newspaper! Massachusetts Ploughman, NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. (The Official Organ of the New England Agricultural Society.) ENLARGED TO THIRTY-SIX COLUMNS! DEVOTED TO Agriculture, Choice Literature, Horticulture, General News, Sheep Husbandry, Wool Markets, Stock-Raising, Produce Markets, Domestic Economy, Cattle Markets, &c. SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS. C. L. FLINT, JUDGE FRENCH, SANFORD HOWARD, E. W. BULL, DR. 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