Profitable poultry

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HEALTH AND DISEASE,

ВУ W. B. TEGETMEIER,

AUTHOR OF A SERIES OF PAPERS ON THE DISEASES OF POULTRY, IN-
“THE COTTAGE GARDENER, “ THE POULTRY BOOK,”
&c., боо.

—————— ————— ЕСЕ - Е ---- а ES
ce CE EIE EE EU Teer — = = meine 2 E — -

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRISON WEIR.

NEW EDITION GREATLY ENLARGED.

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LONDON:
DARTON AND CO, HOLBORN HILL.

—

1854.

PREFACE.

“In issuing this edition the Author begs leave to tender his
sincere thanks, firstly, to the publie whose rapid purchase of an
unusually large i impression has enabled him to issue the present
greatly enlarged, and, he hopes he may add, improved edition; se-
condly, to his brother amateurs to whom he is indebted for so
many suggestions and so much valuable assistance ; thirdly, to his
reviewers, all of whom have spoken so favourably of his efforts
to impart sound practical common sense, in place of the gross
absurdities, which, it is not too much to say, previously disfigured
all the low-priced poultry works; to the distinguished naturalist
who did him the honour to give a lengthened review of the work
in Fraser’s Magazine (Dec. 1853), he gladly takes this oppor-
tunity of expressing his thanks, as he is personally unknown.
The present is distinguished from the last edition by the exten-
sion of such parts as were previously meagre; a table of the con-

stituents of food has been added, which it is hoped may prove
useful; a longer account of several varieties has been given, and
the chapter on diseases has been considerably enlarged, and
several new remedies indicated.

Willesden, Midsummer, 1854.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

THE object of this little work is purely practical ; its aim is to
_ расе in the hands of persons who may not have had much expe-
rience, a book which should contain all that is most essential to
be known respecting the housing, feeding, breeding, and treat-
ment of fowls; and to this has been added such information as
the experience of the author has enabled him to give respecting
the most profitable varieties viewed as agricultural stock.

- August, 1853.

PROFITABLE POULTRY,.

«с. «с.

THE FOWL HOUSE.

Тив singular fact that our common domestic fowls are destis-.
tute of any particular English name, points at once to their fo- .
reign origin; and, although in the course of many generations, _
they have become greatly inured to the rigors of our climate,
they still retain so far their original constitution as to require the
protection of a habitation during, at least, great part of the year.

One of the most important requisites in a fowl house is abso«
lute dryness, nothing being more fatal to poultry than damp;
on clayey soil, or in moist situations, dryness must be secured,
either by drainage or by raising the floor several inches above the
surface of the ground; in cold situations especially, the aspect of
the house is also of some importance; if practicable, the windows
and other openings should face the south, as this secures a greater
degree of warmth during the winter, an advantage which ig algo
obtained by having the roof ceiled.

The perches on which the fowls roost should be low, especially
for the larger varieties, as otherwise the violence with which they
descend causes lameness, and not unfrequently fracture of the
breast bone; in order to prevent the breast bones becoming
erooked (a circumstance which greatly injures their appearance,

A 2

4 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

‘and consequently their value as table birds), the perches should be
much larger than ordinary; a split fir pole, three inches across
-on the flat side, which should be turned downwards, will be found
:advantageous, and a height of not more than three or four feet
“із desirable, as it enables the fowls to be readily caught after
‘they have gone to roost, and prevents lameness; for Cochins it is
even necessary that the perches should be much lower; their
height should certainly not exceed one foot from the ground,
“otherwise, from the imperfect powers of flight possessed by these
birds, the evils alluded to are very apt to occur. Heavy birds
of this variety are sometimes subject to inflammatory tenderness
of the feet; to prevent as much as possible the tendency to this
‘disease, it is advantageous in these cases to lay some straight straw
Jengthway along the top of the perches, binding it in its place
‘with string. |
The ground below the perches should be strewed with sand,
‘gravel, or ashes, to a considerable depth, so that the dung may be
removed without soiling the floor. This should be done every
‘morning early, and the house thrown open during the day, so as
to be thoroughly purified. Tt seldom happens that fowl houses
are so built, as to require any distinct contrivance for ventilation ;
in cases, however, where the door and window are air-tight, means
should be afforded for a proper supply of fresh air; there should
be an opening at or near the bottom, and another at the top,
these should be covered with pieces of perforated zinc, to prevent
апу direct draught of cold air, which is very injurious. Cleanli-
ness is also a consideration of the highest importance in a fowl
"house; if ashes or sand are used, as recommended, and the dung
removed daily, this is readily secured ; and in order to prevent as
far as possible the annoyance of vermin, the house should be
lime-washed once or twice a year, and the birds also be provided
with a box full of dry dust or ashes to bathe in.

THE FOWL HOUSE. 5

The difference between the health of fowls thus cleanly and
warmly housed, and that of those compelled to roost in a dark,
damp, dirty habitation is very great; these latter never becoming
in good condition. So injurious is damp and cold, that I have
known instances in which all the inhabitants of a poultry house
have been attacked with violent catarrh terminating in roup, from
an east window having been left open on a cold wet night; and
it has been found by experiment, that scrofula may always be
produced in chickens by confining them in damp, cold, and dark
habitations.

. I have found that exceedingly economical and efficient poultry-
houses may be built against any wall that is conveniently situ-
ated, the sides and front being boarded, and the roof formed of
inch deal boards, laid closely edge to edge, up and down the
slope, and projecting over the sides and front so as to throw off
the rain; the top should be covered with thin cheap calico tightly

strained, and, by brushing this over with a good coating of coal-
_ tar, it is cemented to the roof, which is thus rendered water-tight.

The patent Asphalte felt forms a cheap and warm roofing, but
it also requires to be tarred over, in order to resist the weather.
lf the poultry-house is tiled, the downward current of cold air
in winter, may be prevented by lining the roof with straw sup-
ported by laths nailed to the rafters; and in other cases I have
found that stout brown paper, oiled or painted, and tacken
smoothly to the under side of the rafters, has been very efficient
in increasing the warmth of the house, and consequently the
production of eggs in winter.

PROFITABLE POULTRY.

FEEDING.

There is, perhaps, no subjeet on which a. greater diversity of

opinion exists among poultry keepers, than respecting the relative
value of the different substances used as food. This difference of
opinion arises from the general ignorance that prevails with regard

to the true prineiples of feeding. It cannot be too strongly im-
pressed on all feeders of stock that the food eaten has to serve
several distinet purposes when taken into the body. One por-
tion is eonsumed in supporting the natural warmth of the ani-
mal; another set of substances supplies the nourishment required
for the growth of the body, and replaces the daily wasting that
oceurs; а third yields the materials from which the bones are
formed; and a fourth supplies the fat which is stored up in the
bodies of animals; we may, therefore, speak of the following
classes of foods :—

186, Warmth-giving Food. —As starch, which forms almost the
entire bulk of rice, and the solid portion of potatoes; gum,
sugar, &c.

2nd. Flesh-forming Food.—As gluten, &e., which exists in large
proportion in wheat, oatmeal, peas, beans, middlings and sharps,
and in somewhat smaller quantity in barley, Indian corn, &e.

9rd. Bone-making Food. —Which is found in larger proportion
in the bran, or outer part of the grain, than in the inner parts.

4th. Fat-forming Food.— Consisting of fatty or oily substances;
these oceur, to a considerable extent, in Indian corn (the yellow
variety), oatmeal, middlings, bran, de.

All experiments that have been made tend to prove that each

FEEDING. T

of these kinds of food is unable to serve the purposes of the
others ; thus, to give an example, neither warmth-giving nor fat-
forming substances are capable of adding to the flesh of a grow-
ing animal, nor can flesh-forming food increase the quantity of
fat. In a mere elementary work, like the present, it is impos-
sible to go into this subject at any great length. Those who
desire the facts on which these statements are grounded are re-
ferred to the works of J ohnston, Liebig, and other eminent agri-
culturists and agricultural chemists. We must take the prin-
ciples as granted, and apply them to an examination of the dif-
ferent substances usually employed in poultry feeding.

Grain forms the staple food of poultry, the varieties used
being generally either barley, oats, wheat, Indian corn, or rice.

Barley is perhaps more frequently used than any other grain ;
it is better relished by fowls than oats, and its first cost is con-
siderably below that of wheat. It contains from ten to eleven
pounds of flesh-forming, sixty of starchy substances, and two to
three of oil or fat in every hundred.

Oats are not taken so freely as barley, which is apparently owing
to the large proportion of husk they contain, which lessens their
value as poultry food; but when used in the form of grits or oat-
meal they are eaten with great avidity, and in this state furnish
one of the most wholesome and nutritious varieties of food, con-
taining eighteen of flesh-forming, sixty-three of starchy substances,
and six pounds of fatty materials in every hundred. No grain
contains a larger proportion of flesh-forming substances than oat-
meal—it is, therefore, the one best adapted to growing animals,
and I have found that chicken make much more rapid progress
when it forms the chief portion of their food than when fed on
any other substances. Cochin, and Spanish chicken especially,
show its good effects by the rapidity with which they feather when
- fed with it.

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PROFITABLE POULTRY.

Wheat, contrary to the popular opinion, is not more nutritious:
than oatmeal; it contains about twelve pounds of flesh-forming,
nutriment, seventy of starchy, and two to four of oil, in every
hundred. Its cost operates considerably against its employment,
although it is extensively used by some breeders of choice poultry,
with whom expense of feeding is a secondary consideration.

Indian Corn is remarkable for the large proportion of oil con-
tained in the yellow varieties, which averages eight pounds in every
hundred; its capability of putting on flesh is not greater than
that of barley, as it contains only eleven per cent. of flesh-giving
food, and sixty-six of starchy matters. Cochins seem remarkably
fond of it, but І have found that it is refused by Dorkings and '
Spanish, when they are able to obtain other grain.

‚Rice is the least nutritious of all grains, and therefore the worst
that can be given to growing animals. In the husked state in
which it is usually found in this country, it contains scarcely
any fat, or bone-making materials, and only seven per cent. of flesh-
forming food, (less than half the quantity contained in oatmeal,)
being almost entirely composed of starch. Boiled rice is a useful
variation in the food of fowls, and is much relished, but as the
main support of growing chicken it is very objectionable.

Buckwheat Flour is about equal in nutritive properties to that
of wheat, but the large proportion of husk that the unground
seeds contain, must be taken into account in estimating its money

value; it is commonly supposed to cause a greatly increased рго-
duction of eggs, but its chemical composition does not shew any
superiority over many other varieties of food.

Dhoora, or Indian millet, a small grain largely cultivated in the
east, is employed by some poultry keepers; it is much relished
by fowls; the nutritious properties of the flour are very similar to
those of wheat, and as it contains very little husk, it may be re-
garded as a valuable addition to the poultry dietary.

FEEDING. 9

Malt Dust, Malt Culm, and Cummins, are names given to the
small sprouts of the barley which are broken off in the process
of malting, and form a coarse fibrous powder. Malt dust contains
from two to three times as large a proportion of flesh-forming
food as wheat, and in this respect far supasses any of the substances
ordinarily used as poultry food; its value not being generally
known, it is frequently used as manure; mixed with soft food,
it is much relished by fowls, and as it may be obtained at a re-
markably cheap rate, its employment is very advantageous.

Bran, Pollard or Randan, and Middlings or Sharps, particularly
the latter, I regard as most valuable additions to the food of
poultry. In the first place they are economical—and they con-
tain a very high proportion (eighteen per cent.) of flesh-forming
substances, and a very considerable quantity of oil (six per cent.)
Another circumstance which adapts them to the use of chicken
is the large proportion of bone-making materials they contain.

Many poultry feeders are in the habit of preparing the grain
before use; some simply soak the barley or other corn, by placing
it in water the previous evening, this lessens the time it has to
remain in the crop, before passing on into the gizzard; others boil
their corn, a proceeding which has the advantage of rendering it
more digestible, as it effects an important change in the starchy
part of the grain. Rice, especially, should always be boiled before
use, and it should be cooked in such a mode as to allow the grains
to remain separate, which may be easily managed by boiling it in
a large quantity of water, to which a small piece of fat, as
lard or dripping, has previously been added. The experience of
all experimental agriculturists is in favour of cooked food for
live stock of all deseriptions: from the change effected in the starch
it is more nutritious, and is more rapidly digested; hence, there
is less work for the stomach and digestive organs to perform,
and therefore they are less liable to become diseased. From con-
siderable experience in its employment, I can strongly recommend

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10 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

the following cooked food, as being exceedingly well adapted to
supply all the substances requisite to support a healthy and vigo-
rous existence. A quantity of middlings, with or without half
its bulk of barley-meal, or a corresponding proportion of malt-
dust, is placed in a coarse red ware pan, and baked for about an
hour in a side oven, or until the mixture is thoroughly heated
throughout; water is then poured in, and the whole stirred toge-
ther untilit becomes a crumbly mass; if too much water is added,
the mixture becomes cloggy, a defect which is easily remedied by
stirring in a little dry meal. The advantage of this method is.
that the food is prepared with scarcely any trouble, and there is.

no fear of its being burnt as in boiling. Sometimes the barley
meal is omitted, and the baked middlings mixed with rice which
has been previously boiled. This mixture forms the stock food
of my old fowls, a liberal supply of grain being given during the
day. Т have found that since its adoption they cost less in food,

and that they are in equally good or even in better condition than
when fed on an unlimited supply of grain alone. Should the
convenience for baking not exist, it will be found more desirable
to scald the middlings and meal with boiling water than to mix
them with cold.

If grain of any kind is broken or crushed, it should only be
done shortly before use, unless it is thoroughly kiln dried; for
when this is not done, the grain, from the moisture it contains,
soon becomes musty, sour, and unwholesome. Inferior samples
of grain contain so large a proportion of husk that they are not
desirable, and if regarded with reference to their nutritious pro-
perties the best will be found the cheapest.

Potatoes, when plentiful and free from disease, may be advan-
tageously substituted for rice, which they closely resemble, in con-
taining a large amount of starch; there is less waste in their use,
if steamed, than when boiled.

Peas, Beans, and Lentils, either whole or ground, are much

FERDING. 11

used by many feeders; they contain a larger amount of flesh-
forming food than grain—on the average about twenty-four per
cent., whilst the quantity of fat is very small, not usually more
than two in every hundred ; but they are not easily digested, and
are too stimulating to be regarded. as а wholesome diet. І have
traced many cases of disease, such аз white comb im Cochins,
inflammation of the stomach and egg passage, &e., &c., to their
employment. | 45,

Hemp Seed is frequently given to cause the increased produc-
tion of eggs, an effect which it can only produce at the sacrifice
of the health of the fowls. Hemp is used in India as a most
powerful medicine; the evil effects of the seeds on caged birds
are known to all bird keepers. I regard it as one of the most
injurious substances given to fowls. \

Fresh Green Vegetables form an indispensable addition to the
food of poultry. Those having a free range in the eountry sup-
ply themselves with this kind of food; when they are kept in
other situations they should be supplied daily with turf,-eabbage,
lettuce, or turnip leaves, and in the absence of these substances,
as on shipboard, alittle moistened corn, allowed to sprout, will
be found very advantageous. |

Cooked Vegetables, such as parsnips, carrots, turnips, &e., are
much relished, particularly the former; they form an useful and
wholesome variation in the diet.

Animal Food.—The most advantageous animal food for fowls,
and on which they make the most rapid and healthy progress,
consists in the worms, snails and insects that they obtain natu-
rally when unconfined; I do not think that there is any other
kind of food which conduces so much to their healthy condition ;
where it cannot be obtained, a small quantity of fresh meat (either
raw or cooked) may be chopped small and given to them; it is,
however, but a poor substitute for the natural insect food. The

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12 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

maggots of the flesh fiy, obtained by hanging up some meat to-
putrefy, are often employed, but I doubt very much, whether, in
wholesomeness, they are at all equal to worms, and the plan is
objectionable from the offensive odour of the putrefying meat; if
it is thought desirable to employ maggots the best mode is to.
allow the animal substance to remain exposed to the air until
thoroughly fly-blown, if it is then buried eighteen inches deep, the:
maggots remain under ground until they attain their full size,
when they work their way towards the surface, before changing
into the perfect insects; the fowls soon discover their approach,
and by scratching obtain a plentiful supply; the maggots by
working their way through the soil are cleansed from any adher-
ing putridity, and the search for the gradual supply affords amuse-
ment for the fowls; even employed in this way, however, I do not
think flesh maggots so desirable as worms.

Tallow Chandler's Greaves, which are left on melting the fat
from the stale scraps of the butchers, and the putrid accumula-
tion of the marine store shop, are strongly recommended by some
persons as causing an increased quantity of eggs: Animal sub-
stances which have once been in a state of putrefaction cannot by
any subsequent process be formed into healthy food, and I can.
state from experience that greaves are exceedingly injurious to
laying hens. Even dogs, when fed upon greaves, become offensive,
mangy, and out of condition; their effect upon fowls cannot be
less injurious.

It will not, I trust, be thought that the subject of food has.
been treated at an undue length, for I am confident that by far
‚ the greater number of diseases that occur in fowls arise from
improper feeding. I have, therefore, arranged the following’
Table, in order to render the comparison of the relative value of

the different substances more easily made.

FEEDING.

TABLE

Showing the number of pounds of different substances contained.

in every 100lbs. of grain, &c., Фе.

[When a (—) is used it signifles that the quantity has not been exaetly
ascertained. ]

8

Food
(Gluten, &e.)
Food
(Starch, dec.)
5
?

Every 100 lbs. of

Fat or Oil.
Warmth-giving
Husk and
Fibre
Bone-makin
Substances
&c., «сс.

Flesh-formin

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Wheat .. .. contains

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Bran, Middlings, ёс. ,,

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Oats, with husk .. „

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Ватеу v.
Malt Dust

Indian Corn ..

Rice, husked.. .. a trace|

UICC) ea area 2
Buckwheat .. .. cda
| Peas, &c.
Beans 2.
Tares
Lentils ..

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14 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

My position in connection with the Cottage Gardener, has given
me the opportunity of examining more dead and diseased fowls
than perhaps ever fell to the lot of one individual; and, as the
most certain result of my experience, I can state that more than
one half the cases that come under my care, or that are examined
by me after death, are caused by errors in feeding.

Inflammation of the digestive stomach (which is situated be-
tween the crop and the gizzard), caused by the use of peas, beans,
hemp seed, or by the endeavour to force fowls forward for exhibi-
tion, or to make them up for the sale room, is a most frequent
result. Apoplexy from over-feeding, especially in laying hens, and
paralysis from the same cause, are frequent. Inflammation of
the egg passage is a common, and unless timely treated, another
fatal complaint, generally taking its rise in over-stimulating food ;
and leg weakness, from the weight increasing faster than the
strength, is common in Cochins.

Water —A. daily supply of fresh clean
water is indispensable to the health of
fowls. Many diseases are caused by their
drinking from stagnant ditches and the
impure and filthy drainings of manure
heaps, &. А cheap fountain, the best
that I have ever seen, inasmuch as itis
eapable of being cleansed internally, may be made out of any wide-
mouth earthenware jar and common glazed flower-pot saucer; by
boring a small hole in the jar, an inch or an inch and a half from
the edge, then filling it with water, putting the saucer on the top,
bottom upwards, and quickly turning them both together upside
down, when the water will be found to flow into the saucer to the
height of the hole in the jar.

BREEDING.

BREEDING.

Much variety of opinion prevails respecting the best mode of
constructing the nests for laying and sitting hens. In this, as

in all other cases, the nearer we can imitate nature the better; I

object to the rows of pigeon-holes so frequently employed, as the
close crowding of the fowls harbours vermin, and renders it diffi-
cult to thoroughly clean the nests after the eggs are hatched, and
believe it will be found more conducive to health and comfort if
the nests are quite distinct from each other, and are so formed
that they can be entirely removed after the chicken are hatched.
Tke plan that I have found to answer best is to use shallow baskets
or boxes, which can be partially filled with sifted coal ashes, road
drift, sand, or any similar material; on this a little short straw
is placed, and the hen hollows out a slight concavity, which pre-
vents the eggs rolling from under her, and in this way a very good
imitation of a natural nest is obtained. The ashes do not harbour
vermin, and І have found that eggs hatch much better than in
those nests made solely of straw. Care should be taken so nearly
to fill the basket or box that the hen can leave without having
to spring up from the eggs, and can return without jumpıng down
upon them, otherwise there is great risk of their being broken.
Should the hen be particularly fearful, a board placed in a slant-
ing position over the basket with the upper end leaning against
the wall, will afford all the privacy required.

It is desirable that hens should be allowed to sit where they
have been previously laying, ав there is usually much trouble, ех.
cept in the case of Cochins, in inducing a hen to sit steadily in
anew nest. Hens evince a strong desire to lay where there are
other eggs, hence nest eggs are usually employed; they are fre-
quently made of chalk, but from the hardness of the material they
are apt to break the new laid egg; soft white wood, turned into

16 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

the required shape, makes the best that I have seen, аз it does
not break the eggs or lose its shape, and is capable of being easily
washed, if soiled. Natural eggs are not desirable for nest eggs,
as they are very apt to break when they become stale, and so ren-
der the nest exceedingly foul.

When a hen becomes broody, which is shewn by her remaining
on the nest a longer time than usual, and by the peculiar clucking
noise she makes, it is desirable to give her three or four nest eggs
to sit on, to test her steadiness for a day or two, and if she is
found to sit well the eggs for hatching may be placed in the
nest, either when she leaves it to feed, or by lifting her off in the
evening ; if a broody hen is removed from the nest during the day
she usually flies back, at the great risk of breaking the eggs,
whereas, if lifted off after dark, she generally remains quietly on |
the ground and allows the requisite number of eggs to be put
into the nest, when she may be lifted back again.

The fresher the eggs that are used for hatching the better. If
practitable, it is desirable that they should not have been laid
more than a fortnight; although they will hatch after a much
longer time, if carefully protected from the drying influence of
the air and light, and from too high or too low a temperature, in
‘bran or some similar material.

Eggs intended for hatching, should be kept with the large
end upwards, otherwise they should be moved occasionally to pre-
vent the yolk adhering to the upper side; the lid of the box
containing them should be closed, in order to protect them
from the light, and from the rapid changes of temperature, and
the whole should, especially in summer, be kept in a cool place.
When sittings of eggs are forwarded by railway.or other public
conveyance, it is customary to pack them tightly in bran, with
considerable spaces between them, others recommend oats to be
used; my own experience is most decidedly in fayour of hay,

BREEDING. | i

or soft straw, which, by its elasticity prevents all shaking, and en-
ables the eggs to be forwarded any distance without injury.

This season, I forwarded two sittings of eggs to the far north
of England, one packed most carefully in bran, the other in hay ;
of the first not one egg hatched, whilst every one of the second
produced a chick; and a sitting that I received this season, which
was similarly packed, every egg was fertile, although the basket
had travelled from the north by coach, rail, and carrier.

The number of eggs placed under a hen usually varies from ten
to fifteen ; no fixed rule can be given—so much depends on the
season of the year, the size of the eggs, and that of the hen. If
the eggs are cooled during the sitting, which necessarily happens
if they are so numerous that the outer ones are covered merely
by the feathers, and not by the body of the hen, the chicken
wil be weakly or defermed; and as the hen constantly shifts
their position by pulling those outside into the centre, and so
foreing out the others, all become chilled in their turn, and a
weakly brood is the result. A hen when sitting, separates the
feathers to so great an extent, that the eggs, if they are not in
too great number, are in contact with the naked skin of the
breast, and such a quantity should only be given, as can be covered.
in that manner.

I am quite confident that a larger number of chicken can be
ensured by sitting a moderate than a large number of eggs, and
аз to their health and vigour there is no comparison.

In those varieties which lay large eggs, such as Dorkings, I
never give a hen more than thirteen eggs, and usually a smaller
number; in winter, І would not exceed eight or nine. In the саве !
of Cochins, where the eggs are small and the hens large, a greater |
number may be given.

With regard to the age of the parents, I believe that it is not
so desirable to breed from hens in their first as in the second or
third years; the chicken of first year fowls, are more leggy,

18 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

smaller, and less hardy and vigorous than those that are produced
by more mature parents. When young birds are employed, it is
desirable to mate pullets with cocks two or three years old, and
cockerels with old hens.

Some persons even carry their objection so far, as not to allow
young birds to hatch the eggs of older birds, being under the
impression they do not sit with sufficient steadiness. This is cer-
tainly not true as regards Dorkings and Cochins, for I have found
pullets of eight months age, exemplary sitters and nurses; and at
the time of writing this in July, I have two Dorkings of four-
teen months age, which are running about with their third broods,
having hatched in J anuary, May, and July.

To ensure healthy and large-sized chicken it is absolutely ne-
cessary that there should not be any relationship between the
parents; breeding “in and in,” as it is termed, is well known by
all rearers of stock to produce diseased and weakly offspring,
hence it is indispensable that there should be an introduction of
\ fresh male birds every two or three years. In farm-yards where
_ there are large numbers of poultry, it will be found by far the
\ most desirable plan to keep separately a cock with from four to

‚ six of the best hens, and to hatch their eggs alone. By this means
the chicken are all certain of coming from the best birds, and a
much smaller number of cocks may be kept with the main stock
of hens than would otherwise be desirable. The practice of allow-
ing the hens to run with several cocks is calculated to deterio-
rate the breed materially, should therefore a larger number of
eggs be required for hatching, than furnished by a cock and four
or six hens, another set should be separated. |
In all cases, over crowding must be carefully guarded against,
especially where poultry are kept in a confined situation, for if the
ground becomes tainted, the inevitable result is that disease breaks
out, and that the chicken, being less able to withstand its influ-

BREEDING. 19

ence than older birds, die off rapidly, in spite of good food, warın
housing, and every attention that can possibly be paid to them.
| Мапу persons аге in the habit of lifting off the sitting hens in
order to feed them, I believe that all such interference is uncalled
for and injurious; the less a hen is disturbed whilst hatching
the better—when hungry and thirsty she will leave the nest, and
should be then fed most liberally. Whole corn I think the best for
hatching hens, as it remains longer in the crop and so satisfies
hunger for a greater length of time. In addition to food and
water the hens should always be provided with a heap of dry
ashes, to rollin, to enable them to free themselves from vermin.

On the twentieth day some of the chicken usually begin to chip
the shell, and, generally speaking, they are all hatched on the
twenty-first, that is on the same day three weeks that the eggs
are placed under the hen. The practice of removing the first
hatched and placing them in flannel by the fire side, is followed by
many, but I do not see any possible advantage that can arise from
so doing; it is impossible to give the exact temperature of the
mother, and a degree of heat higher or lower must necessarily
be disadvantageous; the only interference that I think desirable,
is to remove, if it can be readily accomplished, the empty shells,
otherwise the unhatched eggs are apt to slip into them, and the
chicken, although furnished with power to break through one
shell are unable to force their way through two. The addled eggs
(which are readily distinguished by giving them the slightest pos-
sible shake, when the moving of the liquid contents is felt) may
also be removed so as to give more room to the live birds.

lam aware that these recommendations to leave natural opera-
tions to nature are contrary to what are frequently found in books,
but І аш merely writing the results of my own experience, and
I have always found the more the hatching hens are meddled with,
the worse the result. It is a notorious fact that when a hen steals

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PROFITABLE POULTRY.

a nest in some copse or place where she can remain unmolested,
she almost invariably brings forth a more numerous and stronger
brood than when she sits in the hen-house.

The chicken require neither food nor drink on the day on which
they are hatched; in fact, both are injurious, as they interfere
with the natural digestion of the yolk, which is absorbed into the
bowels at the period of hatching, and constitutes the first food.
Tf grits, oatmeal, &е., are spread before the hen on the twenty-first
day, she is induced to leave the nest, and the last hatched chicken,
which are not perhaps yet dried, are unable to follow, and being
weakly, perish ; or unhatched eggs may be left.

If undisturbed, the hen seldom leaves the nest on the twenty-
first day, and on the twenty-second the chicken will be found
strong enough to follow her, and any unhatched eggs may be
destroyed, for those chicken that are not then able to follow her
will seldom be found to repay the trouble that may be taken with
them. The plan of cramming peppercorns and other spices down
the throats of chicken is cruel in the extreme, and moreover,
exceedingly injurious. I have found the best food to be two-
thirds sweet coarse oatmeal and one-third barley meal, mixed into
a crumbly paste with water; this is very much relished, and the
chicken make surprising progress upon it, they are also very fond
of a little cold oatmeal porridge, and, by way of variety, I some-
times give them a few scalded grits dusted over with a little
barley meal to cause them to separate.
= Milk is frequently used to mix the barley or oatmeal, but from
the extent to which it is then exposed to the air it soon becomes
sour in summer, and is decidedly injurious if employed in that
state; no more, food, therefore, should be mixed with milk than
can be eaten in a couple of hours. Sopped bread is by no means
desirable, the chicken become weakly and affected with diarrhoea
from its use, in fact it has not that degree of solidity which is re-

BREEDING. 21

quisite to afford an opportunity for the exercise of the natural | |
grinding action of the gizzard. A little chopped onion, or, still |.
better, some finely shred green onion tops mixed with the food is
highly advantageous, and, in the opinion of many persons, lessens
very much the susceptibility to roup.

With regard to animal food there is none equal to the natural
supply of worms and insects obtained by the hen; small worms,
or a barrow full of mould, containing an ant’s nest, may be given
if the chicken are. in a confined situation, and will be found far
superior to boiled egg, chopped meat, or any more artificial sub-
stitute. Curds are frequently used, and, I believe, furnish the
best substitute for the natural insect food, but I have had no ex-
perience in their use, as I have never kept, nor even thınk it
desirable to keep fowls, or at all events to rear chicken, in situa-
tions where their natural food is unattainable. It is requisite
that chicken should either have a constant supply of food or be
fed at very short intervals—even every hour is not too often, if
practicable.

Cooping, which is so frequently employed to restrain the wan-
dering of hens with chicken, I regard as exceedingly objectionable.
In many cases I admit it to be a necessary evil, but not the
less an evil; a hen when cooped has no power of scratching
for insects and worms (the best of all possible food ), the chicken
aré therefore confined strictly to the artificial diet with which
they are supplied. Whatever also may be the difference in the
temperature of the day or change of weather, she cannot alter
her position, or seek shelter from cold, wind, or wet; the ground
under the coop becomes foul unless the latter is gum frequently,
and the hen does not.so soon recover the effects of her confine-
mentin sitting as when she is allowed her MPO! and obtains
green food to peck at.

It is frequently said that when hens are not cooped they roam

22 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

so far that the chicken become fagged, and that oftentimes they
are left behind by the hen. I believe that if the hen and chicken
are well fed, and at short intervals, this will not occur; but
should giving them their entire liberty be objectionable, the
plan of enclosing a small run with laths, wire-work, or netting,
may be had recourse to. These contrivances may be either
moveable or fixed; in the latter case the ground in the run may
= turned up with the spade or fork occasionally, so as to give the

hens fresh soil to scratch in. Many persons say they cannot con-
fine their fowls in this manner, as they fly over; a little attention
to the habits of the birds would enable them to prevent this in-
convenience. Fowls never fly over any boundary, but always on
to it, preparatory to descending on the other side, and if the top
is constructed in such a manner that they cannot rest upon it,
they evince a great disinclination to attempt the passage. The

plan I adopt is to have five or six feet laths of a greater or less

degree of stoutness as required, nailed three inches apart to two
horizontal rails, the lower near the ground, the upper being eight
inches below the tops of the laths, which are pointed.

I have found that this fence is sufficient to confine Dorking,
‘Spanish, and even Hamburghs, but then the fowls have always
an unlimited supply of every variety of food; and when I receive
a bird I usually lighten one wing by running the scissors down

ach side of the ten primary quill feathers, which is a much better
plan than cutting the shafts across, as in the latter case the bird
is much disfigured.

Tn accordance with my suggestion, Messrs. Greening, of Church
Gates, Manchester, have manufactured some of their patent
fencing on the same plan, namely, spiked at the top and chicken
proof below, as shewn in the cut; from experience I can recom-
mend it as most efficient, and from its great strength and dura-
bility it is much more economical than the ordinary hexagonal
pattern in common use.

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During summer it is not requisite to remove the hen and
chicken from these runs at night, but a little house made of a
few boards nailed together, so as to resemble a dog-kennel, made
water-tight, is necessary for shelter.

Some of the most successful breeders of Cochins have their
grounds thus partitioned out and furnished with rude huts,
boarded at the sides and covered on the top with some of the

patent asphalte felt now so much used for roofing. This, if pro-

24, PROFITABLE POULTRY.

perly tarred, is perfectly waterproof, and being a bad conductor
of heat, is warm in winter and cool in summer.

The common open circular wicker coop I regard as an exceed-
ingly useful artiele in a poultry-yard, but not for the purpose
to which it is generally applied, of keeping the hens in, but,
on the contrary, for keeping them out. І have found it very
convenient for feeding chicken under; the oatmeal, grits, and
other expensive food used for the young birds is apt to be de-
voured by those of advanced growth, an evil which is readily
prevented by placing it under a large coop which admits the
younger chicken, and enables them to feed undisturbed by the
others. |

The remark is often made, that chicken reared in the country
by cottagers are more vigorous and healthy than those bred in
the most expensive poultry houses; this I believe to be entirely
owing to the more natural circumstances under which they are
brought up. Fresh air, fresh grass, and fresh ground for the hens
to scratch in, far more than counterbalance the advantage of ex-
pensive diet and superior lodging, if these latter are unaccom-
panied with the more necessary circumstances just described.

The plans here recommended I found to be more than ordi-
narily suecessful during the most unfavourable chicken seasons,
even on the cold clay soil in the neighbourhood of London, and I
have there severely tested their perfect efficiency with regard to
Cochins, Dorkings, Spanish, and Hamburghs.

In cases where fowls are bred in and in to preserve peculiar
markings, or where, so to speak, a very artificial variety has
been produced, great delicacy necessarily results; this, for ex-
ample, is the case in the Sebright Bantam, and hardiness cannot
be expected in such breeds; as well might the breeder of King
Charles’ spaniels or Italian greyhounds expect similar success to
that of the rearer of the Scotch terrier or sheep dog.

BREEDING. 25

When chicken are hatched in the winter, or early spring
months, either for competition in the chicken classes at the
summer poultry shows, or for table use, some slight modifica-
tion of these proceedings is requisite. I have tried enclosed
rooms, both heated by stoves and fire-places and without, but
have never found them answer, and am confident that even in
winter chicken do better in an open shed than in any other situa-
tion; the shed, however, must face the south, and be warmly and
closely sheltered from the north and east. The hens must be
placed in coops, where all the sun can reach them; and there
should be a little run of a few feet, enclosed by laths, wire-work
or netting, for the hen and chicken to exercise in. The common
triangular wooden coop is a very useful one for early chicken ;
but it should have a false bottom, to keep them off the cold
ground, and this should be made to slide in and out, so as to be
readily removed and cleaned. The coops, at night, should be
warmly covered up with sacking or matting, and plenty of short
hay or soft straw placed in the interior. The most successful
breeder of early Cochins in the year 1858, reared all his birds in
a shed thus arranged ; but, instead of coops, he employed snugly
built brick boxes, with abundance of short straw for the hen and

chicken to sleep in; and in front of each box was a little alley or

run, enclosed by laths, for ап exercise ground,—the run not ex-
tending in front of the shed, so that it was not subject to be
damped by the rain or dew.

Another precaution necessary to be taken with early chicken,
even after they have attained some size, is to avoid letting them
run in the grass whilst it is wet with dew, otherwise they are very
apt to get chilled, and die with cramp. When hens are coopéd `
care must be taken to supply them with gravel and a little mortar
rubbish, or broken oyster shells, — ће first being required for the
digestion of the food, the second to furnish the materials of the
bones of the growing chicken.

26 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

As I have elsewhere stated, the rearing of early chicken is
always attended with risk and trouble, and extraordinary success
must not be expected; it should only therefore be attempted
under favourable circumstances; and unless chicken are bred for
the summer poultry shows, or for early table use, for which pur-
pose they fetch a high price in the market, it is not a desirable
proceeding; for the best and finest birds, that alone should be
kept for stock, are those hatched in April and May, as they attain
their full size without having their growth once checked by cold.

Chicken, on the contrary, which are hatched at a late period of
the year, have their growth checked by the colds of winter, and
consequently never make large birds ; hence the practice of hatch-
ing Bantams in autumn to prevent their attaining a large size, an
object which is only accomplished by a sacrifice of constitutional
strength and hardihood.

PROFITABLE VARIETIES.

In a work of this extent it is impossible to do more than
allude to several of the least important varieties of the domestic
fowl, and this is of less moment as the general directions given
with regard to feeding, breeding, &c., apply, with very slight
variations, to all the different breeds.

Соснтуз ов SHANGHAES.—Cochins are perhaps the most po-
pular fowl at the present time, and, in the opmion of many,
deservedly take the first place on account of their good qualities
as profitable stock, no less than from the estimation in which they
are held as fancy fowls. So extensively have they been diffused
over the entire length and breadth of the land, that a lengthened
deseription of their peculiarities is scarcely requisite. Their large

7)

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COCHIN

COCHINS. 27

size, peculiar crow, small wings, rudimentary tail, and the ex- '
traordinary development of the fluffy feathers of the thighs and
under parts of the body are familiar to all; these remarkable
characteristics are carried to an extreme сэг? in the bird shown
in the engraving, which is a representation of an imported hen,

formerly the property of Mr. Andrews. In purchasing Cochin
for stock, care should be taken to obtain birds of good quality,
as breeding from second and third-rate fowls will be found ex-
ceedingly undesirable. As regards size, the cocks should weigh
at least 10lbs., the hens Slbs., when full grown; they should be
short on the legs, which should be yellow and well feathered down
to the tips of the outer toes, which should onlybe four in number
on each foot. The tail feathers should, in both sexes, be very
small, and almost hidden by the dense mass of saddle feathers
covering the back, and the fluff should be well developed.

With regard to colour, at present the fashion is entirely in fa-

vour of the light buff birds, which, to command the highest prices,
must even be destitute of dark markings on the neck hackle;
or any slaty tinge in the downy under portions of the fluff, or of
the body feathers. The rage for light buff birds I regard as an
* undue prejudice, and believe the darker breeds w ill be found quite
as valuable for farming stock ; in fact, the extreme prices which
are commanded by the lightest birds are simply owing to the
difficulty of breeding them perfectly free from dark colour; and
am confident that it has had a very injurious effect upon the
breed; for size and form have been sacrificed in the endeavour
to rear birds of the desired colour, and in too many instances a
set of small leggy almond shaped hens have taken the place of
heavy square-built short-legged birds of a darker colour.

The white birds, though exceedingly ornamental, are scarcely
equal in character to the coloured varieties, and the black have |!
hitherto been only produced by crossing a buff with a white, and, |

28 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

as might be expected from such an origin, their progeny are very
uncertain in their colour.

Putting aside the value of Cochins as fancy fowls, their chief
importance as profitable poultry depends on the immgnse sup-
ply of winter eggs yielded by the pullets of the year. This, I am
confident, will eventually be found their strongest recommenda-
tion; for table birds, their length of leg, small breast, and
game-like flavour, are objectionable, and the colour of their skin
renders them very unfit for being used as boiled fowls. The at-
tempt to breed pure Cochins with a fuller breast I believe to be
perfectly futile, their wings are so small in size that they never
fly, and the muscles which move the wings and form the entire
mass of flesh on the breast, are consequently of small size also;
it would be as reasonable to expect the muscles of a blacksmith in
the arms of a draper, as the plumpness of a Dorking on the breast
of a Cochin. The hens are extremely good sitters, their large
size enabling them to cover a great number of eggs, and their
docility, and the readiness with which they sit in any situation in
which they may be placed when broody, being also great recom-
mendations. І have found that the eggs hatch remarkably well,
’ and that the chicken are equally, if not more hardy than those of
other fowl. |

In speaking of their good qualities, their contentedness in a
comparatively small space, their attachment to home, and the
ease with which they are confined by a three feet fence, must not
be omitted. Their chocolate coloured eggs, though small, are
of good flavour, but they have not yet been sufficiently intro-
duced into the markets to state how they are appreciated by the
public at large. With regard to their laying twice in one day,
such an event happens by far too rarely to be taken into conside-
ration when speaking of their economical value, and when it does
occur no egg is laid on the following day. The great drawback

BRAHMA POOTRAS. 29

to Cochins, as farmers’ fowls, is the large quantity of food they

require, which, notwithstanding all that has been said to the con-
trary by their exelusive admirers, is considerably greater than

that consumed by other varieties, and their disposition leads them |
to remain at home instead of seeking for worms and other food in

the fields; in fact, the old birds seem not to care for the large
earth worms, which are so greedily devoured by all other fowls.

Bramma Pootras.—In the first edition of this book I inserted
the description, from actual observation, of a pair of these birds
‘that had been sent to this country from the United States, by Dr.
Bennett, who claimed to be the original holder of the variety, and
T left the question as to their being a distinct breed an open one;
since that article was published a more extended experience and
the opportunity of making anatomical examinations of very many
‚ Specimens, have led me to form a decided- opinion respecting their
origin and true character.

All the Brahmas that have come under my notice, and I have \

made a point of seeing as many as possible, have been of either |

one or the other of the three following varieties, namely : —
1. Grey Cochins.
2. Cross-bred Cochin and Dorking.
3. Cross-bred Cochin and Malay, or Chittagong.

That the best of these birds are nothing more than grey Cochins,
is proved by the fact that they have been frequently imported from
Shanghae with the buff birds, ever since the latter have been in-
troduced, and I know personally that the descendants of Grey

Cochins, which were thus introduced into this country before the }

name of Brahma was ever heard of, have taken prizes as Brahma !

1

Pootras; the circumstance that those presented to the Royal :

Aviary were sent over from America ав Grey Shanghaes would
alone be suflicient to settle the question. Asto the name which
has been given to these birds, there is not one tittle of evidence

30 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

to prove that they ever came from the region of the Brahma
Pootra river, which, in the lower part of its course, is within one
hundred and fifty miles of Caleutta, running through territory
which has long been in the possession of the British; further
from its mouth it flows through the country of Assam, to which
some years since the East India Company sent two most obser-
vant naturalists to report on the natural history of the region, and
had any such remarkable fowls existed it is scarcely credible that
they could have escaped observation. A further and even more
conclusive proof, if one were needed, may be found in their ana-
tomical peculiarities; it is a fact, universally recognized by com-
parative anatomists, that the distinguishing characters of nearly
allied animals are more strongly marked in the bones of the skull
than in any other part of the body; if the skull of a Cochin be
examined there will be found in the frontal bone, exactly under
the base of the comb, a deep narrow groove running from before
backwards, this remarkable structure is peculiar to these birds,
being found in no other variety whatever, and is as strongly
marked in the first named variety of so called Brahmas as in the
Buff Cochins.

When it was found that grey birds were realising large sums,
every mode of raising them was put in practice; single grey
Cochins were mated with buff, and the progeny, when of the desired
colour, were sold as Brahmas; in other cases Buff Cochins were
paired with light Dorking hens, and many of the selected chicken
found their way to the sale room. Under my own eye last season
many of these birds were so manufactured; during the autumn,
after the breeding for stock purposes was over, a Buff Cochin cock
was allowed to run with some Dorking hens, the eggs of the light-
est hen were hatched, and the Chicken were all greys, some were
cleaz-legged, some white-legged, others five-toed; but several had
’ well-feathered yellow legs with four toes, and these were undis-

BRAHMA POOTRAS. 51

tinguishable from a large number of the birds sold as Brahmas. 5

On examination I found the frontal groove strongly marked, |
although, as might be expected, in a rather less degree than in a
pure bred Cochin.

The birds originating in the Malay or Chittagong cross have
been chiefty imported from America, I cannot therefore give the
particulars of their manufacture, but the long snaky neck, the up-
right gait, and the peculiar carriage of the head, render other
evidence unnecessary, These birds also have the characteristic
frontal groove.

After what has been stated; it will scarcely be expected that any
lengthened description of these birds should be given. The best
are simply Cochins, and as silver pencilled Shanghaes or Brahma
Pootras, they were originally avowedly exhibited at the London
shows. The Mongrels have every variety of form and almost of
colour; from the most celebrated yards are shewn clear legs and
Se legs; yellow legs, and white legs; pea combs and single
. combs ; white birds, grey =e and even black birds, all pure
Brahmas!! One person writes that they roam over acres, another
authority states that they are more domesticated than Cochins ; on
the one hand, you hear of their laying eggs as large as those of :
turkeys, and on the other of their being of the average Cochin size;
one day they are said to crow like their buff relations, and the
next we hear that their voices are much more mellifluous. |

My opinion of their merits and demerits may be stated in a few
words; of the half breeds I will only say that they are worthless
for stock purposes, as they do not breed true to any particular
character; ofthe true grey Cochin I may state, as far as my ex-
perience goes, that they are generally leggy compared with the
best bred buffs, and that in many of them there is a remark-
able tendeney (especially in the hens) to accumulate internal
abdominal fat, or in other words to “ go down behind" a state of

32 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

things generally terminating in irregularity of the egg organs,
which running on into inflammation is frequently fatal; at the
same time, however, I have no doubt but that by careful breeding
fora season or two they may be produced in every respect equal
to the buff birds; Dr. W. C. Gwynne, who has reared them
longer than any other amateur in this country, states his convic-
tion that the genuine strain are a very good variety of grey
Cochin, without the slightest cross: this verdict respecting them,
coming as it does from one of the greatest admirers and most
successiul rearers of Brahmas, will, I have not the slightest doubt,
be eventually universally acquiesced in; with regard to their
hardihood as chicken, I may state that the most successful
rearer of Cochins in the year 1858, to whose plans I have
already alluded, and who spared no expense in getting first rate
stock, informs me that he has reared Brahmas and Cochins in
the same brood, and that he has not found the former by any
means the hardier variety. |
Dorxines.—To those who rear chickens for the table there are no
fowls so well adapted as the coloured Dorkings ; though not
remarkable as layers, as sitters and nurses they cannot be sur-
passed; whilst their large size, plump breasts, short legs, and -
delicate white flesh, render them the most desirable table birds.
Latterly much attention has been paid to this variety, and
the result has been that great improvements in their size and
good qualities have been effected. The engraving- represents
one of the old birds, of whom it has been truly said, “Their
| qualities surpass their charms.” Іп the improved kinds the head
\ is smaller, the under part of the breast fuller, and the carriage
| of the bird more elegant, the body being more compact; the
| feathers are also firmer, and I have found along with this latter
' character that the birds are hardier and less subject to diseases
of the egg organs. Dorkings vary very much in colour, and

DORKINGS.

there is some difficulty in breeding them true to any marking.
My own opinion is decidedly in favour of the dark birds, both as
to appearance and hardiness, and I think there are no more noble
fowls than a heavy, broad-chested, dark Dorking cock and a com-
pact short-legged hen. Dorkings are bred with both single and

double, or rose combs, but the former are generally preferred, on |

N
|

!

the score of appearance. In purchasing Dorkings for stock, |
broad compact bodies and short white legs, with five toes on |

each foot, should be regarded as indispensable; the weight of these
birds varies very considerably ; in the pens which have taken prizes
at the recent poultry shows the cocks have usually weighed about
ten, and the hens eight pounds, but these weights are beyond the
average, and such birds are not generally to be obtained.

The white Dorkings, although exceedingly ornamental, are not /
of equal value in an economical point of view, being much smaller |
in size, and narrower and longer in the body; they are almost | T
invariably bred with a rose or double comb, and are obviously a |

distinet variety from the coloured Dorking, the latter having
evidently derived its size, aptitude to fatten, and other profitable
characteristics from the large Surrey fowl, which differs only from
what is now known as the colored Dorking, in the absence of the
fifth toe. eis

The great drawback to the value of this most useful breed is in
the delicacy of the chicken; in spite of every care they too often
exhibit the evil effects of a constitutional delicacy when about
three weeks old, when their wings droop, and they die without any
evident cause, whilst other birds hatched at the same time, and
under the same treatment, are running about full of health and
vigour. There is a very erroneous opinion, in many parts of the
country, that Dorkings can only be successfully reared in Kent or
Surrey ; the absurdity of this statement is evident from the fact
that the best Dorkings, those that have carried off the first prizes
at the various poultry shows, haye not, with few exceptions, been

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PROFITABLE POULTRY.

natives of Surrey. The opinion has evidently arisen from their
delicacy when chicken, and the fact that persons at a distance
have often obtained a stock of Dorkings, and then without any
introduction of fresh blood, they have continued breeding “in and

in" until the breed has degenerated, not only in size, but in con-

stitutional vigour; there is however no doubt but that on the dry
chalky soil of Kent and Surrey they are more likely to do well
than in any situation where the ground is wet or clayey.

Dorkings do not bear confinement well, requiring a good range ;
to attain a large size, and make good table birds, they must be
liberally fed at every period of their lives, hence, and from the
fact that they do not forage for themselves as well as the smaller
varieties, they are not the best fowls for the cottager, especially as
their egg producing powers are not remarkable.

1 have found that pullets hatched in April and May usually, if
well fed, begin to lay about Christmas, and there is no difficulty
in hatching in the beginning of February, although there is always
some uncertainty about rearing the chicken in cold weather;
but I have found that by cooping the hens in a shed open to the
south they have done much better than in an enclosed room.

To produce the fat fowls, that are seen in greater perfection in
the London markets than elsewhere, and which are generally termed
(although they are not) capons, Dorkings are cooped for fatting
at the age of three to four months in summer and five to six in

winter, being fed with oatmeal, mixed with water or milk; this
| must be given fresh three times a day, the first meal being early
/ in the morning; and, in addition, the birds should be supplied
with whole corn (either dry or boiled), gravel, clean water, and a
| turf or green meat ; the most scrupulous cleanliness as to troughs,
\coops, &e., being Вова. Ву these means а fowl, if previously

well fed, will be fat enough for any useful purpose in a fortnight
to three weeks; should they be required very fat, some mutton
suet, or, what is equally good, the parings of the loins of mutton,

© SPANISH. 35

may be chopped up with the food. The umnatural process of
cramming is frequently recommended, but I have never found it.
necessary. It should be borne in mind that a fowl cannot be kept
in the greatest degree of fatness for any length of time, as the over.
repletion soon causes internal disease. The houses must be dry,
quiet, dark, and warm, and the fatting coops carefully kept from/^
draught, and warmly covered at night during cold weather.
SpAxISH.— The true Spanish fowls, known by their uniform.
black colour, burnished with resplendant tints of green, the great
development of comb and wattle, and the peculiar white face,
which should be free from any other colour, are magnificent birds.
Regarded as profitable poultry, their strong recommendation con-
sists in the number and very large size of the eggs laid by them..
The hens seldom attempt to hatch, and are bad sitters and nurses ;.

their eggs should consequently be hatched by other varieties.

The chicken are slow in feathering, but I have not found them so.
delicate as is sometimes stated, it is not however desirable to hatch
them very early in the season, as they run about for along time with.
naked necks and wings; and there is a remarkable difference in
the fowls of the same brood, some being far superior in size and
qualities to the remainder. In purchasing Spanish, blue legs, the
entire absence of white or colored feathers in the plumage, and a
large white face, with a very large high comb, which should be
erect in the cock, though pendant in the hens, should be insisted.
upon. Although the flesh is of good quality, yet, from the
want of size, the length and darkness of the legs, the Spanish is
not equal to the Dorking for the table, and from the long period
of their moulting, the laying in winter is considerably interfered
with; nevertheless, the large size and number of their eges renders
them most profitable, and their handsome carriage and striking.
contrast of colour in the comb, face, and plumage, recommend
them to all; they are perhaps better adapted for a town fowl than
any other variety, as when ful! grown they seem to suffer less from
B2

786 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

confinement to a small run; not unfrequently exceedingly good
specimens may be seen in the stable yards of London.

The price of very good white faced Spanish always ranges hich,
notwithstanding that they have been largely bred in this country
\ for many years; this arises from the extreme uncertainty in the
| character of the chicken, for even when produced from eggs laid
| by first rate stock red faced birds constantly make their appear-
_-ance, and these, though equally useful as layers, are of no value as
‚stock birds; it may be remarked, that those cockerels and pullets
‚аге most promising that exhibit a long bluish p face, as this
generally changes into pure white.

In the West of England, a variety of the. Spanish known as
Minorcas are much esteemed as profitable layers. They differ
from their more aristocratic relatives in possessing a white ear lobe
merely, the face being red, and. in a somewhat more compact and
less leggy form. |

Game Fowr.—This variety, formerly so extensively reared for
the cock-pit, is still bred by many on account of its beauty and
utility. The game cock is distinguished by a long head with a
strong massive beak, and a single upright comb ; the chest is
prominent and fleshy, the whole body muscular, the carriage bold
and erect, and the feathers particularly close and firm; the hens
are remarkable for their neat appearance, and are characterized by
„а large erect fan-shaped tail. In colour this breed varies greatly,
| г amongst the most esteemed strains are those known as the black
breasted reds, the brown breasted reds or gingers, the various
piles, a term applied to such as have a proportion of white in the
plumage, duckwings, blues or grays, and white and black. Game
fowl fly well, and a good grass run is absolutely essential to their
well being ; the hens usually lay about five and twenty buff
colored eggs before wanting to sit, and are unsurpassed as mothers
and nurses; both sexes are good foragers, supplying themselves
with a great portion of their food. As table fowls they are small,

фа г гә
Э) TED WE

GAME FOWLS—HAMBURGH FOWLS.

though plump, the quality of the flesh being very superior. The
pugnacious disposition of the cockerels is much against them in a
profitable point of view, and it is desirable to cut off their combs
and wattles at the age of five or six months, otherwise, from
fighting, much suffering and loss of blood ensues, this operation
is usually performed with a pair of sharp scissors, and the applica-
tion of a little green vitriol dissolved in water p be found
immediately to check the effusion of blood.

Нлмвгкон Fowrs.—There are two very distinct varieties of

these birds, the spangled and the pencilled; where fowls are kept
mainly for the production of eggs, no breeds are so advantageous ;

country, I have entered rather fully into their description. I am
indebted to an amateur, an extensive breeder of the spangled
variety, for the following account of their merits.

“Gold and Silver Spangled Hamburghs.—These very beautiful
varieties have not hitherto attracted the attention which their in-
trinsic merits so justly deserve. Indeed, except in the northern
counties, they Бале been until lately almost unknown.

“І will endeavour, as briefly as possible, to put before my readers,
firstly, the origin, habits, and economical merits, and, lastly, the
desired points of beauty of these dandies (par excellence) of the
poultry yard.

“Firstly as to their history and origin— Unlike the pencilled
Hamburghs, which are imported wholesale from Holland, the

and as they are comparatively unknown in many parts of the~

spangled birds are never so obtained, and although similar in some

of their habits, they are infinitely more hardy than their pencilled
rivals, suffer less from cold, lay better in winter, and are far less
subject to roup ; they also attain to a considerably greater weight
and size. Iam myself rather inclined to consider them, as they
have for years undoubtedly been, natives of our northern coun-
ties, more especially Yorkshire and Lancashire, although they
are said to be common in Russia and the northern countries of

|
|

38 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

Europe. Тһе Spangled Hamburghs, or Pheasant Fowls, as the
north country breeders call them, are, in my judgment, the best
and most regular layers I can recommend; but in this respect the
gold and silver varieties somewhat differ. I have generally found
that the pullets of the former variety commence laying at about
- Six months old, and, if the season is moderately warm, they. continue
to lay about nine eggs a fortnight, until their moulting time the
following year—1 should say that on an average they lay about
200 eggs per annum. They are everlasting layers, in the strictest
sense of the word, never ‘sitting, and recommencing their labours
of production about two months from the commencement of their
moult. Their eggs are of a fair size, of a very light pinky brown
colour, and excellent flavour. Indeed, in the latter quality the eges
of the Hamburgh fowls generally are not to be surpassed.

“It is the birds of silver variety, however, which I regard and
recommend as perfect miracles of egg-produeing constancy. They
commence laying, if in good health and with a good run (an essen-
tial to the well-doing of both the varieties), at Jive months old,
and generally lay at least six days out of the seven, until the
moulting season arrives—in all probably some 250 eggs. They
very quickly get their new plumage—and in six weeks recommence
their labours with the same praiseworthy diligence, until another -
Season passed warns them that moulting time is again at hand.
“After the second year I do not consider it advisable to keep them
for laying purposes, although I think the best chicken are bred
from them after that period’ with a young yearling cock.

“Like their golden relations they never sit, and rarely evince
the slightest desire to undertake the task of incubation. T
feel quite confident that no fowl produces so much egg stuff with
во small an amount of food. Give them a good run, a clean, dry,
warm house at night, and one-quarter of the food you bestow
upon Cochins, and you will have no further trouble with them.
They feather early and quickly, and may safely be hatched early
in April. ,

HAMBURGH FOWLS. 39

“І must not, however, omit to state one drawback which there is |
to the keeping my spangled pets—they fly like pheasants, and ^
know not bounds. They are great enemies to flowers, fruit,
vegetables, indeed, anything they can lay hold of; and although :
capable of being made as tame as any other fowls, in their instincts
they seem almost more like game than domesticated poultry.
However, as a balance to this, there is no fowl so capable of
taking care of itself, of finding its own food, of avoiding danger,
and of repaying its owner handsomely for the slight care it
demands at his or her hands. Indeed, I cannot recommend
to a beginner in poultry-keeping a more beautiful and interest-

ing, or & more profitable selection.

“There is much difference of opinion about the desired points
of beauty in these birds. For the exact requirements in the north
country shows I must refer my readers to the Rules of the York-

shire Societies, and I will therefore confine myself to a brief and
general description of what I consider requisite for perfection
in these birds, and firstly as to the golden variety; although,
with the exception of a few observations which I shall make
about the cocks, the same points are almost requisite in both
varieties.

“Tn the cocks, the comb should be geb rose, stretehing e back
on the head, and ending i in a pike—at least an inch and a quarter
in width, and as square in shape as possible; the ear lobe white;
the neck hackle in the golden variety, of which I am now га
ing, black fringed with gold; the back, breast, and legs, regularly
‘spangled, and the larger and brighter green black the spangles the
better; the saddle feathers small and spangled ; the tail long, full,
and of a brilliant green black; the legs light grey blue; toe nails
white. The same description applies to the hens, who should have
a flat rose comb, not lopping, but upright; the ground colour of
the plumage should be a rich red gold or burnt sienna colour.
‚One great point of beauty also, both in the cocks and hens, is that

PROFITABLE POULTRY.

the wing shöuld be regularly laced, as in the spangled Polands.
| The great difficulty i in breeding the cocks is the tendency they
| have to come with black breasts and red backs—and for show such
| birds are valueless, although it is said more likely to throw good
| | pullets than the spangled breasted birds which are sometimes
‚\termed hen-feathered. The silver spangled cock should not be
| hen-feathered, the hackle, and saddle feathers should be white,
the latter very. long, the tail spangled black and white, the
breast regularly spangled up to the throat, and in colour the
clearest white for the ground, and the brightest green black
for the spangles is requisite. The lacing of the wing in this
variety is quite a sine quá non, both in the cocks and hens; and in
the latter the tail should be clear white, with three or four large
circular spangles upon it, but no other dark markings whatever.
The neck, back, breast, ramp, and legs, should be regularly spangled,
and there should be a total absence of patchiness in the markings.
\ In both varieties great distinctness of colour is requisite, and from
| the delicacy of the plumage the slightest approach to breeding

| in and in is sure to make the produce utterly valueless. In con-

| clusion, the carriage of the cocks should be lofty and upright
with the breast thrown forward like the Polands; the weight of
the male wie from 51b. to 61b, of the hens from 41b. to 51b., or

a little more.’

There is, in addition to the ‘pela and silver spangled, a third
variety of these fowls, in which the whole plumage is of a glossy
green black, the other characters being similar to those above
described; these are termed Black Pheasant Fowls in the north of
England.

The term pheasant fowl, as applied to the spangled Hamburgh,
takes its origin from the crescentic moon shaped markings, which
resemble those of that bird; and the term Moonies is also some-
times applied to them from the same cause.

Pencilled Hamburghs —This variety is also of two colours,

POLAND FOWLS. 41

golden and silver, the hens in both should have the feathers of the
body distinctly pencilled or marked across with several separate
bars of black, the hackle in both sexes should be perfectly free
from dark marks, the comb a piked rose, the ear lobe white, and the
legs blue as in the spangled Hamburghs, the tail should be very
large and black or bronzed. The cocks do not show these pen- \
eillings, but аге white ог brown in the silver ог golden birds
respectively. The birds are of a compact form, and very graceful /
sprightly carriage. They do not sit, but lay exceedingly well,
hence one of their common names, that of Dutch every day layers,
ihey are also known in different parts of the country as Chitte-
prats, Creoles, or Corals; Bolton bays and grays; and in some

parts of Yorkshire by the erroneous name of Corsican fowls.
Large numbers are imported from Holland, but the birds bred in
this country are much superior in size, retaining, however, their

profitable characteristics.

Роглхр Fowrs.—Poland fowls are characterized by the presence
of a large top-knot, which, in the cocks, is composed of feathers
resembling those of the hackle, and in the hens forms a dense
globular tuft ; a very small crescent shaped comb is usually present,
rising like two small horns from the arched and dilated nostrils.
Several varieties of colour exist; in the black birds there should be
an entire absence of white except in the top-knot, in which the
less black the better, the chest should be very prominent and
fleshy, the legs dark, the wattles large and pedulous. |

The spangled Polands, both gold and silver, are rather larger
and less compact; and in addition to the crest, many possess a
large tufted beard. Other varieties, as buff, white, &c., also exist,
but they are less frequent. Polands are very good layers, but do
not sit; as table birds they are not surpassed by any variety in
quality and plumpness, although their small size is against them
as a market fowl, and their delicacy as chicken is also a considerable
drawback; from the latter circumstance, they will scarcely be

42 : PROFITABLE POULTRY.

found entitled to rank as profitable poultry, except on dry, sandy,
or chalky soil; and in warm, sheltered situations.

MALAY Fowrs.—Malays are. large leggy fowls, with a very
| upright carriage, small tail and clear legs, their heads and necks
| are long and snaky, and distinguished by a small warty comb; the
| hens are fair layers and remarkably good sitters and nurses.
Malays are of almost every variety of colour, black, white, grey, &c.,
though the most common tint is a cinnamon brown. They are
not as largely bred as formerly, for as egg producers they are not
very profitable, and their large limbs are against their use as table
fowls. What is termed the Pheasant Malay originates in a bad
cross between the Malay and spangled Hamburgh, in which the
good qualities of both breeds are sacrificed.

Bantams, Sixx Fowrs, Frizzimp ann RumpPLess Fowrs, &c.,
&c., can hardly be regarded as profitable poultry, but come under
the description of fancy fowls. As paying stock, my opinion is in
favour of one or other of the following varieties :—

For market fowls for table use, the coloured Dorking is unequalled.

For the production of eggs, Hamburghs where there is a free
range; Cochins and Spanish where there is less space; the first
being the best winter layers, the latter yielding the largest eggs. -

Many persons recommend cross breeding fowls for the purpose of
improving upon certain varieties; it is difficult to see by what cross
the qualities of Dorkings, as table fowls, can be improved; or the
superior laying properties of Hamburghs, Spanish, and Cochins,
increased.

To improve the hardihood of Dorkings some very experienced
persons have recommended crossing a Malay cock with Dorking
hens; in this case care must be taken to kill all the cross-bred

chicken, as, if bred from again, a set of variable, worthless inon-
grels are the result. I have myself, however, never seen any cross-
bred fowls equal for the table to the pure Dorking.

For home consumption, yielding numerous eggs, and large size

SKIN DISEASES. 748

chicken, Cochins are very valuable; their hardihood, docility, and
matronly habits, enable a greater number to be reared from the
same number of hens, than can be obtained from any other variety ;
but as poultry for the market they are of little value.

In conclusion, I would strongly recommend persons who are at
present breeding from common fowls, not to attempt to improve them
by the introduction of one or two good male birds into the yard,
but to obtain a good stock either by the purchase of birds or eggs,
and to breed from them alone, avoiding of course all intermarriage
between blood relations. |

DISEASES..

The diseases of poultry may perhaps be more conveniently
arranged under the heads of the different parts that are: affected
‘than in any more strictly scientific order. We; may therefore
describe them as affecting the Skin, Lungs and Air Passages,
Digestive System, Egg Organs, Brain, and the Organs of Motion.

Sxin DisEAsES.— When fowls are kept on unnatural food, and
in closely confined, dirty situations, they are very liable to lose
‘the feathers of the head and neck from a chronic disease of
the skin. This complaint may be constantly seen in the fowls in
the mews and stableyards in London, where it arises from the
dirty, dark roosting places, and absence of fresh vegetable and
insect food. Of course a radical cure is out of the question,
unless the unnatural eircumstances producing the disease are
removed; if this is done, and а five-grain Plummer's pill given
on two or three occasions, at intervals of three days, the disease
is speedily removed, but the feathers will not be replaced until
the next moulting season.

In Cochins which have been highly fed, particularly if peas
and greaves have formed part of their food, a somewhat similar

4а PROFITABLE POULTRY.

disease is often seen; and, as it commences with whiteness of
the comb, it is frequently termed “white comb.” The treatment
in severe cases is similar Жо that previously described; but mild
attacks are said to yield to the application of turmeric mixed
with cocoa-nut oil in the proportion of one part of the former to
eight of the latter.

. Moulting, being a natural action, cannot be regarded as a
disease, but it frequently is much delayed, and the birds evidently
suffer in such cases; it is therefore desirable, when fowls are
not moulting favourably, to treat them as invalids, giving them
food which is more nourishing than usual, such as a little chopped
meat, either raw or cooked, keeping them in a warm and sheltered
habitation, «с.

Lice often infest fowls to an extreme degree, and cause a great
amount of irritation; this inconvenience may be prevented by
giving them dry ashes to scuffle in, and keeping the houses clean
and well lime-washed. When they are very abundant, flour of
brimstone dusted under the feathers will be found a certain
remedy ; it is conveniently used if tied up in a piece of coarse
muslin, or powdered from a flour dredger, or if more convenient, a
pound or two may be added to the dust bath.

DISEASES or THB Lunes AND Air Passaces.—Roup is the
most serious disease occurring in the poultry yard, not only on
account of its affecting large numbers at one time, but also from
the fact that it is not easily subdued by medical treatment ; great
confusion and difference of opinion have occurred from several
distinct diseases having been confounded under this name. True
roup commences with a sticky discharge from the nostrils, at first
clear, but afterwards thick and of a very peculiar and offensive
smell, the nostrils become partially or entirely closed, and there is
consequently some slight difficulty of breathing, and a distention
of the loose skin of the under jaw may be noticed; froth frequently
appears.at the inner corner of the eye, the lids swell, and in severe

DISEASES OF THE LUNGS AND AIR PASSAGES. 45

cases the sides of- the face swell greatly, the fowl becoming blind;
from the discharge being wiped on the feathers of the side and
under the wing, they become matted together; and in addition
to these symptoms there is extreme thirst. Roup is essentially a
disease of the membrane lining the nose, similar in this respect to
glanders in horses; I believe it to be highly contagious, and unless
а roupy fowl is very valuable would recommend its being at once
killed. I think the disease is often communicated by the discharge
from the nostrils running into the/water out of which the fowls
drink. As to treatment, a roupy fowl should at once be removed

from the yard, placed in a warm dry room, the nostrils and eyes
sponged with warm water, and a solution of ten grains of blue
vitriol to an ounce of water dropped into the nostrils, either from
the front or through the slit in the roof of the mouth, warm stimu-
lating food, as meal or bread and ale, and a little pepper should
be given. Remedies given internally seem to have but very little

effect on the disease, but I think I have seen more benefit from
half a grain of blue vitriol given once a царе in meal than from any
other medicine.

Croup, from the similarity of its name is ation confounded with
Вопр, from which, however, it is perfectly distinct, being inflamma-
tion of the wind-pipe, the symptoms are a difficulty of breathing
and a rattling or peculiar noise in the throat, this, in some cases,
is even musical; sometimes thick glairy mucus is coughed up, but
there is never any swelling of the face or discharge from the
nostrils, the disease is most frequent in damp weather, and yields
readily to warm dry housing, and one-twelfth of a grain of tartar
emetic.

Inflammation of the lungs is known by a difficulty of breathing,
but without the noise of croup, the same treatment with tartar
emetic is advisable.

Consumption, arising from the presence of scrofulous matter in

the lungs, is producedaby cold, damp, bad food, and is also inherit-

46. PROFITABLE POULTRY.

ed from parents; this disease being hereditary, it is worse than
useless to attempt to cure fowls that are affected, as the chicken
are certain to be tainted with the disease.

Pip is the name given to a dry horny scale which appears on the
tongue, in all those diseases in which the fowl becomes feverish; it is
only a symptom of internal fever and not a disease itself, the.
remedy is to remove the real disease causing it.

Gapes in chicken is caused by peculiar parasitic worms adhering
to the inside of the windpipe; they are readily removed Ъу.
‘stripping a small quill of its side feather, except an inch of the
end, dipping it in spirits of turpentine, and inserting it in the
wind-pipe; but as this remedy often excites fatal inflammation, .
І have suggested fumigation with the vapour of turpentine, by.
shutting the chicken up in a box, with some shavings moistened
with the spirit, as long as they can withstand the action of
the vapour, and the remedy has been found very successful.

DISEASES oF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS are simple in their
treatment. А fowl sometimes becomes crop-bound from over-
distending that organ; warm water poured down the throat
frequently loosens the mass; but, if necessary, a perpendicular
incision may be made at the upper part of the swelling sufficiently
large to extract the swollen food, and it will be found to close.
again without the slightest difficulty ; the fowl should, however,
be kept on soft food for several days afterwards. Inflammation of
the stomach, which is situated between the crop and the gizzard, is.
avery frequent cause of death in highly fed fowls—they mope,.
refuse to eat, pine away, and die; there is no cure for the
disease, but it is readily prevented by the use of natural food.
—peas, greaves, hemp seed, being rigorously excluded.

In Diarrhea, five grains of chalk, two grains of cayenne, and
five grains of powdered rhubarb may be given, and ifthe discharge
is not speedily checked, a grain of opium and the same quantity
of ipecacuanha may be administered every аг or six hours.

DISEASES OF THE EGG ORGANS AND LIMBS. 4

DiszAses ОҒ THE Еве Овелмз.—ТЬе most important disease
of these organs is inflammation of the egg passage, shewn by
the laying of soft or imperfect eggs; this complaint is readily
remedied. by giving one grain of calomel and one-twelfth of agrain

of tartar emetic, made into a pill with meal; sometij es soft eggs
arise from a deficiency of lime, in which case, a little old mortar
rubbish remedies the defect.

The calomel and tartar emetic, which I first recommended for
this disease in the Cottage Gardener, has been frequently given in
other diseases, such as inflammation of the stomach, &c., and I
need scarcely say with the effect of aggravating the evil very
materially; there 1s no universal poultry medicine.

Disease of the ovary, or organ in which the yolks are formed, is
not unfrequent, when the comb and wattles become like those of
the cock, and the hen crows frequently ; such birds are generally
but. erroneously termed hen-cocks, they must not be con-
founded with the hen-feathered cocks spoken of in the article on
Hamburghs.

DISEASES OF THE Ілмвв.-Статар in young chicken from ex-
posure to cold and damp is very fatal to early hatches, it can be
prevented only by warmth and dryness.. |

Leg weakness, which 18 most frequent in rapidly growing chicken
and young birds, particularly Cochins, arises from a disproportion
between the weight and strength of the animal, the bird in con-
sequence, sinks down upon its hocks; I have found four or five
grains of citrate of iron given daily in meal successful in every
case in which I have employed it.

Inflammation of the feet, closely resembling gout, I have seen
in many cases, particularly in Cochins; the feet become very hot
and swell. One grain of calomel at night and three drops of
colchicum wine twice a day, I have found afford considerable relief.

The bumble foot of Dorkings, is a swelling occurring in the
ball of the foot, not attended with heat, but followed by ulceration

48 PROFITABLE POULTRY.

and a diseased growth. I have found that it may, to a great
degree, be prevented by having the perches broad and low, not
above four feet in height, as the disease is evidently set up in
many cases, and increased in all, by the violence with which the
heavy birds descend to the ground; from the low vitality of the
parts affected; I have found that no treatment is attended with
any beneficial results.

Broken wings are best treated by tying the points of the
quill feathers together in a natural position and keeping the bird in
an empty place, where there is no perch to tempt it to fly. Bro-
ken legs may be bandaged round by strips of stout brown paper
soaked in white of egg well beaten up with a fork, the leg should
be kept steady by two splints of wood until the paper has become
dry, when it will be found sufficiently firm to remain secure if
wound round with a turn or two of thread.

DISEASES OF THE BRAIN are not unfrequent in overfed fowls,

apoplexy being the most frequent. The birds affected fall suddenly
from their perches and are found dead. Little can be done in the

way of cure; much in the way of prevention, by abstaining from
unnatural food; in an actual attack, if the bird is seen before
death, it may be bled by opening the vein on the under side of the
wing, but the chances of recovery are but small. Paralysis also
arises from the same cause. In vertigo, which depends on an un-
due determination of blood to the brain, the fowls run round and
round or stagger about ; letting a stream of cold water on the head
immediately relieves, this should be followed by a grain of calomel
or ten of jalap, in severe cases it may be necessary to open a vein.
In most of the older poultry books certain nostrums, as rue and
butter, are constantly recommended; rue is a violent irritating
stimulant, and Т am not aware of any disease affecting fowls in
which its use is at all likely to be productive of good effects.

King, Printer, 63, Queen Street, Cheapside.

TS

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