LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL jE SF 487 B45 SOURC _-^Lirucl Vhis book may be kept out TWO WEEKS only, and is subject to a fine of TWO CENTS a day thereafter. It will be due on the day indicatf Uk ^1 ^.V,A*i: I DATE DUE 1 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009 with funding from Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/americanpoultereOObeme THE AMERICAI POULTERER'S COMPANION, ^ ^practical treatise ON THE BREEDING, REARING, AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF VARIOUS SPECIES OF DOMESTIC POULTRY. ILLUSTRATED WITH PORTRAITS OF FOWLS, MOSTLY TAKEN FROM LIFE : POULTRY-HOUSES, COOPS, NESTS, FEEDING-HOPPERS, &c., &c., &c. A NEW EDITION, ENLARGED AND IMPROVED. BY C. N. BEMENT. WITH 120 ILLUSTRATIONS. NEW YOEK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE. 1867. (3f z. Entered, accordiuir to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, hy HARPER & BROTHERS, in the Clei-k's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. PREFACE, In laying before the public this new, enlarged, and much improved edi- tion of the *' American Poulterer's Companion," the author deems it necessary and not out of place to offer a few remarks regarding the undertaking. The work was first commenced in consequence of the urgent solicitation of nu- merous friends, who professed to think that I was well qualified for the task, and an authority upoii which reliance could be placed, from the fact that the main portion of my lifetime had been devoted to the subject of poultry ; for from my earhest youth I have taken great delight in studying, compar- ing, and admiring our numerous varieties of domestic fowls, which tend so much to enliven and adorn our farm-yards. Impressed for a long time with the belief that poultry, under proper man- agement, might be made as profitable, according to the capital invested, as any other branch of industry properly connected to farming ; and with the view of satisfying myself on that point, I kept an accurate account of ex- penses and income, and found, on footing up the account, my previous opin- ion confirmed. From this register of results I have been enabled to draw such observations as I hope may be found correct and useful to such as seek information on the subject. It is a common saying, that if we would sit down and write that which we have practically learned upon almost any subject, the information imparted could scarcely fail of being useful. Just so far my ambition extends. Nor is the world entirely without need of advice on this subject, notwithstanding its antiquity and the multitude of counselors. Of this fact I have had am- viii PREFACE. pie proof in my numerous visits to various parts of this country, where I have found, in too many instances, that a sufficiency of poultry could not be raised for the use of the family, notwithstanding large numbers were kept, in consequence of the want of care and attention in supplying them with proper food and shelter. And many have houses and yards for their poultry, who, in the use of them, are only guided by random suggestions or unwise examples of their neighbors. They follow in the old beaten track, and, per- haps, even indulge a prejudice against all written instructions which lead them to change their course. To such I would recommend this work, as unfolding no gigantic projects, indulging in no useless theories, tempting to no rash experiments, but exhibiting plainly, practically, and profitably, the best mode for the management of poultry. With this view I undertook the pleasing and delightful task. Although my labors are humble, I hope they will not be the less useful. I have not the vanity to suppose that I have excelled in every thing, but I fondly hope that the path may be render- ed more distinct and smooth for future progress. It is now more than eleven years since the " American Poulterer's Companion" was first published. It was the pioneer of American works devoted to poultry, and has passed through several editions. When I com- menced it, very little attention had been paid to the rearing of poultry. The profits arising from fowls were generally considered too insignificant to enter into the calculations of the farmer ; and, consequently, the improvement of poultry was pretty much neglected in this country. In fact, many farmers considered them rather a nuisance, and " cost more than they corne to." To be sure, there were a few connoisseurs who had imported some Game and Dorking fowls ; but beyond that I have no reliable information. More at- tention had probably been paid to the Game than any other breed. Occa- sionally some Malay fowls were brought in our merchant ships, and found their way into the country, which very much improved the size of the com- mon farm-yard fowl. The object of rearing poultry and eggs for market may appear to some but a trifling concern ; but a glance at the poultry statistics in the closing chap- PREFACE. ix ter of this volume will probably surprise and astonish many who had paid little or no attention to the amount consumed, or been in the habit of reflect- ing on the various items that go to swell our agricultural prosperity. In my endeavors to keep pace with the improvements of the age, I have been actuated by the most liberal views in obtaining the best and most rehable information that could be obtained on the subject, suited to the prac- tical breeder as well as to the amateur or novice. Among the novelties of the age is the excitement that has been manifested within a few years, in this country and Europe, on the subject of improved breeds of poultry. " It has had the effect of calling attention to the subject," say the editors of the American Agriculturist, " not only in the different breeds of fowls, but to the care and general management of them, and much good will arise from it. It has awakened public attention to the true value of poultry as an article of domestic stock, or creatures of sufficient merit and beauty in themselves to render them worth attention beyond the common fowls of the barn-yard. The extravagances, however, which have grown out of it, have afforded the lovers of fun not a few occasions for jest and merri- ment ; for not a few of our notable savans in business and professional fame became as much absorbed with this branch of research as they would have been previously in matters out of which fortunes were to be made. Posi- tively it was ungenerous to laugh at them for this new type of human char- acter. Thousands, as notable as they are, have evinced, in relation to other matters, similar gushing impulses. Rarely does a year roll round and pass away without leaving on its tombstone some corresponding inscription of a new-fledged zeal that marked its authors for unenviable notoriety." Every one who directs his thoughts to the subject, will at once acknowl- edge that poultry are just as capable of improvement as any other farm- stock, by breeding from selected specimens, and the beneficial results arising from this attention to superior parentage are already very marked. From my own experience these facts are very apparent, and no one conversant with poultry can attend our markets without seeing evidences of great im- provement. Many specimens show increased compactness, roundness, and X PREFACE. symmetry ; shorter leg, clean head and neck, fuller and closer feathers, etc. ; still much remains to be accomplished. For information how this further improvement is to be achieved — for authority deciding what are the defects to be avoided, and the excellences to be arrived at — for sound practical di- rections in management — for accurate particulars of the good and bad char- acteristics of varieties, and for information on other points, all naturally turn to works pubhshed relative to poultry. Now we all know that no one has sought such aid without, in a measure, being disappointed. To remedy this defect, as near as possible, is the object of this work. In preparing this volume, no expense has been spared in the embellish- ments, as the best artists have been employed. Some of the spirited and lifeUke portraits on wood were drawn by Mr. K. Van Zandt, of Albany, from living specimens in possession of the author. I hope, therefore, to merit the approbation of the public, and trust the work, in this new form and dress, will be favorably received, and found to combine the utmost economy and utility, united at the same time with elegance and the facility of obtaining the desired end. In no other work, I believe, can be found so many portraits of fowls, and other embellishments. In short, my object and aim in this volume has been to furnish a full, authentic, and reliable work, adapted to meet the demand growing out of the interest recently manifested on the subject. And in the hope that it will serve to diffuse more widely reliable information in respect to the very important subject on which it treats, prove a welcome and valuable acquisition to the libraries of practical men, be found amusing and instructive to the young, and successful with the old and judicious, I make my bow, and intrust it to the public. C. N. Bement. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. GENERAL VIEWS : DOMESTIC POULTRY. Choice of the Cock 33 Choice of the Hen 34 Selecting and Breeding : 34 Laying 30 Fecundity 37 Profits 38 Management....... ,... 35 Food 39 CHAPTER II. POULTRY-HOUSES. Victoria's Poultry-house 47 Lord Penry n's Poultry-house • 47 Mowbray's Poultry-house 48 Scotch Poultry-house 49 Octagon Poultry-house 50 Our own Poultry-house 51 Ornamental Rustic Poultry-house 53 Cottager's Poultry-house 54 Fancy Poultry-house 55 Browne's Poultry-hous e 57 New York Poultry-house 59 Rustic Poultry-house 60 Poor Man's Poultry-house 60 Rhode Island Poultry-house 62 Virginia Poultry-house 63 Van Nuxen's Poultry-house 64 Cheap Poultry-house 64 Duck House 65 CHAPTER III. ACCESSORIES TO THE POULTRY-HOUSE. Plans for Nests 66 Wicker-work Nests 68 Cheap Nests 68 Straw Nests 68 Curious Nest 69 Secret Nests 69 Barrel Coop 69 Marque Coops 69 English Coop 70 Close Coop 71 Pen Coops 72 Nest Eggs 72 Feeding Hoppers 73 Double Feeding Hopper 74 Scotch Feeding Fountain 74 Self-Feeding Hopper 74 Stool Feeding Hopper 75 Perfect Feeding Hopper 76 Feeding Trough 77 Water Fountains 77 Barrel Fountain 77 Bottle Fountain 77 CONTENTS. CHAPTEE IV. WILD FOWL. Sonnerat's Jungle Fowl «.... 82 Bankiva Jungle Fowl 85 Ceylon Jungle Fowl 87 Fork-tail Fowl 88 Fire-backed Jungle Fowl 89 Australian Jungle Fowl 91 CHAPTEE Y. ASIATIC FOWLS. Malay Fowl 98 Kulm Fowl 98 Cochin Fowl 101 Shanghai Fowl 104 Brahma Fowls 1 1 1 Emeu Shanghai Fowl 1 J i CHAPTEE VI. FARM-YARD FOWLS. Game Fowl 116 Dominique Fowl 121 Dorking Fowl 123 Bucks County Fowl 129 Ostrich Fowl 130 Bolton Gray Fowl 131 Frizzled Fowls 133 Silky Fowl 134 Rumpless Fowl 136 Spanish Fowl 138 Hamburg Fowls 141 Silver-penciled Hamburg 142 Golden-spangled Hamburg 143 Golden-penciled Hamburg 144 Silver-spangled Hamburg 144 Specimen Feather 145 Black Hamburg Fowl 145 Bantam Fowl 146 Black Bantam •..,..-.,.• 148 Java Bantam 150 Nankin Bantam 151 Sebright Bantam 151 Creeper Fowl 154 Paduan Fowl 155 CHAPTEE VII. CRESTED FOWLS. Black Poland Fowl 159 Golden-crested Fowl 162 Silver-crested Fowl 164 Russian Fowl 165 Crisp-feathered Fowl 166 Golden-spangled Poland Fowl 167 White Poland Fowl 167 Silver-spangled Crested Fowl 168 Ptarmigan Fowl 169 Serai Taook, or Sultan's Fowl 172 CHAPTEE VIII. INCUBATION. Artificial Hatching 178 Reaumur's Hatching Apparatus 179 Bonnemain's Incubator 180 The Potolokian 184 Mr. Cantelo's Hydro-incubator 185 American Egg-hatching Machine 186 Minasi's Incubator 186 Scientific Hatching Machine . . . , 187 CONTENTS. CHAPTEE IX. FATTENING POULTRY. Wingate's Method 189 | Feeding-: 189 CHxiPTER X. KILLING AND PREPARING FOR MARKET. Age of Poultry 192 | Preserving Poultry 192 CHAPTER XL DISEASES OF POULTRY. Apoplexy 193 Vertigo 194 Paralysis 194 Cartarrh 195 Gapes 195 Pip 196 Roup 196 Consumption 198 Crop-bound 198 Inflammation 199 Diarrhea 199 Costiveness 200 Loss of Feathers 200 Eating their Feathers 200 White Comb 201 Vermin 201 Rheumatism 202 Eating their Eggs 202 CHAPTER XII. TURKEYS. American Wild Turkey 203 [ Honduras Turkey Domestic Turke} 208 | Brush Turkey 219 220 CHAPTER XIII. PEA-FOWL. Description of the Pea-fowl 223 I Characteristics . 224 CHAPTER XIV. GUINEA-FOWLS. Common Guinea-fowl 226 I Crested Guinea-fowl 228 CHAPTER XV. AQUATIC FOWLS.— THE SWAN. Mute Swan 230 White Swan 231 Cygnets 233 Black Swan 234 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XYI. AQUATIC FOWLS.— THE GOOSE. American Wild Goose 236 Domestic Goose 240 Toulouse Goose 247 Embden Goose 248 African Goose 252 Chinese Goose 254 White Chinese Goose 255 Barnacle Goose 257 Brant Goose 259 Egyptian Goose 260 Goose-houses, Nests, etc 261 Diseases of Geese 262 Plucking Geese 263 Fattening Geese 264 CHAPTER XVII. AQUATIC FOWLS.— THE DUCK. The Mallard Duck 265 Black East Indian, or Buenos Ayrean Duck 266 Musk or Brazilian Duck 267 Wood Duck 270 Mandarin Duck 271 Rouen Duck 272 Avlesbury Duck 274 Crested Duck 276 Hook-billed Duck 277 Penguin Duck 277 Canvas-back Duck.... 277 Red-head Duck '. 279 CHAPTER XVIIL WILD BIRDS SUSCEPTIBLE OF DOMESTICATION. Curassow 290 Crested Curassow 290 Galeated Curassow 291 Capercaillie, or Cock of the Wood 292 Ruffed Grouse 293 Prairie Hen 295 Pheasant 297 Cock of the Plains 298 California Partridge 299 Great Bustard 300 Foreign. CHAPTER XIX. POULTRY STATISTICS. 301 I Domestic... 503 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Group of Domestic Fowls 31 Victoria's Poultry-house 45 Octagon Poultry-house 50 Our own Poultry-house 61 Ornamental Rustic Poultry-house 53 Fancy Poultry-house 55 Browne's Poultry-house 57 New York Poultry-house 59 Rustic Poultry-house 60 Poor Man's Poultry -house 61 Cheap Poultrj^-house 6-4 Duck House 65 Secret Nests 66 Wicker-work Nests 68 Barrel Coop 69 Tent Coops 70 English Coop 70 Close Coop 71 Pen Coop v2 Cheap Feeding Hopper 73 Double Feeding Hopper 74 Scotch Feeding Fountain... 74 Self-feeding Hopper 74 Stool Feeding Hopper 75 Perfect Feeding Hopper 76 Feeding Trough 77 Barrel Water-fountain 77 Bottle Water-fountain 77 Japanese Wild Fowl 78 Sonnerat's Jungle Cock 83 Sonnerat's Jungle Hen 84 Bankiva Jungle Cock 86 Specimen Feather of Ceylon Fowl 88 Fire-backed Jufigle Cock 90 Fire-backed Jungle Hen 91 Australian Jungle Fowl 92 Group of Asiatic Fowls 95 Malay Prize Cock 98 PAGE Malay Cock and Hen 99 Group of Cochins ]02 Yellow Buff Cochins 104 Shanghai Fowls 105 Lemon Cock and Hen 107 Group of Brahma Fowls 109 Emeu Shanghai Hen 114 Shawl-necked Game Cock 117 Game Cock and Hen 118 Dominique Cock 122 Dominique specimen Feather 123 Group of Dorkings 124 White Dorking Cock 126 Gray Dorking Cock 128 Bucks County Cock and Hen 129 Ostrich Cock and Hen 130 Bolton Gray Gock and Hen 131 Bolton Gray specimen Feather 132 Frizzled Fowls 133 Silky Fowls 134 Rumpless Fowls 136 Spanish Cock and Hen 138 Hamburg Fowls 142 Hamburg specimen Feather 143 Silver-spangled specimen Feather 145 Bantams 146 Black Bantams 149 Java Bantams 150 Gold and Silver-laced Bantams 151 Sebright Bantams 152 Creeper or Dwarf Fowls 154 Crested Fowls 158 Black Poland Fowls 160 Black Poland Cock and Hens 161 Golden-crested Fowl 163 Silver-crested Fowl 164 Russian Fowls 165 Crisp-feathered Fowls 166 XVI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Golden Spangled Poland 167 Silver-spangled Crested Fowls 168 Serai Taook Fowls 172 Reaumur's Hatching Apparatus 179 Bonnemain's Incubator 180 Reaumur's Artificial Mother 182 American Egg-hatehicg Machine 1 86 Wild Turkey 204 Domestic Turkey 209, 215 Honduras Turkey 219 Brush Turkey 220, 221 Peacock 223 Guinea Hen 226 Crested Guinea Hen 228 Mute Swan 230 White Swan 232 Black Swan 234 American Wild Goose 236 Domestic Goose 240 Toulouse Geese 247 Embden Geese 249 PAGE African Goose 252 Chinese Goose 255, 256 Barnacle Goose 257 Egyptian Goose 260 Mallard Duck 265 Musk Duck 268 American Wood Duck 270 Chinese Mandarin 271 Black East Indian Ducks 272 Rouen Ducks 272 White Aylesbury Ducks 274 Crested Duck 276 Canvas-back and Red-head Ducks 277 Crested Curassow , 290 Galeated Curassow 291 Capercaillie, or Cock of the Wood 292 Ruffed Grouse 294 Prairie Hen 295 Pheasant 296 Califoraia Partridge 299 Great Bustard 300 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. INTRODUCTION. Until within the few last years, it is not ex- travagant to say that the improvement of poul- try was pretty much neglected in this country ; and it is only since the year IS-tO that we have been aroused to an appreciation of their value. It is now, however, generally admitted that the rearing and keeping of poultry has become an important branch of rural economy, and that it is just as susceptible of improvement as any other kind of farm stock, by breeding from se- lected specimens. The beneficial results arising from this atten- tion to superior parentage are already marked ; and no one conversant with poultry can attend our exhibitions without seeing collected evidence of increased and increasing attention and im- provement. At the same time, every specimen affords testimony quite as apparent that much yet remains to be accomplished ; and to impart information how this improvement is to be achieved — to decide what are the defects to be avoided and the excellences to be arrived at — to give accurate particulars of the good and bad characteristics of the different varieties, and to remedy the latter are the objects of this work. Among the novelties of the age is the ex- citement that has been manifested within the last few years, particularly in some of the East- ern States, on the subject of improved poultry. The extravagances that have grown out of it have afforded the lovers of fun not a few oc- casions for jest and merriment ; for not a few of our notable savans in business and profes- sional fame became as much absorbed with this branch of research, as they would have been pre- B viously in matters out of which fortunes were to be made. Indeed we have seen these gen- tlemen as much galvanized with sleeping zeal to ascertain whether a particular variety of fowls should have four toes or five, as in col- lecting and adjusting the newly-found bones of the famous sea-serpent, or of a mammoth in a new locality. But it was ungenerous to laugh at them for this new type of human character ; for thousands as distinguished as tliey are have evinced in relation to other matters similar gushing impulses — the Multicaulis speculation for instance. Earely does a year roll round and pass away without leaving on its tomb-stone some corresponding inscription of a new-fledged zeal that marked its authors for notoriety. The motive which led these gentlemen into such perils to their reputation was excellent. The result to the community will be good with- out doubt. The chaff from their harvest will be blown away or burnt up, but there will be left a residue for use equal to the best wheat. Im- provement in the breeds of farm animals is un- doubtedly one of the most rational topics that has claim on the attention of the farmer. In- dividuals who have distinguished themselves in it — and there are several in Great Britain and this country — have achieved a reputation for themselves as undying and far more honorable than that of the greatest generals the world ever had. The feasibility of such improvement has been demonstrated to an extent that places it in the first class of objects in which successful enterprise in rural economy can be promoted. The principles on which such improvement is ]8 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. predicated are pretty well defined; but the philosophy of these principles is among the un- fathomable mysteries of nature. In this mat- ter, as in numerous other ones, human science may advance to certain points ; the facts dis- covered in the progi'ess may be as prominent and incontrovertible as mathematical theorems, and as solid as the foundations of a gigantic mount- ain, or as transparent as the clear light of noon ; but beyond these points human science stands appalled — not a step onward can be made, not a gleam of light dawns upon the untrodden path ; in the prospective all is dark and incom- prehensible. Every national improvement in the breed of animals has originated in a certain degree of mania. "If such amateurs had not lavished their money upon the turf," says an English writer, "we should never have had such good horses commonly available ; and the same may be said of Short Horned cattle, South Down sheep, and priceless pigs." We most cordially assent to this, and gladly give our opinion that without "this promise of general usefulness" neither the exhibitions themselves would have received so large a share of public support, nor Avould their promoters have been so anxious for their success. Individuals there doubtless are for whom the Fantail-pigeon and the Lop-eared rabbit possess charms beyond the plumpest Dor- king or the tenderest Poland ; but how few are they in number when compared to those who encouraged these exhibitions simply from a desire that " twelve months hence eggs should prove better, chickens cheaper, and all poultry more abundant than ever." All this is literally and emphatically true in relation to animal and vegetable physiology. We know that the different races of men, ac- cording to commonly-received theories, have been occasioned, in a long succession of genera- tions, by meteorological influences. But who can tell why these influences in the human species should have led to the difiference in organization, complexion, and mental endowment obviously characterized in the native American, the Asiat- ic, the African, the Malay, and European races ? None can tell. Conjectures may be raised ; hypothetical explanations may be propounded; but the real truth lies deeply hidden from hu- man investigation. And who can tell, in the feathered tribes, why there is such an infinite diversity in the plumage for instance? We mean not different species, but simply different varieties in single species. Why is there such an assemblage of varying hues in the silky ves- ture of the proud and exulting peacock, of the delicate and matchless bird of paradise, or even the beautiful little humming-bird, which seeks nourishment, like the honey-bee, from the flow- er-garden? Man can no more explain this than he can explain Avhy the same vegetable element Avhitens in the lily and reddens in the rose; or why in one plant it becomes sweet, in another bitter, and in another acid. These things, and similar ones, are among the unrevealed canons of infinite wisdom. In relation to them the Au- thor of them may and does say to us, as He says to the waves of the sea — " Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther." Let us look at the tenants of the poultry-yard, and much indeed will be presented to our view worthy the consideration of the philosopher as well as the rural economist. The latter may easily estimate the pecuniary value of this branch of his investment and care; but can the former as easily tell us Avhy there is an al- most infinite diversification in the develop- ment of the charming birds that enliven the mansion and the surrounding inclosures on the well-disposed farm — diversification of form, of color, of A'oice, and of social attributes? Here is a countless number of mysteries in the animal kingdom, Avhich a profound philosopher can no more explain than the most unlettered peasant. These things are beyond human con- ception. W^e can no more tell why there is such a variation and commingling of colors in the plumage of the poultry-yard, and why there are such deteriorations in the muscu- lar organization and development arising from successive malproductions, than we can tell by M^hat strange process a portion of the human family have become the pigmies called Aztecs, which attracted so much attention among the curious and philosophical. We may, indeed, say it is from the operation of the law of na- 1 ture ; but of the operative principle of this law INTEODUCTIOK 19 we are as ignorant as we are of the law of at- traction that causes the magnetic needle to point to the pole of the north. We know it is so — we know it must be so, from the tens of thousands of cases in which it has been demon- strated ; but this is all we know, or all we can know on the subject. The object of this work is to recommend the breeding and rearing of domestic poultry as one of the branches of rural economy ; and this we shall do by setting forth, as well as our abilities will permit, the benefits to be derived from the poultry-yard. This will embrace three distinct objects. The first, that of rearing poultry for amusement and to supply the table of the owner; the second, doing the same thing with a view to profit ; and the third, the benignant influences that will arise from it to the various residents of the contiguous mansion, both old and young, male and female — particularly the youthful and female members of the family. It is believed that we shall be able to satis- fy the reader that the culture of poultry is of much more importance than has generally been imagined ; and consequently it should become one of the first objects of attention with every family in the country. Every one should be made acquainted with the fact that some kinds of domestic fowls are more prolific and hardy than others ; that some are of greater size ; and that the flesh and eggs of some species or varieties are much superior in richness and flavor to others. The many sup- pose that a " pullet is a pullet, and an egg an egg, and that's an end of it ;" not so, however, those gastronomes, the old Romans, according to Horace. The epicures were particular in the variety of their fowls cooked, or that produced their eggs, and even went so far as to distin- guish between eggs that were supposed to pro- duce males and females, as will be seen by the following lines : " Long be your eggs, far better than round ; Cock eggs they are, more nourishing and sound." Let it be supposed that there are in this country three millions of families that possess all the conveniences for keeping poultry more or less. The number is doubtless greater ; for there is no animal that breathes in the service of man which has such powers of self-multipli- cation or productiveness as fowls. Then let it be supposed that to each of the families belong ten hens — surely a moderate allowance! yet this will make thirty millions for the entire coun- try, which, at thirty cents each, constitutes an entire investment of nine millions of dollars. Four chickens to each hen are probably raised for the table, making one hundred and twen- ty millions of chickens raised every year for that purpose ; which, at the same price, will be thirty-six millions of dollars, or forty millions of dollars for both. Again, if each of the stock hens lays only twelve dozens of eggs in the year — less than one dozen in four weeks — there will be a product of eggs in the entire country of three hundred and sixty millions of dozens. These eggs are worth at least two dollars for each hen. But allowing one half to go for feeding them, there will be left a net profit from the eggs of twenty-four millions of dollars annually; mak- ing a net profit of sixty millions of dollars from the combined production of eggs and chickens. Let this result be placed with some of the leading staples of the country. The A^alue of the flour of the country in 1847 has been set do^vn at $140,000,000. If one half of this is deducted for cost of production, and that is not enough, the value of the poultry is worth more to the country than our wheat crop. And tak- ing similar data for comparison, it is worth dou- ble our oat crop, double our potato crop, double our cotton crop, and is equal to our crop of hay. Indeed, taking the statistics of our agricultural productions that year as a guide, there is but one of them that yielded, according to the most favorable calculation, so large a net profit as the poultry. Or if the poultry did not yield as much as supposed, it is because the poultry- yard is unduly neglected, and its products un- der-estimated. It is affirmed that, with the ex- ception of prime cows, there is not on the farm a single article of produce, whether animal or vegetable, according to the value of the origin- al investment, and to the expense and labor of production, which yields so much clear prof- it as will come from the poultry-yard, if prop- erly regulated. This assertion is made with confidence, because it is sustained by our own 20 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. experience, and by a careful examination of the subject. What better occupation, or, rather, what better amusement can the young members of a family have than to feed and watch over the poultry of a fann ? In this way they may clothe themselves and pay for their books, without in- terfering with the school exercises, or any rea- sonable labors expected from them in other things. In this country poultry has ever been consid- ered a luxury, and consequently not raised in such immense quantities as in France, Egypt, and some other countries, where it is used more as a necessary article of food than as a deli- cacy for the sick, or a luxury for the table. In France, poultry forms an important part of the live stock of the farmer, and it has been said of that country, that the poultry-yards supply a much greater quantity of food to the gentle- man, the wealthy tradesman, and the substan- tial farmer, than the shambles do ; and it is well known that in Egypt it has been, from time immemorial, a considerable branch of rural economy to raise domestic poultry for sale, hatched in ovens by artificial heat. Connected with every farm establishment there should be a poultiy-yard. Without it the farm is as incomplete as it would be with- out a piggery. And there is no reason why poultry should not be considered as a species of agricultural stock, and turned to as good ac- count for both producers and consumers. In- deed, every family in the country, although not devoted to agriculture, should have one. For the mechanic it is important; so it is to the professional man and to the merchant. No direction or rule can be given as to the size of it ; whether it shall contain ten hens, fifty, or a hundred. If it is partly designed to produce poultry for market, it may, of course, be pro- portioned to the demand there is for the prod- ucts. If these products are wanted for home consumption only, the size of the family should regulate the size of the poultry-house and the number of the tenants. And in each case it is apparent that the amount of feed produced on the premises for the use of the fowls, and the local conveniences which can be appropria- ted to their accommodation, should have an in- fluence in deciding how many should be kept. These are matters which all can decide for them- selves. What might be expedient for one fam- ily would be inappropriate to others. Some, too, are excessively fond of eggs; others care less about them. The same is true in regard to the flesh of poultry. This also will have its influence. More eggs, therefore, and a much larger num- ber of fowls of a better description, ought to be ultimately producible; and this improvement should act on the markets of the country. The consumers of poultry in fact, are very numer' ous ; and but from its unnecessary high price, would be greatly increased. Chickens were selling in the New York market in July, 1855, not weighing much over one pound each, for seventy-five cents the pair. We can see no rea- son or excuse for this exorbitant charge. Jf the poultry dealers really fancy they are dis- charging any public duty, they must needs antic- ipate greater cheapness and greater abundance in the breed of our domestic fowls. That there has been an improvement in the size of our do- mestic poultry, is evident from the fact that a few years since, before the fowl mania, dress- ed fowls brought to our markets would seldom weigh over two and a half pounds each; now they run up to three, and even five pounds each — we speak of the common fowls, as raised by the farmers of the country — and this has been accomplished by crossing with the imported va- rieties, and with better care. When fowls were sold by the piece, it was no interest to the farmer to increase the size of his poultry, as a pair weighing only five pounds would command just as much as those of six or seven pounds. Noav, since they are more generally sold by weight, size tells the sto- ry. A fowl without any specific claim of weight is a very nondescript article ; and since we can not as yet see how a couple of fat fowls any- way deserving the appellation can be sold at three shillings per pair, no one can reasona- bly object to pay from ten to twelve cents per pound, according to the season, for poultry, while butcher's meat is from ten to eighteen cents per pound for such pieces as one would wish to see on his table. Bird fanciers are devoting much of their time INTRODUCTION. 21 in studying tlie habits and profits of each kind of fowl, and the best modes for their treatment. It is to be hoped that their labors may prove of value to the community. The subject in this country, as we have said before, till very recent- ly, has attracted little or no attention. It may at first be viewed as too insignificant to merit consideration. This is natural. Little things are frequently treated with contempt, although in the aggregate they assume magnitude sur- passing credibility. This is literally so with poul- try. Because a fair stock of hens can be bought for two dollars or so, they are regarded as be- neath the rank that entitles them even to kind treatment, especially if viewed in connection with expected remuneration. But although the winter stock of hens on a common farm may be estimated at two dollars only, the fair valua- tion of' these hens in the country gives them a commercial importance ranging with some of our best products. We have estimated the profits of the hen at one dollar per year, in addition to paying for her food. But she must have good accommo- dation, suitable food, and enough of it; then our estimate is a low one, provided, also, that she is of any good common breed. To show this we give a few statistics on that point. A correspondent in the New England Farmer says that " one of his neighbors kept fifty-four hens, three geese, and nine turkeys, which he valued at thirty dollars and fifty cents. The money received from eggs and the carcasses sold was one hundred and seventy-four dollars and fifty-nine cents, or a clear profit of eighty- five dollai-s and fifty-one cents." A correspond- ent of the Genesee Farmer^ who kept twenty-five hens, says that "the profit from them in the year, after paying all expenses, was twenty-five dollars and ninety-two cents" — a trifle above our estimate. J. H. Austin, of Canton, Con- necticut, has stated the net profits for one year on fifteen hens to have been twenty dollars. Mr. Crocker, of Sunderland, New Hampshire, had a net profit of sixteen dollars and ninety-seven cents from seventeen hens in a year. Colonel M. Thayer has also stated that he can make more profit from one hundred good hens than from his farm of two hundred acres. His farm is called a good one, and he has been accus- tomed to poultry for fifty years. Of this class we might extend the number to an almost in- definite extent. And yet there is another consideration to be oflfered in favor of the poultry-yard. Is there nothing in the feathered tribes that dwell there to gratify the eye or the ear of those who watch over and nourish them? Can not the lover of natural beauty see any thing for admiration in the well-rounded breast and the gradually ta- pering and gracefully curved necks of these well-chosen and well-fed birds? Is there no beauty in their infinitely variegated plumage ? Can human art successfully imitate the silky fineness and lustre of their feathers? Where, it may be asked, is there in the broad creation aught so much to delight the eye as in the poul- try-yard filled with a choice collection of beau- tiful fowls? And is it possible, with all the dye-stuffs in the land or in the sea, for human skill to produce such an assemblage of delicate and brilliant colors, combined and commingled in ten thousand aspects, as are any day display- ing themselves in the poultry-yard to the gaze and contemplation of their admirers ? If the mansion of the farmer is not ornamented, like the drawing-room of the rich merchant, with costly drapery and tapestry, he may have a poultry-yard exhibiting specimens of beauty that would be the envy of princes. A. B. Allen remarks : " Some look with re- gret upon the recent poultry mania Avhich orig- inated in New England, where most of our new notions are hatched. But we regard it as a downright blessing to the country. It has set people to thinking, to comparing, and finally to importing ; and we have thereby greatly im- proved the quality of our poultry, and advan- tageously and largely augmented their numbers — the direct and inevitable consequence of this excitement. "There is another important matter," con- tinues Mr. A., " connected with this poultry subject, not to be estimated by dollars and cents, but of far more consequence than either. It is the social and moral influence they exert, espe- cially on the junior members of our families. The flower and vegetable gardens, ornamental 22 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. lawn, and useful fields, are all attractive with their varied products of beauty and utility ; yet they fail to enlist that sympathy and feeling which attractive animal life affords. How very much more of interest the pet horse, or cow, or lamb, excites among the little ones, or even among the serious, than the choicest trees, or shrubs, or flowers ! And as we descend in the scale of size to certain limits, we intensi- fy the interest of our children in the domestic ] ets. The tenants of the poultry -yards, with I heir youngling broods, are, of all things, what earliest catch and rivet their attention, and de- termine their devotion to rural life. By their withdrawing their thoughts from trifling games, vicious sports and indulgences, or idle, worth- less habits, a great point is gained toward de- veloping and maturing the future useful mem- ber of society. Comparatively few who have not the advantages of an extended farm can indulge in the luxury of improved flocks and extensive herds; but almost every one, not closely hemmed in by the brick walls of a city, can gi'atify their taste, and excite that of their children, by keeping a few choice fowls. They are far preferable to the usual pets — dogs, cats, and singing birds ; there is less danger from dis- ease from them, much more variety, more scope for ingenuity for rearing and attending, and we need not add on whicli side the profit is likely to be. If for no other reason, then, than to in- terest the children in a useful, attractive pur- suit, we would say to any person who has the room, by all means keep some select poultry." It is well knoAvn that the constant supervis- ion of most farm animals leads to affectionate familiarity mutually cherished. These animals well know their kind guardian from all others ; when fed, they express their grateful looks, and wanting feed, their attitude, their motions, their beaming eyes, are so many beseeching manifes- tations of hunger. It is not, indeed, human speech ; it is not a written language ; but their keeper understands them perfectly, and if he is a man of kindness, he fails not to administer to their wants and to cultivate the exercise of their sympathies. Let it be asked if he expe- riences no pleasure in his intercourse with them, and especially in his ministrations to their ne- cessities? Does their seeming fondness for him inspire no corresponding emotions in his bosom? Can he look upon them with the heartless indifference that he surveys the stones beneath his feet ? Does no reciprocity of feel- ing spring up beneath them ? It is not possible. If it were, he would not deserve the name of man. The greatest social pleasure felt from an in- tercourse with, and a supervision of, dumb ani- mals, is that which arises from a supeiwision of the poultry-yard. This is to be expected. The intercom'se is more constant than with any oth- er farm animals. In the time of rearing the young, it is seemingly every hour in the day. The feebleness and the recklessness of young birds render this indispensable. In all cases the strength of mutual attachments is propor- tioned to the degree of constancy of intercourse kept up. This is true in human society. It is equally true in the brute creation. It is also true where they exist between human beings and dumb animals. Even in the stillness of a thick darkness that lulls to rest earth's wide realm, do we experience no pleasure at the un- failing notes of chanticleer proclaiming the hour of midnight or of dawning day ? We nev- er hear these notes without emotions of joy. And with the rising sun what an uninteiTupt- ed concert opens among the feathered groups ! What a jubilee begins to greet the new-bom energies of the world ! With a hundred hens constantly leaving their nests there is an un- interrupted succession of their joyful notes'. Their mouths do not appear to be large enough to emit all the boisterous emotions that animate them. In the midst of this ceaseless cackling, every now and then their lordly mates cause the surrounding forests to echo with their shrill crowing — and rising above this, at measured intervals, is heard the pompous shout of the gobbler, almost causing the ground, like the dis- charge of cannon, to tremble beneath him. And if the Guinea-fowl belongs to this commu- nity, as if to increase this vocal jargon, or to make burlesque upon it, his harsh voice, not unlike the filing in a machine-shop, is he.ard for half a mile. If there is not music in all this, there is life in it — there is animation in it. INTRODUCTION. 23 Whenever witnessed there can be no stupid lan- guor, no lugubrious dullness for want of objects to inspire a feeling of interest, no painful sen- sation of solitude and loneliness. The human being that gives no responsive emotion to the sounds of this scene must have a heart as im- penetrable as adamant, affections as frigid as the ice of the poles, and is, indeed, an outcast from Nature's temple. Yet far more important in a social or sympa- thetic view is the pleasure experienced in feed- ing poultry, and thus making them, as it were, companions. Animal nature is full of social impulses, and these impulses are not confined in their operation to the particular species in which they severally originate. These impulses belong to other animals as well as to man. In the advancing state of agriculture a pecul- iar interest is, at the present moment, thrown around every means calculated to advance the interests of rural economy ; domestic poultry, though last, not least, now comes in for a share ; and we are pleased to perceive that more atten- tion has of late been directed to this subject. There is scarcely an agricultural paper which reaches us that does not contain some inqui- ries in regard to their management, properties, varieties, etc., etc. "He who adds," says Boswell, "to the pro- ductiveness of any object of nature, which can add a unit to the sum of human subsistence, and which can render that available for the pur- pose which was wasted or useless before, must be deemed a benefactor to his species. In this light even the rearing a few poultiy may be viewed ; for by them much of the refuse of the kitchen may again appear on the table in a new and better form ; and if to them can be added the rabbit, the pig, and the cow, there is no necessity that any thing be lost or thrown away." The industrious mechanic can easily associ- ate the poultry-yard to add to the comforts of his family, to render his leisure hours more profitable, and to convert his recreations into a reward. With proper arrangements and at- tention he may either in a village or city, at a trifling expense, keep at least twenty hens that will furnish each year from ten to fifteen hun- dred eggs and not far from one hundred chick- ens, plump and full-grown for the table. Among all nations throughout the globe, eggs and poultry have been long used and highly prized as articles of food. But the lack of information, or the want of proper atten- tion in the management of fowls, the small quantity and high price of eggs in our markets during the winter season, cause most persons in moderate circumstances to do without them, Mobile those of larger means use them as expen- sive luxuries. " Poultry," says an able author, " has been too much undervalued as a means of study and field for recreation. Insignificant and, to us, value- less wild animals, brought from a distance, about whose history and habits we care little or no- thing, are received Avith respectful attention by men of education and ability, and embalmed in spirits, treasured in museums, and portrayed by artists ; but a class of creatures inferior to few upon the earth in beauty, useful, compan- ionable, and of great value in an economical point of view, are discarded and disdained." The importance of raising poultry in a pecu- niary point of view, has been little appreciated by the farmer, and on most farms very little attention is paid to the rearing and breeding a greater number than can subsist by picking up waste or refuse grain, or Avhat might escape the pigs and be lost. They are considered unprof- itable, and a very insignificant part of live stock on the farm ; still, they should not altogether be neglected, for there are very few persons who do not like a fresh-laid egg or a fine fat pullet ; and these are some of the fine things which happily can be had in perfection by the fann- er or mechanic, with very little trouble or ex- pense. A writer in the Cottage Gardener says, "Look- ing at the chicken merely as a machine for the conversion of cheap materials into a costly arti- cle of animal food, the point to be considered by those who have this object in view, and would be guided by motives of economy in their selection, is not which machine will con- sume least of the raw materials (for in any case the equivalent in the manufactured article will be in fixed proportion to the amount of 24 THE AMERICAN POULTEEER'S COMPANION. materials employed), but which will manufacture tlie article most expeditiously, and give the quickest return of serviceable food ; here I think it will not be questioned that the Cochin breed [ possesses this property in a pre-eminent degree." i The question then naturally arises, which is the most profitable breed to keep ? The answer must be, that which feeds best at an early age at the least expense, and that which possesses those properties most valued for food. Where every article of food has to be purchased, and no range can be permitted beyond limited yards and inclosures, there must be sales at fancy prices, and, moreover, great skill to remunerate the outlay ; but wherever poultiy has been kept as a regular item in the economy of a farm- yard, or even a laborer's cottage, we fully be- lieve that a good breed of Dorking or Cochin China fowls properly managed will justify our present opinion of their merits as early layers, as also for their flesh. For beauty the Dorkings surpass the larger, kinds. They have short legs, small bones, full breasts, beautiful white flesh, quite equal in that to any breed ; they fatten quickly — indeed, if well fed, need no cooping for the table. In spite of their high price, in spite of the prejudice which exists against the Cochin Chi- na for the table, and the quantity of corn they are accused of consuming, we do most assured- ly believe them to be the best foAvl for the poor man and the farmer, considering them not as /ancy, but only as productive stock. If it be worth the farmer's or cottager's while to. keep poultry, it is worth their while to con- sider how they may do so most profitably, and make the best arrangement for their manage- ment in every particular. It is ah acknowledged fact, and it is not the less true, that most old women who live in cot- tages know better how to rear chickens than any other persons ; they are more successful ; and it may be traced to the fact that they keep but few fowls; that these fowls are allowed to run freely in the house, to roll in the ashes, to approach the fire, and to pick up any crumbs or eatable morsels they may find on the ground, and are nursed with the greatest care and in- dulgence. It is not every one Avho is in possession of such an abode for his poultry; but wherever, in addition to these advantages, discretion and judgment in the selection of the birds are shown, the fortunate individual will always be a dangerous competitor, both as regards the condition of his older birds, and the vigor, groAvth, and form of their oftspring. Let us not be supposed, by what has been said heretofore of the necessity of constant atten- tion, to throw any discouragement on poultry- kee])ing; so far from it, one great object of our present work is to explain how it may be so done as best to pay the cost and labor it must entail. But neither in this nor in any other business will it answer for a person to engage without some experience of Avhat they have to deal with, and a careful calculation of outlay and returns. Hoping, indeed, that this book may fall into the hands of very many to whom the profit and loss on their adventure are of importance, our cau- tions must be plainly given ; so that, after all, the columns of the egg-book and the result of sales may not be exceeded by the charges for barley, oats, corn, and a host of other items. The cottager, the farmer, and the amateur who would wish to make his poultry pay, must each see to this. It is true that, for those fond of such pursuits, there will be much amusement, much daily increase of knowledge of the natural history and habits of our pets ; where this alone is thought worth paying for, no one can find fault. But our other friends — and an infinitely larger class are thus comprised — must find them- selves remunerated for their investment of mon- ey or time. No poultry-keeper, indeed, high or low, has a right to complain of want of success, if he neglects keeping a regular account of food consumed and profit by poultry and eggs sold. Without this he is journeying in the dark, and the usual termination of such undertakings will also, doubtless, be his. This hint, we imagine, may prove of service to very many of those who can least afford to suffer loss by their poul- try, and who most desire to increase their gains ; for, after all, it is only by following out a reg- ular system of management that any person can expect to satisfy himself that fowls, of whatever breed they may be, do really pay. Many dis- INTRODUCTION. 25 like the little trouble it may create, and looking upon it as an insignificant item, are apt to say, "/ believe it pays, hut can not speak positively" and are content to go on as before ; but at the same time they have no right to be surprised if their rough calculations neither convince others nor fill their own pockets. From our own experience we can safely say that there are few parts of the farmer's prem- ises that can be made to contribute, according to the capital invested, more effectually to the comfort of the family, and, if properly managed, to the aggregate profit of the season, than the poultry-yard; and we are pleased to observe that more attention of late has been directed to the subject of domestic fowls. " Take care of the cents, and the dollars will take care of them- selves," is an old maxim, and, so far as the farmer's profits are concerned, we think a true one. But few species of animals are of so much utility as that of the fowl. Whether young, adult, or old, male or female, these birds af- ford light, wholesome, and strengthening food, which is equally suited to those in good health and to those in a sick or convalescent state, which the art of our modern epicures knows how to transform in a thousand different ways, and always agreeable, but which is not less suc- culent when dressed with temperate plainness. But though most farmers keep fowls and raise their own eggs, there are many who have not learned the difference there is in the rich- ness and flavor of eggs produced by well-fed hens and those from birds- that have been half starved through our winters. There will be some difference in the size, but far more in the quality. The yolk of one will be large, fine colored, and of good consistence, and the albu- men, or white, clear and pure ; while the con- tents of the other will be watery and meagre, as though there was not vitality or substance suf- ficient in the parent fowl to properly carry out and complete the work that nature had sketch- ed. In order, therefore, to have good eggs, the fowls should be well fed, and also provided with gravel during the. months they are unable to come to the ground, that they may be able to grind and prepare their food for digestion. Of eggs, those from the donvsstic hen are de- cidedly the best; but those of ducks and geese may be used for some of the purposes of do- mestic cookery. The way in which the farmers in general, in this country, manage their poultry, is not the best for them or the fowls. They are allowed to run where they please, to lay and sit at any time they may deem expedient ; when the hen comes off with her chickens, she is suffered to ramble about, exposing the young brood to cold and wet, which thins them off rapidly ; no suit- able accommodations are provided for their roosting-places, and they are allowed to find a place to roost where they can, probably in some exposed situation in a tree or shed ; no atten- tion is given to feeding them ; and under such circumstances it is not to be wondered at that few or no chickens are raised, and that fowls are sickly or unprofitable. When with so little expense to himself a farmer may have an abundant supply of eggs and raise one or two hundred chickens, it would appear strange that the poultry business should be so little attended to by the owners of the soil. Where crops are sown immediately around the barns, it may be inconvenient to have fowls run at large, but in many cases fifty or one hundred of these birds may be kept, not only without injury but with benefit. There are generally large quantities of grain scattered in the barn- yards and lost unless eaten by fowls ; there are myriads of insects, such as flies, bugs, worms, grasshoppers, etc., which require to have their numbers diminished by the cock and his follow- ers ; and even if constantly kept up and fed, ex- perience shows that for the amount of money invested the poultry-yard contributes in propor- tion as great a return as any other part of the farm. The following rules may be safely given — and they are useful ones moreover, in many oth- er matters besides those of which we are now speaking : Never keep poultry without thinking it worth your while to give it a fair share of your attention — without satisfying yourself, if your time is otherwise employed, that it has the at- tention of your servant. Never keep persons for that purpose who do not show, by activity and 26 THE AMEEICAN POULTEKER'S COMPANION. forethought, that lAiey are fond of this employ- ment, and who think of it at other times beyond the periods in which they are actually engaged about it. When you are fortunate enough to find these various qualifications united, you may hope for the best, and will probably find that many a useful obsen^ation as to the peculiar characteristics of the different breeds, and many a hint that may be profitably acted on, will re- ward your discrimination. It is quite certain nothing has become so general or so unirersally popular in modern times as a taste for the culture of domestic poul- try. This has arisen most probably, in a great measure, from the tAvo-fold fact, that though a most exceedingly i)leasant recreation, it has proved itself far more remunerative, in a pecun- iary point of view, than any other public fan- cy of recent date ; the latter, no doubt, having ensued in no slight degree from the anxiety to obtain first-rate specimens wherewith to com- pete at the public exhibitions of poultry. A few years since the prices obtained easily for fancy fowls would have been considered fab- ulous, and their purchasers jeered right hearti- ly on the utter possibility of ever "seeing their money again." Time, however, that proves all things, shows that some of those who were thus situated had displayed gi-eater foresight than their neighbors, and thus obtained considerable emolument from a source that had for many years been almost altogether neglected, or the profits of which, thus carelessly and indolently obtained, were only appropriated as "pin-mon- ey" for the wife and daughters of the family generally. It is now far diff"erent, and many have largely increased their incomes by the produce of some three or four hundred of well- selected poultry. " There appears," says an English writer, " to have been two radical errors into which aspir- ants for poultry honors have by far too gener- ally fallen, viz.^ the supposition they might get very first-rate produce from indifferent stock; and others have erred quite as glaringly by adopting the plan of buying, at any price, those fowls only that have taken first prizes at the poultry shows. A few moments quiet reflection will tend to prove the fallacy of either plan. " It is a well known fact that even when fowls are bred from the purest strains, all the produce will not evidence equal purity with their par- ents as to the characteristics of that particular variety to which they belong; it will, therefore, be easily conceived how infinitely removed are the probabilities of obtaining such where the 'blood stock' are only tolerable character; and as regards the purchase of first-rate prize pens only, this arrangement is open to the very seri- ous objection that by so doing we have no change of blood, and the past experience of many a disappointed amateur has proved, and doubtless the dearly-bought knowledge of others will yet confirm that the undeviating and inevitable con- sequences of such 'interbreeding' will be im- becility and deterioration of character in the offspring," It is hardly necessary to draw the attention of breeders generally to the fact, how few ani- mals in England have maintained their superi- ority for a series of years in any particular va- riety, unless by the exhibition of the same cause which exists when first prize pens only are pur- chased for breeding stock by a wealthy new be- ginner. All being from the same blood, their offspring (if any) are puny, weakly, and highly susceptible of disease. These much-to-be- dreadcd consequences are easily obviated by obtaining the male birds from one strain, their hens or pullets (as the case may be) from an- other and different one, then, if well selected, there is but little fear but there will be ample cause for self-congi-atulation as to their produce for a couple of generations, after which period deterioration Avill certainly ensue if the same plan is not again repeated. We will just advert to one other most uni- versal mistake into which an unreflecting novice is almost certain to inveigle himself unwittingly, viz.^ a thirst for more poultry than he has the means to accommodate ; the consequence is, the adult fowls are bad enough, but on the youn- ger branches it acts with crushing effect ; and certain it is, that many a one has seen conta- gion spreading its baneful influences on every side within the precincts of his poultry-yard, without the slightest supposition ever crossing his mind that his own former imprudence was INTEODUCTIOK 27 che foster-parent of all his present troubles. We need scarcely insist on the all- important subject of the most scrupulous care as to cleanliness in every department of a poultry-yard, whether in regard to water, food, or the roosting-houses. If proper attention is earl// given, good food used, and the fowls have been carefully and wisely chosen in the first place, we do not fear an un- satisfactory result. We advocate beginning well, that is, with the best stock that can possibly be obtained ; but certainly nothing can be conceived much more absurd than giving twenty-five, twenty, or even ten dollars per head for fowls, at the same time indulging in the hope of our ever making them pay a suitable return. Had not this fre- quently been done, and even greater prices ob- tained of late years, there would have been but trifling necessity for maintaining it; but were many who have paid such prices candid in their acknowledgments, we doubt not they would themselves admit to having ere this both seen and likewise paid for their inexperience and folly. At many of the country establishments in Europe the buildings and yards for fowls are arranged on an extensive scale, comprising ev- ery necessary building, commodiously planned^ and embracing every necessary or accessory required for the natural propensities, the com- fort, and the protection of the various kinds : apartments which can be occasionally heated for the tender birds ; basins of water which can be frequently emptied and refilled, and several inclosures of grass or orchard grounds as out- lets for the poultry to range in alternately. The yards or outlets are also surrounded by high picket fences, to prevent the escape of tlie fowls or entrance of enemies. A keeper, male or fe- male, is usually appointed to take care of the whole, and receive the oi-ders for the required supplies of the family. After all, perhaps, there is no better range for fowls, kept in any considerable quantities, nor one that seems so suitable as a well-arranged farmyard with suitable houses and accommoda- tions for the poultry. The benefit of untold food, the opportunities of selecting the most shelter- ed and warm situations for roosting, and the constant scratching in the straw in the thresh- ing season, were advantages, we are aware, not now generally obtained; but our object in the narration of this is, that though for many years from eighty to one hundred fowls composed the breeding stock, and in summer time the amount was frequently four times that number, the occupants stated they never lost ten full- grown fowls from disease in as many t/ears, and that their chief mishaps were from the cat- tle treading on the chickens when small. Under this treatment eggs were obtained early in the season, and chickens were pro- duced very much earlier than at the surrounding farms, where no accomodations were provided, while, as the rage for fancy fowls did not then ex- ist, and consequently the returns were entirely limited to their value for the table, the result was far better from the poultry than from any othei description of stock around the homestead. Chickens reared in this way were always plump and ready — a very significant remark, that at any age they are sure to be in condition. The eggs were anxiously sought for, at much higher than market price, as they could always be de- pended upon for the purpose of the breakfast- table, and the rich brown color of the shell was a feature that was generally approved. Any person who neglects fair and legitimate means for profitably increasing the business he is engaged in, because the source from which such increase springs is small, commits an er- ror. Now, this error is very commonly com- mitted in farming stock, as applied to poultry. There are few farmers in this country who do not possess poultry; that is, various descrip- tions of small inferior birds, which rarely attain size and have not the quality of layers to com- pensate. Taking an average of farms, large and small, throughout the country, the number of breeding birds on each may be calculated at fifty or more. The usual practice is to allow the birds to breed in-and-in, haphazard; occa- sionally a hen is added, as an " excellent layer^^ and her small progeny, bred from an inferior cock bird, are kept with the others. On more car6/M//?/-managed farms occasionally a large cock bird of no particular breed is added ; but this is the utmost, and the consequence is ap- 28 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. parent in the general appearance and smallness of barn-yard poultry. The mere fact of poultry being kept as a part of farming stock is at once an admission of its necessity. To the man who is content to cul- tivate his land, and keep the class of live stock, as in by-gone days, little can be said, but a suggestion to the improving farmer may not be cast away. We suppose it to be part of the Anglo-Saxon character to make business of every thing, and, when undertaken, to do it heartily. This may be the reason why the poultry m.ovement is confined to this country and England. That which a few years since was unknown, is now becoming a great pursuit, and affording a delightful and innocent change to those who require it after a day of toil. It has called forth a spirit of emulation, and, true to our first remark, it has endeavored to turn it to account. The same mania assixmes the same feature in each country ; exhibitions, sales, and friendly paper war. Both quote from each oth- er's papers, and the judgments of certain breeds are carefully canvassed on either side of the Atlantic. For good poultry there is a sale, and where there has not liitherto been, they will supply one. The fact that they are to be had of a good quality will cause a demand to be made for them. In all cities there is always a de- mand, and, like other provisions, there are dif- ferent periods for different prices ; and here it is that Poultry Shows do much good in offering premiums for early maturity. If those who have facilities for rearing chickens in March or even February, take them to market in May and June, or even July, they can not fail to receive a remunerating price, say from thirty-seven and a half to fifty cents per pair for chickens four months old ; at this season, less than thirty-sev- en and a half cents would be ridiculously low. For early spring chickens such prices are nec- essary, when the cost of production is duly con- sidered; and this at once indicates the main point toward which the improvement of Poul- try Societies should be directed — the combina- tion, as nearly as may be, in one bird, of early maturity, hardihood of constitution, and excel- lence, no less than quantity of meat. A few more words as to the age at which we should kill, and the system on which we should feed, and then follows the main point' — how much per head it costs to keep them, and what profit over and above the outlay. Four months is long enough for any early cockerel to exist that is destined for the kitch- en; if a late bird, and consequently of slower growth, add another month to his life ; but let him not, under any circumstances, exceed the six. He is killed then with the most profit, whether for our own consumption or for sale. Pullets will usually be ready from three months till they are about to lay, during which they would be greatly depreciated for the table. Here observe the quick return ; and surely it will be admitted that no other breed of fowls can rival the Cochin China and Brahma breed in this particular. The following desen'es attention. A con- sideration -most valuable to the poor man, and to those who have their interest at heart, is the indifference of Cochin China or Brahma fowls to first-rate accommodation. They are very ro- bust and healthy, very seldom ill, and less easily injured, from the egg-shell upward, than most kinds. Whatever may be the result of the poultry mania, it is unquestionable that the demand for poultry will continue. Immense numbers of fowls are being disposed of daily, and although the supply may be greatly increased, it is un- equal to the demand. It w^as said years ago, that when canals and railroads were completed, horses and oats would be unsalable. Every- one who has paid any attention knows that has not been the fact, for horses and oats were nev- er higher than at present, and it will be so with poultry. We are entirely without statistical re- turns on the subject, but if they were compiled, people would be astonished at the great con- sumption both of eggs and poultry. Poultry, except to rich people, has always been a luxury ; it may still continue so during a few months in the year ; but there is no rea- son why in the autumn and winter months it should not be Avithin the reach of those whose means are small. It can be raised at little ex- pense and sold at a reasonable rate, and where- INTRODUCTION. 29 ever it is offered for sale, purchasers will also be found. There is so much truth and practical good sense in the following remarks, by A. B. Allen, in the American Agriculturist, that we can not resist the temptation of transferring them to our pages : " It is within ten years past only that public attention has been somewhat awakened to the true value of poultry as an article of do- mestic stock, or as creatures of sufficient merit and beauty in themselves to render them worth attention beyond the rude clowns of the barn- yard, or the pence-saving economy of the com- mon housewife. In the multiplied objects, how- ever, which increased intelligence and luxury are continually adding to the demands of coun- try life, the resources of the poultry-yard have been drawn into active requisition. The vari- ous species, kinds, varieties, and tribes of the whole domesticated feathered Avorld have been examined, their merits canvassed, and their subjects appropriated to the use, pleasure, and amusement of our people to a degree certainly never equaled since our country had a popula- tion. As a matter of taste they have become a branch of the fine arts — 'high art,' as poor Haydon, in his enthusiasm for art-progress, would have called it. " There is as much science, taste, and art in breeding poultry ' to a feather,' as in breeding a horse to the highest racing or trotting speed, and to our notion, quite as useful to the world at large — and, in their consequences, vastly less productive of the questional commodity of fast men than the latter pursuit. We have sat at the dinner-table where grave and reverend gen- tlemen sipped their wine and bobbed their heads toward each other with the most potential dig- nity, and where Avine vaults, the years of their vintage, and the manner of their keeping, were discussed for hours together, and not a single idea eliminated during the whole sitting; and if in place of such a bore, the company could have adjourned to a well-bred poultry-yard, and discussed the merits of its several inhabitants, with the taste and intelligence which they de- served, each one would have been the wiser in head, and better in stomach and body for the transition. "We are not going to talk now of fowls as economical things, or as a branch of domestic stock. This question, we take it, has been, from time immemorial, settled in the affirma- tive. Eor present purposes Ave are content to consider them as an amusement, an ornament, as a subject of beauty, of interest, and as a study for the leisure hours of the country or the tOAvn, or city resident either, if opportunity fa- vors their keeping. Nor are we about to find fault Avith, or to criticise the taste of any one in the selection of a variety, or the several va- rieties that he may keep, although we frankly confess that Ave never fancied the monstrous Asiatic fowls that are at present so highly pop- ular. We admire the medium sized and more graceful birds that shoAV finished breeding and high quality, as Ave Avould prefer the refined and blood-like Arabian to the large Clydesdale or Canestoga draught horses. Such, hoAvever, is only individual opinion, and the wherefore need not at this time be discussed. "The great show at Barnum's, contrary to general expectation, brought out altogether the finest, largest, and choicest exhibition ever wit- nessed in America. Of their kinds, there were scarcely a pair of inferior birds in the collection — and many foAvls came five hundred miles for the occasion. This very fact shoAvs that poul- try fanciers within striking distance of New York have confidence in the society, in its man- agers, in the ability of Mr. Barnum to carry it out, and in his integrity to do what he prom- ised. So far all was well, as, of course, it should be. "As an evidence of the interest felt among the fanciers of all ranks and all fortunes, except the rascally Ioav and worthless (not an individ- ual of these, have we learned, that made an of- fering on the occasion), they sent their birds, generally attended by themselves, and took a lively interest in every thing that appertained to the proceedings. We saAv highly distin- guished scientific gentlemen, lawyers, and states- men of great repute ; grave divines, "wise with the lore of centuries;" merchants and com- mercial men, called, by way of eminence, 'mill- ionares ;' artisans, farmers ; men of no occupa- tion, sometimes styling themselves, by way of THE AMEEICAN POULTERER'S COIMPANION. notoriety, gentlemen — singly, and with their wives and daughters and little children, all eagerly threading their way through and by each other, themselves constantly around or stopping to gaze at the coops and cages, intent on seeing every thing, examining a great many birds, and holding spirited conversations at va- rious points and angles of each of the great halls where the chickens were congi-egated ; and not once only, but repeatedly, day after day, during the show, did we see some of the same individ- uals, groups, and families. " Now this means something. People would not congregate at this inclement season, from fifty to five hundred miles distant to witness a 'chicken show* in New York, unless there was ' something in it.' There is somethinrj in it. There is a study in it ; a subject for investiga- tion ; a delightful contemplation in natural his- tory, to speculate upon the almost numberless varieties that are produced, and their beautiful, hannonious ai-rangement of plumage, shape, and all the wonderful qualities they possess. They are a thing to love, to interest young minds, and old ones too, who have enough of the natural left in their artificial thoughts to appreciate any thing. They are among the things that make country life interesting, and attach people to home, and make it pleasanter to them than all the world beside. It shows, too, that the world is growing better in domes- tic feeling and home attachment — that little things are worth looking after, and although of no great magnitude, that one had better feel interested in a chicken, goose, duck, or pigeon, than not be interested at all — and children and young minds, if not amused by innocent things, will surely become interested in vicious ones. "To breed a good chicken, duck, goose, or turkey — a good animal of any kind — requires thought, skill, observation, study, and genius. Not so much either, perhaps, as to be a finished sculptor or painter; but breeding perfect models in form, grace, and plumage, is an accomplishment in the fine arts, as well as to perpetuate their similitudes in marble, or fix them on canvas." The following remarks upon fowls in general we find in the New York Journal: "Fashion is very eccentric in the different forms it takes, and often breaks out in unlooked-for ways and upon unthought of subjects : and in nothing has it been more violent or more absolute than in poultry. Politics, metaphysics, religion, stocks, have been in many places banished from every circle for more edifying and profitable discus- sions upon the relative merits of Shanghais or Cochin Chinas. Country gentlemen have taken to experimenting on various breeds, and a vig- orous speculation is often carried on upon Fowl Exchange, equaling, if not excelling, the interest and excitement at the Board upon the fluctua- tions of undiscoverable mining and coal com- panies that are blessed with names above — their 'local habitations' being beyond the power of man to discover. In Wall Street, where pups and mice, rabbits, birds, candies, fruits, big Irish., men with little mock-watches, jujube-paste, pop corn, cutlery, things to eat, to wear, to look at, and to put to no use or ornament whatever — in Wall Street, where, upon every step and curb- stonCj these things assemble, prominent among all are Cochins, Chittagongs, Malays, Spanish, Shanghais, Dorkings, Rumpkins, Frizzled, Ban- tams, and innumerable others, where shrill and loud crowings mingle with the chink of gold, and the incessant jargon of bargain and sale. And no more interesting feature does the busy mart present, judging from the admiring crowd, who are gathered continually around them. The sales of these fancy birds in this street amount daily to a large number. They bring extraordinary high prices, and there are doubt- less many shrewd breeders who skillfully keep up the passion, thereby reaping large profits." GENERAL VIEWS. 31 CHAPTEE I. GENERAL VIEWS : DOMESTIC POULTRY. Under the term Domestic Poultry, are un- derstood the cock and hen, turkey, duck, goose, pea and guinea fowl, to which perhaps may be added, the swan. Although fowls used for the table are, by nature, granivorous, yet all the va- rious species, the goose perhaps excepted, are carnivorous likewise, and great devourers of fish and flesh. By propagation and crossing, gallinaceous fowls have been distributed into endless varie- ty; but without including the more marked breeds. Dr. Bechstein distinguishes eight varie- ties of the common barn-yard fowl; viz., the fowl with a small comb; the slate-blue fowl; the silver-colored fowl; the chamois-colored fowl ; the ermine-like fowl ; the crowned fowl ; the widow, which has white tear-like spots on a dark ground ; and the fire and stone-colored fowls. It is difiicult, however, in many cases to identify the distinctions mentioned by for- eign writers with the fowls bred in this coun- try. If one wishes to be acquainted with the nature and the inclinations of fowls, one is obliged to have recourse to the poultry-yard ; for we know nothing of the habits of wild fowls ; but a long bondage has operated such great alterations in the nature of our fowls, that it is not easy to come at their original character. For instance, the tame fowl makes no nest ; the wild one surely does. The fecundity of the former is in a measure unbounded ; except in the moulting season, it lays almost incessantly ; analogy will not allow us to doubt but that, in the wild tribe, the laying must be considerably confined, and that it takes place only at regular times. The cock is to the farmer a living clock, where exactness, to be sure, is not quite so cor- rect as some of our Connecticut-made wooden clocks; but is sufiicient, nevertheless, to point out the divisions of the day and night, of labor and rest. The attitudes of the cock are those of haught- iness ; he carries his head high ; his look is bold and quick ; his gait is grave ; all his motions be- speak a noble assurance ; he seems to reign over 32 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. the other inhabitants of the poultry-yard. His activity is indefatigable, and he is never deficient in vigilance. Constantly taken up with his mates, he warns them out of danger, gets before them, and if obliged to yield to force, which robs him of one, he for a long time expresses by loud out- cries his anger and his regrets ; feeling for their suffering, he again utters loud and sonorous ex- clamations, when by their cries they announce the pains or fatigues of laying, A softer cluck- ing is the signal by which he calls them ; his un- usual shrill crow is, at the same time, the ex- pression of his continual Aigilance, the cry of victory after an engagement, and the accent of satisfied love. It was formerly thought that the cock and the nightingale were the only day birds that sung and crowed at night ; other species also warble after sunset ; but all, as well as the night- ingale, are quiet when the season of love is over ; whereas the tame cock crows every day and ev- ery night throughout its whole existence. How- ever, there is some ground to presume that it is otherwise in a state of nature, and that the crow- ing of the wild cock is no more, as Avith other birds, than the momentary accent of his loves. If the life of the domestic cock be an unin- terrupted series of enjoym.ents, it is also com- monly a continual scene of war. As soon as a rival comes forward, the fight begins, and only ends by the retreat of one of the champions. Sometimes both i-ivals die in the battle. If one of them be conqueror, he immediately cel- ebrates his triumph by repeated crowings and by flapping his wings. The other disappears, abashed at being defeated. Less spirited than the males, hens are also milder and more timid ; though they fight with each other, and, for a moment, with ten times more fury than the cocks. Their voice is less sonorous ; but its different modulations show that they, as well as the cocks, have a varied language ; after having laid, they utter loud cries ; if they call their chickens together, it is by a short, gi'ave clucking; they warn them out of danger by a monotonous and lengthened cry, which they repeat till the bird of prey is out of sight; in fine, they keep up, between themselves, a continual cackling, which seems to be a coherent conversation between these very chattering females. There are some hens which faintly imitate the crowing of the cock ; they are usually the young ones of the year, and they do not always keep on this mimic fancy, as I have ascertained by following several of those crowing hens, which happened to be at different times in my poultry-yard. As to the rest, they had none of those exterior characters which could bring them near the cock; they lay like the rest, and it is wrong that they should be generally proscribed as either barren or as ill-omened. The housewives of Lorraine, and several other parts of France, are forward in putting to death every hen that imitates the crow- ing of the cock, which in their eyes is the effect of a chaim; hence a very jocular saying, in which there is some meaning: "A hen that crows, a parson that dances, a woman that talks Latin, never come to any good." "In the mythology of the ancients," says Main, " the cock was the symbol of vigilance. Polytheism consecrated it to Minerva and Mer- cury ; it was offered to ^sculapius, the God of Medicine, on recovering from illness. The Ro- mans used to keep sacred pullets, and they un- dertook nothing of consequence before they had consulted the auspices of this prophetic fowl. Its meals were solemn omens, which regulated the conduct of the senate and the armies." The cock is remarkable for his haughty, grave, stately gait, for his courage and vigi- lance, for his attachment to his hens, for his amorous disposition, and his means of satisfy- ing it. The cock begins paying his addresses to the hens from the time he is four months old ; his full vigor only lasts three years, though he may live till ten. It is remarked that in cocks of the large species, the procreative qualities are later in coming forward ; they probably enjoy it longer. As soon as the cock gets less nim- ble he is no more worthy to figure in the se- raglio ; his successor must be the finest, the most brave of all the supernumerary young cocks in the poultry-yard. Peace does not continue long between cocks, among which the empire of the poultry -yard has been divided ; as they are all actuated by a rest- less, jealous, hasty, fiery, ardent disposition, GENERAL VIEWS. 33 their quarrels are frequent, and generally very bloody. A fight soon follows the provocation. The two adversaries face each other; their feathers are bristled up, the neck stretched out, the head low, the bill ready ; they observe each other in silence, Avith fixed and sparkling eyes. On the least motion of either they set off to- gether, they stand stiff, rush forward, and dash against each other, and repeat the same ma- noeuvre, till the one that is most adroit, and is the strongest, has torn the comb of his enemy, has thrown him down, by flapping him with his wings, or has stabbed him Avitli his spurs. The disposition of cocks for fighting so des- perately, especially when they are not used to live together, and meet for the first time, the courage and obstinacy which they evince in this often dreadful contest, have given Englishmen the idea of exhibiting these cock-fights in public. It is that sort of -tragedy they seem to like in preference. The annals of these sights men- tion a veiy singular sympathy between two cocks. They had successively beaten all the others; they could never be made to fight to- gether, notwithstanding the stimulus of the most hateful passions. Mowbray relates the following : " Every one has heard the horrible story of Ardesoif of Tot- tenham, who being disappointed by a famous game-cock refusing to fight, was incited by his savage passion to roast the bird alive, while en- tertaining his friends. The company, alarmed by the dreadful shrieks of the victim, interfered, but were resisted by Ardesoif, who threatened death to any who should oppose Him : and in a storm of raging and vindictive delirium, and ut- tering the most horrid imprecations, he dropped down dead. I had hoped to find this among the thousand fanatical lies Avhich have been coined on the insane expectation that truth can be ad- vanced by the propagation of falsehood ; but to my sorrowful disappointment, on a late inquiry among the friends of the deceased miscreant, I found ^ the truth of the horrible story but too probable." CHOICE OF THE COCK. On the opposite page we introduce a white Dorking as a "model cock" of the domestic C fowl. The artist, however, has given him rath- er larger legs than belong to the breed. The choice of the cock is a very important thing. It is accounted that he has every requi- site quality, when he is of a pretty good size, when he carries his head high, and has a quick, animated look, a strong and shrill voice, the bill thick and short, the comb of a fine red, and in a manner varnished; a membraneous wattle of a large size, and colored the same as the comb, the breast broad, the wings strong, the plumage dark, the thighs muscular, the legs thick, and supplied with long spurs, the claws supplied with nails rather bent, and with a very keen point; when he is free in his motions, crows often, and scratches the earth with con- stancy, in search of worms, not so much for himself as his mates ; when he is brisk, spirited, ardent, and clever in caressing them, quick in defending them, attentive in soliciting them to eat, in keeping them together in the day, and assembling them at night. " The courage of the cock," says Mr. Dixon, " is emblematic ; his gallantry admirable ; his sense of discipline and subordination most ex- emplary. See how a good game-cock of two or three years' experience, will, in five minutes, restore perfect order in an uproarious poultry- yard. He does not use harsh means of coer- cion, when mild Avill suit the purpose. A look, a gesture, a deep chuckling growl gives the hint that the turbulence is no longer to be permit- ted ; and if these are not effectual, severe pun- ishment is fearlessly administered. Nor is he aggressive to birds of other species. He allows the turkey to strut before his numerous dames, and the Guinea-fowl to court his single mates uninterrupted; but if the one presumes upon his superior weight, and the other on his cow- ardly tiltings from behind, he soon makes them smart for their rash presumption. His polite- ness to females is as marked as were those of Lord Chesterfield to old ladies, and much more unaffected. Nor does he merely act the agree- able dangler; when occasion requires, he is also the brave defender." There are some cocks, which, by being too high mettled, are very snappish and quarrelsome. The way to quiet these turbulent ones is plain ; 34 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. their foot must be put through the middle of a bit of leather in a round shape ; they become as quiet as men who are fettered at their hands, feet, and neck. The cock loves cleanliness ; he is careful of his coat ; you often see him busy in combing, polishing, and stroking his feathers with his bill. If, like the robin and the thrush, he has not the ambition of excelling in his note, one may at least think that he is particularly jeal- ous in showing that he has a very loud, shrill, and powerful voice. In fact, when he has crow- ed, he listens to know whether he is answered ; or, should he hear another, he begins again di- rectly, and he seems to defy him to raise his voice above his own. Often of a dark night, this crowing, repeated by every cock in the vil- lage, has reached the ear of the benighted trav- eler," and has enabled him the better to direct his steps. CHOICE or THE HEN. The good qualities of hens, whether intended for laying or for breeding, are of no less im- portance to be attended to than those of the cock. The hen is deservedly the acknowledged pattern of maternal love. When her passion of philoprogenitiveness is disappointed by the fail- ure or separation of her own brood, she will either go on sitting, till her natural powers fail, or she will violently kidnap the young of anoth- er fowl, and insist upon adopting them. But all hens are not alike. They have their little whims and fancies, likes and dislikes, as ca- pricious and unaccountable as those of other females. Some are gentle in their manners and disposition, others are sanguinary; some are lazy, others energetic almost to insanity. Some, by their very nature, are so mild and fa- miliar, and so fond of the society of man, that they can scarcely be kept out of his dwelling ; others seem. to say, "Thank you, but I'd rather be left to myself." SELECTING AND BREEDING. In the selection of breeding stock, whatever variety preferred, avoid, if possible, near rela- tionship, or breeding from birds produced from the same parents. PuUets for breeding should be selected annually from early spring birds; and they will then begin to lay in the spring df the following year. These birds, if then put with a cock a year or two their senior, will pro- duce finer and more vigorous chickens than old- er hens. Every second year the patriarch of the yard might be disposed of, and his successor introduced from a different strain. If he is a special favorite, then must the pullets be ob- tained elsewhere. No cock should be kept more than three seasons, nor a hen more than four, if it is intended to keep them in the high- est possible perfection and efficiency. We re- peat, avoid relationship in your breeding stock wherever possible. In a state of nature these evils would not have manifested themselves; but in the highly artificial condition in which poultry are now presented to us, the case is to- tally different, and the remedy must be sought, as with cattle, sheep, and swine, in the con- stant infusion of fresh blood — the best that may be attainable. When for the infusion of fregh blood, another cock is to be introduced into the yard, it should be during the autumn, that the hens may be- come accustomed to him before the important operation of spring commences. The poultry-yard is a place where the stu- dent of natural history will see many things to amuse and instruct. The plumage of birds has always formed an object of pleasing con- templation. The God of nature has shown by it his love of spreading beauty over all his works, and opening up every source for the pure enjoyment of man. The splendid coloring of many of our domestic fowls is not necessary in itself, and must have been bestowed as a means of pleasure to the beholder. "If people," says M. Reaumur, "are affected with the kind of pleasure so transitory to the enthusiastic florists, who procure it but for a few days, by a world of care and toil, continued through a whole year ; if they are affected by the variety and fine combinations of colors in their favorite flowers, the poultry-yard, when well managed, may be made to offer them end- less pleasures of the same description." The greater number of cocks, even of the most common kind, are beautifully penciled, GENEEAL VIEWS. 35 and when exposed to the play of the sun's rays exhibit the brightest hiies, almost rivaling the gorgeous coloring of the rainbow. The hens are sometimes spotted with great beauty and regularity; some white and silvery, others by their bright orange tints appearing golden, and there is of the most common kinds an almost endless variety. In their colors they embrace the opposite extremes of light and shade, and all the tints that lie between them. These colors are sometimes submitted to very remarkable changes in the same individual, at different stages of their existence. When new- ly hatched, the acutest poulterer could not pre- dict of what precise color they would become, for it is not found invariably to run in the blood. After moulting, some fowls have been known to turn out a different color from what they were. Even without moulting the feathers of the white have been tipped with black as sud- denly as the hair of some men has in the course of a night been turned into gray. The changes of color which some of the do- mestic fowls undergo in the process of moulting are most singular and inexplicable. M. Reau- mur gives the following instance of change of color, amoilg many others : " One of my hens, readily distinguished by a crooked claw, had feathers of the ruddy-brown color mixed with brown, so common among barn-yard fowls. A year after, she was observed to be almost black, with here and there a white spot. At the sec- ond'moulting, black was the predominant color, and only a few white patches of the size of a half-crown could be perceived. At the succeed- ing moult all the black disappeared, and the hen became pure white." In another case of a cock presented to M. Reaumur as a curios- ity, the following changes occurred : in the first year he was of the common ruddy brown mixed with white ; in the second, he was all over ruddy brown, or rather red without white ; in the third, uniformly black ; in the fourth, uniformly white ; and in the fifth, white feathers mixed with chest- nut and brown ; while at the next moulting he again became a pure white. A similar case lately occurred within the knowledge of the author. Passing by a neigh- bor's yard in the month of July, I observed a beautiful cock of the Poland variety. His color was red and black, beautifully combined, Avith a splendid top-knot of white feathers. Wishing to obtain him, I called there in January follow- ing, and on inquiry, he was shown to me per- fectly white; I objected to him, observing to the owner, that it was a speckled fowl I wished — one which I saw there in the summer. I was then informed that he was the identical fowl, that he was the only cock which had been on the premises, and that when he moulted in the fall his color changed by degrees until every dark feather disappeared. Dickson, in his work on poultry, with regard to color, relates the following : "I have, at pres- ent, a hen of the Spanish breed, which has been of a uniform black for two successive moults, but has now her neck, wings, and tail feathers tipped with pure white. I have another which was all over a silver gray, but has now her head and neck coal black, with a ring of fine white at the base of the neck, while the rest of the body is finely speckled with black and snow white. It is remarkable, also, that this change took place in a few weeks, without any obvious moult, so as to cause her to appear any where bare of feathers." Mowbray says, "A turkey cock, which was black in 1821, became afterward perfectly white. This extraordinary change took place so gradu- ally that in the middle of the moulting the bird was beautifully mottled, the feathers being black and white alternately." MANAGEMENT. It is best to intrust the management of fowls to some trusty person, who can be depended on ; and no other person, except the keeper, whom the fowls know, and the voice and sight of whom rejoice them, must go into the hen-house, for fear of scaring or disturbing the hens busied in laying. The proper persons, or those who generally understand the art of rearing poultry, are fe- males, who, accustomed from their infancy to look after the poultry, are acquainted with ev- ery particular of rearing, the different processses it requires, and the alterations which circum- stances compel to bring forward. 36 THE AIHERICAN POULTEREE'S COMPANION. It is well said by Beatson that poultry, when rightly managed, might be a source of great profit to the farmer ; but Avhere many are kept, they ought not to be allowed to go at large, in which case little or no profit can be expected ; for not only many of their eggs Mill be lost, and many of themselves perhaps destroyed by ver- min, but at certain seasons they do much mis- chief both in the barn-yard and in tlie field. Poultry, it is tliqught, ought always to be con- fined ; but if so, instead of a close, dark, dimin- utive hovel, as is often the case, they should have a spacious, airy place, properly construct- ed for them. The question is often asked, " Why can not hens be made to lay as Avell in winter as in summer ?" They can, to a certain extent ; but they require as a condition, that they be Avell provided with warm and comfortable lodging, clean apartments, plenty of food, pure water, gravel, lime, fine sand, and ashes to roll and bathe in. There seem naturally to be two seasons of the year when hens lay; early in the spring, and aft- erward in summer; indicating that if fowls were left to themselves, they would, like wild birds, produce two broods in a year. Early spring-hatched birds, if kept in a warm place and fed plentifully and attended to, will generally commence laying about Christmas, or even somewhat earlier. In cold and damp this is not to be expected, and much may, in differ- ent seasons, depend on the state of the weather and the condition of the bird. It is a well-known fact, that from November to February (the very time we are in want of eggs the most) they are to many a bill of ex- pense, without any profit. To promote fecund- ity and great laying in the hen, it is necessary that they be well fed on grain, boiled potatoes given to them warm, and occasionally animal food. In the summer, they get their supply of animal food in the form of worms and insects, when suffered to run at large; unless their number is so great as to consume beyond the supply in their rowing distance. I found it ad- vantageous, in the summer, to open the gates occasionally, and give the fowls a run in the garden and in the field adjoining their yard, for a few hours in the day, when grasshoppers and other insects were plenty. I had two objects in view; one to benefit the fowls, and the other to destroy the insects. It will be found that the fecundity of the hen will be increased or diminished according to the supply of animal food furnished. Hens moult and cast their feathers once ev- ery year, generally commencing in August and continuing until late in November. It is the approach, the duration, and the consequences of this period, Avhich puts a stop to their laying. It is a critical time for all birds. All the peri- od while it lasts, even to the time that the last feathers are replaced by new ones, till these are full grown, the wasting of the nutritive juices, prepared from the blood for the very })urpose of promoting this growth, is considerable ; and hence it is no wonder there should not remain enough in the body of the hen to cause her egg to grow. Old hens can not always be depended on for eggs in winter, they scarcely being in full feath- er before the last of December; and then, pro- bably, may not begin to lay till March or April, l)roducing not more than twenty or tliirty eggs ; and this is probably the cause of the disappoint- ment of those who liave supplied tliemselves at the markets with their stock to commence' with, and get few or no eggs. As pullets do not moult the first year, they commence laying be- fore the older hens, and by attending to the period of hatching, eggs may be produced dur- ing the year. An early brood of chickens, there- fore, by being carefully sheltered from the cold and wet, and fed once a day on boiled potatoes, warm, Avith plenty of grain, in the feeding hop- pers (which will be hereafter described), and oc- casionally a little animal food, will begin to lay in the fall, or early in the winter. "When," says Bosc, "it is wished to have eggs during the cold season, even in the dead of winter, it is necessary to make the fowls roost over an oven, in a stable, or to erect a stove in the poultrj^-house on purpose. By such meth- ods the farmers of Auge have chickens fit for the table in the month of April, a period when GENERAL VIEWS. 37 they are only beginning to be liatclied on the farms around Paris, although farther to the south. It would be desirable to have stoves more common in poultry-houses near cities, where luxury grudges no expense for the con- venience of having fresh eggs. "Man," says 1 Farmentier, "who thinks of nothing but his own interest, has attempted sev- eral means of arousing hens from their torpid- ity, when they cease at the natural period of the year to lay, inasmuch as it seems very hard to pass through the Avinter without the luxury of eating new-laid eggs." M. Reaumur made several experiments with a view to the object in question. A certain class of food and of seeds, he says, are much extolled in many places, as tending to promote the laying of eggs, but nothing has yet been determined by our choice ; for in this way the sum of the eggs laid by the hens of a poultry- yard might be distributed in a far more equa- ble manner over the several months of the year ; and if, as is probable, each hen can only produce a certain number of eggs, we should be glad to have a portion of them yearly pro- duced in winter. The necessity we are under of keeping great quantities of eggs in the sea- son when they are laid, causes an uncommon quantity to be spoiled every year, from too long keeping or want of proper caution in preserv- ing them ; and hence the importance of the question, "Whether it may not be possible to make hens lay in winter?" The method adopted by the ancients was rich and stimulant food, such as toasted bread soaked in ale or wine, barley half sodden, tares, and millet. FECUNDITY. With repect to fecundity, some hens will lay only one egg in three days, some every other day, others every day, and a hen was exhibited at the Fair of the American Institute, at New York, a few years since, that was said to have laid two eggs in a day, and Aristotle mentions a breed of Ilissian hens which laid as often as thrice a day. According to our experience much depends on circumstances, such as climate, accommo- dations, feed, and the attention paid to the hens, as to the number of eggs annually produced. It is asserted by Buffon, that a hen, well fed and attended, will produce upwards of 150 eggs in a year, besides two broods of chickens. The act of laying is not voluntary on the part of the hen, but is dependent upon her age, con- stitution, and diet. If she be young, healthy, and well fed, lay she must ; if she be aged and half starved, lay she can not. All that is left of her own choice is where she shall deposit her egg ; and she is sometimes so completely taken by surprise, as not to have her own way even in that. The poultry-keeper, therefore, has only to decide which is the more convenient — that his hens should lay here and there, as it may happen, about his premises, or in certain places indicated to the hens by nest-eggs. Yet it is quite a mistake to suppose that the presence of a nest-egg causes a hen to sit earlier than she otherwise would. The sight of twenty nest- eggs will not bring on the hatching fever; and when it does come, the hen will take to the empty nest, if there be nothing else for her to incubate. Such is her determined inclination to incubate that she will sit upon stones. Any one whose hens have from accident been de- prived of a male companion, can not be ignorant of the fact that they have not done so well till the loss has been supplied. During the inter- regnum matters get all wrong. The poor, deso- late creatures Avander about dispirited, like sol- diers without a general. It belongs to their very nature to be controlled and marshaled by one of the stronger sex, who is kind, though a strict master, and a considerate though stern disciplin- arian. A writer in the Connecticut Courant says " a dozen hens, properly attended, will furnish a family with more than 2000 eggs in a year, and 100 chickens;" but from our experience we think this an overestimate, especially for this cold climate. From 80 to- 100 eggs per hen a year would be a fair estimate for any number of fowls kept together. We find in statements from practical writers recorded in our American journals, several in- stances of very extraordinary products of hens, which will enable us to form some judgment, 38 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. on the subject ; but it must be borne in mind, however, that these statements have been given generally as extraordinary products. The editor of the Massachusetts Plowman tells us that he obtained 7200 eggs in one year from 83 hens — this was his highest number of fowls ; he sometimes had less — that for 6744 he received $100. The whole amoimt of his cash expenditures was $56 43, leaving him a balance of $43 57. It is stated in the Farmer'' s Journal that from 150 hens 1900 eggs were obtained in the month of January ; and that five pullets produced 300 eggs from the middle of October to the middle of April, which is the coldest part of the year. Mr. Morent furnishes the following remarka- ble instance: He had three pullets of the Po- land variety, which were hatched in June. De- cember the fifteenth following, they began to lay, and from that time to the next December laid 524 eggs — cost of keeping not exceeding $3 71. They were fed on barley, rice, and peas. A friend living on Staten Island, informs me that from 55 hens and 7 ducks he obtained in the month of January 182 eggs — in February, 324 — March, 792— April, 878— May, 915— June, 746_July, 534— August, 650— September, 340 — October, G8 — November, 5 — December, 69 — making in all for the year 5509. Allowing the seven ducks to have laid 70 eggs each, would leave 5019, which, divided by 55, gives an aver- age of 91 eggs to each hen. These hens were fed from six to eight quarts of cracked corn per day, and occasionally boiled potatoes. Averag- ing the feed at seven quarts per day, we have within a fraction of 80 bushels of corn which, at fifty cents per bushel, amounts to $40 ; and allowing the eggs to be worth $1 50 per hun- dred, we have $75 78, from which deduct $40 for food, including the ducks, and we have a profit of $35 78, besides 60 chickens, which, at 20 cents each, would swell the profits up to $47 78. He gives the preference to the crested variety for eggs. Another friend who resided in the city of Troy, and kept between 30 and 40 hens, obtain- ed eggs from his hens throughout the year; that is, there was not a single day in which he did not obtain some. This he accounted for by having very early chickens, as when the old hens ceased laying to moult the young pullets commenced. In 1842 he kept between 25 and 30 hens, and obtained 2832 eggs. This, it will be seen, gives a fraction over 94 eggs to each hen, which is nearly double the number we ob- tained from our hens. In '1840 my hens commenced laying on the 7th of February, and between that period and the 15th of August, when they commenced to moult, we obtained 2655 eggs from 60 hens; when the year previous, from 100 hens, which were suffered to run at large, we did not get but few over 1000. In 1841 they commenced laying the 8th of Januar}', and continued to lay until the 27th of September, -when they ceased entirely, but commenced again on the 13th of October, and continued to lay until the 18th of November, when they ceased, and commenced again on the 1st of December; and up to the 1st of January they produced over 4000 eggs. In 1842 I had 71 hens, which produced within the year 3509 eggs. In 1843 I kept 60 hens, and obtained 3978 eggs. PROFITS. In order to ascertain by demonstration, and to satisfy myself Avhethcr the keeping of fowls were profitable or not, I commenced in 1842 keeping debit and credit account with the poul- try-yard. I had 71 hens, 12 cocks, 2 ducks, 2 drakes, 3 turkeys, 1 turkey cock, 5 geese, and 2 ganders— in all 98 head. They consumed within the year as follows : 91 bushels Wheat screenings, at 21 cts $19 II 6 " Rye "5s. 3 75 11 " Millet "5s 6 62 2 " Indian Corn "5s 1 25 3 " Barley '' 'is 150 2 " Indian Meal "8s 2 00 10 " Small Potatoes ... "Is 1 25 $35 48 I obtained 3500 eggs, valued at $35 09 Sold fowls for 2 00 " 9 Geese 4 75 "■ 5 Turkeys 1 87 " 30 Fowls V 5 63 " 60 Ducks' eggs 83 " 54 Goose eggs 1 62 " 8 lbs. Goose Feathers at 5s 5 00 From which deduct for feed 56 79 35 48 Net profit $21 31 GENERAL VIEWS. 39 From the foregoing it would seem that the profits are A^eiy small, but it must be recollected that the sale prices are very low, and that I had the misfortune to lose many of my chickens by hawks, and the greater part of my goslings by confining them in a yard, when they should have had the run of the pasture, Avhich would have saved considerable food, and probably the lives of the goslings, and would have made a diiference on the credit side. I lost many of my turkeys in the same way. The experience of this year taught me that it will not answer to confine in too small space either goslings or turkeys after they are half grown. In 1843 the care of the poultry was intrusted to my son, a lad of fifteen years, and the fol- lowing is his account rendered on the first of January, 1844. Poultry-yard, Dr. To 69 Hens, valued at $25 87 15 Cocks 7 56 3 Turkeys 1 88 7 Geese 7 00 1 Fancy Duck 1 00 1 Guinea-fowl 25 71 bush. Wheat Screenings, at 15 cts. . . 11 25 15 " Corn " 42 cts. . . 6 00 31 " Oats "24cts. .. 7 44 4 '' Millet "50 cts. . . 2 00 8 " Small Potatoes ... "25 cts. . . 2 00 32 Fowls purchased , 15 09 3 Turkeys purchased 113 $88 47 Poultry-yard, Cr. .By 3978 Hens' eggs, at $1 per 100 $39 78 175 Turkeys', Goose, and Ducks' eggs. . 2 56 41 Fowls sold for 46 31 30 do. consumed by family 7 00 5 Geese sold 7 06 3 do. consumed by family 2 00 2 Turkeys do. do 1 00 32 bushels Manure, sold for 6 00 54 Hens on hand 20 25 18 Cocks do 9 00 6 Geese do 6 00 1 Duck do 1 00 16 Turkeys do 5 00 2 Guinea-fowls 50 153 46 Deduct 88 46 Net Profit $66 99 It is also stated in the Report of the Wayne County Agricultural Society, that David Gush- ing keeps 25 hens, and feeds them with oats, corn-meal, broom-corn seed, and refuse meat, and supplies them with ashes, pounded shells, etc. They were confined to a warm and dry room in winter. His account is as follows : Poultry, Dr. To investment of stock and fixtures $50 00 Interest 3 50 Feed, 25 bushels of Oats at 20 cts 5 00 Attendance 5 00 $63 50 Poultry, Cr. By 75 dozen Chickens, sold early at 12 cts. . . $9 38 200 Chickens " 10 cts. . . 20 00 Stock and fixtures on hand 50 00 $79 38 Leaving a net profit of $15 88 on an investment of fifty dollars, or an interest of more than 25 per cent, on the capital employed. Eowls are, of all birds, the most easy to feed. Every alimentary substance agrees with them, even Avhen buried in manure ; nothing is lost to them ; they are seen the whole day long in- cessantly busied in scratching and picking up a living. In well-fed fowls the difference will be seen, not only in the size and flesh of the fowls, but in the weight and goodness of the eggs ; two of which go farther in domestic uses than three from hens poorly fed, or half starved. The finest, the most imperceptible seed can not escape their piercing eye. The fly that is most rapid in flight can not screen itself from the promptitude with which she (^rts her bill ; the worm that comes to breathe at the surface of the earth has no time to shrink from her glance — it is immediately secured by the head and dra^vn up. It is customary to throw to the fowls in a poultry-yard, once or twice a day, a quantity of grain, generally corn, and somewhat less than that which they would consume if they had an abundance. Fowls, however, are more easily sat- isfied than might be supposed from the greedy voracity which they exhibit when they are fed from the hand. It is well known that, as a general rule, large animals consume more than small ones. There is as much difference in the quantity of food consumed by individual fowls as there is in animals. It has been found by careful experiments 40 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. that the sorts of food most easily digested by fowls are those of which they eat the greatest quantity. They evidently become soonest tired of, and least partial to rye. It has also been found that there is Consid- erable economy in feeding with wheat, corn, and barley, well boiled, as the grain is thus in- creased in bulk at least one-fourth, and the same bulk seems to satisfy them ; but there is no sav- ing by boiling oats, buckwheat, or rye. It has been ascertained by actual experiment that, in the months of January and February, a common sized fowl will consume, when at command, of corn, wheat, barley or buckwheat, about one gill per day. I was curious to ascer- tain the quantity of each sort of grain which a given number of fowls when abundantly sup- plied would consume ; and for that purpose I confined one cock and seven hens of the Poland variety. The first feed I gave them was one peck of com, which they consumed in eleven days. I then gave one peck of barley, which they ate in seven days. The next feed was the same quantity of oats, which they devour- ed in six days. The like quantity of millet lasted them eight days. The same measure of wheat sen-ed them ten days ; and the like amount of wheat screenings they devoured in seven days. Dnring these trials they had no other food, except a few boiled potatoes. M. Reaumur instituted a series of experi- ments to ascertain the quantity of each sort of grain which a fowl would constmie, when abund- antly supplied therewith during the day; and in the course of his experiments he discovered many interesting particulars of importance to be known to all those who keep poultiy for prof- it. He found that individual fowls vary very much in the quantity of food which they con- sume— there being little and great eaters among them, most commonly indicated by the size of the body; that two Bantams might be kept on the same amount of food as one of the largest breed. Even among fowls of the same size and kind, there are individuals which require more food than others, a circumstance that can be only ascertained by trial. For the pui-pose of ascertaining the quantities of food consumed, M. Reaumur confined fowls separately under basket coops ; and others in hutches inclosed with wooden gi-atings, where they had more convenience, even so much as to lay eggs there in the same way as if they had been at liberty. To the hens in each hutch he put a cock, in order that nothing might be wanting to the completeness of his experiments. In some hutches he placed as many as seven hens, and in others as few as two. For several days together, he gave both to the fowls in the basket coops, and to those that lived in compa- ny with those in the hutches, the same quan- tity of grain, measured so as to be more than would fill their crops ; and care was taken that the box into which the grain was put for them should never be erhpty. This box was longer than broad, Avith a bottom, and a piece of board on each side, projecting about five or six inch- es, so fixed as to prevent the chance of its being upset by the fowls hopping upon it, while the sides were sufficiently high not to allow them to scrape the grain out of the box — precautions in- dispensable to the accuracy of the experiments, as in this way every grain of corn could be ac- counted for. Gravel was also spread upon the bottom of the hutches and coops, and some was placed in a separate vessel, as being judged indispensable to jn-omote digestion. Nearly the same measure of grain was found sufficient for a fowl every day, whether it con- sisted of oats, buckAvheat, or barley ; and hence whichever of these three is cheapest at any time may be given without regard to other consid- erations. Variations in the appetite of the fowls may, perhaps, be occasioned by difference of seasons, and they may require rather more at one period than another; but it was ascer- tained that in the months of January and Feb- ruary a common barn-yard fowl, that has al- ways, froni morning till night, grain of one of these three sorts at command, will eat of it dai- ly about a fourth part of a pint measure. This is even rather more than an ordinary sized fowl will eat, for when a quart was given to a large cock and Spanish hen, to two hens of a middle size, and to three of the ordinary size, it was not all eaten. Some very voracious fowls of the largest size, however, will consume dail} about the third of a pint measure. GENERAL VIEWS. 41 As wheat is the most nutritive grain for hu- man food, with the exception of rice, it might be supposed that it is also the best for fowls ; and as they will eat wheat greedily, we might thence be induced to conclude that they would eat more of it than of barley or oats. Yet when fowls have as much wheat as they can consume, they will eat about a fourth part less than of oats, barley, or buckwheat; the greatest quan- tity of wheat eaten by a fowl in one day being about three sixteenths of a pint; nevertheless, the difference of bulk is compensated by the difference in weight, for these three sixteenths of wheat will weigh more than six tenths of oats. The difference in weight in- different sorts of grain is not in every instance the true reason why a foM'l is satisfied with a larger or smaller measure of one sort than another; for though rye weighs rather less than wheat, a fowl will be satisfied with a much smaller measure of this — even, in most cases, so little as one-half. The seven hens and the large cock just men- tioned consumed daily a pint and a half meas- ure of wheat, while of rye they only consumed three-quarters of a pint measure, and hence the average consumption of the rye by each, was to their consumptiHB of wheat in the proportion of one to two. Indian corn was found to rank intermediate between rye and wheat. When corn was ex- clusively given, the greatest eaters only con- sumed the first day about one-eighth of a pint measure, but by usage they came to relish it more; and the cock and seven hens, which were rather above the average rate of eaters, consumed daily one pint and a quarter of corn. Accordingly, five fourths of corn to them were equivalent to six fourths of wheat, and to three fourths of rye. The consumption of each sort of grain daily, by a common barn -yard fowl, will be rather too great, if we take the data furnished by what was taken by the cock and seven hens, as some of these were of very large size, and great eat- ers ; though it is more convenient for the prac- tical purpose of estimating the expense, to be above rather than below the average ; what is spent less than what one is willing to spend, becomes, in one sense, clear profit. We may therefore safely estimate that a barn-yard fowl of the common size, having as much as she can eat during the day, will consume Pint measure. Of oats, barley, or buckwheat 8-32 Of wheat 6-32 Of corn '.. 5-32 Of rye 3-32 Although, from the experiments already de- tailed, as made with wheat and rye, it appears that the average consumption is not always in proportion to the specified weight of the corn, yet it is of importance to know the relative weights of each grain in all such experiments. M. E'eaumur, in order to ascertain the differ- ence of weight of each in different circumstan- ces, carefully weighed a pint measure of each ; when he found the weights to be the follow- ing: Oe. Dr. Gr. Wheat 19 1 52 Rye 18 4 12 Corn 17 5 48 Buckwheat 16 '7 12 Barley 14 0 48 Oats 10 3 12 BOILED GRAINS. It is the custom of poultry-keepers in France to cook the grain given to fowls which they in- tend to fatten, boiling it in water till it is soft enough to be easily bruised between the fingers, the boiling causing it to swell till the farina splits the enveloping membrane, and this they term bursting. Although it is the popular opin- ion that burst grain is better than when it is dry, for fattening poultry, this opinion has probably not been established on accurate experiments. Be this as it may, it is of no less importance to ascertain whether there is any difference of ex- pense in feeding poultry on raw or on burst grain ; that is, whether, under similar circum- stances, fowls eat more or less of the one or of the other. In order, to ascertain this, we had two quarts of corn soaked and boiled till well burst, and found that the increase in bulk was over four quarts. Two quarts of rice swelled considerably more by boiling than corn. Two quarts of barley, after being boiled to bursting, increased in bulk to 42 THE AMEEICAN POULTEEER'S COMPANION. fire quarts. Two quarts of buckwheat, after boiling, increased to seven quarts. For the jDui-pose of ascertaining whether boil- ing altered the preference of fowls for any of the particular sorts, we varied the experiments in every way. The fowls Avere furnished with two, three, and four different sorts, sometimes all the compartments of the feeding-box being filled with boiled grain, each different from the other, and sometimes each sort of grain filled two of the compartments, one of them having nothing but boiled and another nothing but dry or raw gi-ain. All that could be collected from these repeated experiments was, that the great- er number of fowls preferred boiled grain to raw, though there were many of them which preferred the raw grain on certain days, and no permanen- cy could be discovered in the preference shown for any sort of boiled grain. Some fowls, for ex- ample, which one day preferred boiled wheat, would on other days make choice of corn, buckwheat, or barley. Eye, either boiled or raw, is the least liked by fowls, of any sort of grain. It would seem from such experiments that we may make choice of the sorts of grain which happen to be cheapest, without much or any disadvantage ; always excepting rye, Avhen other sorts are to be had at reasonable prices. Oats^ although increased in bulk by boiling nearly one-half, are not, any more than rye, rendered more sufiicing; for the fowls which in two days would have eaten two quarts of raw oats, consumed in the same time three and a half quarts of the boiled grain — consequently it is no saving to boil the oats. Mowbray says oats are apt to produce scour, and chickens become tired of them ; but they are recommend- ed by many to promote laying, and by some for fattening. Buckwheat is increased in bulk, by boiling, more than any other grain, as two quarts, when well boiled, swelled to seven ; yet it is no ben- efit to boil buckwheat ; for the fowls consumed the seven quarts of the boiled grain nearly m the same time which two quarts of the raw grain would haA-e sufficed them. Many have the im- pression that it is rather an unsubstantial food. Corn is, on the other hand, more profitable when boiled than when given jraw ; for the fowls which would have consumed two quarts of the uncooked or raw corn, consumed only three quarts of the boiled grain, which are not equiv- alent to three pints of raw. Even calculating that they were to consume three quarts a day of the boiled grain, there would be a saving of more than one-fourth. In very cold weather it should be fed to the fowls hot, and the water in which it was boiled may be given them to drink. Barley is also much more economical when boiled than raw ; for fowls which would have eaten two quai-ts of raw barley a day, ate three quarts of boiled grain. Therefore, as five quarts of boiled barley are produced from two quarts of raw, three pints are equivalent to no more than six-fifths of a pint of the raw; conse- quently, the expense in raw barley is to that of boiled as ten-fifths to six-fifths, that is, as ten to six, showing a saving of two-fifths by giving boiled instead of raAv barley. Wheat Avill increase in bulk by boiling about the same as barley ; but experiments prove that the saving to be obtained by feeding fowls w'th boiled wheat is not nearly so much as might thence have been anticipated ; for the same fowls which consumed one and a half quarts of boiled barley in one day, ai^ the same quan- tity of boiled wheat. Three pints of boiled wheat, however, are not equivalent to two pints of raw wheat, as in the case of the barley, but only one pint and a half of raw wheat, which was found to be the quantity consumed in one day by the same fowls. Now, as one pint of boiled wheat is equivalent to no more than two- fifths of a pint of the raw gi-ain, the three pints consumed a day are only six-fifths of raw wheat. Consequently, the proportion of what they con- sumed of raw wheat was, to what they ate of boiled, as fifteen-tenths to twelve-tenths, or as five to four ; hence there is a saving of one-fifth by feeding with boiled wheat, as there is of two- fifths by feeding with boiled barley. These experiments proved most clearly that in every case where the price of corn, barley, or wheat renders it eligible to feed fowls there- with, there is considerable economy in never giving the grain raw, but well boiled ; and there is no saving by boiling oats, buckwheat, or rye. GENERAL VIEWS. Millet. — Fo-wls prefer raw millet to that which has been boiled, though it would evidently be a saving in other respects to boil it, as boiling in- creases its bulk above one-half. We have found ■ millet excellent food for young chickens. ;flice. — Boiled rice might be supposed to be a very nourishing food for poultry, though it is too expensive for daily feeding, and they are at first very fond of it ; yet their liking for rice does not continue, and in a week or two they come to dislike it. One reason may be that it is too clogging ; and were it mixed with some less nourishing substance, such as bran, the fowls would continue to relish it just as well as they do barley. Potatoes. — As potatoes contain a great pro- portion of nutriment comparatively to their bulk and price, they constitute one of the most eco- nomical articles upon which poultry can be fed. The poultry-keepers in England consider po- tatoes excellent for promoting laying in fowls ; while M. Parmentier advises that they should only be given for the purpose of fattening, since he thinks they will render the fowls so fat as to hinder them from laying. Potatoes are, according to our experience, a cheap, wholesome, and nutritious food for fowls, though it Avould require experiments similar to those already detailed with respect to grain to ascertain the quantity which each fowl would consume when potatoes are supplied with over- abundance. If fed alone, without grain, they are very apt to make them scour. And we have found it indispensable not only to feed them in a boiled state, but hot; not too hot, however, as they are so stupid as to burn their mouths, if permitted. It is likewise necessary to break or mash them a little, for they will not unfrequently leave a potato when thrown down unbroken ; taking it, probably, for a stone, since the moment the skin is -broken, and the white of the interior is brought into view, they will pounce upon it greedily. Fowls are not fond of raw potatoes, beets, carrots, or parsnips, though they relish carrots when cut into very small pieces, and mixed with corn meal or wheat middlings. Boiled vegetables, mashed with bran or meal of any kind, are excellent food for poultry, and answer well for their evening meal, when grain has been given them in the morning. Green Food. — Prom seeing fowls when at lib- erty devour plants and leaves, it is generally supposed that they will eat any thing that is green; but such is not the case, as I have found by experiment. Among the plants which they reject, are the leaves of strawberries, celery, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes. They are more partial to the leaves of lettuce, endive, spin- ach, cabbage, and chick-weed. They also eat grass, purslain, pig-weed ; and M. Reaumur says, " that if hens have a green plot to go a-grazing in from morning till night, which they are nat- urally inclined to do, and which they will be nat- urally compelled to do if they are sparingly fed on grain, the expense of keeping them will not be half what it would be if they were furnished with as much boiled barley as they choose to eat." Poultry, however, are none the better for be- ing fed entirely on raw greens, as it is very apt to relax and scour them, and cabbage and spin- ach are still more relaxing to them when boil- ed than raw. M. Parmentier recommends, and this accords with our own experience, giving them all the refuse of the kitchen, such as bits of spoiled fruit, parings of apples, and the like ; but I have found that my fowls are not fond of the latter. The left pieces and crumbs of bread, pie-crust, fragments of pudding and dumplings, all fowls are fond of. There can be little doubt but that biscuit-dust from ship-stores, which consists of biscuits mouldered into meal, mixed with frag- ments still unbroken, would be excellent food for poultry, if soaked in boiling water, and given them hot. It can sometimes be had in large sea-ports, and at a very reasonable price. It will be no detriment to this material though it be full of weevils and their grubs, of which fowls are fonder than of the biscuit itself. Butchers' -meat, Fowl, and Fish. — A fowl ap- pears to be delighted when, after having scratch- ed up the ground, she discovers an earth-worm, on which she does not fail to pounce with avid- ity ; and from the ravenous voracity with which they pounce upon any scrap of meat they dis- cover, we might suppose that they are more u THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. carnivorous than granivorous. This, however, is only observed from the meat being an occasional tit-bit. Were they fed entirely on meat, with- out any grain, for some time, they would man- ifest the same voracity for the latter. But it is well to take advantage of this omnivorous pro- pensity to make use of eveiy scrap of meat and offal which would otherwise be lost, as such must always assist in saving the quantity of corn Avhich they would otherwise require. Fish is no less wholesome to them than flesh, and they are as fond of it salted as fresh. It seems to make but little difference with them whether any sort of animal food is raw or boiled, though perhaps what is raw is more highly relished ; at least they are fond of blood, which they will sip up from the ground where it has been shed till not a drop remains. Pieces of suet or fat they like better than any other sort of animal food ; but this, if supplied in any quantity, will soon render them too fat for continuing to lay. There is no sort of insect, perhaps, which fowls will not eat. Tliey are exceedingly fond of flies, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and every sort of grub and maggot. AYe found it quite advantageous in the summer to open our gates occasionally, and gi^-e the fowls a run in the garden or suiTounding field an hour or so, in the afternoon, when insects and grasshoppers are plenty. A writer in the New England Farmer says, "I keep my hens wann under cover during the winter, and feed them on brewers' grains, which are placed in an open box or tub, that they may eat when they please, occasionally giving them oats, corn, and oyster-shells, pounded fine, and plenty of water. By keeping them well fed and warm, they began laying earlier in the season." Mr. Stimson, of Galway, a few years since, connected the business of rearing poultry with the useful purpose of protecting his garden from the depredations of the numerous tribes of in- sects which so frequently render abortive the best exertions of the gardener. His method is simply this : a sufficient number of coops are constructed, and are placed in different parts of the garden, and the hens Avith their different broods are put into these coops ; the chickens, finding no restraint on their freedom, roam over the garden, and devour every fly, bug, or insect which falls in their way. There is one objec- tion, however, to this, which Ave found by expe- rience, and that is, if left in the garden too long, they become so attached that it is difficult to keep them out Avhen grown up. We would, therefore, recommend moving them to the poul- try-yard as soon as they get in feather. The existence of fowls would be of short du- ration were they confined strictly to any one single kind of food, howcA'er excellent of its kind; this Avould necessarily imply a state of confinement for the experiment. Many arti- cles more useful for a change, would, if given continuously, prove highly injurious, such as corn or animal food, while others, such as bar- ley, or buckwheat, harmless in themselves, would either be refused, or else if taken, disorder the natural. functions of the body. Grain of the different kinds seems to form the main articles of food for poultry, but, like bipeds of a larger growth, they like variety. POULTRY-HOUSES. 45 VIEW OF QLEKN VICTOKIA S POULTRY-HOUSE. CHAPTER 11. POULTRY-HOUSES. "Evert householder," said the late A. J. Downing, " knows the value of good fresh eggs, and an abundance of good fat poultry, the year round. But few know how to obtain them with- out having them cost twice as much as they are worth. A hen is much like a fire-brand — a very fine thing in the right place. Like the harpies of old, they are sure to defile all they do not destroy. But with proper conveniences for managing them, they are among the most agreeable, profitable, and useful objects in coun- try life. To children especially, fowls are ob- jects of exceeding interest, and form an almost necessaiy part of the means of developing the moral and industrial energies of a country house- hold. See that little fellow toppling along with his cap full of eggs for 'Mamma,' or patting his favorite chicken on its back. There is a whole ' California' in the little fellow's heart — show- ing out through his eyes, and evinced in every motion of his little body. He who will educate a boy in the country without a ' chicken,' is al- ready a semi-barbarian ; and he who leaves his chickens to make a hen-roost of all things sa- cred and profane, visible and invisible, is still worse; to say nothing of the good houscAvife's flower-patch in the garden, the very mention of which excites no small fear of a shower of oven- brooms and brickbats, while the whole welkin rings again with the discordant 'shew-there I' ' shew-there !' " Whether fowls are suffered to run at large, or are confined, there should always be a poul- try-house and yard where they can be regularly fed. Previous, therefore, to getting a stock of poultry, a place should be provided for them. 46 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. In selecting a proper situation for this purpose, it will be necessary to have it, if possible, on the south side of some building, or the south or southeast side of a hill or bank, so that one side of the Avail may be set against the hill, and if of stone, to be laid in mortar, which will add very much to the warmth of the room. We would suggest, too, as an object of economy, when building the wall, to leave holes or recess- es in them fifteen inches square, in which shal- low boxes or drawers may be placed for nests. The sedrawers can be removed when necessa- ry, and cleaned or freed from vermin. If the buildings are of wood, they should be filled in with brick, or lathed and plastered. The confinement of fowls will be found a most necessary arrangement, as on many occa- sions it is highly requisite they should be con- fined, as at planting time, or at some other pe- riods, when they are particularly troublesome. Close confinement in a room or shed would in- terrupt their laying, and make them sick, but a yard on the plan we are about to describe would answer every purpose, and be often found very advantageous in securing the eggs of such fowls as had contracted a habit of laying away, and hazarding the loss of eggs. It is well known that cold benumbs fowls, retards and diminishes their laying; that the want of good water gives them tlie pip, costive- ness, and other inflammatory diseases ; in fine, an infectious atmosphere causes them to droop, whence it naturally -follows that their fecundity is less, that the flesh is not of so good a quality, and that the rearing of them is difiicult. Un- der such circumstances one may judge how im- portant it is for the improvement of poultry that it should always be wholesomely, comfortably, and cleanly housed. Dickson says, " In order to unite all the ad- vantages desirable in a poultry-yard, it is in- dispensable that it be neither too cold during winter, nor too hot during summer ; and it must be rendered so attractive to the hens as to pre- vent their laying in any chance place away from it. The extent of the place should be propor- tional to the number of fowls kept, but it will be better too small than too large, particularly in winter, for the mutual imparting of electric- ity and animal heat. There is no fear of engen- dering infectious diseases by too much crowding ; and it is found, in fact, that where fowls are kept apart they are much less prolific." The driest and warmest soils are best adapted to the successful rearing and breeding domestic fowls, especially chickens; and to be attended with the greatest success and least trouble, some expense and great precaution will be required. Fowls endure extreme cold much better than moisture. To unite all the advantages desirable in a poultry -yard, it should neither be wet nor exposed to cold winds. There should, if pos- sible, be running water in the yard, and under cover should be placed ashes and dry sand, where tliey may indulge in their natural propensity of rolling and basking or bathing themselves. Gravel, broken shells, crushed bones, and old lime mortar, should always be placed within their reach. From our own experience we are satisfied that the same house ought to be kept exclusive- ly for barn-yard fowls ; for though they will not be very dissociable with others through the day, they do not like to sleep under the same roof with different species from themselves. Tur- keys, in particular, are very quarelsome, and will not suff"er other fowls to come near them. Geese, too, are troublesome at the feeding hop- pers, by keeping the fowls away till they have satisfied their hunger; ducks soil or contami- nate the water, but are less troublesome than turkeys or geese. Having settled all preliminaries, we will now give a number of jjlans, some of which would be rather expensive, and intended more partic- ularly for the wealthy or fancy farmer; while others would be more simple and unpretending, and for utility rather than show, and could be erected at a very trifling expense, and within the reach of every one. In thus presenting our read- er with a great variety of plans, we leave him to adopt such of them as may appear most suit- able to his individual case. If we had adopt- ed a diffferent mode of proceeding, viz., that of generalizing the plans of others and giving the result of our own, our work would necessarily have exhibited our own opinion only, whereas the former mode exliibits all the more valuable POULTRY-HOUSES. 47 plans which have been published. The young reader or novice is thus induced to think and plan for himself, and to refer his opinions and practice to fundamental principles ; while the experienced practitioner may adopt the designs of those which suit him best. We will therefore commence by giving some of the European plans, and add several plans adopted in our own country, which differ from the foreign in some respects very materially, and which will probably be found as well, if not better, calculated for our purposes than either of them ; and by having a description of the different kinds a choice can be made, or one constructed by taking parts of either and com- bining the advantages of the whole. QUEEN VICTOEIA's POULTRY-HOUSE. ISee engraving on page 45.] "In a secluded wood on the boundaries of the Home Park, stands the Home Farm, or the farm attached to Windsor Castle — the private farm of her Majesty. In this establishment, yhich was founded by George III., are situated the royal fowl-house and poultry-yards, but of which, notwithstanding their great interest, the public know nothing, save the mere fact of their •existence. Here, her Majesty, retiring from the fatigues of state, finds a grateful relief in the simple pursuits of a country life. In culti- vating the homely recreations of a farm, her Majesty has exhibited great industry and much good taste. The buildings and farm routine which sufficed for the clumsy management of 1793, have been discovered by Her Majesty to be totally unsuited to the more enlightened system of 1843, and hence, under the direction of Her Majesty and Prince Albert, and. others, an entire reorganization of the establishment has been determined, and is now in progress. "The fowl-house lately built at Windsor is a semi-gothic building, of simple and appropri- ate beauty. It consists of a central pavilion, used for inspecting the fowls, crowned on the top by an elegant dove-cot, and on the sides, of wings capable of symmetric extension, in which are placed the model roosting-houses, and lay- ing and breeding nests of the fowls. The ground, in front, slopes toward the Park, and is inclosed and divided by light wire fences into separate wards, for the 'run,' or daily exercise of the birds: Inside these wards, gravel walks, bor- dered by grass plots, lead to the entrances of the fowl-houses. In the proportions, distribu- tions, and fittings of the apartments of this house, considerable knowledge of the habits, with a corresponding and most commendable regard to the conveniences of their granivo- rous tenants, has been displayed ; the chambers * are spacious, airy, and of an equal and rather warm temperature, which accords Avith their original habits, and their nests are made as far as possible to resemble the dark bramble-cov- ered recesses of their original jungles. In this particular her Majesty has set a good example to the farmers, who too often follow the false routine of their fathers, rather than consult the habits and obey the natural instincts of the ani- mals about them." — London Pictoiial Times.. LOED PENRTn's POULTET-HOUSE. This establishment is described by Dickson as follows : " The most magnificent poultry-place perhaps that has ever been built, is at Lord Penryn's, at Winnington, in Cheshire. It con- sists of a handsome elegant front, extending 140 feet ; at each extremity of which is a neat pavil- ion, with a large arched window. These pavil- ions are united to the centre of the design by a colonnade of several cast-iron jUllars painted white, which support a cornice, and a slate roof, covering a paved walk, and a variety of different conveniences for the poultry, for keeping eggs, corn, and the like. The doors into these are of lattice-work, also painted white, and the fram- ing green. In the middle of the front are four handsome stone columns, and four pilasters, supporting likewise a cornice and a slate roof, under which and between the columns is a beautiful Mosaic iron gate ; on one side of this gate is an elegant little parlor, beautifully pa- pered and furnished ; and at the other end of the colonnade a very neat kitchen, so exces- sively clean, and in such high order, that it is delightful to view it. This front is the diame- ter or chord of a large semicircular court be- hind, round which there is also a colonnade, and a great variety of conveniences for the 48 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. poultry. This court is neatly pared, and a circular pond and pump in the middle of it. The whole frdnts toward a rich little field, or paddock, called the poultry-paddock, in which the poultry have liberty to walk about between meals. At one o'clock the bell rings, and the beautiful gate in the centre is opened. The poultry being then mostly walking in the pad- dock, and knowing by the sound of the bell that their repast is ready for them, fly and run from all quarters, and rush in at the gate, every one striving which can get the first share in the scramble. There are about GOO poultry of dif- ferent kinds in the place; and although so large a number, the semicircular court is kept so nice and clean, that not a speck of dung is to be seen. " This poultry-place is built of brick, excei)t- ing the pillars and cornices, and the lintels and jambs of the doors and windows ; but the bricks are not seen, being all covered Avitli a remark- ably fine kind of slate from his Lordshii>'s es- tate in Wales. These slate are closely jointed and fastened Avith screw-nails, on fnir.ll spars fixed to the brick ; they are afterward painted, and fine white sand thrown on while the«])aint is wet, which gives the whole the appearance of the beautiful freestone." This sort of cleanliness, with as free a circula- tion as possible, and a proper space for the fowls to run in, is essential to the rearing of this sort of stock witH the greatest advantage and suc- cess, as in narrow and confined situations they are never found to answer well. Mowbray's poultry-house. " Whether or not the poultry be suffered to range at large," says Mowbray, "and particu- larly to take the benefit of the farm-yard, a sep- arate and well-fenced yard or court must be pitched upon. Upon farms the poultry-yard may be small, as the poultry should be allowed to range over the premises, to pick up what can not be got at by the swine. The surface must be so sloped and drained as to avoid all stag- nant moisture, most destructive to chickens. The fences must be lofty and well secured at the bottom, that the smallest chicken can not find a passage through, and the whole yard per- fectly sheltered, from the northwest to the south- east. It should be supplied with some effete lime and sifted ashes, or very dry sand, in which the fowls may exercise the propensity, so delightful and salutary to them, of rolling and basking themselves. This is effectual in cleansing their feathers and skin from vermin and impurities, promotes the cuticular excre- tion, and is materially instrumental in preserv- ing their health." If the number of stock be considerable, the houses had far better be small and detached, in order to secure safety; and especially, they should be absolutely impenetrable to vermin of any description. Should these houses abut upon a stable, brew-house, or any conductor of warmth, it will be so much more comfortable and salutary to the poultr3\ The elevation should be a simple style, and, for health's sake, the roof should be lofty ; the perches will be more out of the reach of vermin, should they break in ; and there should be only one long and level range of perches, because, when they are placed one above another, the fowls dung upon each other; convenient step^ driven into the walls, will render easy the as- cent of the poultry to their perches; or they may be made as here shown, in which a, h are TEAKSVEESE SECTION. spars for the poultry to sit on ; c, c are ranges of boxes for the nests ; d the roof, and e the door, which should be nearly as high as the ceil- ing, for ventilation, and should have a small opening, with a shutter at bottom, to permit the poultry to go in and out at pleasure. The spars on which the birds are to roost should not be round an(l smooth, but roundish and roughish like the branches of a tree. POULTEY-HOUSES. 49 SCOTCH POULTRY-HOUSE. In a paper published in the " Transactions of the Highland Society of Scotland," for 1833, Mr. England, of Aberdeen, gives a plan of a poultry- house and yard, which appears to be very com- plete of its kind, though he differs from most of the authorities in many points of management. The house is divid- ed into separate wards, each ward fit- ted up to lodge twenty-four hens and one cock, with a yard attached, about fifteen feet long, by ten broad. The following is a ground plan of two such wards, with their yards and houses ; a, a, a, three of the nests out of the twenty- four in each house ; 6, a ladder by which the fowls go up to the nests ; c, c, c, three roosts, holding about two dozen fowls ; d, platform, to allow the fowls to pass in front of the nests. The manner in which the nests, the roosting perches, the ladders for the fowls to go up by, _L u: Lid oz rz P D GEOUND PLAN. and the platform to allow them to pass in front of the nests, are arranged, will be best under- stood from the above figures. The poultry-house within the yard, if there be a choice, should have a southern aspect, de- fended from cold winds and the blowing in of rain or sleet. Mr. England also provides what he calls a storm house, for the fowls to run for shelter in bad weather. It need scarcely be remarked, that the larger the inclosure the better; for, although it has been so much practiced in France, and so ur- gently recommended by French writers, we are no advocate for too strict confinement, unless it be from rain or damp. When the state of the fields can not render it injurious, they should at least occasionally be given liberty to roam at large. At the roots of hedges and shrubs they will grub up many a hearty meal, and the pub- lic roads will furnish them with a more grateful rolling-bed than all the artificial mounds and hollows of brick-dust, sand, and ashes, which can be laid down in the poultiy-yard. In the foregoing we have given several de- scriptions of foreign poultry establishments ; we will now give some American ones, among which will be found some of our own plans, as well as those of others. If there is nothing original in them, they are none the less useful. 50 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. OCTAGON POLI.TEY-IIOL'SE. The above figure represents the elevation of a neat, pretty, and convenient poultry-house late- ly erected near FactorjT^ille, Staten Island. It is designed to accommodate from twenty-five to thirty common-sized fowls. The octagon form was preferred on account of economy, as it takes less materials and labor to inclose a given num- ber of feet in an octagon than in a square or oblong form. It is more ornamental too. The object for placing it on piles was to prevent the encroachments of rats, mice, and other vermin, such as skunks, minks, and weazels. Rats are particularly annoying, as they not only devour the grain, but suck the eggs and kill the young chickens. Where fowls were fed in a trough, we have known them to contend with and even drive the fowls from their food. This building is ten feet in diameter and six feet and a half high. The sills are 4 by 4, and the plates 3 by 4 joists, halved and nailed at the joints. It is sided with inch and a quarter spruce plank, tongued and grooved. No upright tim- bers were used. The floor and roofing are of the same kind of plank. To guard against leak- age by shrinking, the joints may be battened with lath or other strips of thin boards. An eight-square frame supports the top of the raft- ers, leaving an opening of ten inches in diame- ter, on which is placed an octagon chimney for a ventilator, which makes a very pretty finish. The piers should be either cedar, chestnut, or locust, two feet high, and set on flat stones. The letter D designates the door; W, W, win- GEOUNl) PLA>-. dows; L, latticed window to admit air, with a shutter to exclude it when necessary; E, en- trance for the fowls with a sliding door; P, plat- form for the fowls to alight on when going in ; R, R are roosts placed spirally, one end attach- ed to a post near the centre of the room, and the other end to the wall; the first or lower- most one two feet from the floor, and the oth- ers eighteen inches apart, and rising gradually to the top, six feet from the floor. These roosts will accomodate forty ordinary-sized fowls. F, F is a board floor, on an angle of about forty- five degrees, to catch and carry down the drop- pings of the fowls. This arrangement renders it much more convenient in cleaning out the manure, which should be frequently done. The space beneath this floor is appropriated to nests, twelve in number, fifteen inches wide, eighteen inches deep, and eighteen inches high. In order to give an appearance of secretiveness, which it is well known the hen is so partial to, the front is latticed with strips of latb. By this arrangement a free circulation of air is ad- mitted, which adds much to the comfort of the hens while sitting. POULTRY-HOUSES. 51 OXJK OWN POULTEY-nOUSE. The above figure represents the front and ele- vation of rather an extensive and costly estab- lishment, but would be very convenient, and add somewhat in embellishing the premises of the homestead. The end buildings are intend- ed for laying, hatching, and roosting apartments. The cupolas on the tops are finished with blinds for the purpose of ventilation as well as orna- ment. On the bottom of each cupola, and in- side of the building, should be a door, hung on hinges, with a cord attached, passing through a pulley so that it can be closed or opened at pleas- ure, to ventilate when necessary. In the ga- bles, if facing the south, as they always should, dove-cots may be formed, as shown in the en- graving. The long building with windows in front, con- necting the two extreme ones, is intended for a storm-house, chicken saloon, or walk, for exer- cise in cold weather, as well as a retreat from storms, and for feeding, basking, etc. ; being made warm by filling in with brick, or lathed and plastered, and the roof should be thatched with straw. The front should be ten fedl high, roof sloping to the north. The windows are intended to admit heat in winter as well as light. If only for a storm-house, the windows may be omitted, and the front finished in the form of a shed. Boxes for nests may also be placed there for laying and hatching. By partitioning it off, two varieties of fowls may be kept separate ; so that one side may be appropriated for turkeys, guinea-hens, etc. Doors in each should open into the yards, which should be of considerable size, at least half an acre for every fifty fowls, as room and space in the open air is necessary for 52 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COIVIPANION. their health when they are not permitted the range of the barn-yard. The yard should, if possible, be a little sloping, that it may be dry, as moisture is a most destructive enemy to poul- try. It should be inclosed by a fence at least seven feet high, with long, sharp pickets, and the timbers on which the pickets are nailed, un- less some distance below the top, should be on the outside, to prevent the fowls perching on them, as they seldom attempt to fly over a fence without alighting. When first confined, if they have been used to roam over the premises, they will show some impatience, which soon wears away, if every thing else is made agi*eeable to them. It may, however, be necessary to clip the wings of some of them, when first intro- duced, particularly if taken from the barn-yard, where they have always had their liberty. The buildings at the ends should be thirteen feet square, and thirteen feet posts. We name this size, as there would be no waste of timber, being just the length of the boards. If not too near the dwelling-house, so that there would be danger of fire from sparks, we Avould recom- mend to have the roof thatched with straw, be- ing much cooler in summei*, and warmer in the winter, and when well done, it forms a light and durable roof, and will last for twenty years. It should, however, be made very sloping, that it may carry off the water the more readily. A door, ten by fourteen inches, should be made in each department, three feet from the ground, for the fowls to pass in and out, and to confine them Avhen necessary. There should be no floor in the first story to prevent the fowls from com- ing to the earth ; and the litter should be often removed, and the bottom sprinkled with effete lime or old mortar, at least once in each week. In the second story there should be a tight floor under the roosts to catch the droppings of the fowls, by which means the apartments will be kept much cleaner, and the manure may be gathered, which, with the exception of pigeon's dung, is said to be the strongest of all animal excrements — it is home-made Guano. This will add a considerable item to the profits of keeping fowls that has heretofore been entirely overlooked. The roosts should commence on one side, at the top, near the plate, and slope downward, at an angle of about forty-five degrees, like a ladder, to within eighteen inches of the floor. The spars for the roosts should be about three inches square, with the corners taken off, and placed eighteen inches apart horizontally, for fowls, and at least two feet for turkeys, so that they may not incommode one another by their droppings. No flying will be necessary in this form of a roost, as the birds ascend and descend by steps. This arrangement is well adapted to the Asiatic fowls, such as Cochin Chinas, Brah- mas, etc. The lower story is designed for the laying and hatching department. When we first erect- ed our poultrj^-house we tried ranges of boxes, similar to those usually made for pigeons, placed against the walls for nests, but experience, the best of teachers, proved it was erroneous, espe- cially when hatching; for when the sitting hen left her nest to procure her food, drink, etc., one of the other hens would espy the eggs, and pop in and lay her egg there. In the mean time the hatching hen would return, and finding her nest occupied, and it being no easy matter to eject the intruder, as possession, with hens as with men, is considered nine points of law, she would seek the first nest she could find with eggs, and settle herself there very contentedly. The consequence was, the other hen, after de- positing her egg, would leave the nest, and the eggs would cool and spoil. There is another difficulty. If vermin should make their ap- pearance, there is no way of getting at them or cleaning the nests. To remedy this, we would recommend the insertion of shallow drawers in the niches, as adopted by a friend on Staten Island. When they become foul and require cleaning they can be easily removed. The size and shape of the yard may be made to suit the convenience and taste of the owner, but from our experience, the larger the better. A hedge of lilac, or any other sort of shrubs within the fence, or what are better, small ever- green trees, with the branches left as near the ground as possible, will be found very accepta- ble to the poultry, where they will retire for shelter from the heat of the sun, and protection from the hovering hawk. POULTRY-HOUSES. 53 OENAMENTAL RUSTIC POULTRT-nOFSE. The above elevation and front view of a poul- try-house Ave borrow from L, F. Allen's "Ru- ral Architecture." This design is of the rustic order, and may- be erected either plain or ornamental, at a less or greater price, at the option of the owner. The proportions are as folloAvs : Length 20 feet, breadth 16, and height 10 feet. The posts are set in the ground — " for Ave do not like floors of wood," says Mr. Allen, "because rats are apt to burroAV under them, and are the AA^orst pests of the poultry-house" — and boarded up, either inside or outside, but not double. Plates con- nect the posts firmly together, and support the rafters as usual. The chamber floor is 9 feet above the ground, and may be used for nests or as a store room for their feed. The roof projects boldly, as a shelter to the walks, and through the centre of it is an ornamented A'entilator. The windows are represented with diamond panes; common sash would be more suit- able; the front windoAvs are large, to attract the Avarmth of the Avihter sun. A section of picket fence is shoAvn, also trees in the rear — both of Avhich ai'e necessary to a complete estab- lishment; the former, to secure the poultry in the contiguous yard, and the latter, to give them shade and roosting-places in Avarm Aveather, for which we consider them eminently Avholesome. The wooden floor is dispensed Avith — if the ground be gravelly or sandy, that Avill be suffi- ciently dry. If on a heaA-y or damp soil, it should be underdrained, AA^hich Avill effectually dry it, and be better for the fowls than a floor of Avood, brick, or stone. Doors for the entrance of the poultry can be placed near the ground, hung on the upper side, to be closed AA-hen necessary. The front door opens into the laying room, around three sides of which are tiers of boxes, one foot wide, and one and a half feet in length 54 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. and height — the lowest tier elevated two feet above the ground, and one tier above the other, and snugly partitioned between, with a hole at one corner of each, 10 by 8 inches, for passing into them, and a shelf or passage board, 9 inch- es wide, in front of each tier, for passing into the boxes. These are for nesting, and should be supplied with short, soft straw or hay for that purpose. cottager's poultry-house. "No housewife in the country," says Bos- well, " whether her cottage is situated in a vil- lage or on the roadside, need be without a few fowls ; provided proper care be taken to do no injury to surrounding property not her own, and of whose possessor she has not obtained per- mission. This can be more easily accomplished, even in apparently disadvantageous circumstan- ces, than is generally imagined. Although in some cases the profit may appear small, in all, the economy is great. Suppose a cottager while engaged in his daily toil, and his wife in her usual avocations, should have some means by which even the scraps of their scanty table, with- out intrenching upon their time, should be turn- ed to profitable account, instead of littering the floor, or being swept out into the road! "For the accomplishment of this most desir- able object, the means, in a great majority of instances, are simple and easy. "At the gable end of the house, as near as possible to the opposite side of the kitchen fire — at which part, and for this purpose, the wall might be made thinner ; perhaps only brick in bed, or "brick on end, to the height of six or eight feet — a poultry-house, something similar to the an- nexed figure, might with the slightest materials be made. Formed of rough slabs, or of such materials as the rural resident must be at all times -i able to find in his neighbor- hood, such an erection would cost almost no expense. Its construction can easily be un- derstood from the figure. Its size, form, and fitting up must depend principally upon the judgment and convenience of the rearer; but in such a place, it not being advisable to per- mit them to roam at large, a palisade can easily be formed completely to inclose this poultry- house. It will only require one row of stakes, running parallel with the gable of the house, with the shed at one end and a small gate at the other, to form a complete parallelogram, in which the poultry, when necessary, may be con- fined. The inclosure does not reqiiire to be high, if the tops are 'pointed, for these fowls seldom attempt to pass over. If this inclosure can be made to surround the ash-pit, even in very unfavorable circumstances, a veiy perfect and profitable poultry establishment may on a small scale be formed." In some plans, a poultiy-house is built large enough to contain all the different species, and this is often found an agreeable as well as use- ful addition to a mansion, affording an oppor- tunity of observing their habits. Some poultry- houses have been fitted up on a considerable scale, consisting of various compartments, each species of bird being placed in circumstances suited to its nature and habits ; and each com- partment comprising separate divisions for feed- ing, roosting, laying, incubation, and rearing. Among the most extensive of these we may re- fer to those of Her Majesty and Lord Penryhn, in Europe, and in this country, to that of Mat- thew Vassar, Esq., at Spring Side, near Pough- keepsie, one of the neatest and completest estab- lishments we have ever seen. The yard is in- closed on three sides with sheds, the I'oofs slop- ing outward, and divided into wards for the dif- ferent varieties of fowls, including turkeys, pea- cocks. Guinea-fowls, pheasants, tame and wild ducks, and different varieties of geese. A great variety of fancy pigeons are also kept in this establishment. How much of the excellence of these first-rate constructions are attainable on a small scale, will depend upon the taste of the owner, and other circumstances ; but although a small col- lection may be kept in one place, yet the prin- ciple of separating each species should not be lost sight of, and it will be found proper to give them different habitations, according to their several habits. POULTRY-HOUSES. 55 FAKCY rOULTET-HOUSE. It is true poultry may be kept almost any where. We have heard of their being success- fully kept and reared in an attic or garret, who never knew there was any other world beyond the walls of their prison. In such accommoda- tions, however, success could only be achieved by constant attention and great judgment in sup- plying artificially those requirements of the birds which the place of confinement did not afford. Those who can well affbrd it, and wish to display more taste in this delightful branch of economy, might build in a Gothic, Chinese, or in the style of the above figure. It is designed for a poultry-house and yard for breeding fowls, ducks, and pigeons. It is intended to stand in the centre of a piece of grass-land or park, and if on a slight knoll or mound so much the better. If the soil is inclined to clay, it should be exca- vated all around the building at least two feet deep, and first a layer of stones about one and a half feet deep, then covered with coarse gravel and sand. This is desirable — for we consider it almost essential to success — stagnant moisture or wet in the soil being more inducive to dis- eases than any other circumstance. A southern aspect is the best, and if shel- tered from the north and northwest, by planta- tions of evergreens, it will not only be a pro- tection from the cold winds of winter, but a re- sort from the rays of the sun in summer. The houses and yards must be constructed to suit the views and purposes of the proprietor. The yards should be fenced with pickets at least six and a half feet high — wire would be more ornamental, but rather expensive. Not less than one-fourth of an acre should be allowed for fifty fowls. Tlie walls of the poultry-house should be of 56 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPAKIOX. brick, nine inches thick, and hollow; they should be at least twelve feet high, so that the roof can project some four feet, forming a shed for protecting the fowls from the storm. The front of the shed may be formed of lath or any other kind of wood, in a rustic manner, form- ing a trellis on which vines might be trained, which would add much to its appearance ; or it may be inclosed with glass, and grapes grown on the rafters ; or nests may be placed in these sheds for sitting hens. We may ohsers'e here, that whichever plan is adopted, the cheapest and warmest materials of Avhich to construct the house are a wood frame and a weather-boarding, either of clap-boards or ceiled up and down Avith narrow battens. It should be ceiled within with hemlock boards, tongued and grooved, and laid crosswise, and tilled in between the timbers with spent tan, or any other dry substance, well rammed or pack- ed in. Or the spaces between the posts may be filled in with brick and a thin coat of plaster. In either case, whether of brick or wood, it should be whitewashed with lime. The roof should also be ceiled Avith boards and filled in with tan, which would render it cooler in summer and warmer in winter, and it would have many advantages, especially as af- fording easy access to the lime-brush, an opera- tion that should never be neglected four or five times in the year. Those who haA'e insisted on this cleansing process, know Avell how amply the trouble is paid by the increased comfort and consequent health of their stock. It is also cer- tain death to vermin. For the floor, we regard bricks as the worst of all materials ; they retain moisture, whether atmospheric or arising from indifferent drain- age ; and thus the temperature is kept low when warmth is most essential, and disease too often follows, especially cramps in the feet and legs. Let the floor be of whatever materials, it should be kept covered with fine sand or gravel, and removed often. } The interior may be finished to accommo- t date the kind of stock intended to be kept. If I for the large Asiatic fowls, the perches should , be low, or the floor of their roosting-room may ! be covered with straw ; in which case it should ! be cleansed or the straw changed daily. In the following ground plan A, A are roosting-houses, laying-nests, etc. Shed It is not essential to success that the nests should be upon the ground, though for the Asi- atic fowls we should recommend it, in con- formity with the general observation, that hens when left to them^lves usually do so. But whether on the ground or raised somewhat above it, it should be clean and somewhat secluded. The cupola is intended for a pigeon-house. The holes by which they enter should not be too large or too numerous, and should have a shelf at the entrance. The upper tier should have a roof or weather-boarding over them to keep out the wet. An objection to a wooden pigeon-house is, that they are too cold in winter and too hot in summer ; but this may be in a great measure prevented by making the wood double, with a space of two or three inches be- tween, which williorm a non-conductor of heat. The interior must have cells for nests ; and these may be made by putting in partitions ten inches apart and one foot long. Across the front of each nest there should be a board two inches wide, sliding up and down in a groove to prevent the .young ones from falling out, as they are liable to ; by having this board mov- able, the nests may be cleaned out occasionally. Care should be taken to guard against rats. POULTRY-HOUSES. PEESPECTITE VIEW OF BEOWNE'B POirLTEY-nOITSE. From the " American Poultry Yard," by D. J. Browne, we take the following description of a very pretty and convenient poultry-house, of which the above is a perspective view : " A fowl-house," says Mr. Browne, " should be dry, well roofed, and fronting the east or south ; and if practicable, in a cold climate, it should be provided with a stove, or some other means for heating, warmth being very conducive to health and laying, though extreme heat has the con- trary effect. The dormitory, or roost, should be well ventilated by means of two latticed win- dows, at opposite ends of the building ; and it would be desirable to have one or more aper- tures through the roof for the escape of foul air. The sitting apartment, also, should be ven- tilated by means of a large window, in the side of the house, and holes through the ceiling or roof. If kept moderately dark, it will contrib- ute to the quietude of the hens, and thus favor the process of incubation. The sitting-room should be provided with boxes or troughs, well supplied with fresh water and proper food for the hens during the hatching period, from which they can partake at all times at will. The lay- ing-room, in winter, should have similar boxes or troughs containing old mortar,. broken oyster- shells, soot, brick-dust, gravel, and ashes, as well as a liberal supply of proper food and drink. The perches, or roosting-poles, should be so arranged that one row of the fowls should not rest direct- ly over another. They should be so construct- ed as to enable the fowls to ascend and descend by means of ladders or steps, without making much use of their wings ; for heavy fowls fly up to their roosts with difficulty, and often in- jure themselves by descending, as they alight heavily upon the ground. "The accompanying cut represents a hen- house in perspective, 20 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 7 feet high to the eaves, with a roof of a 7-foot pitch, a chimney-top, a ventilator on the peak, 12 feet in length and 1 foot or more in height, and openings in the gable ends for the admission of fresh air. In the easterly end there are two doors, one leading into the laying apart- 58 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. _ — ^ « — 0 ment and loft, and the other into the hatching- room. In the same end there is also a wooden shutter or blind, %vhich may be opened when- ever necessary to let air or light into the roost. In the back, or northerly side, there is a large lattice window, three feet above the floor or ground, 4 by 12 feet, for the purpose of afford- ing fresh air to the sitting hens. In front, or southerly side, there is a large glazed Avindow, 4 by 12 feet, and another on the southerly side of the roof, of a corresponding size, designed to admit light and heat of the sun in cold weath- er, to stimulate the laying hens. In the south- erly side there are also two small apertures three feet above the ground or floor, for the ingress and egress of the fowls. These openings may be provided with sliding shutters, as well as with ' lighting boards,' inside and out, and may be guarded by sheets of tin, nailed on below tliem, to prevent the intrusion of rats, weasels, or skunks. " Tjie building may be constructed of wood oi other materials, and in such style or order of aichitecture as may suit one's taste, only pre- sarving the internal arrangements and proj)or- tions in reference to breadth and height. As a general rule, as regards the length of a building, each hen, irrespective of the cocks, may be al- lowed a foot. " In the ground plan, L denotes the laying ajjartment'; H the hatching-room, 6 by 20 feet ; '/?, n, etc., nest-boxes for laying, 14 by 14 inches, and ten inches deep ; o, o, etc., nest-boxes for sitting hens of the same size ; /, a ladder or steps leading into the loft ; and S, a stove for warm- ing the apartment, if desirable, when the weath- er is cold. "The transverse or cross section shows the building from the bottom to the top, with the JT 1 nDDcnuLnnnr nDDBSIZ iiinnnnnnn 1 1 li 1 " j ^ h*- ! i / 1 6B0Tnn> PLAN. internal arrangements: L denotes the laying apartment, and H the hatching-room, divided in the middle by a partition ; n, the nest-boxes resting on tables, three or four feet above the floor or ground ; i, 6, boxes or troughs contain- ing water, grain, brick-dust, sand, ground oyster- shells, or the materials for the convenience of the fowls ; d, an aperture or door three feet above the ground or floor, for the ingress and egress of the fowls ; a, a lattice window, three feet above the floor or ground, for the admission of fresh air to the sitting hens ; R, the roosting-place, or loft, shut off from the laying and sitting apartments by the ceilings, c, c; h, a hole or opening in the ceil- ing for the escape of the air be- low into the loft ; v, the ventila- tor at the peak of the roof; p, the roosting-pole, or perch ; t, a trough, or bed, for retaining the droppings or dung." POULTRY-HOUSES. 59 NEW YORK POULTEY-HOTTSE, After detailing the conveniences and manner of construction of sevei-al establishments, we come now to a very simple, complete, and, to our mind, very efficient fowl-house, as given "by a correspondent under the signature of H. in in the American Agriculturist. The writer says, "The accompanying plan and references ren- der a further description unnecessary. The north, east, and west sides of the house are of brick ; the floors are of cement, to keep out rats and other vermin. "Fowls will not lay well in winter unless they have during the day a dry, light, and warm apartment in cold and stormy weather. The room marked c is designed for this purpose ; it is lighted in front and above by sashes, one of which, in front, is hung with hinges for the entrance. If necessary, a^ ventilator may be added to the roof, or a window in each end." Where location and circumstances will per- mit, we would recommend setting the building in a side-hill, the back wall to be of stone and laid in mortar, which adds much to the warmth in winter, and renders it cool and agreeable in summer. Ground plan — a, h, apertures for admitting fowls, with slides for closing ; c, place for feed- ing ; (/, roosting-room ; e, laying-room, with se- cluded nests ; f^ bin for feed ; ^, passage. GO THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMRAXIOX. RUSTIC POULTRY-HOUSE. A very cheap, pretty, and economical plan for a rustic poultry-house we find described in the American Agriculturalist, as follows : " This kind of work can easily be made by any person accus- tomed to the use of the saw and ax. All that is required is a little taste, having your plan well digested before commencing, so as to re- quire no alterations. EU8T1C POULTKY-HOUSE. " For the construction of a piece of rustic work like the above figure, after selecting tlie situation, join four pieces of saplings in an ob- long shape for the sills ; confine them to the ground ; erect at the middle of each of the two ends a forked post, of suitable height, in order to make the sides quite steep ; join these with a ridge-pole ; rough -board it from the apex downward by the sills to the ground ; then cover it with bark, roughly cut in pieces a foot square, laid on and confined in the same manner as ordinary shingles ; fix the back end in the same way; and the front can be latticed Avith little poles with the bark on, arranged diamond fash- ion, as shown in the sketch — a part to be made with hinges for a door. " The size of the building may vary according to the wants of the owner. Toward the apex of the interior, rough roosting-poles should run parallel with the sides of the house, so arranged that one set of fowls shall not perch directly above the others. Troughs or holes should be placed under the poles, in order to catch the manure ; and ladders or steps should be pro- vided for the fowls to ascend and descend from their roost. Laying and sitting boxes may be placed at either side of the building, under the roofing, on or just above the ground. These would accommodate the Shanghai and other large fowls. They should be about 14 inches square, 10 inches deep, and concealed by bun- dles of cora-stalks, straw, brush, or evergreen- boughs. The sitting-boxes should be partly filled with wood-ashes, charcoal-dust, or tobac- co-stems. They will ward off lice and other small vermin, as well as contribute to the health of the hen. Direct above the ashes, etc., should be the nest, which may be made of finely- chopped hay or straw, dried grass, or the leaves of trees. It is not at all required to have as many nests as hens, as one might suppose, be- cause they have not all occasion to occupy them at the same time." POOR man's poultry-house. A very cheap and economical plan of a poul- try-yard and pen is given by D. F. Ames, in the Farmei-''s Rural Library. " When neces- sary to fatten any fowls for the table or mark- et," says Mr. Ames, "the yard plan is far bet- ter than confinement in a dirty coop, where they generally first lose flesh, and afterward con- tract a flavor by no means pleasant. One of these pens, of the most simple form, and such a one as any handy lad could make in a few hours, should be attached to every cottage ; it costs nothing but a very little labor, and would really be pleasant employment for the noon hours, or evening. "First, let a convenient and suitable place be chosen for a fowl-yard ; not in a dark, shady corner, but in a light, airy situation ; and, con- sidering the number of fowls intended to be kept, mark its size : it is not well to have too many together, as the cocks will disagree. A stock of twenty-five, containing two or three cocks, is sufficient for one house ; if more are to be kept, erect another pen in a different di- rection ; accordingly, mai'k out a place in the form of a circle of eighteen or twenty-four feet POULTRY-HOUSES. 61 in diameter. On the outside of this circle, cut a trench three or four inches wide and deep, and plant poles twelve or eighteen inches into the ground every two feet. These poles should be as thick as a man's arm, and eight or ten feet high, thus forming a circle of poles stand- ing on end. Choose a space to the south, be- tween two of the poles, for the purpose of a door, and the poles on each side of this space should be straight, and a little stouter than the rest; then go to the swamp or brushwood, and cut a good parcel of it, leaves, small twigs, and buiTS, all just as it stands. It ought to be six feet long, that it may reach three of the poles, and if longer all the better ; then having con- veyed it to the standing poles, commence by lacing some of the stout and straight ones round the poles in the trench, alternately in and out, like basket-work, going the whole round, the door-way, of course, excepted. When you have got it eight or ten inches high, stamp it well down, making all tight and firm, that the small- est chicken may not be able to pass through it. Go on thus till you get it five feet high, then pass the circle of brush over door-way and all, to make it firmer and stronger, continuing it up to the height of eight or ten feet ; tlie upper may be lighter and not braided so close ; braid sometimes on one, and then on the other side of the uprights. Upon this principle, a yard may be made of any size, and in any situation, for really nothing. Any boy can make a door for this, and fix it with hinges from the sole leather of an old shoe. POOE man's POXJLTRY-nOUSE. " Then comes the fowl-house ; this should be placed in the centre of the circle, that no ver- min may get at it, and that the fowls may find shade and shelter all around, as the wind or sun may happen to be. A few stakes, a little more brush, and an armful of straw for thatch or roof, will make this answer ; but one formed of boards, with a good tight straw thatch, would be far preferable. Mind, I say 'straw thatch' for roof, as it is far the best thing ; and if prop- erly done, it will last twenty years. The sun, rain, and snow, have no effect on it. It is very warm in winter, and lets no heat through in summer. It should be formed of good, clean, long straw, clean-thrashed, and as little broken as possible ; wheat or rye is preferable ; put it on ten or twelve inches thick ; I have seen it eighteen inches. Tie it close and securely witli strips of white oak or hickory bark well twisted ; but this every one knows how to perform. Mind and let the roof have a good pitch, or in other words, be very steep, that snow and rain may be quickly thrown off. To make this warmer in winter, the sides, either outside or within, may be laid with cedar brush and salt hay tacked up to the boards ; or made of brush wicker-work, 62 THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. and then plastered outside and in with clay and short salt hay ; and when dry, a good coat of lime whitewash. This gives a neat, pretty look, and is warm and cheap. " Now for the inside of the house — this should be arranged with order and neatness, for neg- lect on these points will be a serious evil ; first, the nests : these may be formed by placing boards sixteen inches apart, beginning from the ground (do not floor it) ; then divide them into boxes by partitioning every sixteen or eighteen inches, and partly blind the front by nailing a board against them, leaving just room for the hens to pass out and in ; a little piece of shin- gle can be placed across the bottom of the en- trances to prevent the eggs from rolling out, and a perch can be so placed along the front as to assist them in getting up and into them. Choose those on the ground to hatch in, as the earth retains the temperature of the eggs better than liay or straw. Little doors would be convenient to place before the sitting hens to prevent their being disturbed. "Perclies for their nightly accommodation and roosting should be placed across so as not to have them dirty on one anothei", and down into the nests ; and they should also be placed at different elevations, so as they can easily get up and jump from one to another. The perches or roosts should be of a good size, round, and stout as a man's wrist or arm, to make them steady, and to prevent the hens contracting the deformity of a bent or a crooked breast-bone, which is common from this cause ; they should also be so far apart that the fowls can not from one perch peck those of another. Some fowls have a trick of doing this, and I have had sev- eral instances of the hens being almost stripped of feathers on the head and neck from others they did not agree with, and yet they would per- tinaciously adhere to the situation that subjected them to the painful operation." The hen-house should never be much larger than sufficient to accommodate the number of fowls to be kept in it ; for if too large they hud- dle together in one corner, and, as it has been before observed, hens produce eggs more abund- antly in a small apartment than in a more spa- cious building. But warmth and cleanliness should be particularly attended to, and it should be rendered in every respect comfortable and agreeable to the birds that inhabit it ; for, if that be not done, they will seek to lay away from home instead of in the nests provided for them, and if they can not succeed, they will to a certainty produce fewer eggs than if their pro- pensities and tastes were better indulged ; but if they have a clean, quiet, warm place to retire to, they will lay regularly and abundantly, and will repay both the trouble and expense. RHODE-ISLAND POULTRY-HOUSE. The following plan of a poultry-house is tak- en from the Albauij Cultivator, and differs very considerably from those already given. The writer who furnishes the plan remarks, " Some farmers are of an opinion that a few boards tacked together, or set against the side of a wall, answer very well for the purpose of a hen- roost; but I have come to the conclusion that to render our fowls profitable, as much care must be taken of them as of our horses and cat- tle. This house may be built of pine boards, or it may be clap-boarded and plastered with lime ; in either case it should have a good plank floor. It is twelve feet long, eight feet wide, and seven feet high, from the bottom of the sill to the top of the plate." Pi Fi