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F
 Movable Fowl House. Nest of Twelve Laying Cheap Game-Proof and
or Hatching Boxes. Chicken Hurdles.
For enclosing CHICKENS, BANTAMS,
Brahmas, C .chins. Ducks, or
RAEKIIS.
No. 18 0.

REGISTERED DESIGN.
.Vli, made of red deal, with slid-
L X'^H t-KILl b. Uig sliutter fronts to each box,
ventilated back
and front.
No. 14 4 ft. square . . ;f 2 15s. od.
Cash prices.
No. 15 5 ft. „ . . £3 los. c<I. Cash Price, 30s. 6 ft. lonjf, 2 ft. 6 in. high with l-in.
No. 16 6 ft £4 15s. od. These Nests should be found in 2 hoilzon'al bars, as iUus- mesh.
If mounted on wheels. los. extra. e\'ery Setting-House. trated each 3s. 3d.
-a.^ 6 ft. long, 3 ft. high, with 3
No. 60a. horizontal bars each 3s. 9d.
. .

Patent Chicken Hand Gate 2 ft. 6in. wide,

and standards each 7s. 6d.
Nursery or Bantam . .

House.
BOULTON
AND
No. 66.
The Keeper's Coop.

PAUL, Ltd,
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Cash price, 25s. Cash Price, witholt Run?

Two Carriage Paid. 6d. each.

No. 20.
POULTRYS KENNEL SS.
12 Coops, 60s.. Carriage Paid,

Range of Improved Runs with slides in front,

Poultry Yards. APPLIANCES, 2S. 6d. each, extra.

No 61a. Pascall's
NORWICH. Chick-Feeding Run.

Send for Catalogue.

Profusely Illustrated. WQ^
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Mo. 46a. Fattening Pen. KT- 04.

NO. RM. No. 68. New PortableCoop
-witb. Run Combined.
<< Hatching and F.r Game, Chickens. Raecits.
Nest Bos. Cat Proof, R,\t Pk'"ji-, and Sparrow

Rei.isthrkd
Copyright.
Cash Price,
;^
— Lime-whited inside, *«*"•*'
-~ ^ 35. 6d. each. CASH PRICE, r5s. each ; larger size for fifty

, f. .r four Powls. £t los. young Ducks, 30s.

BEWARE OF INFERIOR IMITATIONS.

Face Cover 2.]
i.

a^t^
Jf T^\
 THE PRACTICAL

POULTRY KEEPER,J

BY

LEWIS AA/RIGHT \q,^^-^<^^

ENTIRELY NEW AND REVISED EDITION

WITH EIGHT COLOURED PLATES AND

OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS

CASSELL AND COMPANY, Limited

LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK &' MELBOURi\E

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 Fir=t Edition May 1867.

Reprinted 1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873, '874,

February 1875, December 1875, 1S76, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, iSSz,

1883, 1884. New Edition 1885. Reprinted 1886, 1888, 1889.

1891, 1892, 1894, 1895. 1897. Ne-M Revised Edition 1899.

BY THE SAME AUTHOH.

The Illustrated Book of Poultry.
The Book of Poultry, los. 6d.
The Book of PigeoTis(Ediied by), los. 6d.
The Practical Pigeon Keeper, 3s. 6d.

CASSELL & COMPANY, Lirniled. London,

Paris, S'rtu York &• Meibourne,
 PREFACE
TO THE NEW AND REVISED EDITION

The first edition of tiiis work was published in 1867, its

object being to give practical details in such a practical way

that it might be put into the hands of a person totally

ignorant of poultry-keeping, with the reasonable certainty

that its instructions would be understood by him, and if

followed would command success. The writer does not

think now, any more than then, that such a work previously
existed ;
and such an implied opinion may possibly account
for own efforts were
the singular hostilitv with Avhich his
then received and reviewed by some who claimed to be
the leading authorities in the poultry world. Time proves
all things, however and the constant demand for rapidly-
;

succeeding editions has proved that The Practical

Poultry Keeper did fulfil its intended purpose, and
supply some real want, and was both understood by, and
welcome to, the people for whom it was written.
After numerous minor revisions for some of the many
successive impressions, the Twentieth Edition called for

more extensive re-casting, and was set up afresh in entirely

new type, with Coloured Plates in lieu of the older black

illustrations. That edition also has, since 1885, been many
times reprinted, with occasional minor corrections. But the
time has at length come when another entirely new edition
seems to be demanded. In this edition, fully one half of
iv Preface.

the contents have been entirely rewritten, and all of the

remainder thoroughly revised.
The work in its new dress is considerably enlarged, and
two of the Coloured Plates are devoted to varieties of poultry

which have been recently introduced. Endeavour has been

made to embody the essence of that progress in and increase
of knowledge which has taken place in many points, and to

take note of the many changes which have taken place,

during recent years. The facts and the truth are becoming
more defined respecting the vexed question of poultry-
farming, andsome endeavour has been made to set forth
that truth, and to correct the exaggerations which have
been published on both sides. The author has done his
best to make this new edition of The Practical Poultry
Kkeper as practical as ever, whilst embodying the best
knowledge and methods of the present day; and he commits
it to the judgment of tlie public for whom it is intended, in
hope and with some confidence that it may continue to find
the same acceptance as before.

March, iSqg.
 CONTENTS.
PAGE
Chapter I. — Houses, Runs and Accommodation .. ... ... i

Chapter — Domestic Management of Adult Fowls

II. ... ... 23

Chapter III. — Natural Hatching and Chicken Rearing ... ... 42

Chapter IV. — Artificial Hatching and Rearing ... 61

Chapter V. — Table Poultry, Fattening and Killing ... ... ... 82

Chapter VI. — Poultry on the Farm ... ... ... ... ... g6
Chapter VII. — Poultry Farming .. ... ... ... ... 108

Chapter VIII. — Breeding for Points ... ... . . ... ... 131

Chapter IX. — Breeding and Rearing of Prize Stock ... ... 145
Chapter X.— Exhibition ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 157
Chapter XI. — Cochins, Langshans ... ... ... ... ... 165
Chapter XII. — Brahmas... ... ... ... ... ... ... 174
Chapter XIII. — Malays, Aseel», and Indian Game ... ... ... 180
Chapter XIV. — Game Fowls .. ... ... ... ... ... 185
Chapter XV. — Dorkings... ... ... ... ... ... ... igz
Chapter XVI. — Spanish, Minorcas, Leghorns, etc 197
Chapter XVII. —;Hamburghs ... ... ... ... ... ... 209
Chapter XVIII.— Polish, Sultans 215
Chapter XIX. — French Breeds ... ... ... . ... ... 220
Chapter XX. — American Breeds ... ... ... ... ... 228
Chapter XXI. — Miscellaneous Breeds ... ... ... ... ... 238
Chapter XXII. — Bantams 246
Chapter XXIII. —-Turkeys, Guinea-fowl, Pea-fowl ... ... ... 253
Chapter XXIV, — Ducks ... 266
Chapter XXV. — Geese and Swans ... ... ... ... ... 279
Chapter XXVI. — Diseases, Vices, and Vermin ... ... ... 287

Index ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 305
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

COLOURED PLATES.
Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes
 THE

PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER.

CHAPTER I.

HOUSES, RUNS, AND ACCOMMODATION.

Where poultry are to be kept, however small or large the

number, the first practical question is, of course, the house
and run, or number of such, which they are to occupy.
And as regards the sheltered part of this, the essentials are
the same, however the open runs may vary. The house
must have perfect protection from weather and draught,
but with ample supply of fresh and pure air, also a fair
amount of light. Beside this, there must be enough shelter
from the weather by day, dry underfoot. And both must
be kept clean easily.

Let us first consider the smallest scale, say from four to

eight fowls to be kept at the bottom of a yard or garden.
If the affair has to be put up, the best general arrangement
will be as in Fig. i, a house in one corner, a roofed shed

carried out at its side, and as much open run in front as can
be afforded, or perhaps the whole yard. The house will be
walled in ;
but the shed should be open in front, though
with a closed end wall, unless it runs all across, in which
latter case it may perhaps comprise all the run which can
be afforded. In any case, in confined space the shed should
be boarded up a foot from the ground, and netted above,
that the few birds may be confined in specially bad weather ;
B
2 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
and the roof over all should project a little in front and have
a gutter. A house four feet square would reall}' do for half
a dozen ;
but this would hardly give enough shelter-depth
to the shed, which will be/rtr better six feet to the back,
hence a small house may part off four feet wide from such
a shed. A long shed may already exist, and if so, will do
excellently if in repair ; otherwise comes the question of
 Poultry Houses. 3

quartering either on the ground, or still better, upon a

"footing" made by a row of bricks laid side b}^ side, and
halve or mortise all the uprights into the sills. There must
be an upright at the corner of the house, and for a door-
post, and at the gate in the shed, and its corner, and
wherever else needed for strength. A horizontal timber
will run all along the top of the front, and on to this and
the back piece on the wall the rafters will be spiked down.
The boards may be either tongued, or must be caulked by
driving string into the chinks, or laths tacked over the
latter.Tongued boards are best, and look neatest. The
door must fit well, or rather, should be made so as to lap
over the timbers all round.
Single boards are ample for ordinary English climate,
but are not enough for the north or for America. More
warmth can be got, when necessary, in several ways.
Matting can be tacked inside in winter, but unless re-
moved in warmer months, harbours vermin. Roofing felt

is better, the tarry smell repelling insects. But the best

plan of all, and which is also cool in hot weather, is to nail
a skin of thinner match-boarding on the inside of the
timbers both of walls and roof, leaving an air-space between.
This makes a very warm house.
For roofing there are many materials.Loose tiles
answer for the southern half of England, and provide
ample ventilation ;
but in high latitudes the house Avould
be far too cold, as is also the case with galvanised iron
used alone, and which does not ventilate. Boarded or ceiled
under, either makes a good roof. Wood alone also makes
a good roof. Feather-edge boards may be overlapped
horizontally, and tarred periodically, or thicker boards,
tongued or plain, may
be laid edge to edge from the
highest point to the eaves. This should be coated with hot
gas tar in which a pound of pitch to the gallon is dissolved.
B 2
 —

4 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

Or the wood may be tarred, then covered with thick brown
paper tacked down, and again tarred ; or caUco will be still

better. Or the wood may be covered with roofing felt.

An aspect anywhere from south-easterly round to the

west an advantage when the back of the house and shed
is

is a wall, and if the wall back on to a fireplace or stable, such

very mild warming is an advantage in winter. But neither

is necessary if the shed is lii!;Jit and the floor dry.
This brings us to the floor of house and shed. The
fowls will stand activity over wet runs, on which they only
walk at their choice but cannot be kept successfully in
;

—
confinement we say absolutely that they cannot^ for long
if the floor and walls of the house, and floor of the shed on

which they depend for shelter, be not dry. However damp

the ground, this can almost always be effected, by digging
and taking away till hard earth be reached, then putting on
a layer of broken bricks, or stones, or clinkers, from one to
two feet deep, in any case enough to raise the level six
inches above the ground, and on this a layer of concrete
made of hot fresh-slaked brown lime, and gravel or pounded
clinkers. Sometimes it is better to use a dry mixture of
quicklime pounded, gravel, and tar, the smell of which
repels rats and mice. If there is definite cause to dread rats,
however, it is worth while to lay small-mesh wire netting
over the beaten-down surface of the drainage material, and
below the concrete, and to carry it a foot up all the walls.
A shed thus floored, and with the roof well projecting,
and boarded up a foot or more, will be nice and dry. On
the hard floor can be placed dry earth, or ashes, or sand, or
straw, to be periodically removed when contaminated. On
dry soil all this is not, however, necessary. Mere trodden
earth will do for the house, and also for the floor of the shed
in that case ;
.but in the shed some inches of earth should
first be removed to be returned in a loose state, after the
 Poultry Houses. 5

subsoil has been levelled, and smoothed, and rammed down

to a hard permanent floor. This is the proper wav to keep
—
a shed and especially a shed which constitutes the only run
—
the fowls have clean. To dig it up a foot deep every two or
three weeks, as some do, answers for a period but gradually ;

the whole mass becomes contaminated to that depth, and

the fowls begin to ail from the poisonous atmosphere. If nil
can be removed and replaced with fresh earth every three
months or so, it will answer. But it is generally easier and
more manageable to renew merely a few inches of scratching
material, down to a hard bottom, as above indicated. The
removed earth or ashes will be valuable for the garden.
Another very useful material is peat-moss litter,
especially for the houses ; small sheds, however, are also
often floored with Some
scatter half an inch or an inch
it.

deep all and renew every two or three days others

over, ;

prefer to put in six or eight inches deep, and only rake off"
the top every now and then the whole lasting for months.
;

The droppings mixed with the moss scraped up make

admirable manure.
Where no wall is available for a lean-to erection, the
back uprights as well as the front must be raised on sills, if
they are to be tenant's fixtures : otherwise all may be, if

preferred, sunk into the ground. A double-pitched or gable

roof is much the best for such detached houses. The back
and end of the shed should still be boarded up, so as to give
adequate shelter.
Ready-made houses for fowls are now made and sold
very cheaply by quite a number of manufacturers, in a great
variety of patterns. They can be had built for a lean-to
against a wall ;
or entirely detached, with span, or circular,
or slanting roofs. We have seen them advertised as low as
25/- for4 feet square ; but seasoned wood can hardly be
expected at such a price.
6 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
A pattern common to almost all the manufacturers
resembles Fig. 2, its characteristic feature being that the
floor of the house itself is raised a couple of feet from the
ground, so that it forms a shelter or shed underneath,
enclosed except in front. This is a very cheap and often
useful arrangement, but there are two or three things to be
borne in mind about it. The first is, that the sizes given in

Fig. 2. — Portable House.

most price lists are not large enough for the numbers usually
stated with them — thus a
house 4 feet square is often given
as "suitable for 12 fowls." It is nothing of the sort more :

than half that should not be placed in it, unless small breeds
on a wide range. Except on such a large run, or with some
other shelter available, or in some sheltered position, such as
a shrubbery, the area of the ground shelter is not nearly
sufficient. With such adjuncts it may be ; but care should
be taken to ground some inches, and special care
raise the
to constantly renew clean dry dusting material, unless other
dusting places are available. Another point to remember is
that in snow or rain, the fowls, crowding under the shelter,
 Poultry Houses. j

are very likely, at night, to retnain there, rather than go

out momentarily into the wet to go up to roost ;
this should
always be looked after. Chinks may, not unlikely, open
after a while in the floor, —
and cause draught such must be
stopped by some material Even the entrance, in
if it is so.

its raised position, is far more exposed than when on the

Shelf in Fowl-house.
a Broad shelf, eighleen inches high.
b Perch, four inches above.
c Nests, open at lop and in front.

ground ;and such a house should therefore always be

turned to a mild quarter. It is often convenient, and

certainly better as a rule, where ready-made buildings are

purchased, to get a shed entirely separate, such as are also
supplied by the makers of the houses. When of proper
size,and used with judgment, these ready-made houses and
sheds are both cheap and useful.
Before leaving the smallest class of houses, let us con-
sider the internal arrangemjents. These chiefly concern
S The Practical Poultry Keeper.
cleanliness and i'cntilati(in^ and there is some latitude accord-
ing to circumstances. The former must be attended to. In
tlie house it is easily secured by laying a board underneath
the perch, which can be scraped clean every morning in a
moment, and the air the fowls breathe thus kept perfectly
pure. Or the droppings may be taken up daily with a small
hoe and a housemaid's common dustpan. After this a handful
of ashes or sand lightly sprinkled will make the house all it

should be. Another most excellent plan for preserving

cleanliness in the roosting-house is shown in Fig. 3.* A
broad shelf (a) is fixed at the back of the house, and the
perch placed four or five inches above it, a foot from the
wall. The nests are conveniently placed on the ground
underneath, and need no top, whilst they are perfectly
protected from defilement, and are also secluded, to the
delight of the hen. The shelf is scraped clean every morn-
ing with ease and comfort, from its convenient height, and
slightly sprinkled with earth or sand ;
and the floor is

scarcely polluted at all. Such a broad shelf underneath the

perch has another recommendation, in the protection it

affords from upward draughts. It is embodied in the farm

poultry-house figured on page 103.
Ventilation is often not provided for as it should be, and
the want of it is a fruitful source of failure and disease ;

though matters have much improved since this book was

first written. An ill-ventilated fowl-house vnist cause
sickly inmates. The great desideratum must, however, as
already observed, be secured without exposing the fowls
to draught between two points. But here we must dis-
tinguish. In the open air wind can be borne it is definite :

• We found this ];lan in the Canada Farmer about 1867, and the
publicity given in these pages has made it very common all over the world.
Long experience has more than ever convinced us of its merits.
 Poultry Houses.
draughts from some point to another point, cutting across
the birds in confined space, that do the mischief.
In closed houses the best plan is to have free openings at
the highest point of the roof ;
then if the only ingress be
the entrance, near the front of the house, and the perch be
at the back, there will be pretty good ventilation without
draught. Portable houses are often made now, with an
inch space at the eaves all round ; another good plan is

a "lantern" of slats arranged like Venetian blinds above

the highest point of the roof, or the angle of the wall under

B
F

Fig. 4. — Semi-open House.

the gable may be open except for a sheet of perforated zinc.

The hole will give sufficient air ;
the point is to secure
ample egress of air for the number of birds.
But, except in severe climates poultry do best not shut
in, air. Major Morant advocated
but with free access of outer
this plansome years ago, and we have seen its good results,
poultry so housed showing very much less illness in winter
than others accommodated in the usual manner. His principle
is shown in Fig. 4, representing roughly a detached house,

including shed, meant to be placed about a farm or other

range. The back, a b, and ends, a c and b d, are closed ;

but the front, turned towards a sheltered or warm aspect, is

only closed from D to E, E C being wired in, with a hole for

lO The Practical Poultry Keeper.
entrance. The perch is at F G, in the most sheltered part,
but facing the open shed. Here we have pure open air,
and practically no draught. In a rather boisterous situation,
still more shelter may be given by such a modification as
Fig. where the side of the roost next the open shed is
5,

H and the perch, f g, put back into the

partially closed, E ;

part most sheltered the vacant space is however entirely

;

open from top to bottom. This plan may be applied to

such a small affair as Fig. I with most excellent results.
Perches must not be high in any confined place. Light

D
Fig. 5. — Semi-open House.
breeds can fly down from need a long slant
a tree, but they
in their flight, or they hence in a confined
fall heavily ;

place half a yard to two feet is quite high enough.

"
Bumble-foot is often caused by too much heavy " drop
of this kind, from height so moderate that it would not
be suspected. With longer experience we have decided
against the use of straight planed perches, nearly flat on
top and same size all along, as we at one time used. It
is far better, if such can be got, to get nearly but not

quite straight small branches, with slight crooks and

irregularities, and little variations in size, averaging from
i| inch diameter to 2| inches, according to the fowls.
 —

Poultry Houses. '

ii

The irregularities are of service in preventing mischief.

Perches should have a flat bearing cut at each end, and be
movable, that these places may be dressed with oil and
paraffin every now and then, to keep away the red mite.
Large Asiatics often do better bedded on straw till they
are grown, or even after. A perfectly dry floor will do for
this, or such a shelf as described is an excellent plan. The
straw will do for several days with healthy fowls, if lifted

and shaken with a pointed stick every inorning, and the

droppings underneath taken away.
Little trouble is needed about nests. Under a shelf like
Fig. 3, or in any place with no perch above to pollute them,
a brick or two on the floor will be sufficient to confine a
little straw. Tiers of nests are quite abandoned. Half of a
cheese box does well, on the ground. Two or three par-
titions may be tacked together, with a front strip all along
three or four inches high, to retain the straw. But the less
woodwork the better, so far as laying nests are concerned ;

we may want a box by-and-by for the sitting hen.

Somewhere in each shed, and in the dryest part of it if
any damp comes in anywhere, there must be a heap of fine
dry earth, or road-dust, or finely-sifted ashes, in which the
fowlsmay roll and cleanse themselves from insect vermin
their only means of doing so. To answer its purpose this
must be renewed every now and then, and especially never
allowed to remain long if it gets damp. One plan is to part
off a back corner of the shed about a yard square, by two
boards placed on edge, about six inches high, and to keep
this space filled to the top. The only case where special
provision is not necessary is where the entire shed floor is
kept some inches deep in dry loose material, kept clean and
renewed as above described. Then the fowls can use that
at pleasure.
If chickens are to be reared, more than one small run
12 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
must be provided, and there are many who desire to keep
poultry on rather a more extended scale than we have yet
considered. Perhaps a good piece of garden can be given
up, then some such plan as Fig. 6 can be recommended, and
represents with fair accuracy what was our own yard for
years, and, for its scale, is simple and cheap. If indeed there
is, besides, a lawn or grass-run on which chickens can be

cooped, it will rear in fair perfection a few of most breeds

which do not require separate pens to breed the two sexes.
The space here shown is twenty-five by thirty-five feet,
besides the lawn or grass-run. If more can be afforded,
give it, by all means but we found this, with moderate
;

care, sufficient, and believe it will meet the requirements of

a large class of readers. The houses are here shown, as
they were, closed, with perches and nests at back but the ;

more recent " open " or " semi-open " plan, as shown in
Figs. 4 and c, would be easily applicable, and in our opinion
preferable, unless the roof consists, as it did in our case, of
open tiles.

The plan, it will be seen, comprises two distinct houses,

sheds, and runs, with a separate compartment for sitting
hens. The holes by which the fowls enter open into the
sheds, which are wired in, so that in wet weather they can
be altogether confined. In dry weather the shed is opened
to give them liberty. The fencing should be boarded up a
foot high, as already described, not only to prevent rain
splashing in, but to keep in, when necessary, young
chickens, which would otherwise run out between the
meshes. The holes by which the fowls enter their houses
should be furnished with trap-doors, that they may be kept
out at pleasure whilst either part is being cleaned. Each
house should have a small window.
The yards in front of the sheds should be gravel or
trodden earth ; but if they can be as much as fifty feet long
 ELEVATION

ct' I

'
'
C
A A
je

PLAN
3,0

biCALE

Fig. 6.
A A Roosting and laying houses. a a Nests.
B B Fenced-in covered runs. i b Perches.
C C Shed and run for sitting hens c c Holes for fowls to enter.
D D Open runs.
14 The Practical Poultry K ff.pf.f.
they are better laid down in grass, which, if well rooted
first, will bear small fowls upon it for several hours each
day, but should be renewed in the spring by sowing when
needed. Between the runs the divisions should be boarded
up a couple of feet high to prevent fighting or restlessness.
The height of the fence depends on the breed chosen.
Cochins or Brahmas are easily retained within bounds by
netting a yard high ; for moderate-sized fowls six feet will
do ;
whilst to confine Game, Hamburghs, or Bantams, a
fence eight or nine feet will be found necessary. The
netting should be simply stretched from post to post,
without a rail at the top, as the inmates are then far less
likely to attempt flying over. The posts may be five to six

feet apart, i| inch square, pointed, and driven into the

ground. We do not like to see fowls with their outer wings
cut. If they are never wanted for exhibition, it is better
to open one wing, and cut only the first or flight feathers,
usually ten in number. This will effectually prevent the bird
from .flying, and as the primary quills are always tucked
under the others when not in use, there is no external sign
of the operation. But sufficient fence is the proper plan.
The compartment for the sitting hen may be boarded
in at the front or not ;
Ave prefer it open. Her run may
also be covered over or not, at pleasure, but it is better
covered.
Before entering upon accommodation for large numbers
of fowls, it may be well to consider more especially the
subject of open runs of different kinds and sizes. In regard
to the space absolutely necessary, poultry may be kept
almost anywhere by bearing in mind the one important
point, that the smaller the space in which they are confined,
the greater and more constant attention must be bestowed
upon the cleanliness of their domain. They decline rapidly
in health and produce if kept on foul ground. If daily
 Poultry Runs. 15

attention be given to this matter, a covered shed ten or

twelve feet long by six feet wide may, as already hinted, be
made to suffice for half a dozen fowls without any open run
at all. By employing a layer of dry earth as a deodoriser,
which was turned over every day and renewed once a week,
the National Poultry Company kept for several years such
a family in eachpen of their large establishment at Bromley.
These pens did not exceed the size mentioned, and chicken-
rearing failed but the adult fowls were in the highest
;

health and condition and the company managed, with

;

birds thus confined, to take many prizes at first-class shows.

Poultry-keeping is, therefore, within the reach of all. The
great thing which must be secured, either by
is purity,
space, or, in default of that, by care. Hardy fowls will
sometimes thrive in spite of draughts, exposure, and scanty
food but the strongest birds speedily succumb to bad
;

management in this particular, which is perhaps the most

frequent cause of failure.
When on such a limited scale, dry earth is
the run is

decidedly the best deodoriser. It is, however, seldom at the

command of those who have little space to spare, and sifted
ashes two inches deep, spread over the floor of the whole
shed, will answer very well. The ashes should be raked
every other morning, using a rake with steel wire teeth
three-eighths of an inch apart, and renewed at least every
fortnight, or oftener if possible ;
or peat-moss may be
used, as already described. Of course, the number of fowls
must be limited : they should not exceed five or six, and,
unless a second shed of the same size can be allowed, the
rearing of chickens should not be attempted.
But an open run as well is far better, and the larger the
better. The birds will be more active, and more hardy.
And if space can be had for a grass-xww^ that will be best
of all, for grass is of high food value, if not contaminated
i6 The Practical Poultry Keeppr.
by overcrowding upon it. But it is of no use attempting
a grass-run unless sufficient space can be given for it.

Six fowls of good size, such as Wyandottes or Rocks,

will need a gi'ass-run not less than twenty-five by fifty
feet, which is at the rate of 200 fowls per acre and ;

at this rate each run ought to be vacated for purification,

say, three months in the 3-ear. The grass will not be

kept down by the pen of birds, and must be cut when
too long, lest it form balls of tangled long grass in the crop,
and lest they eat blades, part of which ma}- be contaminated.
Such fouled grass is poison^ and all is avoided, and the
grass also freshened, and insects and worms made more
accessible, by mowing also the droppings are niore quickly
;

washed into the actual soil to be absorbed by the crop,

instead of remaining adherent to the long grass. This is
very important in managing grass-runs. If the plot cannot
be vacated, it ought to be nearly double the size but this ;

comes to still more, and grass-runs for larger numbers will

have to be proportionately increased.
Unless this requisite space can be afforded, grass should
not be attempted, but the earth kept bare. It is generally
best to let it get hard and trodden, when much impurity
can be swept or scraped up. It should have the surface

pared off occasionally to use as manure, and now and then,

if necessary, be dug up a spade deep. Some prefer to keep
it loose, and dig up frequently, but we think the other plan
best.
Wemust now consider briefly what arrangements should
be made for more extensive operations, reserving, however,

any really " farming " aspects of the matter for more special
treatment, and rather dealing here with the breeder or
fancier, who wants to breed from more pens of birds, and
rear an annual stock of chickens, but still keeping a com-
paratively small number in one breeding-pen.
 ;

Plans of Yards. 17

This may possibly be the case on a farm, or where a park

is available, or ample range is in some way at hand. In
such circumstances there is no better nor healthier plan
than to scatter about, in sufficiently distant and distinct
localities, a number of small detached houses, portable or
not. There is usually shelter under hedges, or trees, or
shrubbery, or plantation, where such a method is possible
hence such houses as Fig. 2, or still better, on the open plan
of Fig. 4, answer all purposes. Even a large hogshead, with
the head knocked out, turned on its side, a broad platform
fitted in near the ground, and a perch near the back end,
may be enough for a pen in the shelter of a copse or shrub
bery. Both grown fowls and chickens will, be kept in
magnificent bloom and condition upon this system, the only
drawbacks to which are the rarity of the cases in which it
can be followed, and the time which will be consumed in
going round and attending to the different lots of birds, old
and young.
Ranges of pens and runs are far more usual and practi-
cable. Here, also, detached houses and sheds may be placed
singly in each run. But a range of such buildings is more
convenient, and less costly in time and labour. The first

example we ever met with of a plan which has since been

adopted widely on a larger scale, was the poultry-yard of
the late Mr. Henry Lane, of Bristol, well known in the
" sixties " as the most successful exhibitor of Spanish fowls,
and which is still worth reproducing as an example of this
style of yard in comparatively limited space.
In this design (Fig. 7) A
is a covered passage which runs

along the back of all, and, by a door which opens into each,

allows of ready access to any house in any weather. One

end of this passage may open into some part of the dwelling-
house if desired. The passage should have a skylight at top,
and must also be freely ventilated at the roof; to secure
C
 '1
1)
 Plans of Yards. 19

this object by having it open at either end would cause

draught, and destroy the peculiar excellence of the arrange-
ment. The
houses, B, for roosting and laying in are 7^ feet
by 4 and the side facing the passage is only built or
feet,

boarded up about 2 feet, the remainder being simply netted;

hence the birds have a free supply of the purest air at night,
whilst quite protected from the external atmosphere and ;

can be all inspected at roost without the least disturbance

— a convenience of no small value. The nests should be
reached from the passage by a trap-door, and there is then
no necessity ever to enter the roosting-house at all, except
to clean it.

A small trap-door as usual, which should be closed at

night, communicates between the houses and the covered
runs or yards, C, which are yi feet by 9 feet. They are
boarded or built up for 2 feet 6 inches, the remainder netted,
except the partition between them and the houses, which is,

of course, all Both houses and runs must be covered

board.
with some deodoriser, and Mr. Lane preferred the powdery
refuse from lime works, which costs about id. per bushel,
and which he put down about 2 inches deep. It always kept
perfectly dry, and is a great preventive of vermin whilst if :

the droppings are taken up every morning, it will require

renewal very rarely. It is, however, fatal to the colour of
yellow-legged breeds. In front of all is which
a grass-run,
should extend as far as possible, and on which the fowls are
let out in turn in fine weather.
An additional story, E, may or may not be constructed
over the roosting-house, and in case of emergency, by
sprinkling the eggs, may be made to accommodate sitting
hens, but is not to be preferred for that purpose, for reasons
given in Chapter III. Every poultry-keeper, however,
knows the great utility of such pens on various occasions
which continually arise, and they will be found excellent
C 2
 —

20 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

accommodation for sick or injured fowls. In Mr. Lane's
establishment hot-water pipes {a a) were laid along the back
of the passage floor, which the temperature was at all
b}-

seasons kept nearly uniform. This is not at all necessary

in the greater part of England, unless in winter for ex-
ceptionally delicate breeds, like Spanish, whose combs and
faces are apt to shrivel with frosty weather.
The characteristic and most valuable principle of this
arrangement, is the passage or corridor at the back of a
whole range of houses, from which, under cover, eggs can
be reached, the houses cleaned, and the birds inspected. It
also provides the freest access of air without draught or
exposure. In this instance we have seen it applied to quite
small pens, for breeds adapted to very close confinement
the runs being so narrow (7| feet wide) that the covered
sheds are arranged in front, and not at the sides of the
houses. We will only give one more example, of the same
system, as we applied it to ahouse and runs for our own use
when breeding Brahmas at Crouch End, London. This
plan also, since we first published it in 1872, has been
extensively used all over the world in fact one or the other
;

of these " corridor " plans are most used of any, with such
slight modifications as circumstances dictate, wherever
ranges of buildings are erected.
In the actual case here figured (Fig. 8), the building
covered 75 x 15 feet, the pitch roof being covered with
loose or open and the corridor lighted by a few glass
tiles,

tiles interspersed where necessary.* This passage, P, was

.

3 feet wide, and ran the whole length from a door in the
end. Each grass-run in this case, being intended for five or

* Itmay be worlh remarking, that we got the framework put up and

tiles put on by contract, in order to have a roof to work under but after ;

that, al/ the timber and wire-work of houses, sheds, and fencing of runs
was made and put up by our own hands.
 CRASS CRASS
\

I' A r- 6"!

-> f
! d d !

B
CRASS I
CRASS

-> <-

?H A

CRASS B B CRASS

Fig. 8- — Dpuble Range of Houses.

22 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
sixBrahmas, was 50 x 25 feet, the building thus serving six
of such runs. These stood very well, and being similar, one
was devoted to giving every one in turn two months rest in
the 3'ear. Smaller breeds would not need $0 much. The
houses, A A, were 5 feet wide, entirely closed with match-
board towards the grass-runs and open sheds, but only
boarded up 3 feet high along both sides of the passage, and
the rest wired. The perches, c c, were back against the
closed side, and the nests, h 3, next the passage, accessible by
hinged boards. The rest of the 25 feet width of building
being more than necessary for open shedding, B B, additional
houses, D D, with small outside runs, E E, were divided ofl
out of it we had two of these in each run, or twelve in
:

all. These were very useful in those days for setting hens,
and also for penning birds, or single cockerels one we used ;

as a hospital. Our " training " pens for show birds, or for
examining birds on approval, also fronted the passage, a
board shelf, d d^ 30 inches wide, being carried along at the
back of one of the sheds, B, at a height of the yard-high
boarding up of the passage. Behind the back of this shelf
was boarded up to keep draughts from blowing through from
the run, and boarded partitions divided the space into pens
30 inches wide, with wire fronts as usual. Everything except
the actual mixing of the food, and young chickens, which
were provided for elsewhere, was thus collected under one
roof and these also might easily be so if the scale be
;

adapted to the work to be done.

In a large establishment many cockerels may have to be
provided for singly. Convenient sleeping houses and small
runs are obtainable for such purposes ; but we found the
twelve here provided sufficient ; as they ran together till

one or the other had to be separated, for show or otherwise.

The open runs were all boarded up with thin boards to
27 inches high, with 2 feet of netting above. This, however,
 General MANAORyfENT, 23

was for Brahmas, and more would be required for many

other breeds.

CHAPTER II.

DOMESTIC MANAGEMENT OF ADULT FOWLS.

Fowls should not be kept unless proper and regular atten-
tion can be given to them ;
and we would strongly urge that
this needful attention should be personal. Our own ex-
perience has taught us that domestics are rarely to be relied
upon to mix food properly, or in many other matters essential
both to economy and the well-being of the stock ; and, if

any objection be made on the score of dignity, we could not

only point to many ladies who do not think it beneath them
to attend to their own fowls, but can aver that the most
menial offices may be performed in the fowl-house without
so much as soiling the fingers. Where there are children in
the family old enough to undertake such matters, they will
be both pleased and benefited by attending to what will
soon become their pets otherwise the owner must either
;

attend to them himself, or take such oversight as shall be

effectual in securing not only proper care of his birds, but of
his own meal and grain. If he be unable or unwilling to do

at least as much as this, he had far better not engage in

poultry-keeping at all.

Let us first give the question of food a full and practical

consideration. Our object is to give the quantity and
quality of food which will produce the greatest amount of
flesh and eggs, and if it be attained, the domestic fowl is

unquestionably the most profitable of all live stock. But

there is no " mistake on the right side " here. A fat hen
is not only subject to many diseases, but ceases to lay, or
nearly and becomes a mere drag on the concern while
so, ;

a pampered male bird is lazy and useless at best, and very

24 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
probably, when the proprietor most requires his services,
may be attacked by apoplexy and drop down dead. On the
other hand, that fowls cannot be remunerative if starved
need scarcely be proved. The almost dailv production of an
article so rich in nitrogen as an egg —the very essence of
animal nourishment — must demand an ample and regular
supply of adequate food. But we say no more upon this
point, knowing the common mistake of amateur
that
poultry-keepers is —
upon the other side that of over-feeding.
A common plan, where fowls are regularly fed at all, is
to give them at each meal as much barley or oats as they
will eat this being done, the owner prides himself upon
;

his liberality, and insists that his, at least, are properly fed.
Both in quantity and quality is he mistaken. Grain will do
for the regular meals of fowls which live on a farm, or have
any other extensive range where they can provide other food
for themselves, have abundant exercise, and where their
digestive organs are kept in vigorous action. But poultry
kept in confinement on such a diet will not thrive. Their
plumage, after a while, begins to fall off, their bowels
become affected, and they lose greatly in condition and ;

though in summer their eggs may possibly repay the food

expended, it will be almost impossible to obtain any in
winter, when they are most valuable.
And some who profess to correct such errors are not
always safe guides. We remember a work by a writer who,
of all others, has been most intolerant, and even unjust to
other supposed rival authorities, in which, just after a caution
against over-feeding, five pounds of barley-meal, ten pounds
of potatoes, seven pounds of oats, three pounds of rice
boiled, and three pounds of scalded bran, is given as a week's
allowance for five hens and a cock
—
"of the larger kinds,'' it
is true. At the lowest ordinary prices the cost of such a
scale would amount to ^4 4s. in the course of twelve
 Food for Poultry. 25

months ; and taking eggs at the high average of a penny

each all the year through, every one of the five hens must
lay at least 200 eggs to repay the mere cost of subsistence.
When we say that 150 eggs per annum is as much as can be
obtained from nine hens out of ten, it will be seen at once
that poultry could not be made profitable did they consume
so enormously ;
and, in point of fact, we had the curiosity
to try this dietary upon six fowls " of the larger kinds,"
and found it rather more than double what was amply
suflficient.

The fact is, all fixed scales are delusive. Not only would
the great Asiatics eat twice as much as many other sorts,

but different fowls of the same breed often have very

different measures of capacity, and even the same hen will
eat nearly twice as much when in active laying as when her
egg-organs are unproductive. The one simple rule with
adult fowls is, to give them as much as they will eat eagerh\
and no more ;
directly they begin to feed with apparent in-
difference, pick over it, or cease to run when the food is

thrown at a little distance, the supply should be withdraAvn.

In a state of nature they have to seek far and wide for
the scanty morsels which form their subsistence ; and the
Creator never intended that they, any more than human
beings, should eat till they can eat no more. Even this
rule is hardly sufficient test. The birds should be handled
on their perch every now and then, and if, when thus
examined, they feel either too fleshy or too poor, their
rations should, if necessary, be modified accordingly. This
last is the real way of apportioning their daily food to fowls.
It follows that food should never be left on the ground.
If such a slovenly practice be permitted, much of what is
eaten will be wasted, and a great deal will never be eaten at
all ;
for fowls are dainty in their way, and unless at starva-
tion point refuse sour or sodden food
26 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
The number of meals per day best consistent with real
economy will vary from two to three, according to the size
of the run. be of moderate extent, so that they can in
If it

any degree forage for themselves, two are quite sufficient,

and should be given early in the morning and the last thing
before the birds go to roost. In any case these will be the
principal meals ;
but when the birds are kept in confine-
ment they ma}' have, in addition, a scantv feed at midday,
provided the quantity be deducted from -the other meals.
The first feeding should consist of soft food of some kind.
The birds have passed a whole night since they were last
fed ; and it is important, especially in cold weather, that a
fresh supply should as soon as possible be got into the
system^ and not merely into the crop. Now, if grain be
given, it has to be ground in the gizzard before it is

digested and on a cold winter's morning the delay is any-

;

thing but beneficial. But, for the very same reason, at the
evening meal grain forms the best food which can be sup-
plied it is digested slowly, and during the long cold nights
;

affords support and warmth to the fowls.

A great deal depends upon this system of feeding, which
is opposed to the practice of some, who give grain for the
breakfast, and meal, if at all, at night. It is certainly easier

to throw down dry grain in a winter's morning than to

properly prepare a feed of meal, which is accordingly given
at night instead. Fowls so treated, however, are much
more and other diseases caused by inclement
subject to roup
weather than those fed upon the system we recommend.
Let the sceptical reader make one simple experiment. Give
the fowls a feed of meal, say at five o'clock in the evening ;

at twelve visit the roosts and feel the crops of the birds. All
will be empty the gizzard has nothing to act upon, and the
;

food speedily disappears, leaving with an empty stomach, to

cope with the long cold hours before dawn, the most hungry
 Food for Poultry. 27

and incessant feeder of all God's creatures ; but if the last

feed has been grain, the crop will still be found partially full,

and the birds will awake in the morning hearty, strength-

ened, and refreshed.
With respect to the morning meal, when only a few
fowls are kept, to supply eggs for a moderate family,
this may be provided almost for nothing by boiling dail)'

the potato peelings and mashing them up with

till soft,

enough sharps, slightly scalded, to make a tolerably stiff and

dry paste. The peelings must be boiled soft and mealy, and
chopped up rather small before mashing, and the sharps at
least equal them in bulk. There will be sufficient of this if
the fowls kept do not exceed one for each member of the
household and as the peelings cost nothing, and the sharps
;

very little, one-half the food is provided at a merely nominal

expense, while no better could be given. A very little salt
should be added, and in winter a slight seasoning of pepper
will tend to keep the hens in good health and laying. This
food may be mixed boiling hot over night, and covered with
a cloth, or be put in the oven in either case it will remain
:

—
warm till morning the condition in which it should always
be given in cold weather.
Potato peelings may
be, if necessary, eked out by scraps
from the dinner and part of these are very valuable,
table,
especially the lean meat but caution is necessary.
; Often
such scraps consist chiefly of bread-crusts and fat. In neither
is there any appreciable egg-material, and if too much of

them be given, prejudicial fattening with muscular weakness

issure to occur. They can be used to a certain extent, but
ifthey abound, only to the extent that they shall not exceed
between one-third to one-half the bulk of the food, the rest
being made up of sharps, or sharps with a little bran. To
give more will be no economy, owing to the evil effects.

The green vegetables will be beneficial, if any are left. To

28 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
have much bread-scraps denotes of course great waste in a
household. In any case, all the scraps used should go into
the breakfast, and not be given in addition, as many do.
Table scraps always need care and judgment in use.
If a tolerable stock of poultry be kept, such a source of
supply v/ill be obviously inadequate and in purchasing the
;

food there much variety to choose from.

is Small or " pig "
potatoes may be occasionally bought at a low price and
similarly treated, though experience proves that regular
potato diet is not suitable, leading after a little to few eggs
and derangemeut of the digestive system. Potatoes are
nearly pure starch, and destitute of egg-making material.
The peelings are, in fact, better than the inside alone, as
food. The same may be An equal mixture of
said of rice.
barley-meal and " sharps," or of Indian meal and sharps,
will make a capital food. Bran in place of the sharps some-
times seems to do very well, but has an awkward habit of
every now and then causing inflammation of the bowels. In
some swede or other turnips, or mangel-
places a cart-load of
wurtzel, may be these when boiled and mashed
purchased ;

with middlings or " sharps," we believe form the best soft

food a fowl can have, especially for Dorkings but they ;

cannot everywhere be obtained at a cheap rate, and the

buyer must study the local market. Sharps should form
two-thirds of all these mixtures.
A change of food at times is necessary, and in making it

the poultry-keeper should be guided by the season. When

the weather is warm, and the production of eggs abundant,
the food should abound in nitrogenous or flesh-forming
material, and not contain too much starch or oil, both of
which, being carbonaceous, have warmth-giving and fatten-
ing properties ;
but when the cold weather approaches, and
the eggs even of good winter layers are fewer than in
summer, some addition to the amount of carbonaceous food
 Food for Poultry. 29

will be needed. The following table has been often copied

since its first publication by Mr. Tegetmeier, but its practical
usefulness iswe make no apology for giving
so obvious that
it here, with some modification to make the proportion of

warmth-giving to flesh-forming ingredients more plain, and

with the analyses corrected up to date.

Fle^h-fornliIlg Warmth-giving Eone-maki:

Food. Food. Food.
There is in every
100 lb. erf
I

Gluten, &c. Fat or Oil.!Starch,&c.

Oats ... .
15 6
Oatmeal 18
Middlings or
18
fine Sliarps
Wheat ... . 12
Barley ... 12
Indian Corn . II
Rice ... .
7
Beans & Peas 24
Milk ... .
30 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
than the larger ones ;
but Asiatics particularly are so liable
to internal fat, that it is safest never to give them maize,
and very little of potatoes.
One the most valuable foods consists of heavy
of
white ground up fine^ like flour. This has to be
oats
done very carefully, with special stones, and for years was
only obtainable in Sussex, where it is the common food of
the 3-oung birds reared and fattened for the London market.
It is rather difficult to mix into a friable mass, and a very

little sharps or Indian meal helps this, or a portion of either

of the baked biscuit meals now so widely sold. These are

good food, but are better mixed with equal parts of raw
meal of some sort. Oatmeal is, of course, first-rate food, but
rather dear for common fowls.
In mixing soft food there is one general rule always to
be observed : it should be scalded with boiling water, and
mixed rather dry^ so that a ball of it will break if thrown
upon the ground. There should never be enough water to
cause the food to glisten in the light, or to make a sticky
porridgy mass, which clings round the beaks of the fowls,
and gives them infinite annoyance, besides often causing
diarrhoea. It is best mixed with the hands, and in the same
way squeezed up into balls.
If the weather be dry, and the birds are fed in a hard
gravelled yard, the food is just as well, or better, thrown on
the ground. If they are fed in the shed, however, it is best
to use a dish of metal or earthenware, which should have
vertical sides as in Fig. q, whatever its general shape may
be. Such a trough or dish must, however, be protected, or
the fowls may walk upon it, and waste a large portion.
This is best prevented by having a loose curved cover made
of wire, which, when placed on the ground over the dish,
will eflfectuallv prevent the fowls having anything to do
with the food except to eat it, which they are quite at
 Food for Poultry, 31

liberty to do through the wires, two and a half inches

apart. On
the whole, however, the best vessel for a few
fowls is that shown in Fig. 10. The spreading bottom
prevents the vessel from being overturned, and the straight
sides and the top make it impossible to scratch food out.
Such a vessel needs no cover, and also makes a good and
simple water pan.
Where the fowls have a field to run in they will require
no further feeding till their evening meal of grain. Barley
is good, and in summer this may be occasionally changed

with oats ;
in winter, for the reasons already given, Indian

Fig. 9. Fig. 10.

corn may be given to some breeds every second or third day

with advantage. Buckwheat is very similar in chemical com-
and certainly has a stimulating
position to barley, but better,
effect on the production of eggs. We would never omit
purchasing a good sack of this grain when possible, and
have a strong opinion that the enormous production of eggs
and fowls in France is to some extent connected with the
almost universal use of buckwheat by French poultry-
keepers.* Wheat was formerly too dear to be employed,
unless damaged and if the damage be great it had better
;

not be meddled with but of late years it has been, to the

;

farmer's sorrow, a cheap grain, and when sound or little

injured is a most valuable food both for chickens and
fowls. Next to oats it is probably the best grain of all.

* It is a curious fact that buckwheat used to be largely grown in what

are now the chief poultry-breeding counties of Surrey and Sussex.
32 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
" Sweepings " sometimes contain poisonous substances, and
should never be seen in a poultry-yard.
The quality of all grain should be carefully looked after.

Barley should be fair malting quality, not the cheap husky

kind. Of oats, mixed horse-meat is useless ; only heavy
white oats, 40 lb. per bushel, are good for fowls. Much
buckwheat offered is either old dried-up grain, or kiln-dried;
it is the fresh dark grain that is wanted. Of maize, the
small round sort is best. " Poultry mixture " should be
religiously avoided. It always consists of the poorest
samples, and prevents the birds getting any change. Give
one good grain sample at a time, and if possible change it
every week for some other.
The midday meal of penned-up fowls should be a very
scanty one —a mere sprinkle of grain ;
and even this is

worse than useless unless the other meals are sparingly

given, as directed. Table scraps should never be used for
this meal. More failures result in domestic poultry-keeping

from thus giving starchy and fat food than from any other
error in diet.
The regular and substantial diet is now provided for,
but will not alone keep the fowls in good health and laying.
They are omnivorous in their natural state, and require
some portion of am'mal food. On a wide range they will

provide this for themselves, and in such an establishment as

figures at page 13, the lean meat scraps of the dinner table
may be quite sufficient but if the number kept be large,
;

with only limited accommodation, it will be necessary to

buy every week a few pennyworth of bullock's liver, which
may be boiled, chopped fine, and mixed in their food, the
broth being used instead of water in nn'xing these little ;

tit-bits will be eagerly picked out and enjoyed. little A

is all that is necessary. When fowls, especially those not
laying at the time, are much over-fed in confinement with
 ;

Importance of Green Food. 33

this kind of food, they are apt to develop various in-

flammatory diseases.
There is yet another most important article of diet,
without which it is absolutely impossible to keep fowls in
health. We refer to an ample and daily supply of green or
fresh vegetable food. It is not perhaps too much to sa}-

that the omission of this is the proximate cause of nearly

half the deaths where fowls are kept in confinement ; whilst
with it, our other directions being observed, the}^ may be
kept in health for a long time in a pen only a few feet
square. It was to provide this that, wherever they are large

enough, we recommended the open yards, when possible, to

be down in grass —the very best green food for poultry
laid
and run of even an hour daily on such a grass plot, sup-
a
posing the shed to be dry and clean, will keep them in
health. But if a shed only be available, fresh vegetables
of some kind must be given daily. Cabbage -leaves may
suffice, though they are about the worst of green vegetables

as regards tendency to diarrhoea. They or other refuse

vegetables may be minced up and mixed pretty freely with
the soft food ; or the whole leaves may be thrown down for
the fowls to devour; or a few turnips may be minced up
daily, and scattered like grain, or simply cut in two and
thrown into the run or, if it can be got, a large sod of
;

fresh-cut turf thrown to the fowls will be better than all.

Lettuce-leaves and most garden refuse are very wholesome,
also dandelion-leaves and other field salads. For fowls in a
shed one of the best things is to cut a whole cabbage-head
in half and hang it up by a string, which will give the fowls
both green food and occupation. Something they Tntisf have
every day, otherwise their bowels sooner or later become
disordered, and their combs lose that beautiful bright-red
colour which will always accompany good health and con-
dition, and testifies pleasantly to abundance of eggs.
D
34 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
The water vessel must be filled fresh every day at least,

and so arranged that the birds cannot scratch dirt into it or

make it foul. The ordinary poultry-fountain is too well
known to need description, but a better form, made in two
parts, is shown in Fig. ii. The advantages of such a con-
struction are that the interior can be examined, and the
remove the
vessel well sluiced out to
green slime which always collects by
degrees, and is very prejudicial to
health. For large-combed breeds it is
necessary to use shallow pans ; but
these must be filled frequently. When
the water has to be placed in a shed
filled with loose earth, to which the
fowls are confined, it should be a little

raised, and a piece of board or other

protection be so placed as to protect
it from dirt being scratched into it.

Grown-upmust never be left

fowls
without water. During a frost, there-
fore, the fountain should be emptied

every night, or there will be trouble next morning. Care

must always be taken, also, that snow is not allowed to fall
into the drinking vessel. The reason has puzzled wiser
heads than ours, but it is a fact that any real quantity of
snow-water seems to reduce both fowls and birds to mere
skeletons.
It is well in winter to add to the water a few drops of a
solution of sulphate of iron (green vitriol), just enough to
give a slight mineral taste. This will in a great measure
guard against roup, and act as a bracing tonic generally.
The rusty appearance the water will assume is quite
immaterial, but may be avoided by adding a few drops of
sulphuric acid. The best plan, perhaps, is to keep a large
 ;

Other Health Requisites. 35

bottle of the celebrated " Douglas * mixture," respecting

which we can speak with unqualified approval, as a most
valuable addition to the drink in cold weather of both fowls
and chickens. It consists of half a pound of sulphate of
iron and one ounce of sulphuric acid dissolved in two
gallons of water and is to be added in the proportion of
;

two table-spoonfuls to each pint of water in the fountain.

Whilst the fowls are moulting, the above mixture, or a little
sulphate of iron, should always be used ;
it will assist them
greatly through this, the most critical period of the whole
year ;
as also does a good pinch of powdered brimstone to
each bird (mixed in the soft food) every other da}^, till the
new plumage is nearly complete. With this aid, and a
little pepper on their food, with perhaps a little extra meat,
there will rarely be any lost at this time.With hardy kinds
and good shelter such precautions are scarcely necessary
but they cost little, and have their effect also on the early
re-commencement of laying.
In addition to their regular food it will be needful that
the fowls have a supply of li7ne^ in some shape or other, to
form the shells of their eggs. Old mortar pounded is

excellent ; so are oyster-shells well burnt in the fire anc^

pulverised ;
of the latter they are very fond, and it is an
excellent plan to keep a large pan full of it in their yard.
If this matter has been neglected, and soft shell-less eggs
have resulted, the quickest way of getting matters right
again is to add a little lime to the drinking water, or pound
up some oyster-shells raw.
One thing more must on no account be forgotten. This
is,some proportion of sharp grit or gravel, or other hard
substances. Such small stones constitute hell's teeth and ^

without them the gizzard cannot perform its ofltice of

* So called because published in the Field newspaper by Mr. John
Douglas, then superintending the Wolseley Aviaries.
36 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
grinding up the food. We have seen fowls aiHng from
apparently this simple neglect alone. Flint grit is easiest to
obtain, but some of that sold is too large and too sharp, and
has been proved sometimes to lacerate the viscera. The
best way is to make and throw them into
a few flints red-hot,
cold water ;
they will then pound up more easily, and in
better condition.
Cleanlinessin the house and run has already been
insisted upon, and is only again alluded to on account of
the value of the manure. This, collected daily, should be
put in any convenient receptacle where it can be kept dry,
and either used in the garden or if possible sold. It pays
best to use it where possible. It should always be mixed
with dry earth, soot, or fine dry ashes, before using, being
very strong, and is especially valuable for all plants of the
cabbage kind it is also excellent for growing strawberries,
;

or indeed almost anything if sufficiently diluted. If there

be no possibilit}^ of so using it, it is valued bv such nursery-
men and gardeners as know its value ; but there is often
and getting a fair price.
difficulty in finding those w'ho do,
There has been much dispute about this, and we have
known the stored or half-dry manure sold as high as eight
and as low as one shilling and sixpence;
shillings per cwt.,
but such
all uncertainty should be set at rest by the analysis
of the late Dr. Voelcker, which will be found at page 97.
Sometimes it will be taken by a nurseryman or gardener in
part payment for things bought or work done. It should

be used to profit in some way if possible.

Where a considerable number of fowls are killed
annually, the feathers also become of value, and may be
preserved. They are very easily dressed. Strip the
plumage from the quills of the larger feathers, and mix
with the small ones, putting the whole loosely in paper
bags, which should be hung up in the kitchen, or some
 General Method or Plan. 37

other warm place, for a few days to dry. Then let the bags
be baked three or four times, for half an hour each time, in
a cool oven, drying for two days between each baking, and
the process will be completed. Less trouble than this is

often made to suffice ; but the feathers are inferior in

crispness to those so treated, and may occasionally become
offensive.
Eggs should be collected regularly, if possible twice
every day and if any chickens are to be reared from the
;

home stock the owner or attendant should learn to recog-

nise the egg of each particular hen. There is no difficulty
in this, even with a considerable number : nearly every
egg, to the accustomed eye, has a well-marked individual
character ; and if there be any hens of value it may save
much disappointment in the character of the brood to know
the parentage of those selected for hatching.
There is, finally, the important matter of general plan
and method to be considered. When poultry are kept as a
branch of domestic economics, it will be obvious that the
system to be pursued should vary according to the extent of
accommodation which can be afforded, and to the object
sought. It frequently happens that a regular supply of
eggs is the sole object in view and indeed if a covered
:

shed fenced in with wire, as described in the last chapter,

with a small house at the end for roosting and laying in, be
the sole accommodation for the fowls, to attempt rearing
them would be folly and yet they may be kept so as to
;

yield a good return upon their cost and maintenance.

The proper plan in such a case will be to purchase in
the spring a number of hens proportioned to the size of the
run, and none exceeding a year old. A cock is useless, as
hens lay very nearly as well without one and where eggs ;

only are wanted, this is balanced by his food and his room.
All these birds, if in good health and condition, will either
3S The Practical Poultry Kreprr.
be already laying, or will commence almost immediately;
and if properly managed will ensure a constant supply of
eggs until the autumnal moulting season.* Whenever a
hen shows any desire to sit, the propensity must be checked
by placing her under a coop on hard ground, with water,
but rather scanty food, keeping her in summer, however,
sheltered from the sun. But it is much better to avoid all
this by keeping only a non-sitting breed, such as one of the
Spanish, Leghorn, Hamburgh, or French varieties. Ham-
burghs should not be kept in only a confined shed.
To buy only young and healthy birds is very important.
An experienced hand can tell an old fowl at a glance, but it

is rather difficult to impart this knowledge to a beginner,

for no one sign is infallible. In general, however, it may be
said that the legs of the young hen look delicate and
smooth, her comb and wattles soft and fresh, and her
general outline, even in good condition (unless fattened for
the table), rather light and graceful
whilst an old one will ;

have rather hard, horny-looking shanks, her comb and

wattles look somewhat harder, drier, and more " scurfy,"
and her figure is well filled out.
Attempt should also be made to secure birds of a really
good laying family or strain, for each breed differs much in
individuals. Good laying is now beginning to be bred for
as much as fancy points and such birds, or eggs from them,
;

are now advertised in the principal poultry papers. Perhaps

their somewhat higher price may be an objection for a small
family stock, however ; and to a large extent good layers
can be selected even by "eye." They will usually have

* It is as well, and often better, to start with April pullets purchased

about October. Our only reason for not recommending this so much to
the absolute beginner, is may get into the habit of attending to the
that he
fowls before the winter comes on, when it might be felt more of a tax if
confionted all of a sudden.
 Plan of Proceeding. 39

combs rather larger than the medium of their breed, but

not too large, very fresh and red-looking faces, and a neat,
alert, intelligent expression. A faded, dispirited look in a
bird is a sure sign of a poor layer.
Directly these hens stop laying in the autumn, and
before they have lost condition by moulting, they should,
unless they have proved very satisfactory, be either killed or
sold and replaced by pullets hatched in March or April,
off,

which have moulted early. These again, still supposing

will
proper food and good housing, will begin producing eggs
by November at furthest, and continue, more or less, till
the February or March following. They mav then either
be disposed of and replaced as before, or, as they will not
stop laying long, be retained till the autumn, when all but
very excellent layers must be got rid of; such are worth
keeping for another year. But if fowls be kept for eggs, it
is essential to success that every autumn the older stock be

thus replenished with pullets hatched early in the spring.*

By no other means can eggs at this season be relied upon,
and the poultry-keeper must remember that it is the winter
determines whether he shall gain or lose ; in summer, if

only kept moderately clean, hens will pay for themselves

treated almost anyhow.
When chickens are to be reared there is a wider choice,
embracing breeds that lay the coveted brown egg. Of these
may be mentioned Plymouth Rocks, Brahmas, Langshans,
Wyandottes, and others but the qualities of various breeds
;

are more fully dealt with in our later chapters.

We prefer pure breeds, or first crosses but the cost of a
;

pure stock will stand in the way with many, and has to be
taken into consideration. Pure stock has now become so

now hatch so very early in the year that it may be well to

* Exhibit rfs
say we mean from the middle of March to the end of April. The very
early pullets often lay in late summer and thea moult.
40 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
widely distributed that the common or mongrel fowls of the
country are enormously improved compared with what we
remember in our youth and so far as domestic results go,
;

equal success may now be attained with good ordinary or

" barn-door " fowls. Care must be taken in the selection.
They should be young, sprightly-looking birds, and for
laying, with nice tight-looking plumage. They ought to
be chosen from a country yard where their parents have
been well fed. If such be obtained, they will repay the
purchaser, and are handsomer and better every way than
inferior birds of the " fancy " class. Of course this last
remark does not apply to mere faults of colour. Fowls are
often to be met with at a moderate price, which from some
irregularity of feather are quite disqualified as show birds,
but which possess all the economic merits of the breed to
which they belong.
Before concluding, it may be expected that something
definite should be said respecting the actual profit of domestic
poultry-keeping. It is extremely diflficult to make any such
statement, so much depends upon the price of food, upon
the management, selection of stock, and value of eggs.
But in general we have found the average cost of fowls,
when properly fed, to be about id. per week each for
smaller sorts, and not exceeding i|d. per week for the
larger breeds ;
when the cost is more we should suspect
waste. A
good ordinary hen ought to lay 120 eggs in a
year, and good laying breeds are selected there ought to
if

be an average of fully 150, not reckoning the cock. Of

course, good management is supposed, and a regular
renewal of young stock, as already insisted upon. For
domestic purposes eggs ought to be valued at the price
of new-laid, and from these data each can make his own
calculation.
Let the whole undertaking (large or small) be conducted
 Profit of Poultry. 41

as a real matter of business. If more than three or four

hens are kept, buy the food by the bushel or hundred-
weight, or in still larger quantities. Let a fair and strict
account be kept of the whole concern. The scraps of the
house may be thrown and the cost of the original stock,
in,

and of their habitation, may be kept separate and reckoned

as capital invested but let everything afterwards for which
;

cash is paid be rigorously set down, and on the other side,

with equal strictness, let every egg or chicken eaten or sold
be also valued and recorded. This is of great importance.
The beginner may perhaps manage his laying-stock well,
but succeed badly with his chickens (though not, we hope,
if he be a reader of this book), or vice versa; and it is no
small matter in poultry-keeping, as in any other mercantile
concern, to be able to see from recorded facts whers has
been the where the loss. The discovery will lead
profit or
and the waste, neglect, or other defective
to reflection ;

management being amended, the hitherto faulty depart-

ment may contribute its quota to the general weal.
It has been a great gratification to us to observe the
immense increase of this kind of domestic poultry-keeping
during the last twenty years, as seen especially from any
railway, in the small London suburban gardens. Since
sound practical teaching has become more widely dis-
seminated, we seldom hear the old sneer about " every egg
costing sixpence," and in proof that this is not so we will
conclude this chapter with one practical example. The
actual figures were personally given us by the proprietor,
who no knowledge and
started his small establishment with
no guide except an earlier edition of this work (on account
of which fact the result was communicated), h. small house
and yard were put up at a cash cost of £^i 7s. io|d.,
nothing being reckoned for labour and a little waste
material such as is generally to be found in a house, but
42 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
the odd halfpenny being reUgiously put down as the cost of
a candle used to work by. On October 13th, 1885, four
pullets were bought at a cost of 13s., including carriage,
no cock being kept on account of neighbours they were :

cross-bred, and bought on the sole guarantee that they

were "well reared and hatched in March." The first egg
was laid on November 13th, and subsequently these four
pullets produced —
in November 8 eggs, December 31,
January 42, February 47, March 78, April 60, May 80,
June 84, July 82, and up to August 21st, 34 in all 546. —
At the latter date the experiment was unfortunately broken
up by an unforeseen removal. No absolute account was I
kept, as very many eggs were given away, but the food cost
^i OS. io|d. during the whole period, besides a few house-
scraps on this basis anyone may reckon the cost of the
;

eggs as he pleases. The birds were not non-sitters, and

occasionally became broody, but nevertheless averaged 136
each in the time stated. As moult was approaching, only
few more would probably have been laid, but the experi-
ment shows what may be expected when the system here
described is fairly carried out, even with cross-bred fowls.

CHAPTER III.

NATURAL HATCHING AND CHICKEN REARING.

Much disappointment in the hatching and rearing of young
broods would be prevented were more care taken that the
eggs selected for setting were of good quality —
not only
likely to be fertile, but the produce of strong and hardy
birds, with not too many hens in one harem. From
scraggy, half-starved fowls it is impossible to rear a large
brood, as the greater number even of those hatched will
die in infancy. As to the number of henSj that will depend
 Eggs for Hatching. 43

on circumstances, and must be diminished for very large

breeds or for confinement, or for winter and very early
spring, or for a cock in his second or later years. On a
wide range in summer a Houdan cockerel might have
20 hens, but an adult Brahma cock in February ought not
to have more than three, and never more than five or six,
even on good range.
Eggs have been known to hatch when two months old ;

but we would never set, from choice, any egg which had
been laid more than a fortnight and after a month, or less,
;

it is useless trouble. Fresh eggs, if all be well, hatch out in

good time, and the chicks are strong and lively ;
the stale
ones always hatch last, being perhaps as much as two days
laterthan new-laid, and the chickens are often too weak to
break the shell. We
have also invariably noticed, when
compelled to take a portion of stale eggs to make up a
sitting, that even when such eggs have hatched, the sub-
sequent deaths have principally occurred in this portion of
the brood but that if none of the eggs were more than
;

four or five days old, they not only hatched nearly every
one, and within an hour or two of each other, but the losses
in an ordinary season were few.
There is one partial exception to this statement, which is
only generally true in reference to breeding at the natural
seasons. Nature does not, however, intend fowls to breed
in winter and during that season and very early spring,
;

the male birds are far less vigorous. This is partly shown
in sterile eggs, which need no comment. But growth in
the egg and final hatching out are as much tests of and
taxes upon strength, as anything in the future lives of the
chickens and hence many eggs which begin to develop,
;

have not strength to finish, or if they do, may not have

muscular strength for what is really the great exertion of
final hatching.
44 '^f^p- Practical Poultry Keeper.
When the eggs are from home stock, their quahty
should be above suspicion. In order to ensure this, every
egg before storing should have legibly written upon it in
pencil the date on which it was laid. Eggs intended for
sitting are best kept in bran, the large end downward, or
else upon their sidesand gently turned every day. They
should never be exposed to concussion. Another very
good plan is to have a large board pierced with a number
of round holes in regular rows to receive the eggs.
Hundreds of years ago it was thought that the sex of
—
eggs could be distinguished by the shape the cocks being
produced from those of elongated shape, and hens from the
short or round. Others have pretended to discern the
future sex from the position of the air-bubble at the large
end. These and every other nostrum have, hundreds of
times, been proved to be erroneous. There is not a
breeder of prize poultry in England who would not gladly
give twenty pounds for the coveted knowledge, and thence-
forth breed no more cockerels than he really wanted but ;

the secret has never been discovered yet, and it is also

impossible to tell, before the egg has been sat upon for a
short time, whether it has been fecundated.
We have, in a previous chapter, already mentioned that
the sitting hens ought to have a separate shed and run
provided for them, in order that the other hens may not
occupy their nests during absence, or they themselves go
back to the wrong ones, as they will often do if allowed to
sit in the fowl-house. An extensive run is neither necessary

nor desirable, as it only entices the birds to wander,

whereas in a hmited space they will go back to their nests
as soon as their wants are satisfied. A shed five feet square,
with a run the same width for ten feet out in front, is quite
sufficient for a hen.
It is best to take each hen off" at a regular time every
 The Sitting Hen. 45

morning, and after seeing to her wants and due return, to

shut her in so that she cannot be annoyed. She should be
hfted by taking hold under the wings, gently raising them
first no eggs are enclosed. This is the usual
to see that
plan, and the only practicable one in very large establish-
ments. But it takes time to see all the hens safely back
and shut in again, and when we possessed a rather large
yard for some years, and were away all day, we preferred to
allot half a dozen separate pens for as many separate hens ;

these were taken off as usual, but were left to find their
own way back again. Under the shed must be, besides the
nest, a good-sized shallow bo.x of sand, dr\' earth, or fine
coal ashes, for the hen to cleanse herselfin, which she

specially needs at this time and food and water must be

;

always readv for her. With these .precautions the hen

may, without very much risk, be left entirely to herself.
But it is much safer to take her off, and decidedly safer to
see her back again.
Most medium-sized hens which do not belong to the
non-sitting breeds,make good mothers and so do Cochins ;

and Brahmas. Dorkings are exemplary, and go with their

chickens a long time, which recommends them strongly for
very early broods. And lastly, a Game hen has qualities
v,rhich often make her valuable. She is not only admirable
in her care, and a super-excellent forager for her young
brood, but will defend them to the last gasp, and render a
good account of the most determined cat that ever existed.
Some people have said that only mature hens should be
allowed to and that pullets are not to be trusted but
sit, ;

our experience does not confirm this. We have constantly

set pullets, and never had any more reason to complain or
them than of older birds.
The nests may be arranged under the shed any way so
that no one can see into them, with the one proviso that
46 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
they be actually upon the ground. It is only necessary the
hen should be protected from wind and rain, in order to
avoid rheumatism and this is most effectually done by
;

emploj^ing for the nest a tight wooden box, like Fig. 12,
open at the bottom, and also in front, with the exception of
a strip three incheshigh to contain the
straw. Let one of these be so placed
in the back corner of a shed, touching

the side, the front being turned to the

back Avail, and about nine inches from
it, and the hen will be in the strictest

privacy, will be perfectly sheltered, and

kept cool, and never mistake her own
nest for the one which may be placed
in the other corner.
At ordinary seasons a damp situation is best for the
sitting shed, and will ensure good hatching in hot weather,
when perhaps all the neighbours are complaining that their
chicks are dead in the shells. Attempting to keep the nest
and eggs dry has ruined many a brood. It is not so in
nature every morning the hen leaves her nest, and has to
;

seek her precarious meal through the wet grass, which

drenches her as if she had been ducked in a pond. With this
damp breast she returns, and the eggs are duly moistened.
But if the nest be dry, the hen be kept dry, and the
weather happen to be hot and dry also, the moisture within
the egg itself becomes dried to the consistency of glue, and
the chick, being unable to move round within the shell,
cannot fracture it, and perishes. Such a mishap will not
happen if the ground under the nest be damp and cool.
All that is necessary in such a case is to scrape a slight
hollow in the bare earth, place the nest-box, already de-
scribed, over it, and put in a moderate quantity of straw,
well broken. Care must be taken to well fill up the corners
 The Sitting Hen. 47

of the box, or the eggs may be rolled into them and get
addled. Some first a fresh turf, and this is
prefer to put in
a very good plan. Always make up a hatching-nest with
perfectly fresh and clean materials.
Should an egg be broken in the nest (and the nest
should be examined every two or three days, when the hen
is absent, to ascertain), the eggs must be removed, and clean

straw substituted, and every sound Q.g^ at all soiled by the

broken one be washed with a sponge and warm water,
gently but quickly drying after with a cloth. The hen, if

very dirty, should also have her breast cleansed, and the
whole be replaced immediately^ that the eggs may not be
chilled. A moderate hatch may still be expected, though
the number of chicks is always more or
less reduced by

an accident of this kind. however, the cleansing be

If,

neglected for more thar. a couple of days after a breakage,

or less at the latter period of incubation, probably not a
single chick will be obtained ;
whether from the pores of
the shell being stopped by the viscid matter, or from the
noxious smell of the putrefying egg, it is not very material
to inquire.
Every egg should be marked quite round with ink or
pencil, so thatif any be subsequently laid in the nest they

may be at once detected and removed. Hens will sometimes

lay several eggs after beginning to sit.

In winter the hen should also be set on the ground,

giving her, however, rather more straw. Whenever the
weather be very dry, in April or later, it may be necessary
during the last half of the hatching period to sprinkle the
eggs freely with tepid water once a day, removing the hen
for the purpose at night, and replacing her at once. Of
course this is always necessary to success, in dry weather at
least, when the hen is set in a box at a distance from the

ground, as is the case in large sitting-houses. But we much

 48 The Practical Poultry Kef. per.
prefer .the natural moisture of a damp soil, which may
he
supplemented by pouring warm water on the ground freely,
round the nest, several times a week. The application of
water must therefore depend upon the weather and com-
mon sense. In damp springs none is needed in dry times, :

more or lessaccording to circumstances.

When the number of eggs set yearly is considerable, it
is worth while to witlulraw the unfertile ones at an early

Fig. 13. — Sterile and Fertile Eggs,

period. About the eighth day let the hen be removed by

candle-light, and each egg be held between the eye and the
light. If the egg be fertile, it will appear opaque, or dark
all over, except, perhaps, a small portion towards the top ;

but if it be unimpregnated, it will be still translucent, the

light passing through it almost as if new-laid (Fig. 13). After
some experience, and b}^ using one of the various " egg-
testers " sold for the purpose, which more completely stops
the light, the eggs can be distinguished at an earlier period,
and a practised hand can tell the unfertile eggs even at the
fourth da3^ Should the number withdrawn be considerable,
four batches set the same day may be given to three hens, or
even two, and the remainder given fresh eggs but if not, ;
 The Sitting Hf.y. '49

the fertile eggs will get more heat, and the brood come out
all the stronger. The sterile eggs are also worth saving, as
they are quite good enough cooking purposes, and quite
for
as fresh even for boiling as nine-tenths of the Irish eggs
constantly used for that purpose.
It is a common mistake to set too many eggs. In
summer, a large hen may have thirteen, or a Cochin fifteen
of her own, but in early spring eleven are quite enough.
We have not only to consider how many chickens the hen
can hatch, but how many she can cover when they are
partly grown. If a hen be set in January, she should not
have more than seven or eight eggs, or the poor little
things, as soon as they begin to get large, will have no
shelter, and soon die off. It is far better to hatch only six

and rear five, or may be all, to health and vigour, than to

hatch ten and only probably rear three puny little creatures,
good for nothing but to make broth. For April and May
broods, such a limitation is not needed; but even then
eleven or twelve chickens are quite as many as a large,
well-feathered hen can property nourish, and
the eggs
should only be one or two in excess of that number.
A good hen will not remain more than half an hour
away from her nest, unless she has been deprived of a dust-
bath, and so become infested with lice, which sometimes
cause hens thus neglected to forsake their eggs altogether.
When a hen at the proper time shows no disposition to
return, she should be quietly driven and coaxed towards
her nest; if she be caught and replaced by hand, she is

often so frightened and excited as to break the eggs. A

longer absence is not, however, necessarily fatal to the
brood ; and and only makes matters worse, to
it is no use,
be over-fidgety. People who know the most always fuss
the least. We would rather a hen went back in twenty
minutes but if she stayed half an hour we should let her,
;

E
50 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
and trust that all would probably be right. We have
had hens repeatedly absent more than an hour, which still
hatched seven or eight chicks and on one occasion a hen ;

sitting in the fowl-house returned to the wrong nest, and

was absent from her own more than five hours. We of
course considered all chances of hatching at an end ; but as
the hen had been sitting a fortnight, concluded to let her
finish her time, and she hatched five chickens. have We
heard of a few hatching even after nine hours' absence, and
therefore would never, on account of such an occurrence,
abandon valuable eggs before the end.
The chickens break the shell at the end of the twenty-
1
first day, on an average ; but if the eggs are new-laid it will

often lessen the time by as much as five or six hours, while

stale eggs are always more or less behind. Small breeds
generally hatch a day or two earlier. If the eggs were
fresh, and proper care has been taken to preserve moisture
during incubation, no assistance is ever needed at the actual
hatching. When there are chicks alive which cannot break
the shell, may sometimes be saved by careful extrica-
they
tion, keeping the egg in warm water at ioo° the while, all
but the point of the beak. These cases usually arise from
want of moisture, some preventive to " test " the
and it is

eggs twenty-four hours before hatching by immersion in a

pail of water at io6°. After a few minutes the " live " ones
float and bob about in a curious manner but they must be ;

watched patiently, for sometimes they wait a while the ;

dead ones should be rejected. The soaking seems to do the

eggs good ; but it is not advisable for absolute novices to

fuss too much with these expedients, which are not really
needed in the vast majority of cases.
For nearly twenty-four hours after hatching, chickens
require no food, and though we do not think it best to
leave them quite so long as this without it, we should let
 ;

Hatching Time. 51

them remain for at least twelve hours undisturbed. We say

undisturbed, because it is a very common practice to take
those first hatched away from the hen, and put them in a
basket by the fire till the whole brood is out. When the
eggs have varied much in age this course must be adopted
for some chickens will be perhaps a whole day or more
behind the others, and the hen, if she felt the little things
moving beneath her, would not stay long enough to hatch
the rest. But if the eggs are all fresh, the chicks will appear
within a few hours of each other. In that case they are
much better lefhivith their mother; the heat of her body
appears to strengthen and nourish them in a far better
manner than any other warmth, and they are happy and
contented, instead of moving restlessly about, as they
always do whilst away from her.
Our own plan is to set the eggs in the evening, when
the chicks will break the shell in the evening also, or
perhaps the afternoon. Then at night let the state of the
brood be once only examined, all egg-shells removed from
the nest, and the hen, if she be tame enough to receive it,

given food and water. Let her afterwards be so shut in

that she cannot leave her nest, and all may be left safely till
the morning. By that time the chicks will be strong and
lively, quite ready for their first meal and unless some of ;

the eggs are known to be very stale, any not hatched then
are little likely to hatch at all. If this be so, the chicks
may be removed and put in flannel by the fire, and another
day patiently waited, to see if any more will appear. We
should not do so, however, if a fair number had hatched
well ; for they never thrive so well away from the hen, and
it is scarcely worth while to injure the healthy portion of
the brood for the sake of one or two which very probably
may not live after all.
The first meal should be given on the nest, and the best
E 2
 :

52 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

material for it is an equal mixture of hard-boiled yo)k.
of egg chopped up ver}- fine and mixed with bread and
milk. Let the hen be allowed to partake of this also she —
—
needs it and then give her besides as much barley as she
will eat, and offer her water, which she will drink greedilv.

To satisfy the hen at Jiist saves much restlessness and

trouble with her afterwards.
There is by many, of removing
a stupid practice adopted
the little horny which appears on every chicken's
scale
beak, with the idea of enabling them to peck better, and
then putting food or peppercorns down their throats, and
dipping their bills in water to make them drink. It is a
mistake to say that if this does no good it can do no harm
the little beaks are veryand tender, and are often
soft

injured by such barbarous treatment. Leave them alone.

If they do not eat or drink —
and chickens seldom drink
—
the first day it only shows they do not wish to to fill an ;

empty stomach is the first and universal instinct of all

living things.
The brood having been the next step will depend
fed,

upon circumstances. we recommend, the chickens

If, as
were hatched the night before, or be well upon their legs,
and the weather be fine, they may be at once moved out,
and the hen cooped where her little ones can get the sun.
If it be winter, or settled wet weather, the hen must, if
possible, be kept indoors, or else be cooped under a dry
shed or outhouse. Under such a shed a plain basket coop
will do ver}' well.
When a shed is not at command, the best coop for
chickens we are acquainted with is one we made and
described ^-ears ago, the chief feature of which is a raised
inside floor . This coop is shown in Fig. 14. and the floor in
Fig. 15. The best size is two feet square, for which twelve-
feet planks, nine inches wide, will cut all the lengths without
 Cooping the Chickens. 53

waste ;
besides this will be needed some inch-square stufif to
serve as framing at each corner, and along top and bottom
of the front. To these pieces the boards are nailed, and we
have made three coops complete in an afternoon. Each
side takes two boards two feet long, and a half board cut
diagonally ;
the back, two boards. The top requires three
boards, each one-fifth of a plank, with slats cut from the

Fig. 14. — Shelter-coop.

same length over the joins ; and the fifth piece is used in
front as shown. The front may be either wires inserted
into the top and bottom rails, as shown, or be made of laths
nailed on.
This roof, when nailed on, thus projects an inch and a
half round th: coop
all but besides this there is a loose
;

shelter-board hinged to the front of the roof, so as to be

capable of detachment. This is easily done by driving two
small staples into the under side of the roof, into which lock
small hooks driven into the edge erf the board. In a coop
54 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
thus sheltered, chickens may be left out in any weather, as
we have proved for years. Much depends upon a dry floorj
however, and this can only be secured by an inside raised
floor. Fig. 15 shows the construction. The boards a cu are
nailed on the pieces of quartering, bb^ cc, so as not to reach
the edges, as shown. They are cut such a size also, that the
coop fits down on the quarter-
ing outside the floor, loosely, all

round, the quartering being

also sloped off" so as not to re-
tain wet under even the edges
Such a floor will
of the coop.
be quite dry
in any weather.
Or the floor may stand up
15. — Floor of Coop.
inside the coop, on the ground.
But it is better as drawn,
because the long ends of the quartering in front, shown
in both figures, are convenient for laying another board
upon, on which the food and water can be placed. Or this
feeding-board may be hinged to the bottom of the coop,
and fastened up at night against the front, to keep all in
until attended to in the morning. Since we first figured
this coop, patterns closely resembling it, or with various
modifications, have been catalogued by many manufacturers,
and can be bought ready-made at a cheap rate.
The ordinary basket coop is only fit to be used under a
shed, or in perfectly fine weather, when it is convenient to
place on a lawn. Some by a stone, or other
straw, weighted
covering, should however be placed on the top, to give
shelter from the mid-da}- sun.
Chickens should always, if possible, be cooped near grass.
No single circumstance is so conducive to health, size, and
vigour, supposing them to be decently well cared for. Ab-
solute cleanliness is also essential, even more than for grown
 Confined Chicken Runs. 55

fowls ;
and the reason why difficulty is often experienced in
rearing large numbers is, that the ground insensibly becomes
tainted with their excrements. The coop should, therefore,
either be moved to a fresh place every day, or the dry earth
under be carefully renewed. The detached wooden bottom
just described should be covered every morning and evening
half an inch deep with perfectly dry earth, or fine sifted
ashes. The ashes are renewed every evening in five

Fig. i6. — Protected Chicken Run.

minutes, and form a nice warm bed for the chicks, clean
and and much better than straw.
sweet,
Cats sometimes make sad inroads on the broods. If this

nuisance be great, it is well to confine the coveted prey

while young within a wire-covered run. And the best way
of forming such a run some inch-mesh wire-
is to stretch
netting, two feet wide, upon a light wooden frame, so as to
form wire hurdles two feet wide and about six feet long.
These are easily lashed together with string to form a run
and may be covered by similar hurdles (Fig. i6). In such
a run all animal depredations may be defied, until the
chicks are a fortnight old ;
it also saves a world of trouble
and anxiety, and prevents the brood wandering and getting
over-tired. But after that age the chicks suffer, unless the
56 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
run can be made much more extensive than here shown.
These wire runs are also largely sold in lengths as desired.
They need moving every day or two to clean ground.
An enclosed run for chicken-rearing can generally be
protected from cats by a sufficiently high wire fence, with
no top rail. The wire must, however, be carried, or at
least a narrower strip of it, up above the top, on the inside,
of any wall or inner edge of a roof or fence which cats can
walk along. We always found this effectual except in one
case, and that cat mysteriously disappeared !

With regard to feeding, if the question be asked, " What

is the best soft food for chickens, irrespective of price ? " the
—
answer must decidedly be " Oatmeal." After the first meal
of bread-and-milk and egg no food is equal to it, if coarsely
ground, mixed with a little bread-crumb and tinely-cut fresh
grass, and only moistened so much as to remain crumbly.
The price of oatmeal is, however, so high as to forbid its use
in general, except for valuable broods ;
but we should still

advise it for the first week, in order to lay a good foundation.

It may be moistened either with water or milk, but in the
latter case onl}^ sufficient must be mixed for each feeding, as
it will turn sour within an hour in the sun, and in that
condition is very injurious to the chickens. Spratt's well-
known food, or any other similar biscuit meal, is also most
excellent for rearing chickens upon, but still better mixed
and scalded with oatmeal.
We do not like giving egg more than one day to do so ;

often causes constipation, and this (by reaction) diarrhoea.

But a little cooked meat, minced fine, should be given once
a day till the chicks are about three to four weeks old. The
cost of this will be inappreciable, as a piece the size of a good
walnut is sufficient for a whole brood and the chickens will
;

have more constitution and fledge better than if no animal

food is supplied. t-
 Feeding of Chickens. 57

After a day or two some grain must be given in

addition, and a little later a grain meal should alternate
with each soft meal, or nearly so. Chopped grits may be
given even the first dav, and the whole grits when three
days old. Chicks seem to prefer grits to anything, but it is

too costly diet for more than a week or two. After that,
cracked and then whole wheat, dari, buckwheat, etc., will
be eaten. Barley is never relished till they get large, and
should not be used unless cracked into fragments, when
they will often eat it heartily. A little hempseed and
canary may be used when a treat is needed, as it sometimes
is ; but the staple grain will be as above. Millet is also
excellent for them. Unless chickens have a fair proportion of
grain, and access to small grit or gravel, their gizzards have no
adequate work, and trouble follows.
Food must be given very often. For the first month
every two hours is not too much, though less will do ;
from
one to two months old, every three hours ;
and after that
three or four times a day will be sufficient. To feed very
ofteu^ giving just enough fresh food to be entirely eaten
each time, and with occasional changes^ to keep the
appetite and digestion vigorous and keen, is the one great
secret of getting fine birds. If the meals are fewer, and food
be left, it gets sour, the chicks do not like it, and will not
take so much as they ought to have.
After the first week the oatmeal can be changed for
cheaper food. We
can well recommend any of the
following, and it is best to change from one to another,
say about every fortnight. An equal mixture of " sharps "
and barley-meal, or " sharps " and biscuit-meal, or fine
bran and Indian meal or of bran, oatmeal, and Indian
;

meal. The last our own chickens liked much, and as the
cheap bran balances the oatmeal, it is not a dear food, and
the chicks will grow upon it rapidly. Rice is poor food,
58 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
except for Bantams, which it is desired to keep small ; but
boiled rather dry, a little dripping or suet stirred in. and
the greasy pellets rolled in " sharps," rice makes an occasional
change which is greedily relished.
Bread sopped in water is the worst possible food for
chickens, causing weakness and general diarrhoea. With
milk it is better, but not equal to meal.
Green food is even more necessary to chickens than to
adult fowls. Whilst very young it is best to cut grass into
very small morsels for them with a pair of scissors, and mix
liberally in the food ; afterwards they will crop it forthem-
selves if allowed. Should there be no grass plot available,
cabbage or lettuce leaves, or cress, or dandelion, or salad ot
—
some kind, must be regularly given minced small at first,
but thrown down whole as soon as the beaks of the
chickens are strong enough to enable them to help them-
selves.
In winter or very early spring the chickens must, in
addition to the above feeding, have more stimulating diet.

Some underdone meat should be continued regularly, and

a drink of warm milk early in the morning is of particular
service.* They should be fed about nine or ten o'clock at
night,by candle-light, and early in the morning. In no other
wav can Dorkings or Spanish be successfully reared at this
inclement season, though the hardier breeds will often get
along very well with the ordinary feeding. Dryness and
care and shelter, with liberal feeding, will rear chickens at
the coldest seasons. But shelter they must have and ;

those who have not at command outhouse or shed

a large
to shelter them while tender, should not attempt to raise
—
winter or early spring chickens if they do, the result will
* This applies either to very young chickens, or cold weather
Chickens of any growth should not have milk in mild weather, unles
they are being fattened.
 Water For Chickens. 59

only be disappointment and loss. It may, however, be as

well to state that there is no place so bad as a greenhouse,

which almost always causes cramp, the great difficulty in
early chicken-rearing. Some loose dry material under foot
in the shed, and free run out, are what they require, and
with these requirements there will probably be little trouble
in any domestic operations. This subject of cramp will be
more fully dealt with in Chapter IV.
There is a further important question as to what should
be allowed chickens in the way of drink. The usual plan
has been to let them have water by them ad libitum., the
fresher and cooler the better and we have shared this
;

general practice with others. There have, however, always

been exceptions to this rule amongst country rearers,
especially some who have inherited traditions of Game-fowl
rearing and during the last few years there have been on
;

several occasions lengthy discussions in the poultry papers

as to whether it is not better, for about the first four weeks,
to withhold water altogether, where the chickens are fed
chiefly on soft food, except so far as fluid may be contained
in the latter.
A careful and exhaustive analysis of all that we have
been able to meet with on both sides of this question has
led us to the conclusion that the preponderance of ex-
perience is upon the side of withholding water. It is to be
remarked that by far the greater part of what has been
said on this side consists of actual evidence as to extremely
good results from this mode of treatment, and in many
cases of very great improvement in results after its adop-
tion. On the other side, a very large proportion of what
has been said against it consisted of mere declamation

against the supposed " cruelty."It need hardly be pointed

out that there can be no real " cruelty " in any course of
treatment which rears more chickens, if the fact be so.
6o The Practical Poultry Keeper.
And when is made to " Nature," and we begin to
appeal
think about Nature herself is, if anything, rather on the
it,

side of the dry method. The young of all small birds, at

least, are reared without water. The fowl itself is believed
to be an Indian bird of the jungles ;
and in such localities
it is certain that even the old birds can only drink at long
intervals, and that days must elapse, often, before young
and tender broods can thus indulge. How much less can
water be really required where a large portion of the food
itself is mixed with fluid, as in our artificial rearing !

At all events, there is body of evidence to

a considerable
the effect that a large amount of the diarrhoea and other bowel
complaints of young chickens is due to unlimited supplies of
fluid in addition to soft food and that many have left this
;

off with marked advantage. Some have deprived the

chickens of drink entirely for the first month others have ;

allowed one fair drink in the morning after breakfast (pre-

venting any excess), and then taken it away, giving the hen
drink separately. The chickens in most seasons get some
drink from the dew upon the grass, and in these small
quantities it is probably less injurious to them. They can
be seen drinking in this manner and the fact suggests that
;

some little should depend upon the season. Where they

are hatched very late, and the weather is hot and dry, such
a regimen should not be insisted upon, especially if fed
chiefly upon grain, though even then we are convinced that
" water by measure " will be the best plan. But in spring,
where soft food is given largely, we are disposed to think
that no water in addition, beyond one drink after breakfast,
and possibly a few sips, and no more, at night, will be found
the best regimen.
The only actual evidence we have seen of any evil from
this course, has been when the writers have adopted it with
chickens a few days or more old. This is natural : such
 —

Artificial Hatching. 6i

changes should not be made with young things of any kind.

Those once accustomed to drink must suffer by deprivation ;

and if any change is made, it should be very gradually, and

not carried to the extreme. The very worst effects of all

are produced by allowing young birds to drink to repletion

after prolonged thirst. But it has been noticed that
chickens reared on the dry system are much less prone to
this in after life.

At the age months any surplus chickens, if of the

of four
larger breeds, should begrown enough for the table and if ;

they have been well fed, and come of good stock, they will
be. For home use we say, let them be eaten as they are
they will be quite fat enough. Fattening is also a rather
delicate process, success in which it takes some experience
to acquire, and which must be treated in a separate
chapter.

CHAPTER IV.
ARTIFICIAL HATCHING AND REARING.

To give a history of even the- principal attempts that

have been made to hatch chickens by heat artificially
applied would far exceed our limits, and would be of no
practical use. More or less elaborate machines have been
constructed by Cantelo, ATinasi, Vallee, Carbonnier, and
others in France and by Brindley, Schroder, and others in
;

England. We refer here merely to the old school. All

were costly machines, and all were more or less successful in
hatching with skilled management, but none were generally
successful. We believe M. Vallee to have been the first to
employ a self-acting valve to regulate the temperature and ;

Mr. Schroder iwas, we believe, the first to provide free

ventilation from the centre of the egg-drawer, and, above
all, a cold-water tank under the eggs to provide a moist
62 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
atmosphere ;
a point further experience has shown to be of
much importance, though actual tanks of water are no
longer employed. After Mr. Schroder's machine many others
were brought forward, and in the United States Mr. Jacob
Graves and others constructed elaborate incubators. The
principal object with all inventors was to ensure an equable
temperature, but few of the ingenious contrivances emplo^'ed
reallv secured this, and adequate attention was not, as is
now known, paid to the proper amount of dampness, or to
purity of the atmosphere.
In 1877 the practice ofartificial hatching was revolution-

ised by what was termed a "Hydro-Incubator," exhibited by

Mr. T. Christy, at the Dairy Show held at the Agricultural
Hall, London. This machine was modelled upon one used
for some little time previousl}'- with success in France, made
by Messrs. Roullier and Arnoult, and it consisted in the
main of a large hot-water tank over the egg-drawer, of
peculiar construction, from which a few gallons of water
were drawn off twice in every twenty-four hours, to be
replaced by boiling water thus keeping up the temperature.
;

When so man}' had vainly devoted money, pains, and com-

plicated apparatus to keep up a regular supply of heat, that
a simple machine should succeed which depended altogether
upon a re-supply of boiling water every twelve hours, ap-
peared to all simplv ridiculous. Such, however, proved to
be the case. " Hydro-Incubators " were sold literallv by
hundreds, and were the first to make artificial hatching a
practical reality.
It was some time before it was understood why it was
that this success had attended so rude a machine. The
secret lay in two points mainly. In the first place, the hot-
water tank was very large compared with all other apparatus
previously made, holding for a i co-egg machine about
twenty or twenty-four gallons. The enormous " specific
 Various Incubators. 63

heat " of water makes a large body of it like this very much
more " steady " in temperature than tanks of less content.
But much more than this, the construction of the tank was
found to be peculiar and was, in fact, the great excellence
;

of the invention of Messrs. RouUier and Arnoult. If we

take a Florence flask of water containing a few particles of
bran, and apply a lamp to the bottom^ we shall see how the
heated water rises and and the whole becomes
circulates,
very hot in a very short time. But if we apply a hot plate
to the surface of the water in an open glass vessel, there is
scarcely any movement, and it is a long time ere the heat
reaches the lower portion of the fluid. This time may be
increased still further by horizontal partitions, which compel
the hot water to take a roundabout course. The tank in
the hydro-incubator was not only large, but furnished with
such partitions and the boiling water was always supplied
;

ai the top. Thus the heat percolated very slowly downwards,

and while the water drawn off (from three to six gallons) is
generally about 146°, and replaced by water at 212°, the
temperature of the bottom layer, which acts upon the eggs,
only varies in a small degree, and that in a regular manner
within certain limits, which appears actually beneficial to
the eggs. The heat was also given to the eggs from above,
but this had been done in many previous machines.
For a year or two attention was confined to minor im-
provements in this " hot-water " form of machine. The first
of these was the freer supply of ventilation. Gradually also
was arrived at the proper area of damp earth underneath
the eggs to provide the proper amount of moisture ; these
machines using, in place of cold tanks, earth baked to kill
all life, and moistened with water on each occasion when the

eggs were attended to. Still later it was found, that during
the first eight or ten days the eggs did well in a close
atmosphere with little ventilation, whilst later on they
64 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
absolutely needed fresh air ;
that, as the embryos grew, the
eggs themselves did far more in imparting heat to the
machine and that to be putting in cold eggs amongst
;

others advanced was most injurious to the total results.

far

Hence it was found preferable to provide drawers, by which

these different conditions could be preserved.
Incubators worked by hot water are still made to some
extent but simple as this system was, the provision of gallons
;

of boiling water every twelve hours was found such a tax on

most householders that there was a demand on all sides
for supplementary apparatus. The further step was soon
taken of carrying circulating pipes from a small boiler into
the tank of the machine, and this is now the usual method
of working even " hydro "-incubators. Instead of with-
drawing from three to six gallons of water, to be replaced
by boiling water, every twelve hours, at the same periods
the lamp under the boiler is lit for a short time, so as to
convey more heat into the tank, the water in which is
never renewed, beyond filling up now and then the trifling
loss from evaporation.
Finally, however, manufacturers and the public have
returned to the old system of employing the constant heat
of a lamp. This is carried out on either of two systems,
known as the "tank" and the "atmospheric" systems
respectively. In the tank system the hot-air from the lamp
is carried constantly through flues which traverse the tank,

the amount of heat being controlled by some form of regu-

lator. In some machines very large tanks are employed,
which, for the reasons already given, " steady " the heat
sufficiently, with a variety of more or less effective regu-
lators. But the same result may be obtained with smaller
tanks by a more sensitive and perfect regulator. Of these
one of the best is the capsule regulator invented by Mr.
Ilearson, which since the expiry of the patent is more
 Various Lxcudators. 65

generally used than any other ;

and there is no question
that his incubator known as the " Champion," for which it
was designed, in the earher years gave a very great stimulus
to artificial hatching by reallv automatic machines. It
depends for efficiency upon the fixed boiling point of a fluid.
Just as water boils at 212°, so sulphuric ether boils and
expands into vapour at 94". Other liquids boil at higher
temperatures and as a mixture generally boils at a heat
;

intermediate between that of its two components, it is easy

to prepare a slightly modified ether which shall boil (at
ordinary barometrical pressures) at 98° or 99°, the lowest
admissible incubator temperature. The capsule regulator
consists of a few drops of such volatile fluid enclosed between
two brass plates, soldered together all round their edges
into a close flattish capsule. Then, directly the heat of 98°
is exceeded, at atmospheric pressure, the two plates "bulge"
under the ether vapour which is formed. The boiling tem-
perature is increased bv pressure or weight upon the capsule ;

and hence we have a very powerful and easil}- adjustable

force, which acts upon the regulator.
The machine for which this regulator was invented is
still a deserved favourite, and we will take it as a tvpe of

its class, or of the " tank " machines. Its present form is
shown in Fig. 17. The tank a a is traversed by the flue l l,
which really returns again to the same side in which it
enters, but is shown carried out at w on the other side to
simplify the diagram. The heat enters from the flame x of
the lamp T from the bottom l of the chimney and the top ;

V of the chimney is covered bv the valve, or damper, f.

When this rests close on v the heated air does not escape
there, but the whole has to traverse the entire flue L L to
the exit w. Wlien the damper is raised, some of it escapes
and if much raised the whole heat escapes at k, none going
through the flue. This arrangement is worked by the
F
6^ The Practical Poultry Keeper.
regulator capsule s, lying on a little shelf fixed above the

eggs, under the tank. A rod, o, presses on the top plate of

the capsule, and is carried up to p, very near the pivot end
of the lever g, where there is an adjusting screw, p there is ;

also on the lever a small sliding weight, h. By this screw

and weight the temperature is adjusted and when this is ;

Fig 17- — Hearson's Chimpion Incubator.

exceeded the damper f is raised and the heat decreased.

Ordinarily the damper " plays " a above the top of the
little

chimney.
With regard to the other arrangements, the incubator is

packed around with non-conducting material, M. The

movable egg tray, b b, has a concave bottom of perforated
zinc, on which the eggs lie this concavity is to bring the
;

outer eggs nearer the tank, to compensate, for the somewhat

less heat at the edges. The tray rests on strips of wood,
K K, which are wider one way than the other, by which the
tray can be raised or lowered somewhat, according to the
average size of the eggs. Ventilation holes, e e, are pro-
 Var/ous Iaxubatohs. 67

vided round the egg-chamber the main supply of air

;

enters through the aperture D, passing through a coarse

fabric kept moist by dipping into the tray of water, c c.
It is impossible to describe the many variations in pattern
of the " tank " type of machine. The majority have rather
larger tanks than the above machine, which so far is at

Forester" Licubafor.

least on the side of safety. The steadiness given by a water-

tank enables a variety of regulators to be used besides the
capsule form. Some work by the expansion of mercury,
others by that of a large bubble of air, or a few drops of
ether, imprisoned behind mercury, in a glass tube of V-form.
Christy's thermostat consists of a bar of two metals wound
into a spiral, which untwists more or with changes of
less

temperature ; even a plain metal tube bent into a curve

F 2
68 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
will alter that curve with any change of temperature. The
latter kinds of thermostat are independent of barometrical
pressure, whereas depending upon expansion of vapour
all

are affected by and need watching on that account.

it,

In spite of this, on the whole some variety of capsule is

found the most generally satisfactory form of regulator, and
is most used.

Forester " in section.

In " atmospheric ''

no water-tank, but
machines there is

heated air passes direct into There may

the egg chamber.
be said to be two sub-types of this class, and we Avill take as
our illustration one from the simplest of these, in which
more or less of the products of combustion from the lamp
are admitted, as well as pure heated air. The example is
Messrs. Roberts and Co.'s "Forester" machine, Fig. i8,
giving the general arrangements clearly, while Fig. 19 is a
section. Here cc is the hatching chamber, closed by a pane
 Various Incubators. 6g

of glass, B, on the top, the lever of the regulator a raising

or lowering a valve over the centre. The lamp, j, is fur-

nished with a wire gauge, k, to which the top of the flame

is set. The heated air rises through the central aperture,
1 1, in a water tray constructed in two stories, the lower one,
H H, being filled with water, which rises by capillarity

through the cloth, l, into the higher inside trough, GG.

Thence the moist vapour, as well as heated air, passes into
the incubator through the central square aperture, also
lettered surrounded by the perforated guard or shaft, n
i, ;

E E and F F are the bottom of the hatching chamber, formed

of a flexible covering which " sags " between rods, and which
being drawn along or pushed back by the rods, f f, gently
and steadily, turns all the eggs at one time. An arrange-
ment like this is applied to some other incubators.
We figure the regulator separately in Fig. 20, being
peculiar in both form and action. It is a metal reservoir
rather than capsule, resembling a shallow funnel with closed
top and bottom, and containing a portion of volatile fluid
properly adjusted for temperature. The peculiarity is, that
while the tubular portion descends into the egg-chamber,
the broader top face is exposed to the outer air. This prin-
ciple we have not happened to come any across as yet in
other machine, and seems to us valuable, since it antici-
it

pates external changes in the temperature, which have to

be considered in an incubator, as described further on. The
precise working of the valve as the top of the funnel bulges
with the heat, is of course adjusted as usual by the milled
head of the screw.
Very great objection has been made to this simple class
of machines, especially by manufacturers of tank machines,
who say that they " cannot " hatch properly
and a very ;

recent on incubation states that the method of

treatise
passing heat from the lamp straight into the chamber " is
^o The Practical Poultry Kef.pfr.

now quite discarded in good incubators, as the carbonic gas

from the lamp is as injurious to the developing chick as it

would be to human beings." This last statement is alto-

gether an error the lower the form of life the less of pure
;

oxygen is required, and even a baby requires far less than a

grown-up person, or a Chinese than a European. Never-
theless, at one time we fully shared this opinion to all
intents and purposes, and have only been convinced to the

Fig. 20. — "Forester" Regulator.

contrary bv a mass of evidence we could not disregard, to

the elTect that such simple machines have over and over
again hatched remarkably well ;
genuine testimonials to that
effect are innumerable. are the cheapest, we feel
As they
bound to state this.The one condition appears to be that
a large proportion oi fresh warm air enters along with the
lamp fumes. In the above the most direct fumes pass out,
the valve having a small aperture in the centre always free,
playing more or less open as well, and being directly over
the lamp, and large quantities of fresh air entering also. In
another very simple machine of this type, well known as the
Wilson-Wilson " Cosy Coop," a portion of the fumes also
escape, and the outside air is admitted freely through all the
 .

Management of Incubators. ji

sides of the machine, which consist simply of porous fabric,

and nut of wood or metal. The same result is thus obtained

by widely different means, and the satisfactory results in
hatching are also similar. Indeed, when adequate attention
can be given, and only small hatches are required, these
primitive machines appear to suit many people best of all.

Atmospheric incubators are however also made, mostly

of large size, in which the lamp fumes are all carried off
through flues, and do not enter the machine. The West-
meria is one example of this type (the same manufacturers
also make a tank machine), and Hillier's is another upon the
same principle. The makers of the latter consider they
have obtained an improvement in working by connecting
the chambers of two incubators together through a flue,
the two distinct regulators correcting or " averaging " one
another.
It is impossible to describe in detail the various incu-
bators on the market, or to give precise directions for work-
ing, which vary according to the pattern, and are sent out
with each machine. It may be well to say thatwe have
satisfied ourselves concerning, we think, every one that has
held a market for two seasons, that so far each of these
has on many occasions hatched well. More depends upon
management and experience than on the precise pattern of
machine. At the same time we are bound to say that for
regular work on any scale, we have found the most regular
they have reached us, to be from good tank
results, so far as
machines.* A
few general points of management may,
however, be added, which are not always explained or
emphasised in the detailed instructions supplied to pur-
chasers.
I. These latter should always be most carefully perused,
* In America, on the other hand, the incubator most generally used

is a hot air machine.

72 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
and studied, and carried out. If even a particular oil be
indicated, to use a commoner quality* may quite possibly
bring about disaster.
2. The machine should be in as quiet and undisturbed a

place as a sitting hen. Sudden noises or concussions are

known to cause deformities. As near as possible to a
regular temperature will also save much trouble. do
Cellars
well, if neither very cold nor hot ;
and in the large hatching
concerns of America, found worth while to arrange the
it is

incubator-rooms half-way under ground. The machine

must not be in a draught, or eggs will be chilled when
airing, unless a piece of coarse sacking or other porous
material be laid overthem while being aired.
The temperature should be regulated and steady for
3.

a day before any eggs are attempted. The first trial should
be made with cheap, but fresh and strong eggs. Loss may
be thus saved. After all we cannot quite imitate Nature,
and any weakness in the eggs is found out.
4. It is of very great importance to possess as a standard
one really good " clinical " thermometer, such as doctors
use, with which any new thermometers can be compared.
The one by which the machine is run should be just at the
top of the eggs in the drawer, on a fertile egg. It seems too
often supposed that the machine once regulated needs no
further attention. This is not so. In most machines the
bottom of the egg is much cooler than the top, and the
mean between the two. Hence the ther-
centre a sort of
mometer should read higher in cold zveatherm the proportion
generally of about i degree to 10 degrees of outside tem-
perature, though incubators differ in this respect.* Hence
the regulator frequently needs a little adjustment accordingly,
and it must be found by experience how much movement of
* The principle of the regulator shown in Fig. 20 seems likely to meet
this condition automatically to a large extent.
 Management of Incubators. 73

the sliding weight, or turn of a screw, is needed to alter about

one degree. Again, as the chick grows, it adds real animal
heat to the chamber, which will have to be compensated,
and must always be watched against. If it be found that
eggs habitually hatch late, a degree higher should be tried ;

if habitually early, the converse. This is the only safe rule,

because the precise position of thermometer, or other points,
may affect the apparent temperature at which an incubator
works best.

5. For these reasons it does not answer to be putting in

fresh eggs during a hatch. The chill to the others can be
avoided by heating up the new ones first but in an}- case
;

they upset the regulation, lacking the animal heat of the

others. It is, however, very important to " test " the eggs
and withdraw sterile ones and ;
still more so to withdraw
any addled or decomposing eggs.
6. The eggs should be carefully turned twice a day to
prevent the germ adhering to one side, as it does in many
cases if left in one position. At the morning turning, the
eggs may be aired or cooled for five to ten minutes in warm
weather, provided the incubator can be kept closed and
warm whilst this is done. In cold weather they are better
put back again as soon as turned, if by hand. Where the
eggs are turned mechanically, however, five minutes may be
allowed, which refreshes the air in the air-cell. It is now
Jcnown that airing J?as been much overdone.
7. So also has ventilation, which is most injurious if

causing any draught over the eggs. They need very little
ventilation during the first week or ten days then gradually —
more. In heavy sultr}' weather, when a fire will hardly
burn, hatching will be greatly promoted by making a breeze
about the incubator occasionally, fanning the air with a
piece of thin board.
8. Another point which has been much over-pressed is
 •

74 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

that of moisture. One circular before us claims that the
specialmachine described evaporates ''
treble the amount of

moisture of any other machine, hence its great success." It

is simply a disastrous mistake. As a rule we believe it to be

true that hot-air incubators, especially such as admit lamp-
products direct, need more moisture than tank machines,
owing to the greater dryness of their atmosphere. But
having investigated this matter very carefully, some results
are simply baffling to all theory we have been able to frame,
and make mincemeat of explanations published by some
pretentious treatises which purport to declare the *'
laws " of
the process. To take one of the most startling, which
reaches us from America, where the summers are far hotter
and dryer than here Captain Casey reported (from the
:

celebrated Aratoma Farm, Katonah, New York) on hatches

with a leading American incubator, known as the Prairie
State machine. The incubator is a hot-air one the locality ;

is on high table-land the incubator-house (differing from

;

the usual American practice) is two feet above the ground ;

the time was the hot and dry August of 1896 the windows ;

of house open on all sides. No moisture whatever was Jtsed^

and yet out of 227 fertile eggs 212 strong chickens were
hatched and we have other very similar instances.
;

We are, however, convinced that eggs do as a rule need

more moisture in incubators, the eggs not being gradually
greased as by the body of a hen, which checks evaporation.
We have reason to believe that wiping with a very slightly
greased cloth when turning, might prove a promising line
of experiment bearing on that point. But we also believe
that more chickens are lost by too much moisture than from
any other cause ;
that little is needed the first week, and
that after that it should be graduated according to weather,
giving more in brisk dry weather than in close. Excess
acts by packing the egg too full to hatch. The air-cell
 Management of Incubators. 75

should enlarge during incubation so that about the eighteenth

day* it occupies say one-fifth of the space — unless it does,
the chick is too compressed to get out ;
just as, if too dr}',

the membrane may be too hard for it. Sometimes the

chick may This fact
be even deformed by the compression.
will give the key to the probable cause of chicks being dead
in the shell, and to the owner's general management of
moisture. If the membrane be dry and leathery and the
air-cell large, more moisture is probably required in running ;

but if, on the contrary, the chick seems to fill the entire egg^
or nearly so, then too much moisture is the cause of failure,
and it must be reduced. There is another point (this is
chiefly established by Mr. James Rankin, long known in
America for his incubator work). In too moist an atmo-
sphere, rather too high a temperature, if it should also occur,
is four times as fatal.
For more minute details the reader must be referred to
the directions with his own machine : but if these ignore
any of the above considerations, which have been well
weighed, he will do well to examine any persistent ill-luck
in the light of them.
Eggs of water-fowl do
best as a rule with about a degree
less temperature than hen-eggs, and rather more moisture
the last few days. It is also well to mention that ducklings
are often a day or two after pipping before they get out.

The artificial rearing of chickens must be regarded as a

question entirely distinct from the artificial hatching of
them, and may often become advisable, or even necessary,
when they have been hatched under a hen. The mother
may die just when her care becomes most necessary or she ;

may be a valuable hen, whose eggs are much wanted, and

* At any time afier that the chicken may burst through the membrane
into ihe air-cell, and tlnen appears to occupy more space.
26 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
whom it is not advisable to subject to the wear and tear of a
young brood. And lastly, man}' persons consider that it is

absolutely better to bring up chickens by hand, even when

they have been naturally hatched. All this is quite in-
dependent of the immense numbers of chickens now hatched
in incubators, for which artificial rearing is indispensable.
For chickens hatched towards the end of April, or later,
the very simplest form of artificial mother may be made to
answer, since in such weather their own animal heat alone
is sufficient. Many an odd brood has been reared through
May by rigging up a mother out of a piece of sheep-skin
mat, tacked round the edges only to a board about nine
inches wide and fifteen inches long, so as to fall a little slack
by its own weight when turned with the wool downwards.
If this board is nailed on four pegs at the corners so that it

may slope from about four inches high in front to about two
inches behind, it will upon dry earth or
do very well, if set

ashes, renewed and morning.

perfectly clean every night
Occasionally, however, a chick will entangle and hang itself
in the wool and a better way of making the covering is to
;

sew a number of flannel strips about two and a half inches

long and three-quarters of an inch wide by one end to a
piece of canvas. They cannot get entangled with these,
and, moreover, the flannel strips are more easily cleaned,
which is done by turning the inside up and well shaking
clean dry earth into it every day, afterwards shaking it free.

But only late chickens can be reared in this simple way.

For earlier ones some heat is required, and the first
stimulus to artificial rearing in this country was given by an
apparatus brought out, about 1873, by Mrs. Frank Cheshire,
a section of which is shown in Fig 21. This mother was
heated by a zinc tank, shown at A B, about one inch deep,
and hermetically closed, with the exception of one aperture
for filling and for safety. It was fixed on the top of the
 Artificial Brooders. 77

mother i-n rather a sloping position, like a roof, and along

the lower edge ran a flue, shown at E, the flue being
surrounded by water, and heated by a small lamp. Under
the slightly sloping tank was made to slide from the front a
framework of wood, roofed with canvas, on which were sewn
flannel strips, k, as already described. With this apparatus
was used a small temporary mother, consisting of the canvas
top and flannel strips only, placed in one end of a tray or
small box floored with dry earth or ashes, and covered by an

Fig. 21. — Mr.-;. Cheshire's Artificial Mother.

india-rubber bag filled with warm water, and wrapped in

flannel. In this the newly-hatched chickens were placed
the first day, to familiarise them with the habit of running

in and out from under the flannel and on first placing ;

them in the larger mother, a small park of wirework was

fixed in front to keep them from wandering too far until
they had got to know their way about. Beyond that, very
little trouble was necessary.
We reared all our chickens with this apparatus one
season, with no failure or diflBculty ;
and several breeders of
our acquaintance were fully as successful. But during a
second season, when pressure of work made it necessary to
turn over all management to was consider-
a servant, there
able mortality, and very few chickens really did well. This
experience also we found to be extensively shared by others.
We gradually traced most of these comparative failures
chiefly to two causes the fir.st being sheer neglect to attend
:
yS The Practical Poultry Keeper,
to the necessary daily deodorisation of the apparatus and ;

the second, too high a temperature combined with lack

of ventilation.
By the kind assistance of many friends, we were able to
make something like an exhaustive investigation into the
matter, and the results were remarkable. In searching for
the best returns, we gradually found we almost always came
at the same time upon the loivcst temperatures employed
We found that a heat under the mother which seemed only
nicely warm to the hand, and was in fact only that of a hen,
was simply murder to the chickens. One cause of the great
difference in result between the heat of a hen's breast and
the same heat in an artificial mother, it appeared, consisted
in the closed sides of most mothers as at first constructed.

The heated and foul air escapes on all sides from under a
hen, whereas in all the early machines it was confined by
the flannel and by closed ends of board.
Brooders of this kind are now superseded. Where the
'
coverlet " plan, as it may be called, is still followed, the
covering material is left open on all sides, and is still better

if somewhat higher towards the edges, as is the body of a

hen, so that the foul air can escape readily. very useful A
small apparatus may be made by arranging a sufficiently

large hot-water tank over a brooder of flannel strips as

described, and suspending the whole at the proper distance
from the floor by three or four cords. The whole moves a
little from the motion of the chicks, which renews the at-

mosphere and causes ventilation. This plan answers well

for a small brooder, if half an inch of clean dry earth be
renewed under it daily, and the whole be placed in a shed
or shelter-coop. Peat-moss litter, however, is the favourite
material for the floor of a chicken -rearer.
But "coverlet" brooders are now generally discarded
altogether. The best plan is found to be, heating a chamber
 Artificial Brooders. 79

sufficiently, with nothing touching the backs of the chicks ;

the chamber being amply ventilated. In some a tank of

heated water at the top is used, in others hot-air flues, also
at top of the chamber ; a still more general plan is that of a
central lamp with glass chimney in the centre of the
chamber, surrounded by a wire guard to keep the chicks
from coming too close to it. One advantage of the latter
plan is that by the light of the lamp the chicks can be fed
at night. The great American " brooder-houses ''
referred
to in Chapter VII. are usually heated by a couple of iron
pipes, nearer the floor at one end of the house the chickens ;

nestle under these, but not touching and day by day or ;

week by week are passed along to where the pipes are

higher, and so gradually hardened off.

Over-heating is easily avoided in apparatus of this sort,

as the chickens run out when too warm. Still it must be

guarded against, a temperature of about 80° being about
right at first remember, however, that this means with the
:

chickens in : if it be started when empty, and

at 80°, left so,

the heat of the birds will soon make it much more. It may
be kept thus for a fortnight in cold weather ; but should be
reduced in warm. There should be an outer sheltered run
as well, so that they are independent of the weather but ;

all the catalogues describe apparatus in detail, and we need

not do so here. We
need only add that most people will
do best to keep only about fifty together in a smaller rearer,
than more ; though when experience has been gained, and
many are reared, the number can be extended.
A wooden floor does not answer for the run, not even
when covered with earth, and great care is needed to keep
all sweet ;
peat-moss being a great help in this respect.
But it is a good plan to keep two rearers going for one
brood, one for day and the other for night, keeping each
one exposed to the open air meantime.
8o The Practical Poultry Keeper.
The greatest difficulty in rearing earlv chickens is a
complaint usually known as cramps but which, if many cases
do not belong to actually different complaints, at least arises
from quite diflferent causes, though the most prominent
symptom appears the same. The limbs appear gradually to
become stiff, so that the body " rocks " in its gait then the ;

claws are flexed, till the chick walks more or less on its
knuckles ;
finally death ensues. Whole broods are carried
off in this way. The complaint may occur in birds reared
under a hen, and even then is not so simple as it looks ;

when it attacks the denizens of a " brooder " it is still more

complicated.
The connection of " cramp " with cold or wet in winter

months is plain enough as a general rule ; and when these

are the sole causes,, it is simply a case of rheumatism, to be
treated by warmth, gentle friction of the limbs and claws,
with an}- of the stimulating liniments advertised in the
newspapers, and a grain each, twice a day for each chick, of
salicylate of soda. But this simple case scarcel}' eyer occurs,
and if it does, is such a symptom of debilitated constitution
that cure for the time is scarcely desirable. Birds so delicate,
are better dead before they can propagate their weakness.
More commonly, overheating in the brooder creates an
artificial delicacy to cold the birds emerge per-
and wet ;

spiring and relaxed, and so fall a prey to exposure which they

would withstand easily if kept in a healthier temperature.
For the same reason ©thers may succumb to inflammation
of the lungs. Here, by regulating the heat to healthy
conditions, the above treatment will greatly help the
patients, who may make permanent recovery. This class of
cases has much decreased since "coverlet" brooders have
been less used.

But the greater number of cases of " cramp " are due to
over-feeding and meat feeding^ aided probablv by a little too
 Cramp in Chickens. 8i

much heat also in many cases, and in others by a hard floor.

The hard floor causes a sort of truer cramp, and the over-
feeding accumulates poison in the tissues, and there is no
exercise to work it off. They are more like cases of gout
than anything else. Gout and rheumatism, as all doctors
know, are close allies. Here also the salicylate will do some
good and is perhaps the best medicine, and the liniment
will do good too, working the claws about to flex them.
But the only real remedy, and the sure preventive, is
plenty of rnntiing about ; and the food must be scanty
enough to make them run, and come out to search for it.
This kind of cramp has often carried oft" chicks kept alto-
gether in a warm box It constantly attacks those packed
!

in a greenhouse. If such chicks are taken in time,//// out

in the air, but with dr^- ashes or peat moss under-foot, in
the brooder, and kept just enough starved to make them
hungrily cramp disappears it is gout from
active, the —
over-feeding and laziness. Very young chickens, up to
five weeks old, should have the best of food and be sedu-

lously attended to, but always kept Jiungyih active. If

over-heating be avoided, such birds are not attacked by
cramp.
The feeding will not difter from that already given,
except that while young, and until they can find for them-
selves upon ample range, it is generally necessary to mix a
portion of fine grit with the soft food ; never forget that
it is especially necessary in thus rearing chickens to
keep
them and consequently active.
rather hungry, On the
other hand, the young birds must never be neglected. Re-
member that chicks with a hen, if at liberty, can almost
always procure some food — enough to maintain life at
least — if meal be forgotten whilst those reared
their regular ;

in this manner are entirely dependent upon their owner's

care, and one forgotten meal, even if not fatal at the time

G
82 The Practical Poultry K refer.
frequenth' lays the foundation of mortal disease, by leaving
the poor little things with no strength to endure any
inclemency of the weather.
Finally, it ought to be mentioned that it never answers
to rear chickens partially upon this system. If they are
allowed to get used to the hen's call, they fret and pine for
days, and some of them never recover. Or if there are hens
with their broods in the same run, they will run to them
and get pecked, and fret in the same way. But if either
hatched in an incubator, or taken from the nest before the
hen has called them to food, they thrive at least as well as
with the natural parent, and grow up tame and familiar to a
degree almost beyond belief, knowing", as they do, no other
friend but the hand which feeds them.*

CHAPTER V.
TABLE POULTRY. FATTENING AND KILLING.
The chickens killed for home use, where poultry is only
reared in a small \\'ay, will be ready for tableany time after
about four months old, according to the size of the breed.
If they have been thoroughly well fed from the shell, they
willneed no further fattening at all, but will be covered with
plenty of good meat, which to average people in this country
is really more palatable than a fatter condition. They
should simply be fasted for about eighteen hours before
being which may be effected in either of the ways
killed,

presently described, if anyone be available with the necessary

skill. If this be not the case, the simplest and most certain

way of avoiding unnecessary suffering is to chop the head,

off, after which there can be no consciousness. The fact
* Those who wish to try their hands at constructing apparatus may
find assistance in a little handbook on "Incubators and Chicken Rearers:
How to Make and Use" (Cassell & Co.).
 Table Poultry. 83

that even after such an operation, a chicken will sometimes

run and flutter about all over a yard, is a simple proof that

such " reflex " muscular action does not necessarily denote
suffering when fowls are killed in other ways.
For supplying the market, things have to be more
methodically considered and carried out, as condition and
appearance have more influence than anything else upon
the prices realised for table poultry. Considering the
most general points first, and whatever crosses may be
employed, great judgment in selecting the breeding birds
is required to produce a really good table fowl. Though not
quite everything, a good and well-developed breast is the
chief object to aim at and it may be well to point out in
;

what a good breast consists for this does not always seem
;

well understood, embracing as it does at least three distinct

qualities.
A good breast must be deep^ especially in front. On
I.

this depends the breadth of the slices cut from it. In-
ternally, this quality depends upon depth of the keel of the
breast-bone ; externally, it is marked by the fowl appearing,
when looked deep through the body at the
at sideways, as
shoulders as behind. This is true, although the contour
may be widely different. For instance, in the ideal contour
of a Dorking, the equal depth at shoulders is seen at once,
in the general resemblance of the body to a parallelogram.
No such square form can be seen in a Game fowl, whose
breast shows a beautiful curve. But it will be seen that a
well-shaped Game
fowl's body is much like a fir-cone in
end representing the shoulders hence the
figure, the thick ;

greatest depth is still through the shoulders and breast.

The same is true of the pheasant, and of every good table
fowl. An application of this simple rule will show the
serious deficiency of many Langshans upheld as the " true
type " by some injudicious writers.
G 2
84 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
2. The breast must be broad. On this depends the
number of shoes it will yield. Internally, this depends
upon the width of the flat part of the breast-bone.
Externally, it is seen on looking at the front of the fowl.
The Brahma, even of the true type and not bred to Cochin
models, will often exemplify failing here. The breast is

deep, and often long ; but it is apt to be narrow. Hence

the need of carefully choosing any Brahma selected as a
cross.

3, The breast must be long. On this depends the length

of the slices cut from Very few Langshans we have seen
it.

had this fault; it has been lately more and more common in
Cochin-bred Brahmas. It is curious that some turkeys are
particularly bad or short in breast, a fact showing that
careful selection has the matter in perfect control.
Stock of the varieties chosen can always be found,
except perhaps amongst some Asiatics, sufficiently free from
the faults here pointed out and by thus using judgment, a
;

good table model can be secured. The ideal model is seen

in the breast of a well-reared pheasant ; and next to that,
perhaps, in that of a fine Dorking or old-fashioned Game
fowl.
There are many and opinions
crosses to choose from,
rather differ as to the best ;no there probably
best. It is is

a mistake to suppose that French breeds are better than

English we have heard one of the most celebrated French
;

feeders declare that the English Dorkings as she saw them

at the Crystal Palace show were " perfection " from a
fatter's point of view and so far from endorsing the narrow
;

and biassed obiter dicta of certain dogmatic writers in this

country, the French have recently built up their own most

favourite table fowl (the Faverolle) mainly upon a basis of
light Brahma, the very cross which such writers have
treated with scorn In ! America, again, that identical
 Table Poultry. 85

yellow skin and flesh is preferred, which in England is

dishked. These facts, and the fact that the fine fowls sent
up from Sussex and Surre}^, as seen alive in the fattening
pens, are of a very decided " all sorts " or miscellaneous
description, should cause more catholicity on this subject

than some supposed authorities display.

The most often recommended is that of Indian
cross
Game on Dorking hens. It is a good one, and was a better
one when first recommended than it is now. Recent
fashion for the extreme height of the Malay has much
impaired both this cross and that of the exhibition Game
fowl, both alike tending now too much to long but narrow
breasts, and the Indian cross somewhat to yellow skin. We
consider a well-modelled Old English Game cock with white
legs a better cross, and recent shows of dead poultry have
borne this out. Rocks and Wyandottes, if well selected,
make good fowls, and so do crosses between them and
Dorkings cr Houdans. Nearly any Dorking cross is good if
the other element be selected as above described also ;

Houdan crosses, which have the two merits of ensuring (if

the cock be used) fertile eggs, and generally a quick early
growth. Brahmas should be crossed with Houdan or
Dorking. Some cross, as a rule, grows faster and is hardier
than a pure breed. Upon the kind of supply intended will
depend some extent the character of the cross.
to
Let us first consider what are called sometimes petit
poussins^ and sometimes " milk chickens," which are killed
from four weeks old up to six weeks, good specimens
realising from is. 6d. to 2s. each during the early months of
the year. They weigh about half a pound each, and much
resemble in general appearance plump pigeons. Chickens
have been marketed for many years in France at this size,
Houdans being at first chief!}' used, but lately nearly all
have been Faverolles. The trade in England is quite
S6 The Practical Poultry Kf.f.pf.r.

recent, and chiefly confined to the very best shops in

London and a few large towns, nor is the price so great as
in France still the price pays for such young birds.
; The
market for these innocents does not, however, seem
increasing much.
Chickens meant for this purpose should be hatched
earl}', and fed for a fortnight in the usual way, but
encouraging them to eat as much as possible. After that
thev are fed almost entirely upon soft food, especially finely-

ground mixed with milk or skim milk and a little fat.

oats,
During this time at least they must be perfectly sheltered.
All should be killed of the same size, respecting which the
shop should be consulted. Nothing is better than a
Houdan-Dorking cross.
In America by far the largest chicken trade is in what
are called broilers^ chickens weighing from one to two
pounds each, or even less, and killed at from six to ten
weeks old, according to their progress. The name is

derived from the fact that they are usually split in two
down the middle, and the halves broiled on a gridiron.
This is a very profitable age and size to kill chickens, as
they only need good feeding on chiefly soft food, fat not
being desired. They are raised in large establishments
called " broiler-farms," as described inChapter VII. There
has only so been a limited demand for chickens of this
far

size in England but of late some signs have been apparent

;

of a slight increase and at any time such " broils " might
;

become popular as a "new dish.'' Here, again, early

growth, as in Dorkings, Houdans, a cross of the two, or
Faverolles, would be desirable. They are fed in brooder-
houses and very small yards, but not otherwise fattened, or
crammed.
Older chickens, sold as " spring chickens," or " Surrey
fowls," or " fatted fowls," form the bulk of the best British
 Tap/.f. Poultry. Zy

trade ;
and it is the best trade which pays. To obtain this
there must be high feeding from the very shell. This high,
and what may be called even feeding, from the shell, is of
the greatest importance, as the want of it is the cause of a
most common defect. If an ordinary English fowl, badly
fed, is examined, there will be found to be hardly any meat

on the back ; indeed, many people have an idea there never

is any meat there Now the effect of even several weeks
!

good feeding upon a thin chicken is to deposit either flesh

or fat in places but not to produce that even clothing with
y

meat all over^ which is the perfection of chicken-rearing.

Moreover, fat so deposited is gross and disagreeable, whereas,
even feeding rather deposits it infiltrated amongst the
muscle, giving tenderness and juiciness to the whole, as
is seen on a larger scale in well-marbled beef. So well
understood is this in France, that it is usual, as Mr. T
Christy has again and again pointed out, to expose the
poultry there with the backs nppcrmnst^ the exact contrary
of English practice, though there has lately been some
imitation of French practice in a few of the better West-
End shops. If the back is well and evenly covered with
flesh, the breast must carry as much meat as the build of
the fowl admits of ;
but the converse is by no means the
case. Whether or not better knowledge may lead to such
a general reform in the matter of shop display, this method
of judging cannot be too widely known by purchasers and;

the raiser should never be satisfied till he can produce

chickens with the back nicely covered to a smooth surface,
which can only be secured when the early rearing has been
attended to. Concerning this nothing need be added to the
previous chapters.
A large number of the fowls fattened even in Surrey and
Sussex never reach this standard,for the simple reason that
the fatters depend upon supplies collected by higglers from
88 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
many small rearers around. Even these are not sufficient,
and of late have had to be supplemented by large numbers
from Ireland. While all these are greatly improved, a great
part of them can never be made up into first-class birds, and
return little or no profit, which is made for the most part
out of the better ones.
Chickens and young fowls are put up to fatten at various
ages, the process requiring from two to four weeks, more
usually about three. In the very early months small ones
sell well, and later on they must be fatted larger to yield a
return. Most of the Sussex fatters confine the birds in
barred or slatted pens about three feet long or wide, in
which are penned and one writer on the
five or six birds,

subject has been very severe who even mention the

upon all

single-bird system. But this sj-stem of a single pen about

ten inches wide for a single fowl is the usual one in France,
and has been adopted by Mr. C. E. Brooke, past-master of
the Poulterers' Company of London much depending upon
;

actual experience of the fatter and temperament of the

fowls. Some fatters, again, place the rows of pens in the
open air except in very mild weather this exposure must
:

retard the process. ^ Mr. Oliver, the largest fatter in Sussex,

uses roomy sheds, the sides of which are formed of brush-
wood, which allows free ventilation without any strong
draught. The droppings should fall through barred floors.
When first penned the chickens should be fasted for the
whole day succeeding a night, only giving a meal in the
evening this causes a keen appetite. It is usual merely to
;

feed them for about ten days at first, from troughs in front
of the pens. English fatters use almost exclusively finely-
ground oats, mixed at first with milk and water, for this
firstweek, made into a paste. Gradually this becomes
whole milk or skim milk (sour does as well) to which is
added, first a little and then a little more, of some kind of
 Poultry Fattening in Sussex. 89

fat, melted and mixed with the food. Sometimes fine

barley-meal is used for a portion of the food. In France

fine barley-meal and buckwheat-meal is the chief staple,*
often with some maize-meal, but also mixed with milk and
more or less fat. To keep the blood cool it is customary in
France to add chopped boiled nettles two or three times a
week. Some Surrey feeders use a portion of bran with the
same idea, but the green stuff seems far the best method,
though more adapted to small operators Hke the majority of
French fatters than to gigantic establishments such as
Mr. Oliver's.
The last week or ten days, when the birds cease to
" feed " heartily or make evident progress that way, they
are crammed. This has been done in three ways. The
food may
be mixed into stiff paste and rolled into sticks,
cut into lengths about the size and two-thirds the length of
the little finger. These are dipped into milk or whey and
passed down the gullet till enough has been given. Or the
food is mixed " thin," about the consistency of thick cream,

and given through a funnel, the end of which is blunted

and guarded by india-rubber to avoid injuring the gullet.
The first of these used to be the usual plan in England, and
the second in France but of late both have been more or
;

less superseded by the third plan of administering the food

by cramming machines.^ in which a large cylindrical reservoir

is filled with the same semi-liquid food used in funnelling)
which is forced out by a piston through a rubber tube
passed down the gullet of the bird. The first machines

*A writer already alluded to has also been very sarcastic upon the
subject of barley-meal, which, he affirms, is never used by "any practical
fatter." It is a fact that the French Jo useand Sussex fatters to
it largely,
a less extent. But it is finely-sifted good meal, with most of the fibre
sifted out. And the French combine it with the cooling ingredients above
mentioned.
QO The Practical Poultry Keeper.
used in Surrey much resembled a sausage-machine, and
required two operators, but these have been abandoned for
a pattern of which Hearson's (Fig. 22) may serve as the
type, the single operator working the piston by his foot.

Fig. 22- — Hearson's Crammer.

With such a machine three or four hundred birds can be

crammed in an hour.
In all cases, by whatever method the bird is crammed,
one hand is kept on the crop, and the supply stopped when
it is felt that it is properly filled, a point which is of course
only acquired b}- experience. If on the next occasion food
 KiujNG Poultry. 91

be still left must have been miscalculated,

in the crop, this
or else the bird has turned sick, in which case a meal must
be missed. The number of meals per day will vary from
two to three, but in either case the hours should be equally
divided, and kept to regularly. It is much the best to keep
the place in semi-darkness between meals.
There are various modes of killing — all of them very
effectual in practised hands. One is to give the birds a
very sharp blow with a small but heavy stick behind the
neck, about the second joint from the head, which will, if

properly done, sever the spine and cause death very

speedily. Another is to clasp the bird's head in the hand,
and give the body a sharp swing round by it a process —
which also kills by parting the vertebrae. M. Soyer
recommends that the joints be pulled apart, which can be
effected by seizing the head in the right hand, placing the
thumb just at the back of the skull, and giving a smart jerk
of the hand, the other, of course, holding the neck of the
fowl. And lastly, there is the knife, which we consider,
after all, quite as merciful a plan, as it causes no more pain
than that occasioned by the momentary operation itself.

Having first hung up the bird by the legs, thrust a long,

narrow, and sharp-pointed knife, like a long penknife,
which is made for the purpose, through the back part of
the roof of the mouth up into the brain, and draw it all

through the brain to the front. Death will be almost

instantaneous. The fowls, it is true, often kick and
struggle a good deal for some time but as they will do ;

this equally after decapitation, this must be due to muscular

contraction rather than any form of actual life.
The fowl having been properly bred, properly fed, and
killed, the next question is that of dressing for market.
Here English custom stands much in need of improvement,
and it is against the true interest both of producer and
 ;

92 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

consumer, since it tends to make poor fowls look as nearly
as possible like good ones, to the chief advantage of the
middleman. It is common to smash down the keel of the
breast-bone with a round roller or handle of the knife,
making the breast look broad and plump, which is then
exposed upwards to tempt the purchaser. It will be
obvious, however, that this process cannot make meat
and the splinters effectually prevent the carver from getting
a nice even slice, even from a good fowl. So inveterate is
this custom, that even a good raiser will find it impolitic to
run counter to it all at once— it is never wise to be too rash
in anv reform. Butpurchaser of a fowl should, for
ever}'

his or her own sake, insist on an unbroken breast; and if

the clubs and gentry of London were to refuse any poultry
that has been mutilated, reform will gradually spread. It

is here especially that the recent exhibitions of classes for

dead fowls may do great good for at all such classes

;

broken-down breasts are " disqualified," and thus the eyes

of the public are educated to judge of the specimens in an
unmutilated state.

Art can, however, do much which is quite legitimate,

in regard to this point. Mr. Christy, who has devoted great
attention to the subject, and several times gone to the
expense of bringing over French fowls, and even French
operators, has pointed out how these latter obtain the same
object. The fowl being plucked and " stabbed," the hairs
carefully singed off with lighted paper, and the gut washed
(not drawn), the dresser places his knee against the back,
and forcibly compresses the body held by the ribs and breast.
Sufficient padding must be used to prevent bruising of
the back, the ordinary clothing is insuflficient. This forces
if

the back and upper ribs towards the breast, the ribs bending
or giving way in the middle and it will be readily under-
;

stood that the process, carrying with it the contents of the

 Shaping Market Poultry. 93

body, forces up the meat at the sides of the breast. The

breast is thus also made to look flatter than it was ; but it is

done by really bringing more meat there^ where the carver

wants to get as many slices as he can, and is therefore a gain
to all parties. The body woidd spring back again if allowed,
but it is not allowed. The hocks are at once tied together
with a piece of string over the breast, the pinions drawn
through them, and the bird then placed on a shaping-board,
modelled to receive it. In reality this is like a long trough,
in which mau}^ fowls are closely packed side by side. Wet
cloths are then laid on the back, and the fowl is pressed
again. More cloths are then applied, cold water is poured

over all, and the fowl kept so twenty-four hours or more,

is

till it is set quite stiff in the shape desired.

Another plan adopted is to place the bird on its back
upon cloths, and press the breast firmly down with the flat
of the right hand, which causes
the ribs to give way, and
squeezes up the meat in virtu-
ally the same manner. In
many districts of France the
pressed birds are sewn up
tightly in wet cloths after
being pressed together as de-
scribed, the design and effect
in both cases being the same.
The Surrey model of shap-
ing is simpler and somewhat
different. Many of the best
dressers now lay the back
against the thigh and press the -Shaping Trough.
breast hard down with the flat

of the hand, cracking the ribs and plumping the breast

much after the above French manner some press so hard as
;
94 The Practicat. Poultry Keeper.
to break the breast-bone down, but not splintering it. The
vent has first been emptied as far as possible by pressure, and
the hocks tied loosely together. The fowl is now taken in
both hands with thumbs across the back, the stern knocked
cr jammed square against the wall, so as to flatten and
square it, and placed in a trough or press of two boards (Fig. 23)
meeting almost at a right angle, of which three are generally
arranged in one frame, as in Fig. 24. The width of the

Fig 24. — St.iiid and Tioiighs.

boards or size of trough depends upon the size of the fowls,

—
and large fatters have various sizes in any case, a trough
should be filled by one size, the necks hanging over in front.
The bird is pressed hard against one end of the trough,
first

and a heavy brick or a weight jammed up to it the next is ;

pressed hard up to this one, and so on, always keeping a

weight jammed close up to the last, or till the trough is full,
all being thus tightly wedged together. A board as long as
the trough and four inches or so wide is then laid all across
the backs of the row, at the forward or shoulder end of the
 Trussing Poultry. 95

carcases, upon which heavy weights are placed, and the

whole are left to grow cold and " set " they are put in the ;

trough when quite warm. In this way the " shape " is
attained so desired in Leadenhall Market. Of late, however,
there has been some tendency towards dealing with the
very finest birds individually, shaping them in cloths, more
in the French way.
Dead poultry are alwaysexhibited " trussed, but not
drawn," and should be prepared with absolute simplicity,
but with the utmost neatness. Such tricks as gilding the
comb and legs (which we have actually seen done) only
entail defeat. Success rather depends, if the judge knows
his business, upon a breast and back realiy covered with
meat, evenly laid on ;
a nice, delicate, well-finished skin ;

and not too great a size of bone compared with the size of
the fowl. The " trussing "
cannot be too simple as much ;

as willkeep the hocks, backs, and the wings in shape, is all

that should be attempted and this is easily accomplished it
;

the bird has been moulded into shape, and allowed to ''set"
cold in the French manner. Actual trussing for the spit is
not the business of the raiser, since it involves piercing
the skin and and such wounds promote decomposition.
flesh,

This process should, therefore, be deferred till the fowl is on

the eve of consumption moreover, the precise method
;

differs in different localities, and according to whether the

bird is to be roasted or boiled.
With respect to old fowls, in the market they are an
abomination ;
but at home it is often needful to use them.
If so, let them be gently boiled or simmered, nearly an hour
for each year of their age, after which they can be roasted if
preferred. Unless very aged, they will then be tolerable
eating. Another plan which has been tried with success
is to wrap them in vine or other large leaves, and bury them
for twelve or more hours in sweet earth before cookiner.
g6 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

CHAPTER VI.

POULTRY ON THE FARM.

The contents of the previous pages will have made it
abundantly dear, that in first return of gross profit over and
above their food, poultry are far superior to any other class
of live stock. If there were no drawbacks to this, large
poultry-farms could not fail to be highly profitable ; but
there is one tremendous drawback, which prospectuses of
such undertakings always omit to state. It is, that the profit
has to be collected in a vast number of very small sums,
from a great number of small animals, which yet cannot be
dealt with in one large flock like sheep. Hence the liability
to many small losses and wastes while the realisation of the
;

products demands such detailed oversight, and so many

separate acts, that the cost of accommodation and labour and
marketing is relatively v^ery large.
These facts account not only for the general want of
success in poultry-farming as such, but for the general
neglect of poultry in England as part of the stock on the
farm. Left pretty much to themselves, the returns have
not been duly collected, nor even a profitable stock secured.
In France, where most of the land is cut up into extremely
small occupations, the labour of looking after the small
number of fowls it will carry with the other stock is never
felt or counted. On the larger English farms, it must be
provided for and paid for, if it is given at all ; this is

grudged, or any due return disbelieved in, and so it is not

given, but just a few fowls kept to supply the family with
eggs, and no more thought about them. They are of quite
uncertain age, some of them very old, and many very bad
layers. What kind of stock would pay under such circum-
stances ? But it has been proved over and over again, that
poultry upcMi a farm will pay uncommonly well if judiciously
 —

Poultry on Farms. 97

managed, and their numbers calculated according to what

the farm is.
First of all, let it be remembered that while poultry
require an acre for every hundred head if for their own
exclusive use, ten or a dozen per acre can be run upon land
without in any way interfering with other stock. The
manure dropped by this number fully returns all the grass
eaten, while it is absorbed quickly enough to keep the land
fresh, so that other grazing is not interfered with, as it

would be by a greater number. Many injurious insects and

-grubs are also devoured by them, to the profit of the crops.
Secondl}^, supposing other matters merely balanced, the
manure of the fowls dropped at night in the houses
represents a profit of one shilling per head per annum for
large cross-breeds, and sixpence to ninepence for smaller
birds. We found that Brahmas dropped at the rate of 56 lbs.
per annum under their perches. After keeping a few weeks
in casks, this is reduced by drying to about half the weight ;

—
samples of both fresh and moist from the night before, and
—
thus kept and partly dried were analysed and valued for us
by the late Dr. Voelcker. The actual samples for this
analysis were from Dorkings, and were sent by Mr. O. E.
Cresswell. The following was the analysis :

Fresh

Moisture...
Organic Matter and Ammonia Salts
Tribasic Phosphate of Lime ...
Magnesia, Alkaline .Salts, &c.
Insoluble Siliceous Matter (Sand)

* Containing Nitrogen
Equal to Ammonia

Dr. Voelcker accordingl}^ valued the moist manure at y"2

per ton, and the stored sample at ^4 4s. per ton. Most of
H
gS The Practical Poultry Keeper.
Lht sand was probably scraped up from the floor of the
house. As regards its application, Dr. Voelcker recom-
mended that for most farm crops, a mixture should be kept
of two parts burnt gypsum and one part mineral super-
phosphate and that one part of this should be mixed with
;

three parts of fresh chicken manure. Kept under cover and

turned over once or twice, and finally passed through a
sieve, this treatment would absorb the surplus moisture, and
reduce the whole to a fairly dry and friable condition, in
which it should be used at the rate of 8 to lo cwt. per acre.
It ma}' also be mixed with soot, or dr}' earth and burnt

ashes, but should not be jnixcd ivith lime.

Hence it will be seen, that a dozen of fowls per acre, with
a very gypsum and phosphate, will give a farmer the
little

greater part of the manure he requires. Dr. Voelcker

specially reports upon the manure as "a much more concen-
trated fertiliser than tJie best descriptions of ordinary farm-
yard manure, which seldom yields more than | per cent, of
ammonia," whilst stored chicken manure by the analysis
yields4^ per cent., and even the moist, fresh-dropped
sample over 2 per cent. Let it be once understood what
heavy money payments may be thus saved on artificial
manures,* and the labour of proper superintendence will no
longer be grudged to the poultry.
* A practical farmer wrote to the Live Stock Journal as follows on this

point :—" There is still the most important item to mention —so far as

farmers are concerned —the manure. I have this year fully tested its value

both for com and root crops. I dressed a ten-acre field of oats in four
two-and-a-half-acre lots, alternately with artificial top-dressing at £<) per
ton, and poultry manure, in equal quantities, and if there was any difference
itwas in favour of the poultry manure. The result was about the same with
swedes and turnips 8 cwt. of poultry manure proving much better than
:

6 cwt. of artificial manure, costing per ton £j los. This year my artificial
manure bill amounts to less than one-third of ivhat it was in 1S76, and my
thirty acres of swedes and turnips are better than I have had them for
years."
 Poultry on Farms. 99
Thirdly, attention must be given to improvement of the
stock in laying properties.It will be seen in Chapter VIII.
that any property may be developed greatly in a few
generations by careful breeding and it will also be seen
;

why the utmost fecunditv must not, and cannot, be expected

from the stock bred by fanciers. These breed for the
points of the show-pen, which have their own use in
preserving the distinctive races ; but in seeking these chiefly,
laying properties are apt to take a second place. Still the
fecundit}^ is and capable of development like any
there,
other property. Probably a hen which lays less than a
hundred eggs per annum does not pay but it has been ;

proved, over and over again, that an average of one hundred

and fifty per annum can be obtained by those who will breed
for it,* and the process is as simple as possible.
The first thing, on many farms, will be a rigorous
weeding out of all the old stock. Mr. Fowler has left it on
record that in one case where this was done, and a "general
slaughter " made, the change to young fowls alone made a
difference of ;;^20 per annum, without any special selection
of birds. But selection must follow. Laying breeds may
be selected,! or, if there is a prejudice against " pure
breeds," there is a very simple plan which every farmer will
understand in a moment, and which has been repeatedly
tried with good results. Watch the neighbouring market,
and find out who brings in a good lot of eggs in winter.
Buy his eggs, and set them and a fairly good laying stock
;

* This number has actually reen considerably surpassed, as staled in

Chapter VII., by many large American poultry-farmers.
t The most successful direct cross we ever heard of in actual fact was
the produce of two Light Brahma hens with a black Hamburgh cock.
From six of these chickens and one of the Light Lrahmas were produced,
from Jan. 1st to Dec 31st, 1879, a few more than 1,500 eggs ! This is
considerably over 200 each, and is the highest number fiom half-a-dozep
fowls we ever heard of. The Brahmas were themselves good layers.
H 2
loo The Practical Poultry Keeper.
will be ensured to start with. Next, cockerels of the laying
breeds can be purchased to cross on these. Then the best
layers only of the hens should be bred from, and a few
cockerels also kept from these best layers to cross with the
pullets so bred. It is as simple as ABC ; but in this way
the average can be infallibly raised ; exactly in the same
way cows can readily be bred to give 60 per cent, more
as
milk than most farmers are content with.
Where eggs are the chief thing and on an ordinary —
—
farm we believe they pay best a different stamp of fowl
must be kept, from what would be a good stock for
chickens. On the latter head nothing need be added to
what has been before said broadty speaking, fowls will be
;

selected for the table which tend to lay on flesh when well
fed. Fine laying fowls, on the other hand, tend to a spare
habit of body, and are weedy by comparison, even in the
same breed the best laying Houdans or Brahmas are more
:

weedy-looking than the best table fowls. Good layers also

generally tend to large combs. But the one rule is, breed
from the best only., and the stock will steadily and rapidly
improve. A cross of a good laying pure breed, for three
years, on a fine dunghill breed, selected by the " winter egg
mentioned, will have become seven-eighths pure,
test " just
while the dunghill foundation will ensure hardiness and by ;

thus using crosses of Minorcas, Andalusians, Leghorns, or

Black Hamburghs, a splendid laying strain may be built up
in a few years. Of late years skilled breeders have devoted
attention to specially breeding good layers., with as much
care as others breed exhibition poultry, and either eggs or
stock can be had from them at a moderate price.

Fourthlv, the selective breeding here spoken of, and

which lies at the very foundation of all profit, involves
separation of the fowls into distinct flocks, and a somewhat
close personal oversight. This is a crucial point. The
 Poultry on Farms. lor

fowls must be made a business if they are to be made to

pay.
After examining the state of affairs on various farms, we

are convinced that on many it will be far the best to keep

enough fowls to occupy a man's whole time in looking after
them, with just a little general superintendence from the
owner, his wife, or daughter. Female labour is not adapted
for it, since there will be heavy weights to carry, and long
tramps over heavy ground, while the work must be done in
all weathers. The fowls want special attendance, and can
afford to pay for it, provided the man be made to feel that
his employer takes real interest in the results. He must
understand that the master both means and expects to
make money out of his charges, and then he will probably
do as near his best as he is constitutionally capable of. For
the right sort of man must be found for this business. We
have a vivid recollection of some agricultural labourers we
—
have met with, whose doings or want of doing would —
have given Job much exercise of spirit. Scolding is no use
with them they haven't it in them to do any good, where
;

they have to think now and then. The poultry ought to

have one of the smartest men on the farm, and if he is
" smart " in the Lancashire sense, they will pay his wages.
It will sometimes happen that this sort of work, with its
variety and sense of responsibility, will just suit a man or
intelligent big lad, who does not shine in the steadier,
duller routine, but rather shirks work in that on account of
its monotony. Variety will sometimes make a man like
that, and get value out of him where nothing else will.
In the chicken-yard, if many chickens are reared, the
help of the labourer's wife will be useful, and may be
required ; here the labour both lighter and nearer home.
is

To arrange for a labourer engaged in other things, "just

to give an eye to the fowls," never answers. We have seen
 — —

I02 The Practical Poultky Keeper.

it tried often, and it never has done so. On such a system,
the fewer fowls are kept the less the owner \\'\\\ loseby
them; and there is no more to be said about it. Rather
than attempt such a half-system as this, it will be better to
go on in more the old style, with a limited number in the
farmyard. E^ven here, by killing all the old fowls at once,
and thereafter killing them before they get old, with
judicious selection, and more systematic looking after the
^ggs — which may be carried out by a wife or daughter
all

without difficulty some profit may be got out of the fowls,

instead of the certain loss which they are on many farms.
But we are here more especially considering the cases in
which it is determined to make them a part of the regular
business of the establishment.
The needful separation into flocks will generally be
easily managed on a farm. Fowls have a strong sense of
locality, and in the main will keep to their own field ;

and as a rule the simplest plan will be to put the hedges

and fences in fair repair, and then let each field have its
own flock. The house can go anywhere convenient
probably in a corner, where the fencing is good. A very
large field will often take a house and flock in each corner,
for one flock should not exceed twenty-five. Some practical
men prefer movable houses on wheels, the locality of which
is moved occasionally and one or two of these should
;

always be used on arable farms, as they can be moved out to

the stubble after harvest. One farmer we knew made a hard
concrete floor for each house, and kept it in one place ; this
is least trouble as regards the manure. On many farms
there are buildings here and there, opening out to different
parts of the farm, which can be utilised. The great thing
is, some effectual way to break up the
in the cheapest but
system of letting all mix indiscriminately in the farmyard.
The fowls will, be it remembered, absolutely benefit the
 Poultry on Farms. 103

land. In some cases it may be well to keep them off

shallow-sown seeds for a fortnight but as a rule, if the seed
;

is properly drilled, and the fowls duly fed, they will r.o!:

touch it, but confine their ravages to insects and larvae.

They may crop a little green food ; but even this may be
almost prevented by letting a strip of grass grow around
their house, and in any gase the damage will be infinitesimal,

Fig. 25. —Cheap Poultry-houses for the Farm.

unless the farm, or that part of it, is " over-stocked " with
them. A dozen per acre are the outside to be kept in this
way and the largest field should have no more than thirty
;

In one flock. Generally a few yards of netting used judi-

ciously here and there, to eke out other fencing, will keep
the flocks separate.
The houses may be of any cheap and handy form but ;

that shown in Fig. 25 was given us by a practical man as

the cheapest he had tried of several. The main feature is

the triangular section. It is constructed either of match-

board, or rough slabs with the joints covered by caulking-
 —

I04 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

pieces and is put together with the very least labour
;

possible,by simply nailing the boards to timbers lying on

the ground and to a ridge-pole at the top. The width is
seven feet, and the height about eight feet. At a height of
twenty inches from the ground a shelf, R, is fixed at each
side, hinged to the walls and over these are the perches,
;

c c, thus carrying out the S3-stem shown in Fig. 3, page 7.

The nests, d d, are made under the shelf with bricks, or
anyhow, and are got at by raising the shelf. In this plan
we get strength a good slope to throw the rain off floor-
; ;

space where wanted height in the middle for the atten-

;

dant and the shelf gives freedom from draught. The

;

ridge should be covered by a strip of felt, or an inverted

metal gutter, arranged so as to give space all along the
ridge for ventilation. A
house twelve feet long roosts fifty
birds, and the cost was given us as ;^3 to j[^'^ los. It would
be better shorter for thirty birds.
Separate shed accommodation, and dusting-places, are
scarcely ever wanted in the fields, as the fowls get both
under hedgerows, or in other natural places.
The fowls kept for laying only will need feeding only
twice a day, and should therefore, for obvious reasons, be
kept in the most distant locations while the more substan-
;

tialaccommodation nearer home will be devoted to breed-

ing-pens and the rearing of chickens. The labour will be
lessened by the fact that the laying birds, having free range,
may be fed, and indeed are best fed, with grain only.
Water may be provided at any convenient point in each lot,

as the fowls will soon learn the place. Often a small stream
can be so managed, or a drain so cut and utilised, as to save

all trouble.
Where poultry are kept upon a farm in this way, the
attendant's day will be something like the following, taking,
fur example, the spring of the year :
 Poultry on tARMs. 105

Up early, he will first clean out the coops or artificial

mothers and feed the y<Hing chickens ;

also feed the breed-

ing-pens, if confined near home, since in that case they

require rather more careful regime. Then he will start on
his first round, with sufficient grain in a couple of buckets
slung on a yoke for carriage. At each house he will scatter
his corn widely for each and give a brief glance over
flock, ;

and in some cases he may scrape up the night's manure at

the same visit, leaving each house clean and trim as he goes.
In other cases, however, such delay would bring the other
flocks crowding round him and it will generally be better
;

to feed all first, taking the houses on the return journey at ;

the same time collecting all eggs already laid, noticing what
hens are on the nest, or if any appear sickly. There should
be a covered barrel at each house to store the manure.
By the time all this is gone over, if necessary dividing
the houses, so as to clean half at a time every two days only,
the chickens will want another feed, after which there will
be the cleaning of the houses and belongings of the breed-
ing-pens. Indeed, any fair number of chickens will furnish
ample occupation all day for any spare time. A mid-day
collection of eggs is desirable where practicable, but will not
always be so. Towards evening another round must be
taken to feed the laying stock, at the same time gathering
the rest of the. day's eggs ; the chickens having their last

feed afterwards, the very last thing, and being then made
snug for the night.
All through some watch must be kept, in order to have
a good idea towards the end of the season as to which are
the best layers, with a view to draft these, so far as wanted,
into next year's breeding-pens. It will be seen that the
only possible way of getting all this done is to do it

systematically.
Kept in this manner, poultry have never failed to "pay"
ro6 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
upon a farm. The only rent chargeable to them, as they
actually benefit the land, interest upon houses, fence, and
is

utensils; where corn grown they get the tailings at the

is

lowest possible cost and the manure finds its full value.
;

Eggs will in the main pay best but a proportionate

;

number of birds will of course be sent to market from the

surplus cockerels, and the slaughter in the yearly renewal of
the stock. The conditions laid down are not hard ones,
nor difficult to But more than the dozen fowls
understand.
per acre should not be attempted, and cannot be, without
leaving the ground of " poultry on the farm " for the more
doubtful speculation of " poultry -farming," the result of
which may be a very different matter, and must be
separately considered.
We could give many actual cases showing how poultry
invariably do pay when kept upon a farm, in some such
manner as above described but will only select two from
;

numerous replies to a series of questions which we dis-

tributed rather widely some years ago, and a third from a
public report, for its instructive lessons as to causes of
failure.

One correspondent in Derbyshire had about 90 acres,

on which he kept about 100 hens, with some turkeys and
ducks. On these his balance sheet for the year showed a
profit of ;^30, and he wrote, " I am satisfied they pay the
best of anything kept on the farm at the present time."
This may serve for a small stock on a small holding.
Our second case is a large farm of 700 acres, in the
occupation of Mr. J. Knox Lyall, Peepy Farm, near
Storksfield-on-Tyne, the result given us being the fourth
3'ear. An old man getting unfit for other work cared for

the poultry as his sole duty, his wage of is. 3d. per day and
the rent of his free cottage being charged, as well as all the
food. The total weekly expenses never exceeded £2 (how
 Poultry on Faa'A/s. 107

many farmers would spend that weekly on their poultry as

part of their farm management ?) and the receipts for the
year were ;^I30, showing a profit of at least ^^30, besides
eggs and fowls used for the household, which were not
charged in the above. The eggs were, however, counted^
and in all 28,300 were laid in the year, by a stock of 220
hens and 17 ducks. To replace a portion of these, 80
pullets were reared, some ducklings also; and 112 cockerels,
86 ducks, and 73 hens sent away. The fowls were in three
flocks, and fed twice a day, not being made a hobby of in
any way, but made strictly a part of the farm management.
The third case we cite as a supposed " failure," though
it will be seen it is hardly so, while the reasons for even the

partial failure are clear and instructive. It is the report of

Mr. Druce, Assistant-Commissioner of the Royal Com-

mission on Agriculture, published in 1882, of the experience
of Mr. Carrington, of Kimbolton, who had given up a large
farm owing to the depression, and tried a large stock of
poultry on a small farm of 100 acres. His stock in October,
1 88 1, amounted to 1,800 head, which would soon be
reduced by 300 or more, kept in nine 3-ards near the house,
and in lots of about 150 each in the fields. AJl were light
Brahmas. A man and boy were employed, and their
labour {£^^) was all charged, with ^38 for rent, _^i8 los.
depreciation and renewal, and £1^ interest on ;^'300 capital
sunk, besides the food. The gross receipts were £'\(i\ lis.
for eggs and fowls, ^3 for feathers, and ;^27 for manure
;

the surplus or "profit" came out as £2^1 which is rightly

described as not very satisfactory. The case has therefore
been paraded as a " failure."
Let us see what it teaches, i. Even as it was the fowls
paid the interest on the capital as well as the ;£il^ the
whole being better than any other branch of the farming!
1. The fowls here averaged 18 per acre, not enough for real
loS The Practical Poultry Keeper.
" poultry-farming," but too many decidedly for that poultry
on a farvi which we are here considering. 3. The fowls
were fed thrice daily, or distinctly overfed and light ;

Rrahnias were just the breed to suffer from this, and not a
judicious choice anyway. 4. The flocks were far too large.
5. The direct results of these mistakes, all evident a priori
to any practical poultry-keeper, are seen on comparing
these figures with Mr. L3^airs above. The latter got a gross
receipt of ;;^i30 and profit of j£,2p from only 240 birds,
while Mr. Carrington got only a 'gross receipt of ^460 from
1,800 birds, which ought /ro rata to have returned at least
^750. Bearing all these things in mind, and that not-
withstanding the fowls paid best after all, the results are
distinctly encouraging, though specially worth citing for
the lessons which they convey.
The vermin and thieves we have not felt called
case of
upon to deal In some places one or the other
with.
literally make the profitable keeping of poultry upon a farm
impossible. This especially applies to the preservation of
foxes, which in not a few localities absolutely prevents any
attempt at what would otherwise be a productive industry.
Whether this ought to be so under present agricultural
circumstances, is a grave question, but one we do not feel
called upon to discuss.

CHAPTER VII.
I'OULTRV FARMING.
Th?:re is no doubt that poultry kept to a much larger
extent than usual as part of farm stock, in the manner
described in our last chapter, have paid and will pay well
when so managed ; but the question whether " poultry
farming," as generally understood, can be made profitable,

is not one to be answered with similar certainty. The most

 Poultry Farming. 109

opposite opinions have been expressed upon it, and we have

been subjected again and again to very pointed attack on
the part of certain professed authorities, on account of the
opinion we have held, and still hold, that it is capable
of being, more or less, answered in the affirmative. On the
other hand, it is how inveterate seems the notion
strange
that poultry farming an easy outdoor business, in which
is

an unlimited demand makes success certain. From both

points of view a little discussion seems desirable.
We have never had any doubt at all as to the inevitably
disastrous result of " embarking " in poultry farming on the
part of the many novices who seem disposed to such a
course. People would not think of going into any other
business in that way and poultry farming is a peculiarly
;

complicated business, especially demanding apprenticeship

and personal experience, as well as commercial " push " and
aptitude. It moreover demands, as of necessity, gradual
and progressive preparation., if it is to succeed, because one
cardinal condition of success is a staff of birds cultivated for
prohfic laying. We
have from the first preached that but ;

it is only lately that this kind of breeding has really been

seriously taken up in England at all.

There are, however, various kinds of operation that
might be termed " poultry farming," and we had better be
definite. Some of these are admittedly remunerative.
The large fattening establishments in Sussex, briefly
described in Chapter V., might be so termed but we ;

exclude them, because the birds are not as a rule raised on

the ground, and so little ground is needed for mere pens
that it can hardly be called a " farm " in any sense. Where
ducks are hatched as well as fattened in large numbers, it
may, however, fairly be called a farm and it seems strange
;

that there should be any absolute law of nature ordaining

that one kind of poultry may be profitably reared, but that
 ;

no TtiE Practical Poultry Keeper.

another cannot. The success of " duck farming " is, how-
ever, admitted ;
and we will relegate it, too, to that special
name. It is also admitted that when locality, and capital,
and skill, and character have been adequate, there are
various examples of establishments for breeding high-class
or prize stock solely, being remunerative. This also, how-
ever, it may be granted, is not what is generally meant.
On the other hand, we cannot limit the term, as some
would do, to the sole production of fowls and eggs for table.
A dairy farmer remains so still, though he finds it best also
to grow a few acres of wheat, or though there be a demand
for his Shorthorn bull calves, or though he has a range of
piggeries as well. Similarly, the runs of a poultry farm,
when matured, ought some subsidiary revenue
to furnish
from fruit-trees, and hay or grazmg
and any successful and
;

intelligent poultr}^ farmer ought to have, and will have,

stock and eggs to spare which are worth more than market
prices. By a poultry farm ought to be considered any
establishment where the principal aim is the growth of
poultry and the production of eggs, not entirely or
principally for exhibition purposes. So understood, we
still believe that success is possible in such enterprises
indeed, it can nov/ be affirmed that on a greater or less scale

some success has actually been attained, even in England,

contrary to what is often so confidently asserted. In
America success is by no means rare, in some rather large
concerns, though under some difference in conditions which
we must point out.
There are, however, we believe, three absolute con-
ditions of such success. Of these one at least, and
generally two, have been missing in all the "failures" of
which so much has been made, and quite properly so, had
not the argument been pressed too far.
{a) The first is very simple, and consists in adequate
 Poultry Farming. hi
runs. Years ago, in the first lines we had ever written on
this subject,* we stated that an acre was requisite for 120
fowls, We would rather now give that quantity to 100
fowls though it is probable that on gravelly soil, by
;

S5^stematically leaving ever}' run vacant for five or six

months annually, 200 might be managed, their manure
being consumed in grass or hay.
(p) The second is, that every poultry farmer must serve

a thorough practical apprenticeship in some way when he ;

begins at all for himself, begin quite in a small way, making

his few hens pay as they go ; and only extending as
first

they do pay, and as the market opens out before him. If

they do not pay when few, he will find it out, with perhaps
the knowledge that success in this field is not for him.
But if he is to discover that, he had better do so before
sinking capital in the discovery.!

* In the first edition of this work. Mr. Tegetmeier has never ceased to
deride our supposed ignorance on the ground that at that time, in 1867,
we treated seriously a professed account of a French farm, published
under the impyimattir of the French Ministry of Agriculture. He has
systematically omitted to state that while we did make that mistake, we
made the above exception and correction as regards the
main essential of
the problem, and that we at least knew enough to condemn and refuse to
describe Mr. Geyelin's "small-pen" establishment at Bromley on that
ground whereas he at the same date in his " Poultry Book " published a
;

drawing and full description, his comment being that so far as it had gone
that experiment appeared to have been successful, though its ultimate
success "cannot be regarded as definitely settled until after the experience
of several breeding seasons." Such time was not needed, nor would such
a comment have been made, by anyone then a competent authority on this
subject though doubtless Mr. Tegetmeier has as we certainly have
; —
learnt a great deal since then.
t This is the key to some criticisms regarding our views which have
been recently published by Mr. E. Cobb. It would have been
better not to gather those views from a chapter in " The Illustrated
Book of Poultry," written so far back as 1872, and twice successively
superseded by later text ; time teaches much on such subjects as these.
i!2 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
(c) The third is, that during this preparatory period he is

breeding up his lavers as he goes on. This is indispensable.

The question of an egg farm, especially, being profitable,
mainly on the eggs over t2o per annum from each
rests
bird. American experience has proved that 175 per
annum each is perfectly practicable, as will be shown
further on.
Not much needs be said in regard to (a). If the runs
are kept large, a quarter of an acre for 25 fowls —and this is

a number which should not be exceeded in a —much

flock
grass will have to be cut at intervals, since long grass is

injurious every way, and, moreover, prevents the manure

from sinking into the ground. This cut grass will hardly
be good for stock, and is better burnt or composted with
manure, or the ashes mixed in the dusting places. On the
whole we think it better to run the birds on one-third or
even one-half the space, for half the year. There will

Still Mr. Cobb's misconception is rather extraordinary. He specially

objects to our then postulate of 1,000 fowls laying each 150 eggs per
annum, estimated at a cost of 2s. 6d. each ; saying that no such number
can be " picked up " that will lay such a quantity, especially at such

a price. That is true enough ; but we had carefully explained that the
birds werebe bred tip to that standard as part of the preparatory work.
to
That being pointed out to him, Mr. Cobb rejoins that this makes the
matter worse, since "no one can hire land, pay wages, erect accommo-
dation," etc., and breed during several years such a flock of birds, "so

that then the capital invested shall be fairly represented " by the 2s. 6d.
each. This brings out the fundamental misunderstanding. It is obvious

that all gradually sunk in "accommodation" is so far represented by that

(less depreciation), not by fowls; for the rest, our contention and meaning
throughout has been that all must be bred up and gradually extended from
small beginnings, the fowls being made — using a phrase repeated hereafter
— '^
to pay as ihey go" Capital is not thus sunk in them at
all, beyond

cost in breeding and rearing. This is more fully set forth and actually
illustrated by example in the following pages; and the best reply to such
crude objections is that the method has been thus actually carried out in
all the successful examples cited in the text.
 Poultry Farmixc. 113

stillbe grass to cut, but not so much, and after some time
for purificationand growth, the grass or hay on the fallow
runs will be of real value. But such a fallowing system
requires obviously a system of movable fences on one side
of a range of houses, or row of detached ones. The most
economical plan would be to arrange dividing fences in
50-yard lengths, then each will take a roll of netting with
no cutting or waste, easily fixed on small pins driven sloping
into stakes, and easily removed to the other set of runs
when the shifting took place.
Fruit trees are desirable, as much for shade and insects,
as for their produce. Filberts would often be more valuable,
and not tempt appetite but it is a mistake to state, as
;

some do, that bush-fruit is altogether unsuitable. On the

contrary, gooseberry and currant trees are about the best
shelter of all for young chickens and runs devoted to these
;

will not be injured, as they can only at most reach a few of

the lowest berries.
In regard to (b) it is not only indispensable to get the
personal experience, and to get it gradually, if ruinous loss
is to be avoided, but it is always to be remembered that the
would-be poultry farmer has to make his market^ just as
every other business has to gradually build up its connection.
Some seem to think that a demand is always waiting, at
tip-top prices. no such thing. Every large dealer of
It is

any kind has and private customers have

his clients already ;

to be sought and secured and any special product especially,

;

such as newly-hatched chickens, or fowls bred for laying, or

eggs from them, at better than market prices, has to be
bred up, and a " character " for it earned, and to become
known. People often write asking "where" produce of one
kind or other can be sold at good prices ;*and the answer
is, noiohcre^ in the sense they mean. Such a selling con-
nection has to be built up and got together. A large
I
114 T^ni"- Ph'ACT/CAL Poultry Keeper.

business which pays, is only lo be developed out of a small

one which already pays.

In regard to (f) nothing need be added, except that all
successful experience shows it to be of vital importance.
This has for many years been recognised in America it :

has only been to a very small extent recognised in England,

and that one very general reason of many failures. It
is

will not to be seen how intimately the considerations

fail

under (/;) and (c) are connected together.

It is very desirable, if possible, to cultivate a connection

in some special product, with direct customers. Fowls

really bred for egg-laying always have a value, as have eggs
from them ;
this has been found out by several successful
Doultry farmers in England. Even prize stock is often
quite compatible with commercial products. A trade has
also been developing for newly-hatched chickens, which are
largely purchased to be reared b}' the purchasers. Some
find a demand iox petit ponssins. There is also much to be
learnt about marketing eggs need to be both clean and
:

fresh, and sorted into sizes, if any reputation is to be

obtained. Details necessary to success on fattening,
dressing, and packing table poultry all these also have—
to be acquired and not only acquired, but also taught to
;

any servants employed this is yet another reason why it

:

is simply impossible to " start

" right off in a concern of any

size. Where the business has been thus gradually studied,

grown into, and built up, Avith personal experience, there
are proofs even in England, and still more in America, that

success is both on large and small scale but only,

possible, ;

be it understood, with an amount of hard work which most

people have no idea of. We
will cite a few examples from

both sides of the ocean.

The first case is on a small, almost allotment scale, and
reached us in reply to a series of printed questions sent out
 Po ui. TR V Fa RAf/.vG. I r
5

some years ago through the secretaries of the various

farmers' clubs. was near Chesterfield, in Derbyshire,
It

the tenant having one acre and two roods of land, of which
the two roods were in fruit and vegetables and the run ;

beside of two acres of wood. A pig was kept, and fruit

trees were also planted in the runs into which the acre was
divided. The figures of profit and loss were not given us,
but the concern was said to pay well," being looked after
*'

by a mistress with twenty years' e.xperience. The main fact

stated to us was, that the egg production from this holding
was 50,000 annually, nearly all sent to London direct to
private customers, with whom the tenant had gradually
made his market.
A second small example of purely egg farming, re-
produced by Mr. Sutcliffe, and which was published in an
influential paper with name and address of the owner, is
instructive on account of its two years' figures, and the
lesson conveyed in the second year's especially. In 1894,
there were 320 first-cross hens "kept" for egg-production,
on a three acre field with large houses near the centre, ;^56
being invested. They were valued at 3s. 6d. each, and
about qd. each per annum allowed for depreciation, with
;^9 2s. for rent and taxes. The food bill only came to
about 3s. each per annum, which will certainly be too low
in general. This year's balance sheet allowed also nothing
for labour, but various incidentals are charged. The eggs
sold were 2,907 dozen, for jQi^J 2s., and (with above low
food bill and no labour) the profit was given as ;^74 3s. 3d.
There were 34 deaths, which are duly charged at jQb^
beside the depreciation.
The second year's work (1895) is peculiarly instructive.
This year there were 43 deaths (a high rate, and charged
jC'] IDS.), rent and taxes are raised to ;£iJt ^^- 6^., and jQ\2

is added for labour on the three acres. But this year the
I 2
ii6 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
hens are described as " especially bred anil kept for egg-
production." The result of this is that wliereas the first

year only gave about 115 eggs per bird, the second returns
130 per bird, and the profit is given as £,\o(). The food, as
we again repeat, does not cost so much as would generally
be the case, but the effect of the increased egg-production
stands out clearly, and with an average of over 150 each,
would be still more apparent.
We may next take a few facts respecting the rearing
and fattening of poultry for market in Sussex, from the
official report to the Royal Commission on Agriculture in

1894, by Mr. Henry Rew. It there appears that the Sussex

fatteners pay up to 3s. 6d. each (these top figures onl}- in

April and May) for fine well-grown chickens, but cannot get
enough, so that they are obliged to purchase a certain
number of inferior Irish ones as well. The vicar of Heath-
field states that three acres and a cow, or, better still, six

acres and two cows, plus poultry, provide a decent living ;

and Mr. Rew cites cases of men who began as labourers,

and had attained independence by working up rearing or
fattening, till they could get a bit of land. As some
a rule
rear, and others fatten. The fattening alone we have
already relegated to another class of undertaking ;
and as
regards a great portion of the chickens reared, the objection
may be made that they are only a bye-product, and belong
properly to operations dealt with in our last chapter, as
merely " poultry
on the farm."
But in regard to some of the instances given by
Mr. Rew there is more than this. We will take three.
One small farm of 19 acres is all in grass, and five cows are
kept. About 600 chickens are reared during the year, and
others are also purchased, and fattening also carried on.
The cream from the cows is made into butter, and the
skim-milk given to the chickens. Another holding of
 Poultry Farming. 117

27 acres is remarkable as having been bought at the age of

thirty-three by a young man who began hfe as a labourer,

but started first rearing a few fowls by his cottage, then

extending operations and also fattening them, till he
reached his present position. His farm, also, is all in grass,
on which five cows and a few sheep are also kept butter is ;

made, and the skim-milk used for the chickens. All the
time he has worked " as long as there was daylight," and to
this his success was due.
The third of Mr. Rew's cases is that of the largest rearer
he met with, but who His farm is of 200 acres,
also fattens.
of which two-thirds were grass, and there are 8 acres of hops
and 3^ acres of wheat, the main cereal crop being oats,
which are fed to the fowls, besides large quantities of
purchased food. He had 10 cows, 18 two-year-olds, to
yearlings, and 10 calves, besides 7 horses. He had farmed
for eighteen years, and took up poultry ten 3'ears ago

because he was " bound to find something bej'ond corn and

stock to make his farming pay." He rears about 8,000
chickens for fattening, buying about 2,000 more ; for the
5^ear given the sales were 10,443 fat fowls* and the labour
bill came to ;^2-io. The capital invested was ;^6oo, on
which five per cent, interest was charged. Besides this the
net profit shown was ;!^268, and in some years considerably
more had been made.
These cases are certainly more than merel}- " poultry on
the farm " as fairly understood. Poultry are not the sole
product, it is true, but they are the mainspring of the
operations. Not only do all the oats grown go to the
chickens, but a great part of the produce of the cows.
Mr. Rew expressly reports that " cows and chickens are, as
I learnt from several witnesses, complementary to each
other," as the chickens need the skim-milk, which indeed has
in most cases to be largely supplemented from other farms.
 "

ii8 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

This fact, and the other fact that by these arrangements

30 to 40 birds per acre are reared in these examples, place

them far above cases in which poultry is a " mere adjunct
or " bye-product " on a farm. The fowls are the key-stone
of the system.
But there is also much
done outside and beyond
to be
the mere food market, and we have
already remarked on
the desirability of cultivating a market for specialised pro-
ducts. The Coaley Poultry Farm, near Dursley, is carried
on by Miss Edwards. She does not wish some figures
published which she has kindly sent us but her business ;

has steadily increased from small beginnings, and is still

increasing. It very largely consists in pure-bred fowls for

stock very moderate prices, with prize specimens at

at
higher rates in eggs for sitting, regularly graduated in
;

price according to the month, and quality of the pen ;

and, especially, in neivly-hatched chickens^ hatched in

incubators, and sent off within thirty-six hours of hatching,

at prices ranging from 9s. per dozen up to i6s. per dozen,
according to month and quality. Of course any connection
of this kind can only be built up gradually ;
for character

or reputation is indispensable to it, besides the stock to sell.

All this takes time, again teaching the necessity of beginning

gradually, and making the fowls /«>- as they go.
One more English example, of the same sort but on a
larger scale. This is the well-known poultry farm of Mr.
Simon Hunter, Sowerby Grange, Northallerton, to whose
kindness we are indebted for the following particulars of a
business which has now become of great extent, and is
no ephemeral one, but resulted from a long and varied
experience.For fourteen years, he informs us, he occupied
a farm in Wensleydale, where he bred and kept large
flocks specially to lay eggs for market. From the first he
was one of the very few — even fewer then —
who bred such
 9

Pour. TR Y Fa R.]f/NG. 1 1

; and he got his average up lo

birds fro^n selected layers
160-170 eggs each, and reckoned a profit of nearly 5s. per
annum per bird, after allowing for labour : prices realised
were from 6 to 17 for a shilling, according to season. The
fowls numbered here from 70 end
to 80 per acre, and at the
of the term, he tells us, the landseemed getting rather foul
For seven years (we write in 1898) Mr. Hunter has now
occupied 43 acres at Northallerton, where on an average he
reckons about 2,000 head, or slightly under 50 to the acre-
A large quantity of eggs are still sold in local markets, and
a few of the culls from the chickens, which realise about
2s. 6d. each but the main part of the business has been
;

developed in other directions. Pure-bred stock bred for

laying, as this has always been, possesses a character and
value of its own, and about 3,000 to 4,000 sittings of eggs
are sold annually at prices averaging about 6s. per dozen.
Pure-bred birds are also sold, some for mere crossing as low

as 5s. each; others, of better quality, ranging up to exhibition

specimens, at prices from 8s. 6d. to ^^. This connection
has, of course, been a gradual growth of time, and character,
and s^-stematic advertising.
Details of the farm are very interesting. The fowls are
in runs of a quarter to half acre, each with a house 7 by 7

feet, with peat moss on and a good large shed con-

floor,

taining half a load of coal ashes. The runs have 10 to 30

birds in each, preferably not over 20, and are grass all over ;

of course with only this number thev never look foul. Half
or more of the whole farm is mown every year, and grows
about p^ioo worth of hay. This sweetens it and uses up
the manure. To arrange for this, two lots of birds are put
together for about six weeks, say from the middle of May
toend of June, while the grass grows after it ; is cut they go
back to the now clean and sweet ground. Some years
nearly all the farm is cut in this way, and an average of
120 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
40 sheep is also kept to keep the grass down, being changed
from pen to pen as required. The land is part gravel, but
mostly strong clay. It is well drained, and clumps of ever-
greens are planted in many runs, while others are shaded
by hedges. The fences vary from and
5 feet to 6 feet high,
are of wire netting, 2-inch mesh and No.
on posts 18 gauge,
12 feet apart, with barbed wire at the top to keep it taut.
There are six miles of this fencing, and about a hundred
hen houses, besides small ones and sheds. Water is laid on
every pen in iron pipes from a spring the cost of this, of ;

wells, and drainage, was heavy, but it is considered well

spent, as once laid on the water requires no attention and is
always fresh.
The houses cost about ;!^3 each. The roofs are all

double-boarded with a space of three inches between, which

in winter is stuffed with hay : this keeps cold out, and is

considered a very successful method. Wire and wood for

fencing costs about ;!^5 more per pen of a quarter acre.

The total cost of fitting and stocking, is
up, draining,
reckoned at about ;^3,ooo. Without going into precise
details, it may be stated that the Northallerton farm was
purchased out of the proceeds of the former one in Wensley-
dalc ;
has been fitted up and improved out of its own
proceeds (again the "/(7v as ilicv i!^o^^ principle) and is now ;

clear, with a good balance in the bank, " «// out of poultn

fanning^'' as Mr. Hunter himself writes us. There are now

four regular assistants, with other occasional help, chiefly in
the hay season. The fowls are fed on soft food in morning
and grain at night, chiefly wheat, short oats, and Indian
corn for the light breeds only. In winter a horse is used
about every week, boiled down and mixed with the soft
food. The average cost of food per bird on this farm,
including flint and shell grit, which is purchased for them,
is reckoned at about 5s. per annum.
 American Poultry Farms. [2I

Is this a fair specimen, and can such success be repeated ?

Yes and no. Yes because what man has done, man may
; ;

do and there are other examples of great poultry businesses,

;

such as those of Messrs. Abbott, W. Cook of Orpington,

J. W. Cook of Lincoln, and others, also built up on more or
less similar lines. No ; because success is not easy, or
common. Such success never can be so. It has come not
from poultry only, but from untiring industry, personal
knowledge, practical skill, and business management of a
high order, combined with systematic and judicious adver-
tising. These qualities are by no means common anywhere,
but especially in poultry farming and without them the
;

results would have been very different.

We will now cross the Atlantic. For most of the details

that follow we are indebted to articles describing various
American poultry farms which have appeared in Farm
Poultry^ Boston, and have been collected and sent us by the
editor, Mr. A. F. Hunter but some of them are from
;

details which he has kindly sent us direct. One or two

details only are gathered from some other journals.
As an example of a small American farm, we may take
that of Mr. R. S. Norton, of Falmouth Foreside, Maine.
It is small, onl}'^ about seven or eight acres, half an acre
being in fruit ; besides which there
is a garden, and a cow is

kept. His gross annual sales are about 2,000 dollars, of

which about 200 dollars are eggs bought from neighbours
when he is short for orders. His old mother always kept
about 75 hens, and "made them pay" when she died he ;

bought the other children's shares, and began to extend.

It always paid, but the results of some improvements in

management are interesting. In 1894 he put up another

house, 50 feet long, in four pens, and spread his birds out
more next year his egg-yield zvcnt up a ihird, from 29,726
;

to 39,551. He therefore put up another house and further

122 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
divided them, a hundred being put in the new four pens, 25
in each. The result was 70 and 75 eggs
day from that
a
hundred, while the others, more crowded, were laying only
40 to 50 per cent.
Mr. C. H. Wyckoff, of Groton, New York State, began
sixteen jears before the date of the account, without any
capital, his father being security for the purchase of his
farm, his own weekly wages being devoted to paN'ing the
interest on the price. His first year he had 25 mixed hens ;

these were replaced by Rocks and Brown Leghorns, from

which he realised 75 dollars during winter and spring, which
was invested in Leghorn eggs. Thus he went on upon the
principle (obligatory on him, since he had no means other
than the hens and his labour) that the hens must pa\ their
—
way as he proceeded that all-important rule we have tried
to enforce. As he could, therefore, he improved the yard,
and put up buildings, and extended stock. It took some six
3-ears thus to '"get fairly under way;'' but for about ten

3'ears the place had been paid for, and his sales average

4,000 dollars a year, of which seven-eighths is earned by

Leghorn hens. We can only take a few details. Li 1898
he had on the farm seven double-houses, each 12 by 40 feet,
each half of which has a run 2'3 by 128 feet, the pen taking
50 fowls. The houses are built of double timber with
building-paper between, which is warm enough in winter
not to need heating. Plums and peaches are planted in
the runs, and realise about 200 dollars per annum. There
is also a brooder-house 16 by 60 feet, and a few odd single

houses. Five or six hundred hens are kept for winter

laying, and 1,500 to 2,000 birds are raised every year. The
Leghorns are bred with care for laying, and six hnndred of
them averaged one year 194 eggs per bird ! Three 300-egg
incubators-are in use.
Mr. Isaac Wilbur, Little Compton, Rhode Island, is
 !

American Poultry Farms. 123

believed to have about the largest poultry farm in America ;

and it has been the gradual growth of forty )-ears, on a

200-acre farm which has been in the family for generations.
Forty years ago the chief produce was beef; and the first
step was to multiply the usual farmer's flock of fowls by
two, for which Mr. Wilbur was duly ridiculed by neigh-
bours now he has a hundred houses, each with about forty
;

head. These are an exception to the usual poultry farm

practice in America, being scattered over several fields on
the unfenced or " colony " plan, recommended by Mr. H.
Stoddart a quarter of a century ago. The houses are about
8 by and placed about 150 feet apart, in long rows,
12 feet,
with no fences at all. A low waggon with the food is
driven from house to house in turn twice a day, and at the
second trip eggs are collected ;
the breakfast is cooked
vegetables and mixed meals, the last feed whole (Indian)
corn. The houses are rough and cheap, costing 20 dollars
each, and no pains are taken to make them wind-tight
The most surprising thing to us is that such shelter should
be enough for the American climate anywhere ; but the
farm is close to the seashore, where snow is unknown, and
the fowls " run "all the year. Hence they are hardened
and become hardy but the egg-yield must suffer, and it is
;

not to be wondered at that a year ago Mr. Wilbur was

planning a new large house on the plan of adequate shelter
and "scratching shed," somewhat as presently described of
Mr. Hunter's own farm. Several other farms on the open
or "colony" plan are devising similar modifications. One
avowed reason for such changes is the admitted danger of
contagious diseases in the colony or unfenced system. We
have an account of one case, where a thousand hens were
kept in flocks of forty each (Orange Co., New York), in
which "a scourge of roup swept through the flock" in
1895. Such an occurrence means wholesale disaster
124 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
for at least one year, and may not be overcome even
then.
The chief part of Mr. Wilbur's stock are of a local breed
called Rhode Island Reds, somewhat smaller than Rocks,
with evident Cochin blood, and laying a brown egg ; the
usual prevailing colour is cinnamon and buff. It will be
seen that the birds are at perfect liberty to go from one
house to another but they seldom mix much, if any. This
;

is practically prevented by the method of renewing stock,

all the houses in one row being emptied and refilled at one

time, and the fowls shut in the houses for two days, and
then let out a little before night for their feed, so that they
return quickly to roost ; after that they are allowed liberty.

There are no cocks with them, as eggs only are wanted.

Besides his own eggs, Mr. Wilbur collects, and ships
altogether about 150,000 dozen yearly. He also raises and
collects and dresses poultry, keeps about 100 sheep, and

40 cows for raising veal. Every branch pays, and one man
has been in his employ forty-two years.
The business of Messrs. Knapp Brothers, of Fabius, New
York been carried on for many years. The
State, has
brothers were born on a farm where it was a struggle for
bare necessaries, and the eldest taught school to eke out the
produce of a small farm bought on credit, with a few cows
to make a start. They kept a few hens for their own
supply, like others but keeping strict account they found
;

the hens heat the coios, and that 23 had netted them a dollar
apiece in the year. Next year they increased to 35 hens ;

then they introduced Leghorns and kept 60, which brought

I So dollars gross cash. Next year to that they started with
200 hens. By this time they had really good stock, and
began to exhibit with success, and to advertise and sell prize
stock as well as market goods, selling ;!^ioo worth (500
dollars) of prize stock and eggs their first season. Later
 American Poultry Farms. 125

their show career has been wonderfully successful, and their

sales of thiskind in birds and eggs average 4,000 dollars per
annum. But they still market great quantities of eggs for
eating, gathering from farmers round as well as their own,
totalling lately about 100,000 dozen a year. Private
customers are still sought as far as possible, and 120 dozen
weekly go to the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York.
White Wyandottes and white Leghorns are the stock
chiefly kept.
Mr. Hunter's own experience is very interesting and
instructive. His farm was intended, when begun, to be his
principal industrial concern but as he was gradually led
;

into journalism it could not be developed as first expected,

while on the other hand results were probably noted and
tested with a care for figures which might not otherwise
have been possible. The farm of 30 acres is fifteen miles
from Boston, and was bought fifteen years ago, with the
idea of keeping all the fowls in moderate flocks, with
sufficient range, however the number might be extended.*
Experiment led him to believe that the necessary space was
about 10 square feet of house-room and 100 square feet of
yard or run, per bird. His first house was 36 by 15 feet
3 feet being a passage-way and the rest divided into three
pens, 12 feet square, with a yard of same width and 100 feet
long and his first year ended with 75 good pullets of hij
;

own breeding on hand, and a profit of one dollar and one

cent. In the new house were placed 45 of the pullets, 15 in
each pen. The second year gave a profit of 234 dollars, and
the laying stock was 130 head and the house was now
;

lengthened 72 feet, giving six more pens the third 3'ear, ;

157 layers gave a profit of over 3 dollars each. The plant

*The farm and results are described in various numbers of the Boston
Farm Poultry ; but we are also indebted to English articles in 7'Ae
Feathered World, '
 126 The Practical Poultry Kf.pprr.

was gradually enlarged, until in 1898 Mr. Hunter had two

houses respectively 150 and 168 feet in length, giving 27
pens each 12 feet square, housing, at 15 birds in a pen, 405
fowls. The second house was given yards 25 feet longer
or 125 feet, and in this, with 15 birds, grass keeps green
all the growing season — the nearest 20 or 30 feet are
worn bare, but
the farthest 50 feet gets so long that it
has to be cut several times each season. It Avill easily be
seen that such houses, with 3^ards all supposed to be 125 feet
long, which is to be preferred, take just about 400 fowls on
one acre.
Further experiment, however, tended to show that the
closed houses alone were not best for the American climate,
which compels the fowls to be often confined altogether in
winter. Mr. Hunter now prefers to build a cheaper and
lower range of shedding without a passage-way, 10 feet
wide, and to give each pen 18 feet of it, divided into 8 by 10
of closed house, and 10 by 10 of wire-fronted shed, which also
in some weathers has to be closed by semi-transparent
curtains of waterproof muslin. In each of these he places
25 fowls. The yards are of same length as above, but he
prefers to divide them, giving each pen a single run 50 feet
long, and every pair opening into a double run of grass
36 by 75 feet, in which each flock runs on alternate days.
(This alternate plan we doubt the wisdom of.) Every
roosting-house has a good window, which swings open if
required. Thus, in hot weather there can be the freest
ventilation, while in cold all can be shut in. The run
partitions are two feet of boarding surmounted by foui

feet of two-inch netting.

The results depend upon breeding management. The
pullets are bred for time of laying as well as for amount of
laying. Mr. Hunter has found it, he says, " easy to get a 50
per cent, egg yield in November and December, 60 per cent.
 American Poultry Farms.. 127

in January and Februar)', and 70 to 75 per cent, in March and

April." It is quite possible to get an average very soon of
150 to 175 eggs per 3'ear, which means a profit of 2\ to 3

dollars each bird ;

and he considers that he now has an
average of 200 eggs each, well in sight.
These few examples have been purposely selected of
farms on different scales and somewhat different plans, but,
above all, from cases which have stood the test of time and
experience. Many others before us have not been thus tested,
and may turn out successfully or not in fact there are, as
:

in England, not a few cases of admitted failure. The most

common kinds of poultry enterprise in America are what
arc known as " broiler farms." In these a long shed
perhaps 200 feet long, and 10 or 12 feet wide, is divided
into pens about 10 by 6 feet, with a yard outside about the
same size. These are heated by hot-water pipes extending
all along, nearer the floor at one end, and gradually rising
towards the other, under which the chickens crouch for
warmth. About 50 chickens will be placed in each, and
each lot will be moved one pen along every day, thus
gradually getting a little less heat, till they weigh about

\\ lb. each, when they are marketed. A few of these

have stood the test but with time
broiler farms appear to ;

many have certainly failed, and shut down. Several

enormous establishments on a more general plan, such as
the mammoth farm on Fisher's Island, may or ma}' not
succeed, but have only had four or five years' experience.
But the above cases, which could be added to, are not open
to these objections ;
and it is important to consider carefully
\vhat be the probable reasons for the more generally
may
successfulAmerican results in this field of enterprise.
One reason, beyond doubt, is the methodical breeding for
eggs. For a quarter of a century we have urged this in
every work from our pen but not till very lately have
;
 128 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
breeders in England taken the matter up, and even now it

is only done by a few, who mostly advertise their stock as

so bred. In America they are sharper, and the farmers
themselves {i.e. the successful ones) do it. What would 175
eggs do even here ? /;/ America they get it. One man
records 210 each from 11 white Wyandottes. Mr. R. S.

Norton got 178 each from 280 fowls white Wyandottes —

and barred Rocks. Mr. Wyckoff actually got, one year,
196 each from 600 white Leghorns.
A second reason is the kind of market demand for fowls-

Very few wanted the chief

large fatted fowls or ducks are ;

call is for "broilers" of about i^ to 2 lbs. These need no

fattening, only feeding in their pens, and are ready at three
months old. It is manifestly less trouble and risk to raise
chickens to such a small age, and allows much more
crowding, because if they can be kept healthy till then no
more is wanted. Hence the crowded " broiler " plants. It
is pretty clear, however, that these entail great risks, and

have been carried too far as regards want of space and air.*
A third reason undoubtedly is the keener intelligence
and greater energy of American farmers for it is largely ;

jarmers^ originally, who have taken to this business. The

outlay in their great ranges of poultry houses, brooder
houses, and broiler houses can only be explained on the'
supposition that much is done personally, by working early

* In some recent papers we see an account of an enormous plant

arranged to turn out 300 broilers per day, which is proudly announced as
" the largest in the world," as it probably is. It has been started by Mr.
Loughlin, a city business man, who has already made two respectable
fortunes,and no less than 60,000 dollars have been sunk in it, showing
that people " embark " in such projects in America too. The establishment
is, however, the most excessively crowded of any which we have seen
described, the chicks being kept (indoors) up to a month old, at the rate of
six per square foot offloor. We need hardly say that it has not been tested,
and that its ultimate success would be to us a very great surprise.
 American Poultry Farms. 129

and late with an energy and manual skill of which English

farmers have not even an idea. In an account of Mr.
Latham's plant (Lancaster, Mass.), not included in the
above because not giving actual results, but the tested
success of which is guaranteed by the fact that he had
previously built two poultry plants on other ground, and
was now building the third on a new farm " to get things
rz'g/it" we find his new plan to be a shed 360 feet long and
14 wide, of which 4 feet is passage-way. The rest contains
twenty sections, each with a roost 8 by 10 and open
scratching shed 10 by 10, with a run 150 by 18 feet in front
of each. These houses are raised a foot above ground level,
and are built on a stone and mortar foundation. If put up
by paid labour, this must mean a heavy capital per acre.*
Such enterprises show, moreover, an adaptability of mind
* Since the text
was in type we have received from Mr. Hunter direct
replies on some points here discussed, and which have impressed us so
strongly. They emphasise and confirm the conclusions here expressed.
He works out his own stated profit per bird by reckoning his 175 eggs
each (this is not theoretical, but aclually attained) at the average price
during six years past of 27^ cents per dozen (varying from 15 cents to 42
cents) at which they are collected from him by the grocer as "strictly
fresh "ones. The food costs 135 dollars each. He sells his birds after

07te year's laying only, at about 50 cents each. Thus he reckons yi^
dollars profit ; but this allows nothing for the cost of the fowl, an important
omission. Nothing also is charged for labour, on the theory that most
American fanners are small and that this labour is the "way
freeholders,
they make their living." any more labour has to be hired, which
Yet if

must be beyond a certain scale, this principle cannot apply, though it does
apply to the small rearers and feeders in Sussex. His buildings for the 400
fowls on one acre are reckoned to cost about ^^300 {on one acre) if put up ;

but here, again, as we have supposed, "the cost is reduced by we small

farmers doing our own work." Most of his were so put up. He states,
finally, that, as a rule, there is no difficulty with the fowls fouling the land,

with any reasonable runs ; the soil is mostly sandy loam, and grass or other
green crop seems able to dispose of "all it gets." The differences which
have struck us as above, between American and English circumstances, are
thus confirmed and emphasised.

J
130 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
ver}- characteristic; in fact, upon American poultry farming,
it is very plain, there are bestowed attention, method, and
cleanliness, at a stretch or tension of which few English
farmers, and far less English labourers, would be capable.
A fourth reason may perhaps lie in the difference of what
may be called pecuniary and social conditions^ In America
more than in England. Actual
a given cash return represents
cash is and the farmers form a more rural and scattered
scarce,
community, raising a great deal of food on their own farms.
A thousand or two thousand dollars actual cash, with a
considerable food product and a country family life, may
thus mean a scale of living and comfort very different from
an "income" in England of ;^200 or ;^400 respectively-
Probably much may be attributed to this difference in
pecuniary and social circumstances.
Another great diflerence is to be found in climate. We
are continually reminded, in reading accounts of American
poultry farms, of the fact that less run seems thought
necessary for a flock than in England is the case. Through
great part of the winter it is more or less the custom to
confine the (reduced) stock within covered sheds, such as
are termed "scratching sheds" by Mr. Hunter, well pro-
vided with scratching material, and kept clean. This is
necessitated by the snow and intense cold. During this
interval the outer runs are at least vacated, and often
ploughed up and sown with winter rye, which consumes the
manure and turns it into food for next spring. This alone
alters the conditions materially, and doubtless it is better
to crowd fowls into smaller space and leave the run really
empty for half the year. In this way it is probable that
even in England 200 per acre might be kept, and some
grass or hay secured as well, as we have pointed out. But
beyond this, we believe the dry weather during the time
the fowls are out on the runs is far less prejudicial as regards
 Breeding for Points. 131

fouling the ground. The droppings are dried up and cease

to exhale poison and that this is far less noxious seems to
;

be proved by the guano islands, which are simply buried in

the accumulations of years, but in a desiccated state. In
England we have damp excrementitious matter, which
means diffused sewer gas. These climatic differences have
not, we think, received enough consideration.
Finally, it will have been observed that in all the tested
instances cited above, the undertaking was begun in a small
way, and the fowls made to '''pay as they goT There were
no novices " embarking " in it. A few were bred first, and
laying was bred up to, and business extended as it paid and
opened out. From small, to greater and greater, paying as it

went, that has been the method of all the really successful
cases from which the above examples are taken. And we
are sure that this is the only possible path to successful
poultry farming.

CHAPTER VIII.

BREEDING FOR POINTS.

It is impossible to breed poultry which shall continuously
approach even a fair exhibition standard, without under-
standing the main principles which underlie such breeding.
The produce of "prize" birds at a given show may be worth
a great deal, or from this point of view may be worth
nothing. Any such difference in value depends, of course,
upon the fact that the birds in question may be likely to
produce the desired class of chickens, or may not. That
anyone can understand but when we remember that the
;

valuable bird and the worthless bird may look almost exactly
alike, we want to understand why this is so. Here, again^
everyone understands something about it, for one may be
cross-bred and yet look like the pure-bred. We knew a
J 2
132 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
cross between a dark Brahma cock and white Cochin hen
win as a hght Brahma it was admitted to us. All know
;

what breeding from that " light Brahma " would result in.
But when the same difference in breeding value extends,
though in perhaps less degree, to even pure-bred "prize"
birds matched in a breeding pen, it is important to under-
stand what we are about.
The first point that appears as the result of inquiry into
the breeding value of a pen of birds, is that the valuable
pen is of " Mr. A.'s strain." Observe, not that they are
merely of a " prize " strain, in the sense that their parents
have won prizes but they are Mr. A.^s strain. What that
;

means is the main clue to the mystery. There is no charm,

of course, in Mr. A.'s or anj- other name only by anv other —
name the birds would be as good. It is something our
Mr. A. has done that has made the pen from his strain
valuable. What that was is what we want to know.
The chief matter at the bottom of it is one of the very
barest simplicity and yet the phrase, " Like produces like,"
;

in which it is supposed to be embodied, is not true in a

sense often supposed, and, if so understood, may even throw
a breeder off the track, by leading to that very idea of the
value of stock merely from " prize strains," which has been
denied above. Let us see what it does really involve.
The " family likeness " of children to their parents is

familiar to all ; as also the fact that it is generally more

conspicuous to strangers than to the family. In most cases
itcan be clearly traced, however, and it can be seen that it
does not lie in anv one feature as a rule. In other cases
some very strongly-marked feature is the predominant
mark, and in some no obvious likeness can be traced at all,
while theremay be obvious mental or moral resemblances.
Supposing the father to have a pronounced Roman nose,
the feature will probably be recognised in a portion of his
 Breeding for Points. 133

offspring, while it may fail in other children, whose faces,

nevertheless, show other resemblances, complicated perhaps

with stronger resemblances to the mother, or to other
members of the families of both parents. So much is

apparent to all.

But further ; in many cases, where no obvious resem-

blance can be traced to the direct parents, a very striking
one often appears to the grandparents., or even to other
ancestors still further back. Thus we see that features have
a greater or less tendency to reappear in posterity, even
beyond the next immediate step in the family pedigree ;

and some extraordinary features, such as the possession of

six digits instead of five, are often thus transmitted through
successive crosses with great pertinacity. Many facts of this
kind have made it certain that every feature in every
animal has some tendency to repeat itself, and would do so,
more or less, were it not counteracted by other tendencies.
If one parent has black hair and the other brown, the
black-haired parent has a tendency to repeat that feature in
his children ; but this is modified or counteracted by that of
the other to transmit brown ;
and both are modified by the
colour of the hair in ancestors further back. And the result
in any immediate case is impossible of prediction, because
there are so many discordant tendencies ; marriages having
taken place quite irrespective of the colour of the hair.
The breeding which is succeed in producing the
to
" points " of exhibition poultry consists in throwing all
these tendencies into one desired direction, so that the
influence of remote ancestors, of great-grandparents and
grandparents, as well as of the parents, combine towards
the desired point. Let us take a case. It would be very
easy to find a fowl which, from some cross with the
Dorking generations back, and never repeated, exhibited
the fifth toe. Though really due to the far-back cross,
134 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
such a fowl may be so rare in that farm-yard stock of to day,
that we may almost call it an individual variation ;
however,
we have got it. Breeding from such a hen, it is probable
that a few (and only a few) of her chickens may show the
fifth toe, the greater part reverting to the common type.
Mating produce to a five-toed
a five-toed cockerel of this
pullet, the number progeny will be somewhat
of five-toed
increased but still (supposing as we have done, no appre-
;

ciable Dorking blood in the farm-yard), not many and the ;

four-toed progeny will still have little tendency to produce

five toes. But from these five-toed chickens again select a
pair to breed together we shall now find the tendency
;

vastly increased probably half the progeny might be five-

;

toed, and even the four-toed ones would produce more

or less five-toed chickens. In the next generation the
tendency would be so increased that probably very few
four-toed chickens would occur and in a generation or two
;

more a four-toed bird w^ould be as rare as the five-toed one

originally was. We have accumulated into one direction
the transmissive tendencies of many successive generations,
and we have now a strain^ a race which we can (depend jipon
with almost absolute certainty to produce birds with five
toes.
Now suppose, we will not say the first single hen herself,
but even our first pair of birds from her with the five toes,
to be still alive after six years, as might easily be the case,
we might probably progeny a pair that
select from our last

as nearly as possible resembled them both in that and other

—
points we might be unable to see any difference at all
between them as to the point in question. But their
breeding value would differ enormously. The first pair
have no tendency to be relied upon to any extent the last ;

pair can be depended upon as regards nearly every chick.

The first gives us nothing beyond individual features on
 Breeding for Points. 135

which we were able, by care and system, to htiild a

" strain ; the other pair represents work done, a point
"
fixed, a " strain," which only requires ordinary care to
preserve its character.
Breeding for one point only is thus an absolutely simple
matter. But the reader will be aware that every fowl is
bred for many points which must be combined. Here the
puzzle really begins, and the novice usually finds that, as he
attempts to deal with any one of those points which need
improvement, he is very apt to lose in some other already
attained. Obviously the reason of this is the fact that the
faults as well as the good points in a parent, tend to be
reproduced. But even more, it is impossible to say when
the tendency to revert to any past fault apparently over-
come is practically lost absolutely lost it never is, and the
:

fault may crop up again on any provocation after even

twenty generations of absence. Hence every time a bird
is purchased to cross with, it may introduce tendencies
towards features which are not wanted, and may even not
appear in itself atThus we can understand the ill-
all.

success of most novices in breeding. As each fault becomes

distinctly apparent to such an one, he is apt to select or buy
a bird to correct it. And every time he does this some
influence really is exerted, and if this were followed up the
ground gained might be secured. But little is done towards
fixing the point by this one step while the following season
;

some other point probably appears to need correction, and

he goes off after that. And so he is apt to go on, apparently
getting little further. Some, on the other hand, do get out
of this uncertaint}', and found a real " strain," as shown by
their steady improvement. The uncertainty, therefore, can
be overcome how are we to find our way through the
:

maze ?
Let our young breeder consider this fact. While there
136 The Practical Poultry Keeper,
are many faults he knows too well may occur in his
chickens at any time, which he half anticipates, and when
thev occur puts down to his own want of skill there are ;

other defects which, if they did occur, he would consider

clear proof that he had been sunndled in the stock he had
purchased. Suppose he breeds dark Brahmas he may find ;

no uniformity in pencilling, or bad striping in the hackle, or

some decided fault in shape or carriage. But ask if he
expects ever to find a single comb, and he at once says, No.
Whence comes this difference ?
Let him think, and he will see. It is simply that the
pea-comb has been regarded as such an absolute sine qtia
lion in the Brahma that for many generations birds which

did not possess it have never been bred from. It was not

always so we can well remember single combs. But for

;

many years now that point has been imperative in regard ;

to it, therefore, not one single link in the chain of succession

has ever been dropped during all these years, and thus
every year has added to its fixedness. That point has
become and we learn thus that uncertainty is not
sure,
necessary in to any point.
regard To overcome such
uncertainty is the task of the breeder, and the necessary
process is not to lose a link in the succession, or any
ground already gained, but to keep a definite method
steadily in view. But now we come face to face with
difficulties in this, and the methods by which they can
be overcome.
One of the first practical points, and one of the first

difficulties, is that he cannot do without a very considerable

amount of in-breeding ; while, on the other hand, it is soon
found that this course has its limits, reached in the ph3-sical
weakness and deterioration which result from too close
breeding of the same strain. It is not only that every cross
ma}' introduce unknown tendencies to faults already more
 —

Breeding for Points. 137

or less overcome, as above explained. Beyond that, we

have spoken above of faults apparently overcome, cropping
up again under " provocation." Mr. Darwin has clearly
shown by a large amount of evidence, that the mere fact of
crossing between two entirely alien families, has a peculiar
tendency of produce reversion to such long-lost
itself to
characters. Thus that when two different breeds of
it is

poultry are crossed, there is always more or less production

of that black-red plumage which it is believed was the colour
of the wild jungle race of fowls ;
or, when two non-sitting
breeds are crossed, there is a considerable recurrence in the
progeny of the long-lost instinct of incubation. In less
degree the same applies to unrelated families of the same
breed, which have tendencies to different defects, or even
which have gone through a different course of breeding in
regard to the points bred for. Let us suppose two strains
of brown Leghorns, bred with equal care, but of which one
had been (in the manner presently described) bred first for
plumage, and in second place head and comb while the
for ;

other had been bred first for head and comb and secondly
for plumage. The result of crossing the two, might too
probably be many chickens which " threw back " to the
earlier defects of both !
Hence it is important that a cross should not only be
good in itself, but the product of a similar course of selection
to the yard crossed.Even then we should avoid too sudden
a.change of blood, which still brings with it more or less
—
reversion to we do not know what. If a bird can be got
from a yard with some of the same blood as our own
generally possible — that will male
be best. If not, let a
bird be securedand paired first with one good hen, and the
best produce from this mating used for the more general
cross. By this means much risk is avoided, and much
time may be saved ; since it may take years to get rid
 138 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
of the mischief from any rash experiment which turns
out badly.
Wecome now, however, to the great principle of
breeding, in that course of selection above alluded to. We
have to harmonise the necessity for keeping up the con-
tinuous attention necessary to any point we want, with the
claims of the other several points, which are so seldom found
all together in perfection. The first step is to consider the
points required in relation to their comparative difficulty
and value, the difficulty and the value being usually
synon3-mous. Doing this, the breeder at once sees that
some points are obtained much more easily than others, a
single mating being often enough sufficient to obtain one
property in a good proportion of chickens, whilst generations
of selection are needed for others. Where this is not so
evident, some points will still be found of more value than
others. All this being weighed, the proper procedure will
begin to appear. Picking out one or two of the most
and valuable points, fasten attention on that one, or
difficult

at most two, and keep it there. In selecting the very first

stock for breeding, and ever afterwards, give such heed as is
practically possible to other points also, of less moment, but
never lose sight
of these.
Also provide at the outset at least two, and, if possible,
more pens, not closely related, but 3^et somewhat related,
in order to avoid the necessity of crossing until the strain
is thoroughly established. We thus avoid the danger
of dropping unawares some link in the succession. Other-
wise we risk that in the following way. We find some
defect in our own stock needs remedy by a cross, though
second to another all-important point to which we devote
chief attention. We find a cross which gives us what we
want, and also appears we could
all desire in our most-
valued point ;
hence we think we are not at all risking the
 Breeding for Points. 139

work we have done in the latter. But it may only too

likely be otherwise ; for the bird may be almost the only one
in the other yard which is excellent in that chief point, and
in such case he spoils all. The only way of avoiding such
results for certain, is for the same breeder to have bred both
parents, when he knows the course of breeding and the
latent tendencies of each. Two breeders who have had long
acquaintance and know each other's yards thoroughly, can
thus greatly assist each other if their course of selection
corresponds and breeding might in this way become much
;

more easy, were it not for a foolish jealousy too often found,
or for a selfishness which leads each to expect «//the benefit
from some proposed exchange. In such matters there
must be both give and take if such mutual help is to be
secured.
In default of this, however, if, say, three families are

started from three related good hens (making up the pens

if necessary with common hens), the chief advantages of
crossing can be enjoyed for many years without its evils ;

keeping, of course, careful pedigree records. Where another

person must either breed together brother or sister (the
worst in-breeding of all) or obtain fresh blood, a breeder
thus provided can take a bird from one of the other families,
which in his " course " of breeding has reached about the
same point by the same path he thus ; keeps his strain in
his own hands, and can carry out all the necessary details of
selection with full knowledge of what he is doing.
It will probably be of most help to the reader now to
apply these principles to an actual case, as we verified them
in experience with dark Brahmas. reached them by We
studies in Darwin, and believed we should find them sound,
and did so ;
and it is scarcely too much to say that some
blood of the strain so formed runs more or less in the veins
of nearly every winner of the present day. Having almost
 140 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

wasted a year or two, though breeding from really good

stock,* we set ourselves to consider the points of the fowl,
and what had been found the comparative difficulty in
producing them ? The first obvious fact was that the
plumage of this breed differed more than some in the tivo
sexes, that of the pullets being (at that date, years ago) far
more difficult to obtain than that of the cockerels, and the
most difficult point of all being a breast well pencilled up to
the throaty at that time really rare. The next most difficult
point then was a neat pea-comb, then size, then shape and

leg-feather. The last, however, in this breed seemed very

easy to a single mating often giving it
get, but the ;

pencilling, and breast-marking especially, was very hard to

get the number of well-pencilled birds now which will breed
;

the same in turn, have been formed by this very method,

but did not then exist. Every reader will, we hope, see the
conclusion reached viz., to fasten attention chiefly on
;

breast-marking, and keep it there, paying such heed as

A few
possible to other points, but never dropping this.
mistakes were made which ought
been avoided to have
— we will, therefore, rather say how we would now
proceed in starting a new yard to produce pullets for
exhibition.
There should be two pens at least, even if only one good
hen or pullet could be afforded for each, pencilled as well as
possible to the throat, and with other points as well de-
veloped as can be aff'orded. The cockerels also should be of
the best pullet-stock possible, a point to be referred to more
fully presently. The number of hens should rather be made
up with other fowls whose eggs could be distinguished

* Our very first birds, the first time shown (at Bristol) took first prize,
beating Mr. Boyle, the most successful exhibitor of that day. But the
produce — didn't !
 Breeding for Points. 141

readily, than with inferior hens of the same breed. Sup-

posing inferior Brahma hens were added, and the cockerel
be a good breeder, he may very likely " throw " (a word
which just expresses the happy-go-lucky plan which hinders
so many amateurs) some well-marked pullets from these
poorer birds. The novice thinks this is a gain. In some
sense it is, since he may have some to sell but from the
;

breeding point of view it is a loss of ground and time, since

it puts back his strain. He will breed again from some of
these birds, and then they will throiv hack to the poorer
parent^ and he has lost ground. At this stage he can only
afford to breed from the best he has.
From these original hens or pullets there will be the
very first season some pullets equally well pencilled. How
many in proportion depends if the mothers were well-bred
:

and the cockerels also, and they are not too distantly
related, it may be many ;
if the mothers were the pick from

inferior parents, few but some there will be.

; If there are
really many, from either hen, it shows the mating itself has
"nicked" well, in which case the male bird should be kept,
for he is valuable. From this produce we select a few of the
best pencilled pullets, next to this point looking to the
combs and other points if there are one or two
as before ;

which to the pencilling add good general quality, these

should not be parted with at any price at this stage the
;

owner cannot a/ford to do so.

There are now several ways of mating these pullets.
They may be put up with their own father, an excellent
plan if he has bred well or with the cock from the other
;

pen, also a good plan if he has bred well or with a selected

;

cockerel from the other pen. If there are enough, and

there is room, all three plans should be adopted, and foui

or six pens mated up for next year, which will provide
families enough to go on with for a long time and,
;
 ;

142 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

moreover, several distinctly different probabilities of a good
result.
Next 3-ear's breeding will show marked advance ; not so
much in the pencilling of the best birds, as in x)i\Q. proportion
which are good. This proportion is the real test of progress
in a strain, not what some individual bird is. Out of these
we shall have little difficulty in finding the few we want for
breeding which are also good, or fairly good, in comb, size,

shape, etc.Already the advantage will be found of never

dropping the main point. We shall, though imperfectly,
still have made it so far certain in the strain, that we can,
without dropping it, begin to select for the other points as
well. It will be still more so in every succeeding generation,
but we need not follow the process further.
It will even be found that when the most cardinal points
are thoroughly secured, a little may be occasionally risked

and this is another great advantage of such a course of

breeding as here described. These points will have become

at last so fixed that a bird a few degrees worse in one of them
may occasionall}- be bred from for the sake of some other point
badly wanted. But let the nature and reason of this procedure
be understood. It is simply that the main point, known tc
be sofixed, is probably only accidentally somewhat deficient

m the bird so chosen, which is therefore trusted to revert to

the more perfect type in his or her progeny. Such a step
should only be taken with caution, and never repeated
through two generations, nor should a bird really bad in
such a point be so used. It is only that one not quite so
good in the first points may be occasionally risked ; and that
even so it is a risk, should be remembered. It is also plain

that the best birds, from the breeding point of view, must
not be sold, but kept for breeding. This will not always be
synonymous with the best for exhibition but we cannot ;

expect to make steady progress if, at any early stage

 Breeding for Points. 143

especially, we part with what represents the ground we

have gained.
These dark Brahmas will also illustrate for us the further
question we must consider, of breeding for cockerels or
pullets distinctively. In many breeds there are exhibition
points belonging to the two sexes, which are very difficult
to combine in one strain. Here, the desired colour for
pullets now is even dark pencilling all over on a clear,
almost dirty-white, ground, while for cockerels is sought a

glossy black breast and fluff, with sharply striped hackles

and clear wing. It will soon be found that there is a sort of
natural incompatibility between Supposing we the two.
mate with a good pullet a black-breasted cockerel whose
black fluff is laced with white, a number of good pullets
may probably result, with some too dark for present fashion;
but it be found that most of the cockerels are either
will
ticked or laced on the breast feathers, and ticked or laced on
the fluff. This shows us that such a colour corresponds
with the type of pullets which is sought and, in fact, for ;

breeding pullets alone, these marked cockerels make the

best which can be had, and breed them with such ease and
certainty that best to breed in this way.
it is It will also be
found that one of the black-breasted cockerels which
if

occur is mated with one of the darker pullets, more black-

breasted cockerels are produced. In this way we glide into
cockerel-breeding and pullet-breeding pens, which is be-
coming more and more general in other than self-coloured
varieties. But we have always felt it to be a misfortune and
mistake, and due solely to an artificial and false standard.
It really makes every so-called breed thus treated into two

breeds. In this case it only needs to tolerate slightly darker

and richer ground for the pullets, and a
little lacing on the

fluff of the cockerels, to breed both from one pen or ;

contrariwise, if the clear pullet ground be insisted on, it

144 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
only needs toleration for exhibition of slightly ticked or
laced breast in the cockerel, to breed both from one pen.*
The present plan, also, only secures lighter ground-colour
by the loss of another beautiful point, for the pullets are
gradually now losing that striping of the hackle which used
to be such a beauty in the dark Brahma, a bastard transverse
" pencillirg " taking its place. We cannot, however, enter
further into this here, and only point out the principle of
this division of the sexes in breeding.
It is well worth while to add, that exactly the same
procedure will develop any quality in fowls, such as that of
laying. Here the procedure is simplicity itself. It is only
to hatch chickens from eggs of the selected best layers, and
in successive generations to match the best laying pullets of
the progeny with cockerels also the progeny of the best
layers. This has for years been done on American poultry
farms, with the result of raising the egg-product in some
cases to 175 per bird over a large number. Only lately the

same methods, which we have explained over and over again

from thirty years ago, are being carried out in England,
and with rapid approach towards the same results.
We hope that this chapter will make clear what an
amount of intellectual gratification, quite apart from success
at exhibitions, is from watching the steady
to be derived
progress of a strain towards a determined point. Also how
the individuality of a breeder must become ultimately
stamped upon it, so that his birds can be distinguished, and
become known as his. This strange power man possesses ot

* The cockerel with which we won the cup at the Crystal Palace and
Birmingham in 1872 was perfectly black-breasted, and only a little laced on
the fluff. Claimed at Birmingham by Messrs. Xewnham & Manby, he was
the progenitor, as is well known, of the most uniform and remarkable lot of
pullets ever sent out of one yard. But the accepted pullet colour then was
perceptibly richer in tone than now.
 Breeding Prize Stock. 145

so moulding other animals to his will is a mysterious

approach, though in a lower degree, to the Divine operation
shown in the development of species. It is a similar though

example of the power of intelligent Will to modify

lesser
both the inorganic world and the forms of life which
inhabit it.

CHAPTER IX.

BREEDING AND REARING OF PRIZE STOCK.

In purchasing stock to commence breeding, if the reader be
inexperienced, he should, if it be possible, secure the
assistance of some friend upon whose judgment he can
thoroughly rely failing this, he should endeavour, not only
;

by studying the descriptions, but by frequenting good

shows, and seeing and comparing the live birds themselves,
to become acquainted with the main points of the breed
to which his preference inclines. To buy of unknown
advertisers is a risk, and it will generally be found more
economical in the long run to apply, in the first place, to
known and eminent exhibiters whose character stands too
high to admit the suspicion of any wilful deception. Such
breeders,it is true, will generally demand high prices for

reallygood stock but then the stock will be good, which

;

is far the most important point.

by Birds may also be
purchased at shows and good specimens may often be
;

picked up at a very moderate price, especially out of the

large " selling-classes " * at the Crystal Palace or Birming-
ham. A beginner should, however, if possible, get some
experienced friend to help in such selections, and even then
one cannot always escape loss ; for some very old birds will

* Selling-classes are classes in which prizes are given for fowls entered
for sale at prices not exceeding fixed moderate sums, generally £,2 to

£1 per pair.

K
146 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
look uncommonly and young, or a hen may be sold
fresh
for some vice. We knew
of an uncommonly cheap purchase
of a fine Dorking hen, apparently worth many times her
price and it was only found after purchase that she was an
;

inveterate egg-eater, and untit for that reason to be in any

breeding-yard.
The strongest chickens are bred from fully adult fowls in
their second season, but it is difficult to get very early and
fertile eggs from such stock. Next and
to this the strongest
best chickens are produced from a cockerel nearly a year old
mated with hens twelve months older ;
but, unfortunately,
the chickens of such parents have a large proportion of
cocks. Some breeders therefore prefer a two-year-old cock
with well-grown pullets not less than nine months in age.
Such a cock is, however, very often, not fertile extremely
early in the season, and it may be needful to depend upon
cockerels for early chickens. must not be supposed that
It

good chickens are not to be expected from such birds. In

this case, however, it is advisable that all the fowls should be
early hatched ; if not, the chickens are usually backward in
fledging. It is the very early chickens which most need
strength of constitution, hence every effort should be made
to get the two-year-oldhens laying early. To do this they
must be hatched early and moulted early, and if they
belong to sitting breeds, much can be done to influence
early laying by letting them sit for some weeks late in the
season, which gives them a rest and brings them on
again.
Much also can be done to promote due vigour and
fertility of second-year male birds, by giving them a fair

portion of animal food and a little cayenne, avoiding too

much starchy food. Liverine is found to have a direct
influence upon the sexual vigour. Brood cocks should
often be felt upon the perch. A really gallant bird will
 —

Breeding Prize Stock. 147

often not take food enough in company with his hens and,
;

while any fattening must be avoided, if this is so, and he

gets the least " poor," he must be fed by himself to the
necessary amount if he is to be active in the cold weather.
An adult bird should not have more than three hens or
though more may have to be
pullets in the cold weather,
added when the spring comes on.
The above chiefly refers to very early breeding, for
October and November showing. The really best speci-
mens, however, are rarely those bred so early, but are
found amongst those hatched late in March and during
April. For these, the adult cocks and hens can be brought
on without difficulty.

Long experience has ascertained that the male bird has

most influence upon the colour of the progeny, and also
upon the comb, and what may be called the " fancy points,"
of any breed generally whilst the form, size, and useful
;

qualities are principally derived from the hen. The above

fact therefore becomes of great importance in selecting a
breeding-pen. For instance, a cock may have been hatched
late in the year, and therefore be decidedly under the
proper standard in point of size ;
but if his colour,
plumage, comb and other points whatever they may be —
are perfect, and he be active and lively, he may make a
first-class bird for breeding, when mated with good hens.

A hen, again, if of large size and good shape, is not to be

hastily condemned for a faulty feather or two, or even for a
defective comb, if not too glaringly apparent — though the
last fault is a serious one in either sex. But a very bad
coloured or faulty-combed cock, however excellent in point
of size, or a very small or ill-shaped hen, however exquisite in
regard to colour, will invariably produce chickens of a very
indifferent order.
The care and preservation in good condition of valuable
K 2
148 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
fowls is an important point. With regard to mere regimen,
nothing can be added to what has ah^eady been treated of.
But it frequently happens that, on account of the high
price, only one or two first-class hens can be afforded and ;

if they be penned up by themselves, the frequent attentions

of the cock will soon render the hens unfit for exhibition,
or even cause temporary paralysis or sterility. To avoid
this, one, two, or more of ordinary hens should be added,
taking care that the eggs be of a different colour, or other-
wise easity distinguished from those of the breeding-pen
itself. The plumage and health of the hens or pullets
will then be preserved, without injuring the character of

the progeny. The same precaution must be observed in

spring if hens are absent from the run on account of
broodiness ; and some cocks require far more than others.
Of it is best in an established yard to mate the cock
course,
with three or four good hens of his own breed.
The number of hens, if good size and vigour are desired,
should not exceed four in the large breeds, unless on a grass
run,when we may allow six. The finest fowls of the larger
kinds are bred from the proportion we have stated.
Houdans and some others require more.
For early eggs the breeding birds ought to be put
together early in December, and it is ruinous to exhibit
them afterwards. Mating should be decided upon carefully,
and then not altered if possible for many cocks turn very
;

sulky if separated from mates they have really become

attached to. This leads us to the question of paternity
when It has been placed
the male birds are changed.
beyond doubt by many experiments that there is no real
rule about this, but that the results are very variable. As
far as a rule can be laid down, itseems that in most cases
when a cock is changed, after about six days the chickens
will mainly belong to the second. But it also appears that
 Breeding Prize Stock. [49

in many breeds, and most of all Game, if a cock be taken

away the rest of the batch will be still fertile, and there are
many recorded results showing that in some sense a chick
may have two fathers^ or owe certain points or traces of
points to each. It is not certain that the effects of a first

foreign cross are ever quite obliterated. Practically,how-

ever, after six days the eggs may in most cases be depended
upon as bred by the last mate.
As eggs are often purchased for hatching, it is necessary
to allude to the frequent disappointments experienced in
this respect, and which are far too frequently attributed, in
no measured terms, to fraud on the part of the seller. Such
fraud may be occasionally practised. We knew of one case
where the fact was put beyond a doubt by examination,
proving that the eggs purchased from a well - known
exhibiter were actually boiled ; but the great majority of
breeders would scorn such proceedings. It should be
remembered, in the first place, that highly-bred birds are
seldom so prolific as more ordinary stock, and are generally
too fat for full health and vigour. Too many eggs the full —
—
dozen are likewise very often set at seasons when the hen
cannot give them heat enough so that all get chilled in
;

turn, and disappointment ensues. Bad packing also causes

its share of failures ;
and, lastly, eggs are sometimes kept a
week or fortnight after receipt before setting, which is

always, but especially after a railway journey, most in-

jurious. Wecan only recommend i. That a hen — be
ready for the eggs before they are ordered. That they 2.

be procured from a breeder of known honour and probity,

3, That especial directions be given that they are well

packed. 4. That they be "rested" about twenty-four hours

after arrival, but then placed with no more delay under the
hen. And 5. That in cold weather the eggs be divided, so
as not to exceed the number stated under each hen, if hens
150 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
are used to hatch them. That eggs hatch better after
"resting" as above stated, is a fact that has been clearly
proved.
Eggs are best packed in small baskets, with the top tied
down. If in boxes, the cover should be tied down or
screwed^ not nailed on any account, or every egg will be
endangered. The best packing is to wrap every egg rather
loosely in a piece of paper, and then very carefully in a
separate wisp of soft ha}' and, finally, to imbed the eggs
;

thus guarded, and not too tightly, in a basket with more

soft hay, with the large end doio?i. Chaff or bran is too
solid. Eggs so packed will go hundreds of miles without
injury.
The chickens being hatched, let the utmost care be
taken of them in every way. The object in this branch of
poultry-breeding is not to get a profitable amount of meat
with the least possible expenditure in food ; but, the birds
being presumably good in quality, to get them by any
means to the best possible condition, and often to the
greatest pos.sible size. Although size is never the first

point considered, except perhaps in the case of Dorkings,

it not unfrequently gives the casting vote between two
cent ending pens, and is itself a most desirable point in all
the large breeds.
The best stock foods are undoubtedly oatmeal, biscuit-
meal, and wheat, and for valuable chickens they should be used
liberally. After the age of cramp has passed, cooked meat
may be given every day rather freely, provided it is not
likely to injure the comb, as presently mentioned. One of
the very best staples for soft food during the first fortnight
is a teacupful of breadcrumbs, another of oatmeal, a spoonful
of bone-meal, and half a teacupful of cut grass, made by
taking a good wisp of clean fresh grass, and cutting off an
eighth of an inch at a time with large scissors or shears,
 Rearing Prize Stock. 151

mixing this small green chafiF with the meal. This may be
scalded, or mixed with milk in very cold weather, crumbly.
Enough for the day can be mixed dry, if kept in a cool
place, and moistened as required. After a fortnight biscuit-
meal instead of crumb may be mixed with the oatmeal, or
biscuit-meal mixed with the fine ground oats of Sussex,
and a little later biscuit-meal and barleymeal do well and ;

the grass can be omitted if there is a grass run, but not

else. When grass cannot be had, minced lettuce or dande-
lion will do if obtainable, or mustard and cress can at least
be grown, and must if nothing else can be done.
In cold weather a little sulphate of iron, or " Douglas
mixture," should always be added to the water, and a little

bread soaked in ale may be found beneficial. Warm milk

to drink in the morning is excellent. For weakly chickens
it is most strengthening to mix up a raAV egg with their
oatmeal. Above all, unless they have a good run on grass,
the supply of green food must be unlimited.
Feed often — every two hours, if possible, from daybreak,
and let the food be always fresh, nothing being ever allowed
to remain. Do not omit a feed at ten o'clock p.m., until
daylight feeding lasts till at least seven o'clock, or later.

When a month old, gradually reduce the number of meals

till it comes down at three months to four times a day. If

this is neglected, appetite will fall off. Also, leave off milk
with the warm weather.
If a good field or other grass-run be at command, the
chickens will of course have go a long way init, and it will
supplying all other defective arrangements. But to our
own knowledge some of the finest and largest fowls we have
ever seen have been reared in a gravelled yard not more
than eighteen feet square. In such circumstances, besides
the most scrupulous cleanliness and good feeding in other
respects, there must be green food ad libitum — really fine
152 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
chickens cannot be reared without it, their plumage in
particular being of a very inferior appearance, and quite
devoid of that beautiful "bloom" which is now indispensable
to success in the show-pen.
It is necessary to give one more caution. Do not let

large chickens roost too soon — never before they are at least
three months old. If they leave the hen before the proper
age for roosting, let them have every night a good bed of
nice clean dry ashes or peat moss. We never allowed our
own chickens while with the hen to bed upon straw; ashes
are much cleaner, and if supplied an inch deep are warmer
also. To this plan we attribute a very small proportion of
losses,even in very severe weather. When larger, straw
makes a very good bedding but it must be shaken up with
;

a fork every night, and renewed and the floor cleaned every
three days.
With such treatment and good shelter, if the stock be
good and the number has been judiciously limited, the
breeder will not fail to bring a fair proportion through the
most inclement season, and they will be sure to reach a
good standard having the best time of the
in point of size,
year before them when they As they
really begin to grow.
come on they require special looking after in several
respects.
I. The sexes require pretty early separation, the more so
the smaller the runs. This affects the question of size most
materially in the larger breeds, and even in the smaller it

prevents youngsters giving themselves the airs of adults at

two months old, as they often and persecuting the
will,

pullets, which are brought on to and ruined in

lay too early
condition before the exhibition season comes round. In
most breeds the sex can be determined at a very early age.
As a rule, of course, the heads of cockerels are larger and
bolder, and combs higher. In most breeds the pullets fledge
 Rear/ng Prize Stock: 153

the quickest, especially on the back and down the breast. In

most, the carriage of the cockerels is taller and more upright;
and in nearly all Asiatics the first wings of the little cockerels
are smaller, narrow, and pointed, and dark while in the ;

pullets they are broader and rounded at the end, and, if

pencilled, with more marking on them.
2. The combs may require to be carefully considered.
In breeds where large upright combs are desired in the
cockerels it is not eas}'^ to avoid twisting, falling over, or
thumb-marks, from either weakness or overgrowth. Both
are liable to be produced by either using much meat or by
warmth. It is very unadvisable to keep a cockerel of either
of the Mediterranean breeds under a hen after his comb has
begun to grow up at all, or in a warm brooder of the type
which has flannel over him. A brooder should be chosen
for such birds of the type where the chickens come round a
lamp or hot -water bottle, and this should be kept from
getting too hot. On the other hand, it of course helps a
fine and well-falling comb in the pullets, to give animal food
and rather more warmth.
3. Vermin must be specially guarded against. Any such
not only affects health and growth terribly, but it specially
affects condition of plnmage^ the more so because when
show-time approaches it is not always advisable to allow
dusting, for fear a bath not absolutely clean and dry may
injure it. The chickens should be often examined, and a
liberal use made of insect powder if required.

4. Colour and colour -feeding. —As they begin to drop

their first or nestling feathers and grow the plumage in
which they will appear, its colour demands care and atten-
tion, as does also that of the shanks in yellow-legged breeds.
The most valuable help of all in this matter is plenty of
green shade, but in default of that, any shade. Much sun
tans white plumage, in cockerels especially ; and, perversely,
154 ^^^ Practical Poultry Keeper.
also bleaches buflf and brown or cinnamon plumage, and has
some, though upon even black and red.
less, effect

It has also long been known that food has considerable

effect upon colour. Yellow or red maize will make most
white fowls much more yellow than white maize or
other grain ;
and much hempseed will darken the ground-
colour of a moulting Brahma hen. It has also been known
for many years that the constant use of ?/-o;;, whether
in natural chalj'beate streams or given aitificiallv, tends
generally to intensify colour, whether in legs, plumage, or
yolks of the eggs.
The most remarkable effects of food upon colour are
known in canaries, in which (or rather in some of which,
for the effect varies greatly in individuals), the constant ad-
ministration of cayenne throughout the whole period during
which the feather is growing converts a rich yellow into
very deep orange-red. This fact, coupled with the success
of some breeders in showing rich lemon-buff in the many
buff varieties of fowls which have become so popular since
i8qo, hasled many to the conclusion that the best specimens
owe and even other colours, like the
their fine buff colour,
bay of golden Hamburghs its richness, to special feeding as
well as careful breeding and " colour-feed " for poultry is
;

often now advertised in the poultry papers. This appears

to depend upon ca^'enne, or the cool variety of
chiefly
cayenne, also used for canaries, which is said also to deepen
the colour of buff poultry. Such colour - feeding as is
practised appears to consist chiefly of cayenne in some
form, with the addition of two to five grains per fowl pei
day of saccharated carbonate of iron, the form in which iror
seems to be most easily assimilated If such feeding is tried,
on varieties supposed to require it, it must be remembered
that it can only succeed if carried on without intermission
duritig the whole period of the growth of the featliers, from
 Rearing Prize Stock. 155

first to last ; the same applying to adult moulting fowls.

In America it is believed that the copious feeding of cut-up
clover also assists the colour of buff breeds.
As to the actual effect of such expedients, opinion differs
somewhat. We believe that it has been at least grossly
exaggerated, for the very simple reason that we can trace
no marked advance in the colour of buff Cochins since the
days when no one pretends such things were used. The
more tightly-feathered buff Leghorns, etc., do appear to
show a richer colour, and we can understand that such
tight plumage might prove more amenable to feeding, just
as some canaries do on the other hand, such plumage
;

in itself would appear a better buff. On the whole, it is

probable that a shade or two may be thus gained in fowls
amenable to it, for all do not behave alike. But that such
difference can be made by food alone as some aver, we
have at present no reliable evidence whatever. The matter
is, however, now quite open and above-board, and any
reader can either try the materials here mentioned, or any
of the " colour-feeds " advertised, using them according to
directions.
In regard to the colour of shanks, deep yellow maize is

certainly very good for this, but in white varieties inadmis-

sible. Ferruginous soil in grass is the best ; and lime
rubbish as a covering for small runs must be avoided where
yellow-legged breeds are kept. Sponging the legs with
tepid water at night tends to keep the colour. No other
means should be used with chickens of the year, and
yellow-legged breeds are better not attempted on chalky
soil, unless ample grass run be at command.
Rigorous selection and sorting are required, taking
5.

out all which are not manifestly up to the mark, that the
rest may have more attention. This is a point in which
all beginners fail, without exception. They do weed out
 ;

156 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

and kill just a few of the worst ; but the rest, they
think, do not look so very and perhaps they may
bad,
improve and so they are kept on, crowding the yard
;

so that there is neither fresh ground nor fresh air for

what good birds there may be. Now, the beginner may
make up his mind that only his very best fowls will have the
slightest chance; and that to keep all these birds alive
destroys what chance he has, besides " spoiling his eye."
If he knows enough to really select the best quarter ol
those he has reared past chickenhood, he may be absolutely
certain he has retained more than all really worth keeping
and these few will grow into finer birds for such severe
weeding, to which the experienced breeder with limited
space alwa3's subjects his yard.
Where grass - run is unlimited this does not much
matter, and chickens may be kept without much detriment
till full grown for table use. But the owner of a limited
yard, who wants to make and maintain a reputation, cannot
afford this. The matter is very simply illustrated. Let us
suppose he can manage to rear really well for the show-pen
two dozen full-grown chickens, and no more, besides what
adult stock he must hold over for next season's operations.
The novice will probably hatch about forty, and after losing
half a dozen, weed out barely a dozen more of the worst.
He cannot expect much from the rest for the first year or
two. But the experienced breeder, even with better-
matched stock, would act differently. He would hatch at
least sixty, and very likely eighty birds, killing a fair pro-
portion as soon as their very first feathers, at a fortnight
old, told him they would be no good ; and then, at a still

early period, he would kill half the remainder. Keeping

only the pick, he can hatch more. Later on, when his
breeding has become more certain, he can be less severe
but experienced breeders always weed out much earlier
 ;

Exhibiting Fowls. 157

and more severely than novices can find it in their hearts

to do.
With proper care, and attention to such matters as
these, there ought in due time to be available for exhibition
some really good birds. They may not win, since somebody
else may have better but there should be some that will
;

not disgrace the yard.

CHAPTER X.
EXHIBITION.

Chickens are rarely fit for exhibition until at least six

months old, or even more. If the cockerels and pullets
have been separated, as recommended in the last chapter,
there will rarely have been any eggs laid before this time
and stimulating food should now be partially discontinued
to retard their production as long as possible, bearing in
mind that the commencement of laying almost, if not
quite, stops the growth^ which it is desirable to prolong as far
as possible for exhibition birds. In this respect the fancier
and the ordinary poultry-keeper proceed upon contrary
principles the one endeavouring to get his pullets into
;

laying order as soon as he can, the other using every

expedient to procure a precisely opposite result, for a pullet
scarcely ever looks quite so well as just before she lays for
the first and experienced exhibitors generally try to
time,
secure this. seems almost ready to lay before it
If a pullet
is desired, changing her to a fresh run every ten days will

often postpone laying for some weeks.

For young birds in perfection, six to eight months is
usually the best age to show the larger breeds but a month ;

or two more is often to the advantage of cockerels. Hence

the predominance of cockerels in the earliest broods alluded
to in the last chapter is not altogether an evil. For very
158 The Practical Poultry Kf.f.prr.

early shows chickens must often be shown younger, and for

such shows forward, "pretty" birds are often most success-
ful ; but such i arely make the finest fowls in the end. These,
and the most successful at the reall}' great shows, are more
often found amongst the slowly-maturing, big, raw-looking
birds, especially those hatched late in March and early in
April.
The greatest care should be taken of all selected chickens,
and of adult fowls as they get through the month. Every
night it is advisable to see that thty are actually on the
perch, or on clean straw, not lying on dirty ground. Leg-
feather should be cared for by keeping grass-runs mown
short and tender. In wet weather the birds should be
confined. which promises well is backward in
If a cockerel
making-up or furnishing, it generally brings him on a great
deal in these respects to put him with a couple of common
hens.
Two or three weeks before a show, it is often well to give
a little special diet with a view to improve the gloss of the
plumage. This cannot be given continuously, since one
element of gloss is that the fowls be in what is called "close"
feather and the highest health. But if to thoroughly
healthy birds there be given linseed twice or thrice a week
for three weeks, velvety lustre will often be improved greatly.
The linseed is to be stewed into a thin jelly, and this jelly

(with seeds and all) used hot instead of water to mix the
meal with, taking enough for the proper friable consistency.

Wecan remember when a cock and three hens were

shown together, and our own first exhibit was a cockerel and
two pullets, then known as a " pen of birds." Then the
cock was shown separately, and a pair of hens or pullets ;

now the rule is single birds. The pair or trio of hens was
a much better test of the real quality of a yard, and a
" matched pair " was worth much more than two single
 Exhibiting Fowls. 159

birds ; but the single bird system has vastly multiplied

entries, and is better for exhibitors in every way.
A week before a show the exhibits should be penned,
using pens rather larger than at shows, in order that they
may be used to the confinement, and get tame. To the
latter end they should be often visited, and used to being
turned about with a judging-stick ; if after each occasion
they are thrown a hempseed
few grains of v/heat or
(allowing for all this in their diet) betome
they will rapidly
tame and familiar, coming to the front of the pen. Such
penning also cleans the darker colours very effectually and ;

if before they are penned the legs and heads are thoroughly

washed, and care has been taken of the birds in their runs,
for such colours very often no more will be needed. A nail-
brush is often very handy for cleaning heads and legs, in
other cases a sponge may
The pens should first be
suffice.

covered with gravel or and over this clean chaff, the

grit,

droppings being often taken away, and both materials

renewed whenever necessary.
For light-coloured fowls, however, or for such as have
much white in their plumage, the cleansing process above de-
scribed will often be found insufficient. In such cases the
birds must be carefull}^ ivashcd with soap and water before
sending off, and good or bad washing may make all the
difference between winning and losing.
A large tub or pan must be provided, and half filled with
warm water. The very first step is to clean thoroughly the
feet and which always are of a colour to need this in
legs,

light-coloured fowls and if they are dirty, the water in

;

which the}' are washed should be thrown awav and clean

substituted ;
a hardish brush will generally be useful in
scrubbing the shanks. The head is washed next, using a
soft nail-brush on the comb if needful after
that the first ;

step is to thoroughly soak the plumage by the use of a

 i6o The Practical Poultry Keeper.
sponge. Then it is to be thoroughly washed with a sponge
and good yellow soap, the great point beuig to ensure that
it really is quite clean, and rubbing freely almost every way,

except up or nearly up the feather, which must be avoided.

Being sure the fowl is quite clean, the next great point is to
be sure, by change of waters, that every particle of soap is
washed out of the plumage. If any is left in, the feathers
will clog or look ragged ; but if all is got out, the bird being
partially dried with a towel first, is afterwards left in a lined
basket in front of a good firedry to dry gradually. Some
almost in the hand, turning the fowl round and round
occasionally on straw. It is a good thing to give the last
rinse with cold water, to prevent catching cold, and also to
prevent any debilitating from the hot water used in
effect
washing. It must always be done if the bird appears faint,
as it sometimes will. Many people think that the addition
of an ounce of borax and a spoonful of honey to the last tub
of water makes the plumage " web " better in drying and
look more lustrous. We were never able to satisfy ourselves
that it made much, it any, difference.
Some people never seem able to wash fowls well but it ;

may be said in brief, that thorough washing and thorough

rinsing are the only secrets. For white fowls it is well to
use a very little "blue" in the last water, to heighten the
apparent purity of the white. If overdone, this will defeat
itself, and look ridiculous ; a very little suffices. The object
is to make the white look bright and free from yellow ; not
to make it look blue. Really yellow plumage cannot, how-
ever, be whitened in this way. Of course the sun has much
influence on this point, and green shade has much
to do
with exhibiting white fowls. But breeding has even more,
and there are strains which appear far yellower, even when
shaded, than others allowed full liberty in the sun.
If they have had an extensive run on country grass,
 Exhibiting Fowls. i6i

however, with adequate shade, the whitest fowls scarcely ever

need washing, except as regards their feet and legs, giving
also attention to the comb and wattles, if necessar)^ It is

the poor dwellers in towns who have to take such pre-

cautions, and have so much to contend against. Yet, in
we often see town breeders beating the very
spite of all this,
best country yards and the fact proves that care and good
;

Fig. 26. — Exhibition Hamper.

system are of even more importance than any mere natural

advantages.
In regard to that beautiful bright red of the comb and
wattles so desirable, this cannot be given to a fowl which is

not naturally in high health. But when a bird is healthy

the scrubbing helps to bring it out and if finally a verv
;

liule fresh butter is rubbed in, and then wiped as thoroughly

oil as possible with a damp cloth, about the best is made of
it. A greasy-looking comb is disgusting, and soon becomes
 ;;

1 62 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

dull in colour. We
have seen the head sponged with
strong vinegar, and does brighten the comb for a
this
ivhile ; but most birds become dark afterwards, and the
other is the more certain treatment.
The head and comb should be gone over the very last
thing, any bent or broken small body-feather removed, and
the whole body may be smoothed over with a silk hand-
kerchief, with quite perceptible results in some cases.
As to the best form of hamper, general experience
approves most of a round shape, of a size to give just ample
room to the fowls which have to be shown. The usual
pattern for a single bird is that shown in Fig. 26, of
skeleton wickerwork, with a flat cover hinged in the
middle. This is lined with coarse linen, canvas, or other
cheap material. be too large than too small
It is better to

and the straw should be put in deep, with a deep hollow in

the centre, which will keep the bird there and avoid
damage to the tail. Many shows now allow two or more
pens to be sent in one hamper, which saves considerably in
carriage. In such cases, the usual shape is an oblong with
rounded ends, and a partition in the middle. When fowls
are thus sent, the greatest care should be taken that the
labels are so attached that there may be no chance of
mistake about the proper pens. At almost every show
there are errors of this sort, to the inevitable loss of the
exhibiter, who cannot expect busy officials to remedy the
results of his own carelessness.
All has now been done that can be done, and the rest
must be left to the decision of the judges. As a rule, these
are impartial, but there are regrettable exceptions. Some
are known to have certain invincible prejudices, which
prevent them from judging certain classes in accordance
with the general rules as understood by the majority
there are others, far above any pecuniary corruption, who
 Exhibiting Fowls. 163

are not above manifesting very obvious ill - will to the

exhibits cf those who in any way aggrieve them only no-w ;

and then is there any virtual proof of real corruption. The

vigilance of the poultry press is making these exceptions
more and more rare. The breeder should know definitely
and authoritatively what he is to seek after. There are
certain standards of excellence which are now generally
recognised by breeders, and by most judges and no ;

individual judge has any right to depart from these with-

out, at least, sufficient public notice, or until public
discussion in the periodical press devoted to such matters
has ratified the change. In the meantime, it is our opinion
that exhibiters have decidedly a right to know beforehand
who are to judge their birds ;
and this is now conceded at
all the best shows. To
upon them to send their best
call

stock, in the dark, to a show where, it may be, a judge's

known prejudices on certain points give them no chance of
a prize, is evidently unfair.
But we are leaving the fowls, and must return to them,
though we have little more to add. Whether they require
any special treatment on their return will chiefly depend
upon the system of feeding which has been pursued during
the period of exhibition. If, as is the case still at some
small shows, the easy plan of feeding on whole barley ad
libitum has been retained, the birds may be more or less
feverish and disturbed, and need a corrective. But such
feeding cannot be too strongly condemned. The proper
feeding is either barley-meal or oatmeal or biscuit-meal in
the morning, mixed rather dry, and given before the public
are admitted, with grain only in the evening ; and, in each
case, only as much as the fowls will eat at once, without
leaving any in the pens. Only these two meals should be
given, as the birds have no exercise, and do not require
more; besides which, the natural excitement of the show is
L 2
164 Thr Practical Poultry Keeper.
best counteracted by a rather spare diet. Water should be
given in tins, and only in limited quantity not left ad —
libitum — till the birds have had time to slake their first
thirst after the journey. Barley ought also to be used
sparingly, as it is too hard to be properly digested in a
show-pen. Grit is now usually provided.
Fowls fed as here recommended will generally be re-
turned in as good condition as they were sent, and require
no attention at all beyond seeing that they do not get too
much water and green food at first. But if the system on
which thev have been fed is unknown, or, in any case, it
they appear either feverish or " overdone," give each a rather
scanty meal of biscuit-meal mixed with warm brandy and
water let them have two or three sips only of rather tepid
;

water; and then administer a third of a tea-spoonful of

Epsom salts to each bird. This will probably be at night.
Next morning feed them on meal only in moderation, see
that they cannot drink to excess, and give them some
chopped lettuce, or a large sod of grass, but no other green
food until it is seen what eff"ect this has upon them after- ;

wards, if all seems well, let them return to their usual diet.
It is in all cases safest not to let them have much grain,
and to put them on an allowance of water, for the day after
their return.
As a rule, there will be little injury from exhibition, and
the same birds may be shown to a fair extent without
suffering. They want care and attentive examination after
each competition to see that they are not losing health ;

if itappears so, whatever other engagements may have

been made, let them have rest till completely recovered ;

otherwise, property worth scores of pounds may be sacrificed

for "just one more cup," to the owner's lasting regret. In
any should be suflScient rest and recuperation
case, there
before exhibition specimens are put up for breeding.
 CHAPTER XL
COCHINS. LAXGSHANS.
The Cochin breed, as now known, appears to have been
imported into country about the year 1847, those so-
this
called exhibited by Her Majesty in 1843 having been not
only destitute of feathers on the shanks, but entirely
different in form and general character. No other breed
of poultry has ever attracted equal attention, or maintained
such high prices for such a length of time and the
;

celebrated " poultry mania," which was mainly caused by

its introduction, will always be remembered as one of the

most remarkable phenomena of modern times. To account

in some measure for this, it should be remembered that no
similar fowls had ever been known in Europe and when,
;

therefore. Cochins were first exhibited, it was natural 'that

their gigantic size, gentle disposition, prolificacy, and the
ease with which they could be kept in confinement, should
rapidly make them favourites with the public. But the
extent to which the passion for them would grow no one
certainly could have foreseen. A hundred guineas was re-
peatedly paid for a single cock, and was not at all an
uncommon price forpen of really fine birds
a and ;

although these prices have been equalled recently by other

breeds, it must be remembered that in those early days
there was not nearly the same number of poultry shows to
win prizes at, which now adds to the money value. Men
became almost mad for Cochins, and all England, from
north to south, seemed given over to a universal " hen
fever," as it was humorously termed. Their advocates
would have it that the birds had no faults. They were to
furnish eggs for breakfast, fowls for the table, and better
morals than even Dr. Watts' hymns for the children, who
1 66 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
were from them " to learn kind and gentle manners," and
thenceforward to live in peace.
Such a state of things, of course, could not last, and the
breed is nov/ perhaps as unjustly depreciated by many as it

was then exalted for Cochins still have real merits. They
;

might have stood much higher if a rather different type had

been adopted, for many of the early birds had very good
breasts but unfortunately earl}' fanciers adopted the con-
;

trary model, and so spoilt the breed as a table fowl.

As now bred for the show-pen, the breed presents the
following characteristics : —
The cock ought not to weigh
less than lo or ii lb., and a very fine one will reach 13 lb.;
the hens from 8 to 9 or 10 lb. The larger the better, if
form and general make be good. The neck is rather short,
the hackle flowing widely at the bottom over a very short
and broad back, which should rise at once into a broad
saddle in the cock, and an ample "cushion" in the hen,
whose tail is nearly buried in it there should appear
;

almost no actual back at all. The body is correspondingly

short, but very deep down to the setting on of the thighs ;

the legs being short and set widely apart. The breast
should be as broad and full as possible consistent with these
requirements, but must necessarily appear high and little
developed, and this want of breast is the greatest defect in
the Cochin formation from a table point of view. The
shanks are to be most heavily feathered down the outside
to the ends of the outer and middle toes, the thighs well
furnished with soft downy fluff, standing out in a sort of
globular mass, and the hocks well covered. The fashion in
hocks has varied much. When this book was first written,
any sign of vulture-hocks (stiff feathers projecting from the
hock) was rigidly disqualified at all shows. This led to
fraudulent plucking ; and to avoid this some approach to
vulture-hock was gradually allowed ; later on a rage for
 ;

Cochins. 167

heavy feather at any price came in,and tor many years it

is to be regretted that vulture-hocks have predominated.
We say it is to be regretted ; since long and wide ex-
perience has convinced us that with vulture-hock is usually
combined a tendency to coarse skin and want of breast.
The fashion was resisted in America for years after it had
conquered in England, and the "English type" is barely
tolerated there even now. The tail should be as small and
low as possible, with very little quill in it compared with
other breeds. The general character of the Cochin is
" lumpy," the small wings being deeply tucked in between

the cushion or saddle above, and fluff below.

The head of a Cochin should be neat and small the ;

comb single, very moderate in size, evenly serrated, and

fine in texture. Ear-lobes red. Red or dark eyes are best
yellow eyes generally go with buffs, and are a little more
apt than red to become blind. In blacks the eyes are
dark.
Whites must be pure in every feather, a sandy or red
tinge being a great fault. The shanks yellow ; a greenish
tint was once common, but rarely occurs now, and would be
a great fault. This variety requires green shade to show it
in perfection, and maize must be rigidly avoided, as it
promotes a straw tinge. Any tendency to straw in the
hackle of a bird kept in fair shelter must be rejected in
breeding-stock.
Buffs are of various shades, from very pale to quite a
dark cinnamon colour. The hen should be as nearly alike
as possible all over, except that the hackle is a richer and
deeper golden tint always. The cock's breast and under
parts match the hen ;
his hackle and saddle are richer, with
a clearer gold or red-orange character. His wing should be
even and rich all over, not grizzled with lighter feathers ;

there may be a little black in the tail, but the less the
1 68 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
better and the inner lli«;lus arc often more or less black,
;

which better than wliite.

is White in the tail is a great
blemish. Buffs tend to breed rather lighter and the cock ;

should, therefore, always be chosen of perfectly sound colour

on the wings, and, if possible, a shade or two deeper than
the hens which really match him. On the other hand, a
very much darker cock, or one with very dark wing, usually
breeds spotty or patchy chickens. The legs yellow, or with
a reddish tinge. A rich lemon
most preferred, andbufif is

some people think the colour may be improved by the

"colour-feeding" described in Chapter IX. We have been
unable, so far, to trace any improvement in Cochin colour
since this practice was introduced.
Partridge Cochins are very dillereTitly coloured in the
two sexes. The cock
for exhibition has black breast, under
parts, and thighs.
His haclde and saddle feathers are rich
orange-red, striped with black. The back and shoulders of
wing are almost crimson the secondaries bay on the outer
;

edge, with a black spot on the end, edging the point of the
wing. Across the centre of the wing is a broad " bar " of
green-black. The tail is black, white being a great blemish.
The pullet or hen has also an orange or rich yellow hackle
striped with black ; the rest of her plumage consists of dark
pencillings on a lighter ground. Formerly this was really
partridge in character, or grouse ;
but for years now the
pencilling has exactly resembled in character that of the
Dark Brahma, which has been crossed to produce it ; the
pencilling being black on an almost yellow ground. The
legs are dusky yellow.
This modern type is difficult to breed, and separate pens
are practicall}^ required for the two sexes. For cockerels, an
exhibition-coloured bird, with solid black under parts, is

mated with hens or pullets that have specially well-striped

hackles, and dark bodies, with small pencilling almost covering
 —

Cochins. 169

the ground-colour, which is also pretty dark — quite a dull-

lookino- colour, more after the older style. For pullets, on
the other hand, the hens or pullets must be of the ex-
hibition type, and the cockerel or cock bred from hens or
pullets of this t3'pe but his breast and thighs will have
;

each feather either ticked or laced with lemon or orange

his hackles may also show signs of marking. The ex-
aggerated value put on Brahma type of pencilling has
almost destroyed size, shape, and grand
"character" in
Partridge Cochin and these points need much
hens,
attention, the type having been got by a cross and only
perpetuated by close interbreeding. The colour of the
Partridge cockerel, we fancy, may possibly in some cases
be improved by colour-feeding.
Cuckoo Cochins are a peculiar bluish-grey mottle all
over ;
each feather crossed by bands of light and dark blue-
grey. They are seldom of good shape. The colour is bred
as inPlymouth Rocks.
Black Cochins nearly disappeared for many years, from
want of stock, and the attempt to breed black fowls with
yellow legs, which was unnatural. The importation in 1871
of the black-legged type known as Langshans, however,
revived the breed, and very good black birds are now
sometimes seen. Some approach to dusky yellow in the
legs is preferred, and as heavy feather as possible.
The merits of Cochins have already been hinted at.
The chickens, though they feather slowly, are hardier than
many other breeds, and will thrive where others would
perish they grow fast, and may be killed when twelve
;

weeks old. The fowls will do well in very confined spaces,

are very tame and easily domesticated, and seldom quarrel.
They cannot fly, and a fence two feet high will eflfectually

keep them within bounds. As sitters and mothers the

hens are unsurpassed ;
though they are, unless cooped, apt
 —;

I/O The Practical Poultry Kf.f.pf.r.

to leave their chickens and lay again too soon for very early
broods. Lastly, some are prolific layers, especially in
winter, when eggs are most scarce. This quality can be
much developed by breeding from hens which do not sit so
frequently.
Their defects are equally marked. The flesh is inferior
to that of other breeds, though tolerably good when eaten
young there is, however, always a great absence of breast,
;

which excludes the fowl from the market, and confines it to

the family table. The leg, which contains most meat, is,
however, not so tough as in other breeds. The want of
breast is best overcome by crossing with the Dorking, the
result being a very heavy and fairly proportioned table
fowl which lays well, and is easily reared, but is still rather
coarse. The hen, excellent layer though she is, has also an
irresistible inclination to sit after every dozen or score of
eggs and this is apt to be very troublesome, except where
;

a regular and constant succession of chickens is desired,

when it becomes a convenience, as broods can be hatched
with the greatest regularity. Finally, this breed is pecu-
liarly subject to a prejudicial fattening, which, if not
guarded against by the avoidance of too much or too
fattening food, will check laying, and even cause death by
disorder of the liver. To keep them in health Cochins
require special attention to a plentiful and daily supply of
green food, without which they rapidly fall into ill-health.
On the whole, this breed is of little value as a market
fowl unless crossed with the Dorking or Cr^vecoeur
neither will it be found profitable where eggs are the chief
consideration, and the hens cannot be allowed to indulge
in their sitting propensities.

—
Langshans. About 1871, importations were made
chiefly by Major Croad, but there were others of large —
 Langshans. \y\

black Cochin-like fowls from North China, which presented

some differences of type from the Cochins previously
known, in a greater or less degree.* In some there was
the massive fluff and abundant feather of the Cochin, with
a loose plumage and this inability to see and exhibit
;

consistently any distinct type, obstructed for years the

general perception of any such type, which was further
hindered by the extraordinary personality and abuse of
others displayed by the few earlier breeders of Langshans.
Gradually, however, it began to be seen that in the fowls
called by this name (that of the locality whence imported)
there were both distinctive features and points of a better
economic fowl than the Cochin as now bred. The leg was
not only black, but showed a crimson tinge between the
scales which was characteristic the full dark eye (probably
;

derived from Java blood) is very constant ; the tail strongly

tended to much greater fulness, and many of the specimens
(by no means had the prominent breast so lacking in
all)

present-day Cochins. There was also, as the fowl became

better known, a clearly visible tendency towards smaller
bones for the same size of carcass to tighter plumage and
;

better laying (good layers tend to tight feather) and the ;

flesh was white. The Langshan was seen to have points

of its own, and to be an introduction of undoubted value.
It is to be regretted that the same extraordinary

p>ersonal jealousies which hindered the earlier recognition

of the breed as such still hinder that of a good, or even

* The fowls now shown as Langshans would not be confounded with

Cochins ; but it was very different then. The portraits published in 1S77
by Miss Croad present the Cochin type in a high degree, and such fowls
would be rejected now with indignation as not "pure." Dr. Gabb states
that he has bred from Miss Croad's own stock birds both feather-legged
and clean -legged, rose-combed and single-combed, and also crested
specimens.
172 Thr Practical Poultry Keeper.
fixed type, beyond the general points which probably all

would agree in, of a well-furnished tail carried rather high,

scantily-feathered shanks (a mere fringe of feathers) little

flufif, a good breast, and close and glossy plumage, with a

green gloss which true votaries religiously term " sheen."
Extraordinary and unfortunate caprice has been manifested
in regard to height on the leg. At one time a moderate

Miss Croad's Langshans.

length and compact body seemed on the point of acknow-

ledgment, when another of the many lamentable con-
troversies set in upon this point, and the type accepted by
the Langshan Society became higher and higher, until at
the Palace Shows of 1896 and 1897 we measured prize
cockerels as high between the thighs from the floor of the
pen, as several Malays. This provoked a reaction, such
birds being stigmatised by a few of the old breeders as
 Langshans. 173

crossed with Game. And the protesting parties being also

desirous of recognising blue and white varieties, which the
original Society refused to acknowledge, an Association was
formed, which encourages a more moderate proportion.
Miss Croad herself has given in her adhesion to this school,
and the engraving illustrates a pair of her birds. No fixed
type can thus be given ;
but in a breed so useful for the
table it is a matter for regret that a legginess which is

so prejudicial to this should have been accepted, with the

result that the shorter-legged model is chiefly found now
amongst the " Orpingtons." The leggy birds are also
extraordinarily subject to leg weakness, and this defect
needs to be specially guarded against in breeding-stock,
and in chicken-rearing. Purity of race is chiefly to be
found in the comb, which is ftdler in front and less arched
in the middle than a Cochin's in the black and crimson
;

shanks and feet and in the full dark eye.

;

The merits of the breed are great as a producer ot

delicate white meat, a hardy fowl and good forager, and
a prolific layer. Some lay small eggs, but this can be re-
medied by good selection of breeders. The only particular
drawback is prevalent leg weakness in the leggy type. The
best cross is with the Minorca, which produces one of the
best layers known, winter and svimmer, and a very hand-
some bird besides.
There have lately appeared white and blue Langshans.
The white is, of course, a sport, such as occurs in all black
breeds. Its points are the same, except that the shanks
become more a lightish slate-colour than black. The blue
colour is the blue-dun of the Andalusian, and may be
either a sport or more probably due to some mixture of the
white and the black. Economic qualities and general
characteristics should be similar to the black original.
 CHAPTER XTI.

BRAHMAS.
It is much at this date about the origin
unnecessar}'' to say
of Brahmas. Exhaustive investigation of a large amount of
original material, both in early manuscript and early print,
for which we were chiefly indebted to Miss Watts, and

which was not accessible to previous writers, enabled us to

show beyond doubt that the fowl, as imported into
America, had an Indian and not Chinese origin, as alleged
by Mr. Burnham for reasons of his own. Burnham states
that he got even his own birds from Dr.
Kerr and Dr. ;

Kerr himself ?>t2ited in print that these came from Calcutta,

though it suited Burnham to change this into Shanghai.
On the other hand, there are too many marks of the same
great race as the preceding about them for there to be any
mistake on that score. That they are closely allied to
Cochins is as clear as that there are many well-established
differences both in make and disposition. The one thing
certain is, that the fowl immediately sprang originally from
the comparatively coarse and unformed "Chittagong" fowl
found about the Brahmapootra river, and which some
still

think was a kind of amalgamation of Cochin, Malay, and

Dorking. However this may be, some very fine specimens
appear to have reached America in at least two importa-
tions, one to Dr. Kerr and another to a Mr. Cornish and ;

either from Mr. Cornish's alone, or from both, the Brahma

has undoubtedly been bred, somewhat modified by selection,
as with all our other races of fowls.
The most is in the comb, which is
visible peculiarity

totally different from that of any other variety, except one

or two M'hich also hail from India or the Indian archipelago.
It resembles three combs pressed into one. In a first-class
 Brahmas. 175

ccck the effect is such as would be produced were a Httle

comb, about a quarter of an inch in height, laid close to

each side of his own proper comb, twice as high, the centre
one being thus higher than the others. In the hens the
comb is very small, but the triple character should be
equally evident, and the formation is quite plain even when
the chicks first break the shell. The comb should not
rise high behind. When first introduced, single-combed
Brahmas were occasionally shown, but are now extinct.
The neck of a Brahma cock should be, if possible, fuller
in hackle than a Cochin's, and flow well over very wide and
flat shoulders. The saddle rises more, till it merges into a
nearly upright tail spread more or less out laterally like a
fan, and with more feather than a Cochin's. The breast is
—
deep and full, coming down low another point of difference.
There is in the true model less fluff, and the whole plumage
is close rather than loose, while the make and general habits

are sprightly and active. Generally speaking, the really

tj'pical Brahma is square rather than lumpy otherwise ;

there is a great deal of general resemblance, and the same

remarks as to leg-feather and vulture-hocks apply. The size
is about the same, but the highest weights recorded have
been in Brahmas, several cocks having been weighed which
scaled from 17 to iS| lb. There are two varieties ex-
hibited, known as Dark and Light. Light Brahmas are
mainly white all over the body but the cock's hackle
;

should be sharply striped with black, and the saddle-feathers

either less so, or may be nearly or quite white, which is
preferred. The tail and inner flights are black. The leg-
feather also has usually more or less black or grey in it.

All over the plumage, though white on the surface, often

will appear grey under, when the feathers are parted, giving
an idea as if the grey or black was in the plumage and the

white surface on it. White in Light Brahmas should be

1/6 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
clear blue-white, and not creamy. In the hen, the
hackle and spot where it falls between the shoulders are
marked with black like the cock, but her cushion is white.
Some birds, however, have white fluff. Tail and inner
flights and leg-feather as in the cock.
The great difficulty in breeding Light Brahmas is to get
suflficient of the black marking, without getting black marks
or splashes in undesirable places. There is a constant
tendency to produce spotted backs in particular, the black,
which seems to saturate the feather, having a tendency to
break out on the surface hence, dark under-fluff should be
;

mated with light, or with white under-colour. As a rule,

pullets are best bred from hens with rather too dark
hackles, and a cock sharpl}^ but slightly under-marked ;

cockerels from the reverse. The black stripes should run

well up the feather, and come well round the front of the
neck as well as behind. Many birds have been shown
evidently crossed with white Cochins ;
but the result is

loose feather and and mossy hackles. It is to be

fluff,

regretted that the judges have given prizes to this model.

In Dark Brahma cocks the head is silvery white, running
into a silvery white hackle sharply striped with black. The
breast, under parts, and fluff are dense black for exhibition.
At one time the breast might be mottled with small white
spots, and this marking is most valuable for pullet-breeding;

but fashion is now against it, as it also is against any white

margin to the feathers of the fluff, which is also valuable for

breeding pullets. The back is white, with a little black

marking between the shoulders ;
saddle-feathers silvery

white, striped with black tail coverts more and more filled
;

up with dense green black as they approached the tail,

which is glossy green-black. The shoulders of the wings
are silvery white, with more or less of black run through it ;

secondaries white on outer web, and partially black on inner

 Brahmas. 177

web ;
the coverts form a glossy green-black bar across the
wing. Clearness of the white, and sharpness and density of
black, are the chief points ;
and straw-colour, or any stain of
brown or red, are great blemishes.
The pullets or hens also have silvery hackles, thickly
striped in the middle with black. The rest of the plumage
is ground of very pale grey to lightish iron-grey, marked
a
or pencilled over with what may range from darker grey
to glossy black. It is particularly necessary in a show bird
that the breast should be pencilled over as closely and
almost as darkly as the back, and this is now general,
though when this work was first written it was the rare
exception. The leg-feather should be pencilled like the
body, and also the fluff.

There have been considerable historical changes of

fashion in the colour and marking of Dark Brahmas.
Years
ago Mr. Lacy bred for a brown ground is now
but it ;

generally admitted that the proper colour for all Brahmas is

pure white, black, or grey, and the hens are now sought of
a nice medium colour, the pencilling as dark as it is possible
to get it, and moderately fine, on a grey or almost dirty-
white ground.
For breeding cockerels perfectly black-breasted ones are
essential. The whole under parts must be dense in colour,
and the hackles pure in colour, straw-colour being both a
great fault and strongly hereditary. The pullets or hens
must have sharply-striped rather than very dark hackles, but
the darker they are in reason the better, and neat heads
and combs are particularly essential. For pullet-breeding
the hens or pullets must have every breast feather (and the
rest too) thoroughly well pencilled, "filled up" over the
feather, and free from any slreakiness. But the cock must
be particularly selected as known to be bred from such a hen
as this. Such cocks may either have a small white spot on
M
178 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
the end of each breast feather, and a slight white edging
to the fluff, or the white on the breast feathers may be a
narrow edge or lacing such breed the best-marked birds,
;

but they must have good broad black stripes in their neck
and saddle hackles. If well descended as above, however,
good black-breasted exhibition cocks may also be found to
breed good pullets;* but the hackles are essential, and
some white lacing on the fluff, which is not now allowed in
exhibition birds.
This sharp separation of pullet-breeding stock from the
other has not been altogether a gain to Dark Brahma
pullets. Clearer ground colour has been gained, but the old
beauty of a luell-striped hackle has been lost. Most of the
best pencilled pullets and hens now have pencilled hackles,
near the base at least, and some nearly all up the neck. So
general is this rule that breeders may not unlikely make the
defect (for it came in as a defect) one of the " points,'' as the
fox endeavoured to do with the loss of his tail.

The ear-lobes are red, and should fall below the wattles
in both breeds. And it is a great matter, so far as appear-
ance goes, that the head and beak be short and not

* A example of this may be mentioned in a cockerel bred by

striking
ourselves, which won the Crystal Palace and Birmingham cups in 1874,
and was perfectly black-breasted. Claimed at the latter show by Messrs.
Newnham and Manby, this bird was the progenitor of a large number of
pullets, perhaps the finest as a lot ever bred by one yard, and whose
blood is to be found, we believe, in all the winning strains of pullets down
even to the present day. The same was the case with Mrs. Hurt's noble
strain, from which half the blood of the above bird was derived. On the
other hand, the excellence of the same mixture of blood as regards
exhibition cockerels may be judged not only from the specimen referred
to, but from the fact that another cockerel of nearly the same breeding,

purchased from the produce of a sitting of eggs sold by us, was the chief
progenitor of Mr. Lingwood's celebrated strain of cockerels, for years pre-
eminent at the leading shows. Some narrow white lacing on the fluflF,
however, was necessary for pullet-breeding.
long, and with a gentle though lively expression. The legs
are yellow in the Light breed and in Dark cocks, slightly
dusky yellow in the Dark hens.
The economic merits of Brahmas are high. Before
being spoilt by breeding to the Cochin type, the pullets and
hens were capital layers, several instances being recorded in
the earlier days, and we ourselves having had two instances,
of hens which have laid over 200 eggs in a year. They do
not sit so often as Cochins when pure bred, usually laying
from twenty-five to forty eggs first. Both fowls and
chickens are hardy, and grow very fast, being early read}-
for table. The pure race is also white or pinky, not yellow
in skin, and white in flesh in fact, the race when unspoilt
;

compares almost exactly in the same way as the Langshan

with the modern Cochin, including the point of a deep
breast. Brahmas bear confinement quite as well as Cochins,
being, however, far more sprightly, and less liable on. that
account to prejudicial internal fattening.
Unfortunately, the extreme care in breeding for marking
during late years has very much impaired the laying
qualities of many exhibition strains, and also their constitu-
tions. It is still more
to be regretted that imitation of the
Cochin model has impaired to some extent the table
qualities, lumpy plumage bringing coarse skin
the loose and
coarse flesh, and the want of breast losing one of the
characteristic points of the fowl. There are breeders and
judges who adhere to the old model, and it cannot be too
much insisted upon. At however, the flesh,
the best,
though superior to that of the Cochin, is much inferior
after six months to that of the Dorking, and the pure breed
is not, therefore, a good market fowl.
A cross with Houdan, Creve, or
Dorking produces
magnificent birds, hardy as hardy can be, of most rapid
growth, and carrying immense quantities of meat. Such
M 2
i8o The Practical Poultry Keeper.
crosses should alwa3's have the attention of the market
raiser who does not succeed with pure Dorkings. A cross
with Minorcas produces a very fine and hardy laying stock.

CHAPTER XIII.

MALAYS, ASEELS, AND INDIAN GAME.

The Malay was the first introduced of the gigantic Asiatic
breeds, and in stature exceeds that of any yet known,
except the leggy type of Langshan. The cock weighs, or
should weigh, from nine to eleven pounds, and when fully
grown should stand two feet six inches high. But the
general size of this breed has of late deteriorated.
In form and make Malays are as different from Cochins
as can well be. They are exceedingly long in the neck and
and the carriage is so upright that the back forms a
legs,

steep incline.The wings are carried high, and project very

much at the shoulders. Towards the tail, on the contrary,
—
the body becomes narrow the conformation being thus
exactly opposite to that of the Shanghai. The tail is small,

and that of the cock droops. The back is convex in profile,

unlike that of most other breeds, so that the back of the
neck, the back, and the tail, form a series of three nearly
similar convex curves, inclined at an angle. These curves
and the projecting shoulders are the most characteristic
points and when these are good, prizes usually go to the
;

fowls which are longest in shank and thigh, in which some

are enormous.
The plumage is very close, firm, and glossy, more so
than that of any other breed, and giving to the bird a
peculiar lustre when viewed in the light. The feathers are
also unusually narroio. Over the point of the prominent
breast-bone the plumage generally disappears from friction.
 Malays. i8i

The colours vary very much. Pure white is very beautiful,

but the most usual is that wellknown under the title of
black-breasted Wheaten Game. The legs are yellow, but
quite naked, and remarkably large in the pattern of the
scales.

The head and beak are long, the latter being rather
hooked. Comb a sort of lump, covered with small promi-
nences like warts. There is a manifest tendency to pro-
duce pea-combs when small in size, pointing clearly to a
possible influence on the Brahma, and to relationship with
Indian Game fowls. The wattles and deaf-ears are small, the
eyes yellow or white, with very prominent eyebrows over-
hanging the eye, making the top of the head very broad
and giving a sour or cruel expression, which is added to by
the naked and snaky appearance of the head and throat.
This is not belied by the real character of the breed, which
is most ferocious, even more so than Game fowls, though

inferior to the latter in real courage.

Malays are subject to an evil habit of eating each other's
feathers, a propensity which often occurs in close confine-
ment, and can only be cured by turning them on to a
grass-run of tolerable extent, and giving plenty of lettuce,
with an occasional purgative.
The chickens are delicate, but the adult birds are hardy
enough. They appear especially adapted to courts and
alleys, and one time might not unfrequently have been
at

seen in such localities in London.

The principal merit of Malays is as table fowls. Skinny
as they appear, the breast, wings, and merrythought to-
gether carry more meat than those of most other breeds ;

and, when under a year old, of very good quality and

flavour. The}' also make good crosses with several breeds.
Mated with the Dorking, they produce splendid fowls for
the table, which also lay well and with the Spanish or
;
1 82 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
Minorca, though both parents are long-legged, the result is

usually a moderately-legged bird of peculiar beauty in the

plumage, good for the table, and, it a hen, a good sitter and
mother. They have also been extensively crossed with the
English Game fowl, in order to increase the strength, stature,
ferocity, and hardness of feather.
The great drawback of Malays is their abominably
quarrelsome disposition, which becomes worse the more
they are confined. The hens are also inferior as layers to
most other breeds and on these accounts the pure strain is
;

not adapted to general use, though useful in giving weight

and good " wings " to other varieties of fowl.

asp:kls and ixdian game.

The only originally pure strain of Indian Game is now
called the Aseel, to distinguishfrom the following, and was
it

introduced into England by Mr. Montressor. This variety

has some general resemblance to the Malay, possessing a
carriage which slopes downwards to the low-carried tail,
broad and prominent shoulders, eyebrows considerably
overhanging, and a smallish pea-comb. The shoulders are,
however, rounder than the Malay's, the body much more
compact and low on the leg, and the legs stouter in pro-
portion. This breed is of the most indomitable courage,
and so quarrelsome that it is very difficult to rear the
chickens. In Bengal these birds are much esteemed for

fighting, showing both pluck and endurance, and a

champion has been known to change hands for as much
as ;^6o. The hen is a very poor layer, and, as even two
hens with one cock often quarrel, it will be understood
that the Aseel is not very generally kept. It is, perhaps,
most remarkable of all known for symmetry and hard-
ness of pure muscle, and feels heavier in hand for the
apparent size than any other. Hence it comes out very
 Indian Game. 183

meaty on the table. The colours are generally either

allied to the " black -red " type, or more often various
mottles and splashes t)f black, red, and wliilc.

The fowl generally kiK)wn everywhere now as "Indian

Game " is different, and of composite origin, there being
little doubt that it sprang from a former importation of
Aseels early in the nineteenth century, crossed with Malays,
and very possibly also with some of the English Game fowls
in Cornwall. For many years it was purely a Cornish fowl,
and has been termed Cornish Game but the Malay cross ;

has destroyed the fortitude of the true Game race, and, as

the breed has been more cultivated and fixed, has more and
more predominated. These birds have, in fact, often
appeared at shows under the name of Pheasant Malays,
chiefly distinguished by the plumage of the hen, and the
extraordinary gloss on both sexes ;
the comb has often been
more " knobby'' than a real pea-comb, and the size, stature,
and carriage have gradually been developed to nearly the
Malay standard, with, however, rather more rounded
shoulders and compactness of form. In 1870 a large and
fine class we saw at Plymouth were nearly as compact and
short-legged as Aseels, and all with true pea-combs and ;

even as late as 1890 the thighs and shanks were described

as only " moderately long and not stilty." But the
fashion for excessive height in English Game has since
corrupted this breed which often lately has had almost
also,

Malay proportions, and nearly a Malay head, though with a

finer comb.
The face of the Indian Game should be smooth and
fine, and brilliant red, as also the ear-lobes the pea-comb ;

as regular as possible, and wattles very small. The hackle

of the cock is short and green-black in colour, with
brownish-crimson shafts back chiefly green-black mixed
;

with some crimson, the black more predominating on the

184 Thr Practical Poultry Keeper.
saddle ;
wing bow chestnut or crimson, wing bar green-
black ;
tailgreen-black breast and all under parts green-
;

black. The green-black everj-where indescribably glossy.

The shanks are deep yellow. The hen's hackles are glossy
black with a bay shaft ; tail quills black, more or less

pencilled ; bod}' feathers a chestnut-brown ground-colour,

rather broadly laced —there should be on the feather two
lacings, though only one is usually visible — with rich black,
the black so glossy that it almost seems to stand up on
the feather. There is no more beautiful plumage than
that of the Indian Game hen.
This breed has considerable economic merit. It is not
over-quarrelsome, and the hen is though
a very fair layer,
not in the first class. The breast and merrythought are
specially large and full of meat, and the chickens grow very
rapidly, more especially in the earlier stages. The breed
has the power of imparting these qualities to crosses, even
more than the Malay, and is valuable and much used in
this way. Crosses on the Dorking often take prizes at
shows of table poultry, and on Wyandottes, Rocks, and
Orpingtons (or short-legged Langshans) also produce very
line table fowls. The earlier type, when this cross began to
be fashionable, was a much better cross for these purposes
than the more leggy type can be said to be, however,
and at some of the recent shows the Indian Game cross has
been obviousl}^ surpassed by that with Old English Game.
This matter may, however, be largely controlled by
judicious selection of the birds used for crossing and we ;

were glad to see at the principal shows of 1898 some

evident reaction" against the leggy type in judging the
Indian Game classes.
 CHAPTER XIV.
GAME FOWLS.
This is the celebrated race of fowls, bred from time im-
memorial for the purposes of the cock-pit, and in which
courage was so developed by the severe selection of combat
that a breed was finally obtained which did not know how
to yield. Happily cock-fighting in England is now a Uiing
of the past, except amongst a very few who carry on their
cruel sport upon the sly but it is very interesting to notice
;

that this cessation of the old purpose for which it was bred
has worked gradually a very great change in the shape and
formation of the Game fowl. The modern exhibition race
is very different in many respects from the old fighting
race. The old fowl was moderately short on the leg, not
very long in the neck, not short in feather, but with a
full hackle, and with a rather large fanned and spreading
tail, carried tolerably high. All these points have been
changed.
As now bred for exhibition, the head and beak of the
cock should be rather long, but strong at the base of the
bill eyes rather prominent, and the red skin smooth and
;

fine, giving a snaky look to the head. The ears must be

red. Neck decidedly long, with hacldes as short as possible,
very spreading on the shoulders, if at all. Back to
little

be and wide between shoulders, narrowing regularly to

flat,

the tail and breast correspondingly broad and full, and

;

stern narrow, the whole body rather resembling in shape

a short fir-cone with the point for the stern, which must
be carried well above the hocks, not let down between
them. Saddle hackles close and short tail narrow and
;

rather short in the sickle feathers, which should be gathered

together, or a whip-tail as it is called, each one just about
1 86 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
clearing its neighbour, but not spread more, very moderately
raised. Wings strong and not too long, carried " free,"
with points covering the thighs. Legs and thighs are now
desired very long^ tlie shins neither very Hat (tiat-shinned)
nor very convex, but medium convexity. Shanks clean))'
scaled, and bet on firmly. Spurs low, feet flat, with toes
well spread out down on the ground, the hind toe par-
ticularly coming well out flat for it to spring high, and
;

drop to the ground behind, is being " duck-footed." The

whole body when felt or " handled " to feel as hard as a
board nearh\ The hen is of the same make in proportion.
The lowering brow and prominent shoulders of the Malay
must be particularly avoided, but the general formation
closely resembles that breed, and is as full in stature.
The four principal colours now seen at exhibitions are
known as Black-breasted Reds, Brown-breasted Reds,
Duckwings, and Piles.
In the Black-red cocks the colour is as follows : —The
hackles of the head and neck are bright orange-red, the
siddle hackles being about the same colour; the back,
wing bow, and shoulder coverts rich crimson or claret,
shading off into orange on the saddle. The breast, thighs,
and under parts dense black, the wing bar and tail black
with steel-blue reflections. The secondaries of the wings
clear ba}', with a black spot on the ends. The most difficult
point is to get the bright colour without any brown or rust
among the black of the under parts. Darker and duller
reds are much more free from this fault, but not so much
valued in the show-pen. The hen has a golden hackle
striped with black ; the breast salmon-red or reddish-fawn,
shading off to ashy-grey on the thighs ; back, wings,
and upper feathers of tail brown, covered over with small
partridge marking, free from coarse pencilling. The diffi-
culty here is to keep free from red or foxy colour, or
 Game Fowls. 1S7

patches, especially on the wings. The legs in both sexes

are willow or olive ;
e^-es, bright red.
There is a sub-breed much used in breeding Black-red
game, called Wheaten Game. The colour is contined to
the hens, and consists mainly in a lighter breast very pale —
lawn or cream colour, and the rest of the body a reddish
tawn, resembling the skin of red wheat. This colour is

bred by the lighter-coloured cocks, and hence is used to

breed brighter colours when the cockerels are getting too
dark. But with long careful breeding among the Black-
reds themselves these variations have become less, and the
Wheaten is gradually dying out.

In Brown-reds, the modern cocks are now sought with

lemon-coloured hackles striped with black back and ;

shoulder coverts also lemon with a black centre ; breast,

each feather laced with gold or lemon on a black ground,
and the showing gold. Another
shaft of the feather also
colour is similar, but the marking
darkish orange rather
is

than lemon. Formerly the lacing on the breast was dis-

pensed with. In hens, the hackle should be black edged
with bright lemon, and the rest a bright, greenish-black,
laced with lemon on the breast only. Hens without lacing
— all black except the hackles —
formerly were fashionable,
and are sometimes shown still but the lacing is preferred.
;

The legs should be extremely dark willow, almost black ;

the eyes very dark brown, almost black the faces a very ;

dark purple or gipsy colour, red faces being almost disquali-

fication in practice. There is a sort of strong dark bloody in
fact, running through the whole bird.
Duckwings are very handsome birds. The cock's face is

bright red, head white, hackle verging more to a straw-

colour lower down ;
saddle hackles straw or yellowish ;

back, wing bow, and shoulder coverts rich gold or light

orange ;
bright steel-blue bar across the wing ; breast and
1 88 The Practical Poultnv Keeper.
under parts black. The hen's head is silvery grey ; hackle
silver grey striped with black ;
breast salmon, shading off to
grey on thighs ; rest of plumage generally, a silvery grey,
evenly pencilled over with darker grey, total effect being a
beautiful silvery or frosted kind of grey. The legs of both
sexes are willow ; eyes, bright red.
This breed — at present at least — is occasionally bred
with the Black-red, putting one of the brightest-coloured
Black-red cocks to Duckwing hens. Occasionally also a
Duckwing cock is put to a Wheaten hen. The Black-red
cross used to be employed very frequently, and the result
was more crimson or claret colour in the backs of the cocks
than is tolerated now. At present the best breeders consider
once in half a dozen years quite enough for a Black-red
cross, which is chiefly used for hardness of feather and the ;

probability is that ultimately it will be entirely abandoned,

and the birds bred true.
There fact, always been a true breed, called
has, in
"Silver" Duckwings, which were never crossed. In this
pretty variety tlie cock's hackles and light parts are clear
white, free from straw, and the breast a purer or brighter
black ;
the hen resembles the usual Duckwing, except for
rather a purer or more silvery colour. There is no doubt
the ordinary Duckwings arose from crossing this breed with
the Black-reds ; and as the Duckwings are bred more and
more without Black-red aid, the tendency will be, as it has
been, to return to the pristine purity of colour, or rather
freedom from colour, and predominance of pure black, white,
and grey shades.
Pile Game may briefly be described as in general Black-
reds, with white substituted for blacky but the red colours as
before. It is well known that black and white are con-
vertible colours, so that many black Cochins were originally
bred from whites, and white Minorcas have been bred from
 Game Fowls. 189

blacks. Hence the same colour on his

Pile cock has the
wing, but a and hackles that would be slightly
xvliite bar ;

marked with black are marked with. white instead, though

this is disliked just as black is in the Black-red hackle.
Generally a very little black or coloured ticking runs
through the white, and is not objected to. Yellow legs are
the colour for Piles and light willow are also shown, but
;

not liked so well. Once white legs were fashionable, but

are now most unpopular of all as regards exhibition Game.
have to be occasionally crossed from the Black-red
Piles
to keep up the colour but all the Black-red chickens from
;

such a cross should be destroyed, as they are of little value,

and corrupt the Black-red blood, which it is so important to
nearly all other varieties should be kept pure.
Whites, blacks, blacks with brassy (or yellow-marked)
wings, and Silver Birchens (the cock like the Silver Duck-
wing, the hen a dark dirty grey) are still occasionally shown,
but very rarely, except in the Old English classes.
Game cocks are generally " dubbed," or have the comb
and wattles cut off close to the head with shears, at about six
—
months old the right age is when these appendages have
ceased to grow. Of late an agitation has commenced against
the practice, and the Societ}^ for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Anirrials has obtained a conviction against it as cruelty.
It is not improbable that, as the fowls are bred for
generations purely for the show-pen, without any reference
to fighting, the necessity for dubbing the exhibition variety
may But at present, all who actually
gradually die out.
breed the fowls consider it necessary and it is indeed ;

almost impossible to keep them without it, unless every

cockerel can be kept separate, which is difficult, owing to
their great flying capabilities. If the}' do meet, as a Game

cock is so built that he strikes with his spur wherever he

holds with his beak, the result to an undubbed bird is either
 IQO The Practical Pour. try KRRrF.R.

death or terrible suffering, as has been proved over and

over again, even from a very few seconds' encounter ;

whereas dubbed ones can generally be separated before

much injury is done. In these circumstances, hot abuse
of the practice by those who know nothing about the
matter shows more zeal than discretion. The time may
however come, from the reason stated, when dubbing may
no longer be necessary in the show bird.

OLD ENGLISH GAME.

The excessively stilt}' development of the exhibition
Game fowl during recent years has provoked a reaction,
which has brought into fashion again the original English
race,which had been preserved in the interim solely by the
care of the breeders who still practised cock-fighting in out-
of-the-way corners. The grand old breed has of late filled
large and popular classes at all the principal shows, and can
be seen, even on cursory inspection, to be totally different
in many points from the preceding. Almost the only point
of formation in which the two agree is the general shape of
the body which is tolerably round in the hands, and
itself,

broad at shoulders, tapering towards the tail, somewhat like

a fir cone. But even here the Old English Game is shorter
tod more compact.
The radical differences are as follows :
— The long neck
of the cock is very strong at the junction with the
shoulders, and, instead of being very scant and short in
hackle, very long and full, the hackle flowing over the
is

shoulders. The back is broader and shorter, the saddle

hackles also being full. The wings are longer and stronger,
with tendency to meet under the tail. The tail, instead of
being very short, narrow and carried low, is
in feather,
carried high, and is very full and expanded a good flowing —
tail, with quill feathers broad and hard. The thighs are
 Old English Game. 191

stout and short instead of being tliin and long, and the
shanks moderate instead of stilty. The whole is most
symmetrical and handsome, and much broader in breast
than the other type. The hen is of similar formation.
There much greater latitude in colours, and especially
is

of the shanks. The usual exhibition colours are found, but

there are other kinds of reds, also duns and blue-reds, and
spangles or mottles. Where legs in the exhibition Games
have been willow as in Black-reds, or yellow as in Piles, the
Old English Games are allowed to be white, willow, or
yellow, or in some breeds black or blue slate. Crested
varieties, bearded ones, termed " muffs,"
called " tassels,"
and a variety with hen-tailed cocks, termed " hennies," are
also recognised and shown. Lord Derby's old breed of
Black-breasted Reds with white legs is much esteemed.
On the whole, the chief recognised colours are most
generally exhibited, but with the greater variety in colour
of the shanks above noted.
The judging happy
of these birds has not always been
or consistent, and it is much
hoped that the breed
to be
may not be spoilt as the other has been. In some cases a
clear tendency has been shown to give prizes to those
highest on the leg, the artificial model of the other breed
influencing the eye of the judge. In other cases some
favourite colour of leg has evidently had too much weight,
in yet others too plump condition.
The Old English Game fowl is a fairly good layer, and
hardy where it can have liberty but it is chiefly valuable
;

as a cross for the production of table poultry. For this

purpose it is superior to the leggy type of Indian Game,
giving white skin and flesh and white legs (if a white leg be
and a broader formation. A cross between this
selected),
breed and Dorkings is probably the very finest table fowl
that can be produced, and with other breeds it is good,
192 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
giving good breast and wings. For this purpose the largest
birds are preferable, and the white-legged varieties. The
Henny variety is one of the best, and also one of the best
layers.

CHAPTER XV.
DORKINGS.
This is a pre-eminently English breed of fowls, and is, as it

always will be, a general favourite, especially with lady

fanciers. The general predilection of the fair sex for
Dorkings may be easily accounted for, not only by the
great beauty of all the varieties, but even more, perhaps, by
their unrivalled qualities. as table birds —a point in which
may be easily supposed to feel a peculiar interest.
ladies
The varieties of Dorkings usually recognised are the
Grey or Coloured, Silver-grey,and White. We believe the
White to be the original breed, from which the Coloured
varieties were produced by crossing with the old Sussex or
some other large coloured fowl. That such was the case is
almost proved by the fact that fifty years ago nothing was
more uncertain than the appearance of the fifth toe in
Coloured chickens, even of the best strains, and that rose-
combs were also common. Such uncertainty in ar^
important point is always an indication of mixed blood ;

and that it was so in this case is shown by the result of long .

and careful breeding, which has now rendered the fifth toe
permanent, and finally established the variety.
In no breed is size, form, and weight so much regarded
in judging the merits of a pen. The body should be deep
and full, the breast being protuberant and plump, especially
in the cock, whose breast, as viewed sideways, ought to
form a right angle with the lower part of his body. Both
back and breast must be broad, the latter showing no
 DORK/NGS. 193

approach to hollowness, and the entire general make kill

and plump, but neat and compact. Hence a good bird
should weigh more than it appears to do. A cock which
weighed less than 10 lb., or a hen under 8^^ lb., would
stand a poor chance at a first-class show and cocks have ;

been shown weighing over 14 lb. This refers to the

Coloured variety. White Dorkings are somewhat less.
The legs should be white, with perhaps a slight rosy
tinge and it is imperative that each foot exhibits behind
;

the well-known double toe perfectly developed, but not

running into monstrosities of any kind, as it is rather prone
to do. An excessively large toe or a triple toe, or the fifth

toe being some distance above the ordinary one, or the

cock's spurs turning outward instead of inward, would be
glaring faults in a show-bird.
The comb may, in Coloured birds, be either single or
double ; but rose-combs are now scarcely ever seen. The
single comb of a cock shf)uld be large and perfectly erect-
White Dorkings should have double or rose combs, broad
in front at the beak, and ending in a raised point behind
with no hollow in the centre.
In the grey or Coloured variety the colour is not
absolutely uniform, and formerly many colours were shown,
the cock's breast being sometimes black and sometimes
speckled, with more or less colour on his back and sides,
and lighter or darker hackles. On the other hand, hens
were shown of a kind of red speckle all over, and also a
From such the birds were
grey speckle, as well as darker.
termed "grey" Dorkings, and they were not so large as
those shown now. In or about the year 1858, Mr. John
Douglas, then in charge of the Duke of Newcastle's aviaries
at Clumber, crossed the English breed with a cock from
India. This bird was not a Cochin or Malay, as often
alleged, but of distinctly Dorking type in everything but
N
194 ^^-^ Practical Poultry Keeper.

the and was probably the result of some Dorking

fifth toe,

cross in Indiaon some Asiatic bird unknown. He was very

large, and the progeny was on an average at least two
pounds heavier than the old English stock, and much more
uniform in plumage, the hens being very dark, verging in
parts upon a brownish-black, with robin breasts, and the
cocks more black-breasted. Few had not the fifth toe, and
all soon came true in that respect and this cross has now ;

influenced all the exhibition stock, greatly increasing the

size and hardiness of the fowls, without losing any important
point, except, perhaps, in one exception that is, that with
:

the habitual dark colour has crept in a dark or sooty foot,

and even leg. There is no evidence that this is due to the
cross, for the cross with even Cochins does not tend to dark
legs, though it often does to yellow ones ;
and the first

results, w'hen the cross was strongest, were not dark-legged ;

it issimply that very dark colour tends to produce dark legs

in all fowls, and this is by no means inconsistent with white
skin and meat. But dark legs do look out of place, to say
the Dorking and of late there has been a dis-
least, in a ;

position in many quarters to lay more stress on the colour of

the legs and feet, even at the expense of some size, and to
return to more variety in plumage. That the Coloured
Dorking ought to be judged as a table-fowl chiefly is
undoubted, and acknowledged by all but some judges lay ;

more stress upon the colour of the legs, as against the

greater size and dark plumage preferred by others.
In Silver-grey Dorking, however, colour is im-
the
perative. This variety was a chance offshoot from the
preceding, improved by careful breeding, and a cross with
Lord Hill's breed of Silver Duckwing Game, the colour of
which was aimed at. The Silver-grey colour is as
follows : — cock's breast a pure and perfect black ;
tail and
larger coverts also black, with metallic reflections j
head,
 a

DORK/XGS. 195

hackle, and saddle feathers, pure silvery white, in which a

little black streak is now allowed ;
and the wing alsc> white,
showing up well a sharply-marked and brilliant bar of black

across the middle. A single white feather in the tail would

be fatal. Hen's breast salmon-red, shading mto grey at the
thighs ; head and neck silvery white striped with black ;

back " silver grey," or fine dark grey pencilling upon light
grey ground, the white of the quill showing as a slight
streak down the centre of each feather wings also grey, ;

with no shade of red tail dark grey, passing into black in

;

the inside. The general appearance of both birds should be

extremely clean and aristocratic.
The White what their name implies
birds should be —
clear, pure, and perfect white. There is generally in the
cock more or less tendency to straw or cream colour on the
back and wings, and we would by no means disqualify a
really first-class bird in all other points on account of it ;

but it is decidedly a fault. White Dorkings are usually

smaller than the Coloured, but of late years this variety
has been much improved both in size, fecundity, and
hardihood. It deserves remark, also, that when shown in
a class with other colours, White Dorkings always appear
smaller than they really are, and have repeatedly proved
heavier than Silver-greys, which the judge has preferred
solelyon account of their apparent extra size.
Cuckoo-coloured Dorkings are sometimes shown, and
have even had classes now and then, but are almost always
small. They have, however, the general reputation of
being the hardiest of the Dorking varieties.
all

Dorkings degenerate from in-breeding more than most

fowls, and therefore require more change in blood. If over-
fed, they also suffer more than many from exhibition but ;

this fault and its effects are common now than

far less

formerly.
N 2
196 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
These fowls are peculiarly subject to what is called
"bumble-foot," a tumour or abscess in the ball of the foot.
It appears to be mysteriously connected with the tifth toe,
according to a law discovered by Mr. Darwin, that " excess
of structure is often accompanied by weakness of function."
It can often be removed surgically, and the wound dressed
with lunar caustic, without coming again : other cases are
more obstinate, and seem to resist all treatment. We think
on the whole it is less general than formerly.
The great merit of Dorkings has already been hinted at,
and consists in their unrivalled e.xcellence as table-fowls.
The meat is not only abundant and of good quality, sur-
passing any other English breed except Game, but is produced
in greatest quantity in choice parts —
breast, merrythought,
and wings. Add to this, thai no breed is so easily got into
good condition for the table, and enough has been said to
justify the popularity of this beautiful English fowl. It

should also be noted that the hen is a most exemplary

and mother and, remaining longer with the chickens
sitter ;

than most other varieties, is peculiarly suitable for hatching

early broods.
The Dorking is not, however, a good layer, except when
very young. The chickens are also of delicate constitution
when bred in confinement, and a few weeks of cold wet
weather will sometimes carry off nearly a whole brood.
But when allowed unlimited range the breed appears hardy,
and as easy to rear as any other, if not hatched too soon.
At Linton Park the chickens were all left with the hens at
night, under coops entirely open in the front, and grew up
in perfect health, whilst the old birds frequently roosted in
the trees. It is in confinement or on wet soils that they

suffer and the only way of keeping them successfully in

;

such circumstances is to pay the strictest attention to clean-

liness and drainage, and to give them some fresh turf every
 Spanish. 197

dav, in addition to other vegetable food. With these pre-

cautions, Dorkings have been reared in gravelled
prize
yards not containing more than 300 square feet.

CHAPTER XVI.
SPANISH, MINORCAS, LEGHORNS, ETC.

All round —
the coast of the Mediterranean at all events,
—
round the European coast are found fowls of obviously one
general type, though diflFering in minor points. They have
high single combs, large wattles and ear-lobes (the latter
more or less white), smooth legs, and close plumage and ;

they are all non-sitters, laying white and comparatively

large eggs. We have often thought that the Roman Catholic
religion, with its great number of days on which flesh is
forbidden, ma}' probably be answerable in some degree for
the development of this tvpe of fowl, and those with similar
non-sitting qualities in France. The varieties here de-
scribed come and Italy.
to us from Spain
—
Spanish. This breed has been longest bred to a
standard, and stands alone in the development of white
skin, not only into really immense ear-lobe, but into a white
cheek or " face," meeting under the throat. For a long
time it was the only breed for which classes were provided
at all shows, and one of the most popular, being celebrated
everywhere for the abundance of its immense white eggs ;

but it has lately been so closely bred for such an excess of

white face, that it has become far less fertile, and so delicate
that there are few breeders of it, and very few entries at
even large shows, its place amongst useful poultry being
now taken by the Minorca and other varieties. It must,
however, still be regarded as the head and aristocrat of the
family.
 198 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
The fowl, undoubtedly, did come from Spain, and is a
Spanish Don all over. The cock should carry himself
stately and upright, the breast well projecting, and the tail
high, though it ought not to be carried forward, as in some
birds. The legs are blue or dark lead-colour, and rather
long. The size is rather degenerated —the old standard was
7 lb. for a cock and 6 lb. for a hen : this breed, however,
weighs more than it would appear to do. The plumage is

jet black and very gloss}' in the cock, the hen is less so, but
pure black. White or speckled feathers mav appear with
age, but are fatal in a pen. The comb in both sexes is

single and very large ;

the cock's perfectly straight and
upright, the hen's falling completely over on one side. The
spikes should be large, regular and even. A twi>L or
thumb-mark in the front of the cock's is a very common
fault, but spoils a bird.
The most important point is the white face. This must
extend in an arch, high over the eye to the base of the
comb, except a narrow line of feathers, and be as wide and
deep as possible, reaching sideways to the wattles in front
—
and ear-lobes behind the whole surface like "white kid."
The ear-lobes also as large and deep as possible, equally fine
in texture, and as free as possible from folds or wrinkles,
which take from its value. Red specks or blush where
white ought to be, spoils the fowl. There are always more
or less minute feathers or hairs studded over the face,
naturally, and it is understood and allowed that these may
be pulled out with tweezers before exhibition. The beauty
of the face cannot be seen without this, and attempts to stop
it years ago were utter failures ; but it is doubtful whether
the practice does not deter some from keeping the breed.
Spanish chickens are delicate, and must be kept from
damp with special care. If this be neglected they die off,

though they seem seldom to develop actual roup like many

 Spanish. 199

others. They feather very slowly, and should not be

hatched early in the year. The cocks are less vigorous than
most other breeds, and it is better not to allow more than
three henstill genial weather has set in. As the chickens
grow, any showing blush should be cleared out to make
room ;
the blue faces promising best as a rule. As they
develop, scabs or eruptions are very apt to appear with the
least over-feeding, and meat is also apt to cause pecking at
one another. A portion of bread and milk, with an oc-
casional ten grains of Epsom salts, and grass run, seems to
suit them best, but they should be kept in on wet days.
Birds drawing near to exhibition should have the faces
gently sponged with tepid milk and water, and after gently
drying, be sparingly dusted over with oxide of zinc to keep
the skin dry but no white must be left on for the show-
;

pen. Chickens which grow any coloured feathers must be

at once discarded a few white feathers often appear, to
;

moult out afterwards.

The very large comb is apt to fall over with the present
delicate stock. Something may be done to check this as the
critical age approaches, by sponging with any strong

astringent, or applying hazeline cream but some breeders ;

fix on the head a light wire frame, to hold the comb in

place. Hens for breeding should be chosen with combs

thick at the base, and springing up a little before falling
over ;
stock thus bred will rarely require help if healthily
reared.
Spanish left at liberty, even of good quality, will some-
times become rather rough and blushed in face if exposed
to cold winds. In such cases, shelter by high walls, and
shutting up for the last few days in a dimly-lighted room or

shed, will generally put matters right. This course is,

indeed, generally required to exhibit Spanish faces in fine

condition, but has been much overdone ; and such excess of
200 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
it much to do with the modern dehcacy of this
has had
breed. Mr. Teebay found Spanish kept at large and
allowed to roost in trees, became hardy ; but. no dgubt their
faces would hardly pass muster now. Such an extreme
standard for face has, however, ruined the breed.
Spanish seldom develop catarrhal roup ; but if cold
seizes them they seem to shrink and shrivel away. They
require much care in moult, when comb and wattles seem to
shrink to almost nothing. They are better kept in at this
time, if possible, and even very gentle warmth is often best
forthem ; but they should be carefully hardened off again.
Hampers in which Spanish are sent for exhibition in Avinter
should be lined with flannel.
The breed is rather subject to the occurrence, in rapid
succession, of air-bubbles under the skin, a well-known
sign of debility in chickens. Whenever this is the case,
the bird should have a little port wine, and nourishing
food in which two grains of saccharated carbonate of iron
per day is mixed, the bladders being pricked as they
arise.

MiNORCAS. —This now by

far the most popular and
is

generally useful Mediterranean breeds.

of the It was

known for many years in the West of England, and steadily

advocated by us, before attracting any attention elsewhere
or having any class of its own at exhibitions but it began ;

to " move " at last, and is now one of the most generally
kept of all fowls. In 1883, after this movement had begun,
two classes at the Cr3^stal Palace contained 32 entries in ;

1897 six classes contained 166 entries. This is not to be

wondered at when we remember that the fowl is hardy, of
a colour that can be kept anywhere, a splendid layer, and
its eggs probably the largest of all. One breeder found
four pens of hens averaged 220 eggs each another's ;
 M/WORCAS. SOT

seven pens averaged 184 ; another averaged 180, with

several birds, 200.
Several importations can be traced, including one by
Sir Thomas Acland about 1834, from which several strains
descend but there is evidence that the breed was already
;

in Cornwall and Devon, owing to that locality's Spanish

trade. The breed differs from the Spanish (though it was
itself very generally known as " the black Spanish " for
man}' years) in having the face red, the comb considerably
largerand higher, and the wattles also longer and more
pendulous the ear-lobes only are white, and much smaller
;

than in Spanish the tail is larger and more flowing the

; ;

body and more massive and the plumage with less

larger ;

green gloss. The head must be broad, or the high comb

cannot be carried firmly and this should be evenly arched
;

with a few large spikes. The ear-lobe should be narrow,

called " almond "-shaped. The hen's comb falls over, and
her lobes are rather more rounded.
To preserve this fine breed will require some caution
against exaggerated judging, of which there have several
times been symptoms, but which so far has provoked re-
action. At times quite exaggerated combs and wattles
are preferred, so large as to tax the bird's strength and
hinder feeding once attempt was made to enlarge and
;

broaden the ear-lobe as in Spanish, which even brought

traces of white face the last fad was to prescribe " five "
;

spikes in the cock's comb. These tendencies appear to be

now checked, but not until perceptible harm had been done
to size, hardiness, and laying. To check these evils, pro-
bably, the breed was crossed with Langshan or Orpington
blood, of which more than half the pens at some shows have
shown traces, in stature, lustre, size of shank, scaling on the
shank, and even the crimson tinge. This has done gocd
upon the whole, and the cross, though often unknown,
202 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
seems now to have permeated all strains but the process ;

should not be carried on indefinitely, and will not be

needed unless the exaggerated lobe of the Spanish be again
indulged in.

Comb is one of the chief difficulties in breeding. It

should be handsomely arched, with few and broad spikes :

more is not now insisted upon. Even more than in Spanish,

necessary to choose hens for breeding whose combs are
it is

thick at base and " start " well before falling over. For
breeding, cocks often have to be dubbed, the large comb
causing great which disappears when it is taken
infertilit}^,

off. In frosty weather the combs and wattles should be

greased, to avoid frost-bite. Fine lobes for exhibition re-
quire care, as in the Spanish fowl, to keep them from cold
winds.
The Minorca is not a bad table-fowl, being pretty plump
and with white skin. Its cross with the Langshan has been
already referred to as a splendid la3'er, and is also a good
table-fowl. The cross with Houdan is generally of a very
nondescript appearance, but almost always a splendid layer.
Perhaps the flesh of the pure breed is a little dry, and
there is no fowl in which larding the breast makes such a
difference in the result.
A white variety of Minorcas is occasionally seen. Its
general qualities are similar, but it is not, so far as we have
heard, so good a layer. The legs in this breed are either
pale slate, or we have seen white.

—
Andalusians. The first birds known under this name
were really imported from Andalusia in 1851, and purchased
by Mr. Coles, of Farnham, from whom the stock got distri-
buted, again chiefl}- in Devon and Cornwall. This stock
differed considerably from the fowls now shown, having less
Minorca and more Gamey style, the comb of the cock being
 And ALUS /A.vs. 203

also lower in front and with more numerous, narrower ser-

rations, while the hens often had upright or prick combs.
These tendencies, however, still exist, and seem to show
that, however crossed, more or less of the original blood
still persists. Breeders have since crossed the fowl with
either Spanish or Minorca to improve the comb, the pure-
bred type of which is quite different from the Minorcas',
having a less convex arch in the front, reaching further
behind the head, and with more spikes. The hen's must
fall over, but prick combs are still found.

The other characteristic of the breed is its colour, which

is of a slaty-blue or blue dun. The lightest are almost of a
dove-colour ; but such are useless for exhibition, a decided
bluish-slate of rather dark tint being required. The breast
and under-parts of the cock match the hen in this respect.
But each body-feather must now, moreover, in an exhibition
bird, be laced with much darker blue, purple, or it ma}' be
practically black. The cock's hackles and upper plumage
are also dark purple, or black with purple lustre ; the tail

alsosound dark colour. The face is red, with no trace of

white ear-lobes white, but
; narrower than in most
Minorcas. The latter are very apt to be rough, but should
be smooth and soft.

In breeding for exhibition, the parents should be slightly

darker than the colour desired : if only one be darker, the
excess should be a little The sexes do not require
more.
separate pens ;
but on the whole more show pullets are
produced with the proper colour of hens and a darker cock,
while more good cockerels occur from dark parents on both
sides. Lacing must be even and distinct, and the ground-
colour go right down to the fluff of the feather. A rather
large-combed cockerel or cock is best, to avoid, as far as
possible, prick-combed pullets. Colour will always, how-
ever, be the chief difficulty; besides those which come too
204 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
light or blue, a great many will occur of black and white.
Some attribute this to " crossing," but it is not so, and
always is a difficulty with this colour, for the simple reason
that the colour itself is composite, and the product of cross-
ing colours^ generally of white and black. The produce of
such colours is very erratic ; but out of a large nmnhcr of
such crosses there will be some black, some white, some
black and white splashed or pied, some of the " cuckoo " or
blue barred colour noticed under AxcoxAS, and also found
in Plymouth Rocks, etc., and some of this blue-dun Anda-

lusian colour. Blue ducks have been bred in the same way.
The colour never arises otherwise, and its components are
always cropping up, and can only be kept down by careful
weeding. So far from black blood being " injurious," the
improved lacing of modern birds is due to it, just as the
lacing of the Sebright had to be refreshed from the Black
Bantam. When the lacing gives out, or the ground-colour
becomes light, the use of a black Andalusian will often
repair the defect. This should always be done rather than
go to the Minorca, or use birds in which the lacing has got
mossy, or black stain spread over the ground. A pure black
bird impairs lacing much less than those with such defects,

and sometimes work much improvement. Of course

will
white and black Andalusians could easily be bred, but
would only differ in head and comb from Minorcas. On
the other hand, the shape of the comb shows that some
Minorcas have beyond doubt been crossed with these black
Andalusians.
Economically, this breed stands high.It is one of the
and a better
best la3-ers of pretty large white eggs, winter
layer than the Minorca. It is far more precocious ;
almost
ridiculously so, since cockerels will often crow at seven
weeks old ; they should be separated at that age. Pullets
usually lay at six months. The flesh is white, with plenty
 Anconas. 205

of breast, but the carcase is not very plump. At liberty it

is a very active forager, and a capital farmers' fowl, while

confinement does not make it dirty. It is also hardy. We
liave thought it rather more than usually addicted in con-
finement to feather-eating, and so have several of our
correspondents but others have repelled this charge, and it
;

is not safe to generalise too much from personal experiences

which may have had special causes. Its best crosses will be

the same as those with Minorcas but it may be worth

;

noting that whenever the latter have lost hardiness or laying

properties by too close breeding, the Andalusian cross gives
a fowl most hardy ami fertile, with no other striking
difference.

Anconas. —This name has been given to different fowls

of different origin. From about i860 to 1880 those so
known were cuckoo-coloured same type as the
fowls, of the
preceding, and with dark legs ; no doubt
their origin being
a cross between black and white. This colour and marking,
however, when it once appears, is far more permanent than
the blue dun, and generally persists as a whole, though with
tendency to black, white, and coloured feathers about tail
and hackles, which have to be carefully bred out. The birds
may very likely have come from Ancona, round which all
colours and crosses exist amongst fowls of this type they ;

were rather small and short-legged, and all the specimens we

came across had the reputation of being splendid layers and
hardy, as cross-bred birds of laying strains generally are.
About 1883 another variety was introduced, this time
undoubtedly from Ancona, where mottled fowls of one kind
or another seem to abound. These birds more resembled
the Leghorn type, to be next described, having yellow
beaks, and legs also yellow, more or less mottled with black.
The plumage also differs completely, being mottled or
2o6 The Pkacticai Poultry Keeper.
splashed black and white, just like the mottling of the
Houdan. It is remarkable thus to have received two
different fowls from the same locality, composed of the same
colours, but which have amalgamated in a different manner.
These latter are the fowls now known as Anconas. The
heads and combs are distinctly Leghorn, with white to
creamy ear-lobes. The hackles are black edged with white,
rest of the plumage as described above. Attempts have been
made to get the creamy ear-lobes discarded for white, and
the black spots or mottling on the yellow leg rejected but
;

it is much to be hoped these may not succeed, since the}'

must ruin the usefulness of the breed, and the points are
in a way typical.
Anconas are very hardy, and splendid la^-ers. The
cocks are very ardent and vigorous, and Mrs. Bourlay, one
of the principal breeders, states that eggs are most fertile
generally when each is mated with about nine hens. They
surpass Leghorns as winter layers, and stand frost and snow
well. The chickens grow rapidly, and generally lay at five
months. When full-grown they do best fed rather spar-
ingly, as stock but if full-fed, or put up a week or two,
;

make plump and delicate, though small, table fowls. There

is, however, one point to be borne in mind. All these
splashed Anconas appear to be of a wild and nervous nature,
like pheasants ;
and the chickens, though hardy as regards
exposure, require room and fresh pure ground., as pheasants
and turkeys do. AVhen reared in confinement with others
they appear to die off from this reason.

Leghorn's. —Thesefowls also belong to the great Medi-

terranean race,though the first two varieties known of them
came to us from America, where, however, they had been
received from Leghorn. These two original varieties were
the White and the Brown, the first of which were sent over
 Leghors'S. 207

in 1870 to Mr. Tegetmeier the Brown in 1872 to us. Since

;

then one or two other varieties have been imported, and at

least three made or bred in England. The breed may be
described as generally resembling the Minorca in features^
with the same type of comb and wattles, and laying also
white eggs large in proportion to its size. But the size is
relatively smaller ; the legs are yellow instead of dark, the
head and face are finer and smoother, with more or less
yellow beak, and a creamy rather than white ear-lobe (this
being connected with the 3'ellow in beak and legs), and the
attitude and carriage are more sprightly, wide-awake, and
''dainty" in appearance.
In America the type of Leghorn differs entirely from the
English. The birds are smaller and more sprightly, and the
tails of the cockerels, as in the original birds sent to England,
are still retained upright, or squirrel fashion, which in
England is so disliked. In comparison the English bird
is more massive, and Minorca in character. The difference
arises mainly from the demand in America for " broilers,"
whereas the English prefer a good-sized fowl and a
large egg.
White Leghorns are probably the purest in blood, but
have been crossed with white Minorcas to increase size and
counteract the tendency to cream or yellow plumage. This
is connected with the yellow legs and beak, and is the chief

difficulty in breeding from an exhibition point of view.

The yellow leg itself is difficult to preserve in some
localities, rather damp clay grass runs being the best for
leg colour. It is not necessary to put up two pens, but if

this is done, the thinnest combs should be chosen for pullet

breeding, the thicker for cockerel breeding. A White
Leghorn cockerel crossed with Plymouth Rock hens pro-
duces pullets of wonderful laying qualities. In America the
pure breed is still considered as about the best layer they have.
2o8 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
Brown Leghorns may be described as generally of the
colour of black-breasted red Game. They were at first the
hardiest variety and best layers of all, but having been crossed
to improve size and colour, and then in-bred to remove
effects of the cross,many strains have suffered heavily.
They have since recovered in great degree, but few
exhibition strains equal the White as layers. As a rule
they are shorter on leg, and squarer in body, than other
varieties. The cock differsfrom the Game colour in that
the hackle is a little striped. Typical birds of both sexes
can be bred from one pen but for show cockerels, bright
;

cocks are mated with hens rich in hackle-colour, even if a

littleruddy on wing pullets from darker cocks with more
;

and hens or pullets free from ruddy feathers,

solid striping,
even if rather ashen in colour. In America the cocks are
allowed more stripe in the hackle than in England, which
makes breeding" somewhat easier.
Pile Leghorns have been bred, as in Game fowls, by
crossing the White and Brown varieties in at least one ;

strain an outside Pile cross was also employed. They lay

well and are hardy, but are not easy to get true to colour.
Dnckwing Leghorns were formed by crossing with
Game and Silver-grey Dorking. There are Golden and
Silver Duckwings the Silver breeding pure, as in Game
;

and Dorkings, while the Golden Duckwings require oc-

casional crossing as in the similar Game varieties. They
are good layers, but must be considered as chiefly
exhibition birds.
Black and Cuckoo Leghorns need only be mentioned.
The Blacks are too near Minorcas and too difficult to breed
with yellow legs to be general, but are usually very good
layers. They are said to be wild.
Buff Leghorns have become very numerous and
popular. They appear to have been bred from Italian
 Hamburghs. 209

stock, crossed with weedy Buff Cochins. The crossing has

introduced much ditBculty in breeding sound, rich buff
unmixed with white or black but the colour seems to suit
;

the close plumage of this fowl particularly well. White

must be absolutely avoided in breeding stock, rejecting
black also as far as possible, and selecting hens of a sound
rich buff, with cocks, if possible, rather darker, as in all buff
breeds. Heavy weeding is required in Buff Leghorns, and
some think that the best birds owe a shade or two to colour
feeding but we must say that, so
;
far as we think we have
been able with any probability to trace this, the effect has
been patchy and uneven, more in the shape of a bricky
colour on the wing and tail coverts. In America the
preference is for rather lighter buff than in England but ;

on the other hand, we often see one side of the flights

white in England, which we are informed would in America
be disqualified. Buff Leghorns are very attractive looking,
and good layers on grass they look particularly well.
;

The multiplicity of varieties in Leghorns is a misfortune

in a breed of this kind. The White, Brown, and Buff are
most worthy of cultivation. A rose-C(jmbed variety is too
obviously like a pencilled Hamburgh.

CHAPTER XVIL
HAMBURGHS.
Under the name of Hamburghs are now collected several
varieties of fowls, presenting the general characteristics of
rather small size, brilliant rose combs, ending in a spike
behind, projecting upwards, blue legs, and beautiful
plumage. None of the Hamburghs ever show any dis-
position to sit, except very rarely in a state of great
O
2IO The Practical Poultry Keeper.
freedom ; but lay nearly every day all through the year,
except during the moulting season.
Silver-pp:xcilled. —The size of this exquisite breed is

small, but the shape of both cock and hen peculiarly

graceful and Carriage of the cock very con-
sprightly.
ceited, the tail beingborne high, and carried in a graceful
arch. The comb in this, as in all the other varieties, to be
rather square in front, and well peaked behind, full oi
spikes, and free from hollow in the centre. Ear-lobe pure
white, free from red edging. Legs small and blue.
The head, hackle, back, saddle, breast, and thighs of the
cock should be white as driven snow. Tail black, glossed
with green, the sickle and side feathers having a narrow
white edging the whole length, the more even and sharply
defined the better. Wings principally white, but the lower
wing-coverts are often a little marked with black, showing
a narrow indistinct bar across the wing. The secondary
quills have also a glossy black spot on the end of each
feather, which gives the wing a black edging. The bar on
the wings is not now sought a's formerly, and a white wing
is preferred, the bird being now in fact principally white,
with a fine black and edged Such birds are useless to
tail.

breed pullets from, however, which needs more colour and ;

in fact cocks are often bred now from nearly white hens
valueless for anything else.
The most frequent fault in the hen is a spotted hackle
instead of a pure white. The rest of the body should have
each feather distinctly marked, or " pencilled " across with
bars of black, free from cloudiness, or, as it is called
" mossing." The tail feathers should be pencilled the samt
as the body but to get the quill feathers of the wings
;

so is and a hen thus marked is unusually valuable.

rare,
General form very neat, and appearance remarkabl)i
sprightly.
 HaMDURGHS. 211

Pullets are bred from cocks too dark, for exhibition, and
sometimes from hen-tailed cocks, which are not uncommon.
Only pullets usually bear showing, the marking usually
getting grizzled with age ; a hen which does preserve it well
is unusually valuable for breeding.
GoLDEN-PEXCiLLED. —The fomi of is the same
this breed
as the preceding variety, and markings are
the black
generally similar, only grounded upon a rich golden bay
colour instead of a pure white. The cock's tail should be
black, the sickles and side feathers edged with bronze but ;

tails bronzed all over are often seen. The colour of the
cock is always much darker than that of the hen, generally
approaching a rich chestnut.
—
Golden-spangled. Whilst the markings on pencilled
Hamburghs consist of parallel bars across the feathers, the
varieties we are now to consider vary fundamentally in
having only one black mark at the end of each feather,
forming the " spangle." This black marking varies in shape,
and though only one variety is recognised in each colour at
poultry exhibitions, it is quite certain that both in gold and
silver there were two distinct breeds, distinguished by the
shape of the spangle.
Thebest known of the two varieties, and the most often
seen, was the breed long known in Lancashire under the
name of " Mooneys," from the spangles being round, or
moon-shaped. The ground colour of the pure golden
" Mooney" Hamburghs was a rich golden bay, each of the

feathers having a large circle, or moon, of rich black, with

a glossy green reflection. The hackle should be streaked
with greenish black in the middle of the feathers, and
edged with gold. Tail quite black, even in the hens.
All the spangles should be large and regular in shape.
The cock of this breed was rather small, and was coarse
in head with reddish deaf-ears, the latter point being
O 2
212 Thf. Practical Poultry Keeper.

common to the hens also. Many of the cocks were also

hen-feathered, and such were once shown.
The second variety was known chiefly in Yorkshire as
" Pheasant fowls," and differed greatly in the plumage.
Instead of the spangles being round, as in the " Mooneys,"
they were crescent-shaped, approaching the character of
lacing the marking was also seldom so sharp and definite,
;

being often a little " mossed." In the cock the crescent

spangles on the breast ran so much up the sides of the
become almost a lacing. But the ears
feathers as really to
were white, and the cocks had much smarter and neater
combs.
At first Yorkshire cocks were shown for their smart
heads, with Mooney hens. Then the cocks were bred
between Yorkshire cocks and Mooney hens and this lasted ;

for many years. Two sets of birds were still required, pure
Mooneys for the hens, and the cross for cocks gradually, ;

however, the mixed blood began to be used on the pullets

to improve their red deaf-ears, and thus the strains slowly
amalgamated, combining the good points of each until ;

pullets are found with all the Mooney marking and

good heads, while some of the cockerels have all the
marking needed for pullet breeding. At last, therefore,
breeding has become comparatively simple, it being suffi-

and good enough in

cient to select hens or pullets large
marking, and with good heads, and then to mate them
with a cock as deeply spangled as possible. This is how
Spangled Hamburghs are now usually bred, though a
few still profess to breed Mooney pullets pure. Even in
these, however, the white ears betray the foreign blood.
The present Gold-spangled cock has a jet green-black tail,

and is spangled as regularly as possible, especially in regard

to two bars of spots across the wing. Some birds, almost too
dark for exhibition, if good in head, breed excellent pullets.
 Hamburghs. 213

Silver-spangled. —In this class two similar varieties

existed. The Lancashire silver " Mooney," with large
round spangles, resembled the golden, substituting a silvery-
white ground colour. The outside tail feathers in the hen,
however, differed from the golden Mooney, being silvery
white, with only black moons at the tips. The moons on
wing covert feathers in both sexes should form two black
bars across the wings the more regular these bars the
;

more valuable the bird. The Silver Pheasant-fowl of

Yorkshire had smaller spangles, and not so roimd, without,
however, running into the crescent form of the Golden
Pheasant-fowl. The tail was white in both cock and hen,
ending in black spangles. The cock's breast had also far
less spangling than the Mooney breed.
The history of this variety resembles that of the pre-
ceding. At first hen-feathered Mooney cocks were shown ;

then Yorkshire Pheasant cocks then followed the gradual

;

amalgamation and at present most breeders follow the

;

simple method of putting the most perfect hens or pullets

to promising dark and heavily-spangled cocks, as already
described.
Many Spangled Hamburgh chickens are pencilled in
their chicken feathers, the true spangling only appearing
with the adult plumage. This goes to show the original
unity —though, doubtless, very far back —
of the spangled
and pencilled races.
Black Hamburghs. —There is much doubt about the
real origin of this fowl. Many was first produced
think it

by crossing Silver-spangled with Spanish and the frequent ;

signs of white round the eye, the smooth lobe, and the
larger egg, are strong arguments for this also many birds ;

used to be seen with a sort of spangle of extra iridescence

on the ends of the feathers. The greater size and darker
legs are also quoted. But old fanciers aflfirm that the breed
214- The Practical Poultry Keeper.
was known generations ago, and that all grcen^ free from
spangle, was the correct colour. Our own opinion is for
the Spanish cross but it has been long bred out in all but
;

the whitish face, which still appears occasionall}'.

The combs of Black Hamburghs are larger in proportion
than in the other varieties, and the deaf-ears much larger
and more kid-like in texture. The plumage is not so much
black, as a magnificent green gloss. The best coloured
birds are apt to show purple reflections, especially in the
cock's hackles. These must be avoided for cockerel-
breeding ;
on the other hand, these ver}' birds often breed
the most lustrous pullets, the purple being apparently a sort
of excess in lustre.
—
Redcaps. There is occasionally met with in Lancashire
and Yorkshire, under this name, a coarse, large sort of gold-
spangled bird, very irregular and poor in marking, and with
immense combs often hanging over on one side. They
may have been originally some kind of Hamburgh mongrel,
and, while of no exhibition value, are the best layers of the
whole race.
Hamburghs are in many circum.stances a profitable

breed. Except the Gold-spangled, which are all poor

layers, they are good layers when a good strain is secured.
Each hen will lay from i8o to 220 eggs in a year; and W
these are generally small, the consumption of food is com-
paratively even more so. Though naturally loving a wide
range, there is no great difficulty in keeping them in con-
finement if cleanliness be attended to. If so, the number
must be very limited where six Brahmas would be kept,
:

four Hamburghs are quite enough, and they must be kept

dry and scrupulously clean. Perhaps the Silver-spangled
and Black are best adapted for such circumstances. With
a good egg-market near, the Redcap is one of the most
profitable fowls a farmer can have. The pencilled birds
 Polish Fowls. 215

are, as already remarked, most certainly delicate, being

ver}' liable to roup if exposed to cold or wet ;they should
not, therefore, be hatched before May. The spangled
are hardy, and lay larger eggs than the pencilled ;
but the
latter lay rather the most in number. For profit, however,
we should recommend the Black Hamburgh, on account of
the large size of the eggs ;
and some strains of this variety

are certainly most extraordinary egg-producers.

Hamburghs are too small to figure much on the table.
They carry, however, from the smallness of the bones,
rather more meat than might be expected, and what there
is of it is of good quality and flavour.

CHAPTER XVIII.
POLISH. SULTANS.

Under the title of Polands, or Polish fowls, should be col-

lected all varieties which are by a well- distinguished
developed on the top of the head.
crest, or tuft of feathers

This crest invariably proceeds from a remarkable swelling

or projection at the top of the skull, which contains a large
portion of the brain and it is worthy of remark, that as
;

the comparative size of this protuberance invariably corre-

sponds with that of the crest springing from it, the best
crested chickens can be selected even when first hatched.
It is also remarkable that the feathers in the crest of the
cock resemble those of his neck hackles, being long and
pointed, whilst those of the hen are shorter and round and ;

this difference forms the first means of distinguishing the

sexes.
The comb of all Polish fowls is likewise peculiar, being
of what is called the two-hurned character. This formation
is most plainly seen in the Crevecoeurs, where the two
2i6 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
horns are very conspicuous. In the breeds more specifically
known as Polish the comb should be almost invisible,
but what there is of it will always show a bifurcated for-
mation.
Under the title of Polish fowls might perhaps be included
the Crevecoeurs, Houdans, and Gueldres, if not La Flbche ;

but we convenience of reference describe these

shall for

crested fowls in a separate chapter on the French breeds,

and confine ourselves here to the other tufted varieties,
including the more recently introduced Sultans.
White-crested Black. —This is the most generally
known of all the varieties. The carriage of the cock, as in
all Polands, and bold, with the neck thrown
is graceful
rather back, tail body short, round, and
towards the ;

plump legs rather short, and in colour either black or

;

leaden blue. There should be almost no comb, but full

wattles of a bright red ear-lobes a pure white.
;
Plumage
black all over the body, with bright reflections on the
hackle, saddle, and tail. Crest large, regular, and full, even
in the centre, and each feather in a perfect bird we suppose
of a pure white but there are always a few black feathers
;

in and no bird is therefore to be disqualified on

front,
that account, though the fewer the better. Weight from
5 to 6 lb.
Hen very compact and plump in form. Plumage a deep
rich black. Crest almost globular in shape, and in colour
like the cock's. We never yet saw a bird in whose crest
there were not a few black feathers in front, and we doubt
if such were ever bred. Where they do not appear, the
crests have always been " trimmed," and in no class does
condemnation of the
this practice so frequently call for the
poultry judge. Weight of the hen 4 to 5 lb. This
varietv is generally delicate and subject to roup.
Black-crested White. —There is indisputable evidence
 Polish Fowls. 217

that there once existed a breed of Black-crested White

Polands ;
but, unfortunately it is equally plain that the
strain has been totally lost. Its disappearance is the more
to be regretted, asseems to have been not only the most
it

ornamental, but the largest and most valuable of all the

The hen described by Mr. Brent dwarfed
Polish varieties.
even some Malay hens in the same yard.
—
White-crested White. This breed, and those which
follow, differfrom the white-crested Black Polands not only
in greater hardihood, but in having a well-developed beard
under the chin, in lieu of wattles. They are large fine
birds, and the crest is finer and more perfect than in most
other colours. They are also among the best in point of
laying. The plumage needs no description, being pure
white throughout. The variety, though not extinct, is,
however, now very scarce and seldom seen.
Silver-spangled. — In ground colour of
this variety the
the plumage is a Formerly birds were
silvery white.
shown with moon-shaped black spangles, and this was
once considered correct then for many years laced feathers
;

have been the correct thing, except that the cock's back
shows some approach to spangling occasionally. The
sharper and blacker the lacing is the better. The cock's
sickles still show a broad tip or sort of spangle at the end,
as well as the edging, and the ground is apt to be grey in
these feathers, which dark colour, indeed, breeds better
pullets. The lacing of his breast is very important for show
purposes, many cocks being nearly black in the upper part.
During the last 5'ear or two we have occasionally seen birds
with the round spangles again.
The crests should be full and regular, not hollow in the
middle, and the feathers here also are laced in hens and
more tipped in the cocks. A few white feathers are apt to
appear with age. The deaf-ears are small and white,
2i8 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
wattles none, being replaced by a dark or spangled beard
and whiskers. The size of this breed is very fair, the cocks
weighing 6 to 7^ lb., hens 4 to 5^ lb.
GoLD-sPANGi.ED. —This breed resembles the preceding
in black markings, only substituting rich golden ground for

the white.
Buff or Chamois Polish resemble the Golden- spangled
in the colour of the ground, but the spangles present the
anomaly of being ivhite instead of black. They were first

produced, there can be no doubt, by crossing the Golden-

spangled with White birds, just as Piles were produced
from Black-red Game. At first these birds did not breed
at all true, showing probabl}^ a recent cross ;
but of late
some very fine importations have been made from the
Continental shows, which may give this pretty marking a
better chance. These foreign specimens have been larger
and finer than any we have seen bred in England,
Blue, grey, and cuckoo or speckled Polish are occasion-
ally shown, but are evidently either accidental occurrences,
or the result of cross-breeding, and cannot be recommended
even to the fancier.
All the Polish breeds are rather liable to grow up
" hump-backed," or " lob-sided " in the body. Of course
either defect is a fatal disqualification.
Sui.TAXS. —
This breed was introduced by Miss E. Watts
from Turkey. The birds are very ornamental, differing
greatly in appearance from any of the varieties hitherto
named. In size they are rather small, the cocks weighing
only from 4 to 5 lb. They make most exquisite pets,
being very tame, but at the same time brisk and lively; and
their quaint little ways never fail to afford much amusement.
They are well adapted to confinement.
The plumage is pure white, crest included, in which
they therefore resemble the white Polish. They difFei',
 Sultan Foivls. 219

however, very greatly in appearance. Their legs are very

short, and feathered to the toes the thighs being also
;

abundantly furnished, and vulture-hocked. They are like-

wise amply muffled and whiskered round the throat, and
the tail of the cock is remarkably full and flowing. The
crest differs from that of most other Polish, being more
erect, and not hiding the eyes. The comb consists of two
spikes in front of the crest. The legs are whitish, and
when first imported and shown had the fifth toe of the
Dorking, but of late this feature is uncertain, and seems left
an open question. At one time Sultans were even shown
without beards, but in this case judging has returned again
to the earlier standard.
There is a breed known as Ptarmigans, which is

evidently a degenerate descendant from some former im-

portation of Sultans.
Some special precautions are necessary in rearing Polish
chickens. The prominence in the skull which supports
the crest, is never completely covered with bone, and is

peculiarly sensitive to injury. On this account Cochins, or

other large heavy hens should never be employed as
mothers. A Game be the best. The young also
hen will
fledge early and rapidly, and usually suffer severely in the
process they therefore require an ample allowance of the
;

most stimulating food, such as worms, meat, and in bad

weather bread steeped in ale. Above all, they must be
kept dry.
Polish fowls have certainly solid merits. They improve
in appearance, at least up to the third year. In a favourable
locality they are most prolific
layers, never wanting to
sit, and the remarkably good. They appear also
flesh is

peculiarly susceptible of attachment to their feeders. And

lastly, they suffer remarkably little in appearance or con-

dition from exhibition or confinement. Their great fault is

220 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
a peculiar tendency to cold and roup — the white-crested
black variety being the most delicate of all. The dense
crest becomes during a shower saturated with water, and
the fowls are thus attacked in the most vital part. No
birds are so affected by bad weather. They can only
be kept successfully in warm, genial situations, on well-
drained ground, with a chalk or sand sub-soil, and with
ample shelter to which they can resort during showers. In
such circumstances they will do well, and repay the owners
by an ample supply of eggs. Closely confined in a dry shed
they also do well, if only kept rigidly clean and free from
vermin.
Polish breeders should not seize their birds suddenly.
The crest so obscures their vision that they are taken by
surprise, and frequently so terrified as to die in the hand.
They should, therefore, always be first spoken to, or other-
made aware of their owner's approach.

CHAPTER XIX.
FRENCH BREEDS.
Several remarkable breeds of fowls have been introduced
into England from France, which it will be convenient to
describe in one chapter. They all deserve the careful
attention of the mercantile poultry breeder, possessing as
they do in a high degree the important points of weight
and excellent quality of flesh, with a small proportion of
bones and offal. These characteristics our neighbours have
assiduously cultivated with most marked success, and we
cannot avoid remarking yet again on the results which
might have been produced in this country had more atten-
tion been paid to them here, instead of laying almost
exclusive stress upon colour and other fancy points. Most
 CrBVECCEURS. 221

of theFrench breeds have more or less crest, which naturally

on the Polish fowls. It is
places this chapter next to that
remarkable also that most of them agree in being non-
sitters, or at least incubate but very rarely.

CRfevECfEURS. —This breed has been the longest known

in England. The full-grown cock will not unfrequently
weigh 10 lb., but yi to 8 lb. is a good average.
In form the Creve is very full and compact, and the legs
are exceedingly short, especially in the hens, which appear
almost as if they were creeping about on the ground. In
accordance with this conformation, their motions are very
quiet and deliberate, and they appear the most contented
in confinement of any fowls we know. They do not sit, or
very rarely, and are tolerable layers of very large white eggs.
The comb is in the form of two well-developed horns,
surmounted by a large black crest. Wattles full, and, like
the comb, a bright darkish red. The throat is also fur-
nished with ample whiskers and beard. The plumage is
black, but in some of the largest and finest French birds it
is not unfrequently mixed with gold or straw on the hackle

and saddle. Which is to be preferred will depend apon

circumstances. Judges at exhibitions always insist upon a
pure black all over and if the object be to obtain prizes,
;

such birds must of course be selected both for breeding and

show purposes at the same time we should fail in our
;

duty were we not distinctly to record our opinion that the

golden-plumaged French birds are often by far the largest
and finest specimens. It should be remembered that the
French have mainly brought these breeds to perfection by
seeking first the useful qualities, and it is beyond doubt that
the rigid application to them of our artificial canons has
seriously deteriorated the breed in practical value. A large
globular crest seems the chief point in English judging,
222 The Practical Poultry Krrprr.
whereas the French were content with much more moderate
development in this particular, and looked more to the
body and general size and shape of that.
The merits of the Crbve consist in its edible qualities,
early maturity, the facility with which it can be both kept
and reared in confinement, and the fine large size of its

eggs. The hen is, however, only a moderate layer, and

the eggs are often sterile, while the breed is rather delicate
in this country, being subject to roup, gapes, and throat
diseases. This delicacy of constitution appears to improve
somewhat as the fowls are acclimatised and less in-bred.
Altogether we do not recommend the Creve as a good
breed for general domestic purposes.

La Fi.iiCHR. — In appearance this breed resembles the

Spanish, from which we believe it to have been at least

partly derived. It exceeds that breed, however, in size, the

cock often weighing from 8 to even lo lb. Both sexes
have a large, long body, standing on long and powerful
legs, and always weighing more than it appears, on account
of the dense and close-fitting plumage. The legs are slate-
colour, turning with age to a leaden grey. The plumage
resembles that of the Spanish, being a dense black with
green reflections.
The look of the head is peculiar, the comb being not
only two-horned, much like the Crevecoeur, near the top of

the head, but also appearing in the form of two little studs
or points just in front of the nostrils. The head used to be,
and still is in France, surmounted by a rudimentary black

crest, but English fanciers have sought to breed this out,

and the presence of crest is considered a disqualification
at English shows. On
an average the French birds are
somewhat taller than those now bred in England. The
wattles are very long and pendulous, of a brilliant red
 HOUDANS. 223

colour, like the comb. The ear-lobes are dead white, like
the Spanish, and exceedingly developed, meeting imder the
neck in good specimens.
The appearance of the La Fleche fowl is very bold and
intelligent, and its habits active and lively ;
at the same time
it appears very subject to roup in our climate. As an egg
producer, it is as nearly as possible similar to the Spanish,
not only in the size and number of the eggs, but the seasons
and circumstances in which they may be expected. In
juiciness and flavour the flesh approaches nearer to that of
the Game fowl than any other breed we know but is more ;

tender, while having less of what is called " gamey " flavour.
This breed is much used to produce the magnificent capons

and poulardes so celebrated in the Paris market, and

which sell for a guinea or thirty shillings each in French
money.
The cocks suffer much from leg weakness and disease of
the knee-joint, and do not bear the fatigue and excitement
of exhibition so well as most fowls.

—
HouDAXS. This fowl in many respects resembles the
Dorking, and Dorking blood has evidently assisted in its
formation, probably crossed with the mottled A.vcoxA
(p. 205). Houdans have the size,deep compact body, short
legs, and fifth toe of the Dorking, which in form they
closely resemble, but with much less offal and smaller
bones. The plumage varies considerably, but is always
some mixture of black and white, arranged in a sort of
irregular splash or speckle all over. Some hens become
nearly white as they grow older, the breed getting lighter
with age. To avoid this, some breeders have been in the
habit of crossing with the Creve, and the result has been
seen in young birds almost black, and with the plain two-
horned Creve comb instead of the peculiar comb of the
224 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
Houdan but a reaction speedily set in against this, and
;

what seems now desired is a true Houdan comb, and some-

where about an equal amount of black and white in the
plumage. English judges unfortunately lay most stress
upon crest and the result has been a marked deterioration
;

in prolificacy, as in the Creve.

Some Houdans are ver^' large —we once weighed a hen
lo lb., but this is rare. The wattles are pendent and well
developed, although the breed is well whiskered. The
comb most peculiar and characteristic, resembling the two
is

leaves of a book opened, with a sort of strawberry-looking

lump in the centre in the hen it is small. Creve combs
;

are now usually disqualified.

Many imported Houdans lacked the fifth
of the first

toe, and might easily have been bred out.

this feature
Unfortunately English breeders went the other way, and
rather insisted on it, far more than the French did with ;

the result that bumble-foot is now often seen, as in

Dorkings. The legs are in colour a sort of mottle of white,
pink, and blue.
As to the merits of Houdans, the unspoilt stock is one of
the most valuable breeds ever introduced into this country,
and in general usefulness surpasses all the French varieties.

Better table-fowls are none, the laying powers, are great, the
chickens fledge and grow faster than almost any breed, and
—
the eggs are invariably prolific indeed, the ardent Houdan
cock requires more hens than almost any other. There is
also no hardier variety known. Such a strain is emphatically
a farmer's fowl, wherever the eggs can be hatched by other
breeds or an incubator. In breeding for and
crest, colour,

toes it is to be regretted much has been and many ex-

lost,

hibition strains are rather poor layers ; so that for economic

purposes it is generally better to procure stock, if possible,

direct from France.

 ;

Br EDAS AND La Br esse. 225

Bredas or Gueldres. — This fowl is of exceedingly well-

proportioned shape, with a wide, full,prominent breast.
The head carries a small top-knot, and surmounts a rather
short, thick neck. The comb is very peculiar, being
hollowed or depressed in the centre, which gives to the
head a most singular expression. Cheeks and ear-lobes red
wattles ditto, and in the cock very long and pendulous.
The thighs are well furnished and slightly hocked, and
the shanks of the legs feathered to the toes, though not very
heavil}'. The plumage varies ; black, white, and cuckoo or
mottled being mostly seen. The cuckoo-coloured are known
exclusively by the name of " Gueldres," and the black bear
chiefly the name of Bredas but ; it is much to be desired
that one name should be given to the whole class, with
simply a prefix to denote the colour. We prefer ourselves
the black variety, the plumage of which is beautifully deep
and rich in tone, with a bronze lustre ; but others prefer
the cuckoo or Gueldres fowl. This is quite a matter of
fancy, all the colours being alike in economic qualities.
The flesh is excellent and tolerably plentiful, very large
cocks weighing as much as 8 are good or 9 lbs. They
layers, and the eggs are large as in most other French
;

breeds, the hens do not sit. The chickens are hardy, and
the breed is decidedly useful.

La Bressk.— This fowl is hardy and large,* but we

cannot consider it as a distinct or established breed. The
birds are all colours without distinction, presenting exactly

* In a most hostile review in the Field of the first edition of this work,

our "gross ignorance of French fowls" was said to be proved by thus

describing as "large" the La Bresse race, which it was categorically
affirmed were, on the contrary, "much smaller" than the preceding. We
made the statement originally after actually weighing a cock over lo lb. as
he ran in his pen; but it also happens that Mr. Tegetmeier has since given
P
 —

226 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

the appearance of very large and fine barn-door or cross-
bred fowls ;
and we believe that it is, in fact, no breed, but
a mixture of fine specimens of different races. We have, in
fact, never seen any reason to modify this opinion, formed
many years ago and ; there is tolerable evidence that English
Dorkings have several times been crossed on their own
stock by the La Bresse farmers.

CouRTES Pattes. —At the Paris Show of 1878 the

reporter of the Live Stock Journal gave the first English
description of these They are black, with single
fowls.
combs, and extremely short legs. They sit well, and were
said to have been produced by the La Fleche breeders in
order to hatch their non-sitting varieties. They were also
said never to scratch in a garden. Some months later
specimens were imported by Mr. Christy, but the last
characteristic was found not to hold good, at least in
English gardens. They are hardy, good layers, and good
but do not seem to breed very true in colour and
in flesh,
some other points. The extremely short legs gives them a
quaint appearance, and are the most characteristic point.

Faverolles. —The village of Faverolles, in the Houdan

district, has given its name to the last really important
breed produced in France, unknown before about 1885,

in his revised edition of the "Poultry Book," a table of the average weights
at the exhibition of dead Poultry in Paris in 1864. These weights are
given as follows :

La Bresse. Houdan. Crevecoeur.

lb. oz. lb. oz. lb, oz.

Unprepared 6 ig ... 5 4 ... 411

Prepared for Cook 5 5^ ... 43 ... 3 14
Cooked 3 3I ... 2 15I ... 2 i2|
The average was taken from five birds each, and shows that of all three

breeds the La Bresse were the heaviest. A reference by the editor to his
own figures might, therefore, have otherwise directed the charge so reck-
lessly brought against us.
 Faverolles. 227

but which has gradually to a large extent displaced its

so that the Houdan itself, in its original
predecessors,
neighbourhood, is now in a great relative minority com-
pared with the interloper. This is not without reason, as
the Faverolles (spelt with an s at the end) combines large
size, early maturity, great hardiness, great laying powers,
and fine flesh being also a good sitter and mother.
;

French breeders themselves consider it the best fowl .yet

produced in their countr}^ for purely economic purposes.
The birds are said to average 150 to 180 eggs per annum
in France, of a light brown colour.
It is a curious comment upon the theories of some
English writers upon table poultry, who in former years have
so lauded the superiority ofFrench judgment (and justly so),
that the French have built up their last and best fowl, not
with such crosses as Indian Game, but on the fowl we have
so many years recommended for this purpose the Brahma. —
It has been evolved, merely by economic selection, from a
mixture of Light Brahmas and English Dorkings with the
native Houdan fowl. Thus the type in the Houdan
district varies much, specimens being found of all colours,
with single and rose combs, with four and five toes. The
fowl has, however, gradually settled towards one prevailing
type, as follows : —
The head is rather short, with single
comb midway in size between that of the Dorking and
Cochin wattles and lobes (red) rather small, and more or
;

less concealed by feathered beard or bib, and side whiskers ;

neck short, with abundant hackle breast and body long ;

and full legs short and carriage low

;
shanks slightly ;

feathered, and white or pinky-white in colour feet with ;

five toes tail very moderate and carried rather high.

; The
size is large, and general appearance distinctly Asiatic.
Colours and markings are very nondescript in the native
district, but have tended to settle into three types. Ermines
228 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
are black and white, practically the colour of the light
Brahma. Greys somewhat resemble the general effect of
silver-grey Dorkings. And there is a biiff^ or, rather, salmon-
and cream, which
colour, or salmon-buff has, perhaps, found
the most general favour in England, as most distinctive
from other breeds.
The Faverolles is a splendid utility fowl, as the French
ha\e made it. But it has been made by crossings and
its good qualities fixed by breeding onl}- for these^ quite

irrespective of fixed exhibition points. And in proportion

as it is bred for such points, which in so nondescript a
bird outwardly, means necessarily much in-breeding, its

valuable economic qualities must be lost.

There are several lessknown breeds of more or less

definite or indefinite type known in France, chiefly by the
name of the districts where they prevail. The Le Mans
fowl appears a kind of sub-variety of, or to be allied to, the
Creve, but with rose or cup comb and little or
In no crest.

the Bourg district, the fowls are largely white, with evident
traces of the English white Dorking. The district of
Barbezieux is rather famous for a black fowl with white
ear-lobes and very glossy plumage, the breast very pro-
rriinent, and the tail close and carried rather low, the
legs with large scales. These features seem rather distinctly
to point to some modification of the La Flbche or similar
—
breed by Indian Game the only instance in which the
influence of this latter breed may possibly be traced in the
fowls of France.

CHAPTER XX.
AMERICAN BREEDS.
Wh.\tever its original source, it has already been recorded
how the Brahma itself was introduced into this country
 DOMINIQUES AND RoCKS. 229

from America ; but this happening so long ago, and during

the first burst of the poultry enthusiasm, that fine stock
became, as it were, absorbed into the general catalogue, and
is American now, though no other or
scarcely thought of as
really Eastern stock has, from that day to this, been ever
added to the original strain, whatever that was. During
more recent years, however, several other races have also
been introduced, which can most conveniently be described
in a chapter by themselves, with the exception of Leghorns,
which have been already detailed amongst their proper
relatives of the great Mediterranean race. They are all of
the useful class.

Dominiqup:s. — This was the first of the series to reach

this country, but has since been eclipsed by the superior
size of the next to be described. The name represents the
plumage ; the " Cuckoo-colour," as we call it in England,
viz. a dark blue grey banding on a light grey ground, being
called"Dominique" marking in the States. This fowl was
atone time very widely distributed, especially amongst the
Southern States and in the West Indies. It has a rose

comb like the Hamburgh, the blue cuckoo marking all over,
and yellow legs, thus resembling, in all but comb and legs,
the Scotch Grey, to be hereafter described.

—
Plymouth Rocks. In the poultry mania period. Dr.
Bennett gave this name to a fowl he compounded out of

four breeds crossed together, and which naturally became

extinct soon after. Years afterwards the name was revived
and given to a much finer breed, which has become very
popular both in America and this country, where it now
has large classes at shows. There is no doubt that it was
produced by crossing the American Dominique, just de-
scribed, with some breed of Cochins, and the Black Java,
230 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
presently described. The comb is single and straight, not
ver)^ large, and thick at the base ; ear-lobes bright red, and
rather smaller than in Cochins ; wattles more developed,
but fine. The eyes are generally bay, and large the beak ;

yellow, some horny streak being permissible. The legs

should be bright yellow, and rather short. The body is
compact and deep, with a full, well-rounded breast this is :

essential to good stock, and poor breast a great fault, how-

ever good other points. The saddle, or cushion, is full and
rather high, but not globular as in the Cochin, nor so fluff)',

and the on the thighs is compact and moderate.

fluff

The plumage is what is known as " cuckoo-colour," but

the standard of colour is not absolutely uniform. In
America it is described as "greyish-white" barred with
''
bluish-black," both sexes are demanded alike on breast
and body, and the barring is decidedly narrower and finer,
and the effect more black and white than in England.
Both sexes cannot, or but rarely, be bred of this colour
from the same pen of standard birds the cockerels will :

do, but the pullets will not be right. The nearest mating
is with the standard cock to have a portion of the pullets of

the same ground-colour, but darker in the barring. In

England the recognised ground-colour is darker, more ot
a slate-colour,* and with very deep barring, larger and
not so sharp in pattern. The hens seem to be recognised
as slightly coarser in pattern than the cock, and slightly
darker in colour generally if such hens be selected,
;

marked distinctly and evenly all over, such will be good

mating. Another mating which often produces good re-
sults for the English standard, is a cock a shade or two
darker than the usual standard, with hens or pullets a

* That is, as it appears on the bird. A single feather of this cuckoo-

colour, on a sheet of paper, always appears much whiter.
 Plymouth Rocks. 231

shade or two lighter but such a cock with standard hens

;

would breed much too dark birds of either sex.

Apart from these niceties of a somewhat unnatural sex
standard, the colour is in itself difficult enough to breed.
It is itself a composite colour, originating in a cross of white
with black, or some very dark colour. Hence the black
and the white components, together with straw and red
feathers, continually tend to " sport " out, especialty in the
hackles and tails of the cockerels, whereas every feather
should be properly barred of the blue-grey. Besides this,

the black from the Black Java is peculiarly apt to appear,

and, what is curious, especially in the hens ;
black hens or
pullets will be bred anyway, and the more
the mating is if

at all too dark, as above. Hens

must have the
or pullets
tails perfectly barred, or scarcely any of the male progeny

will be so. In regard to colour of the legs, pullets which

are distinctly of a dusky yellow generally make the best
coloured legs as hens ;
while chicks with clear yellow legs
as a rulebecome paler in their second year.
White Plymouth Rocks were founded upon sports from
the barred variety, and still occasionally breed barred speci-
mens, though these are disappearing. In all but colour
they should resemble the parent stock. Owing to the less
difficulty in breeding for colour, they have lately become
known as many strains ranking
decidedly better layers,
high in this respect. Blacks were attempted to be bred
from the black sports, but have made no way owing to
the insuperable difficulty of keeping clear yellow legs in
this colour.

Buffs are a more recent introduction, due to crosses with

Buff Cochins or Lincolnshire Buffs (p. 241). All we have
seen had distinct Cochin heads, and at first the shape was
inferior, but of late this has been largely remedied. There
is still a great tendency to ticking of black or white in this
232 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
colour, which requires the same care in breeding as the
Buff Leghorn.
Except for the yellow leg and skin, the Plymouth Rock
is an excellent market fowl, making very early and rapid
growth. It is almost always a good layer; and some Whites
bred for this point are first-class layers —
170 in a year has
been recorded. Like all breeds founded upon crosses, it is
hardy where not too much inbred, except that, from some
unknown cause, it often shows a mysterious propensity to
weakness, gout, cramp, or some affection of the legs and
feet. A flock of the barred variety looks particularly well
upon a grass farm. A cross between Rocks and a White
Leghorn cock, on an average produces, perhaps, the most
prolific and all-the-)^ear-round layer of any cross we know.

Black Javas. — This is a very fine large black fowl, well

known United States ever since 1850, and which it is
in the
very strange should not have been seen in England before
1885. Had it stood alone then as a large black fowl, it must
have become very popular but the Langshan and the
;

Orpington, in which its own blood undoubtedly runs, had

already occupied the field, and it has only at present become
very sparingly diffused, though the purest -and most
distinctive large black breed of any. As already noted, it
was used in the production of the Plymouth Rock, and the
Langshan obviously owes to it the character of its head and
comb and eye, and the beautiful gloss of its plumage.
The Java should weigh about 10 lb. and 8 lb.
in cocks
in hens, the plumage being close, and very glossy black with
green reflections. The legs are also black, with some ten-
dency to get willow with age. The deaf-ears and wattles
are only moderately developed, and bright red. The body
is full and deep, yet with a sort of Hamburgh symmetry on

a more massive proportion, with legs moderate in length

 Javas and Wyaxdotths. 233

and clean and the cock has a full and flowing tail com-
;

p;iredwith most Asiatics, the carriage being very sprightly

and graceful. Two of the most marked characters are the
eye and the c*mb. The former is peculiarly large and full,
brown and of a characteristic soft and yet sprightly
in colour,
expression, which can often be traced in less degree in the
Langshan. The comb is single, and rather low, with the
serrations barely perceptible at the very front. This also is

often seen in Langshans.

Economically the Java is hardy, and a good layer of
brown eggs. The meat is very white and juicy, exactly
resembling that of the Langshan. The hens are clever
sitters and good mothers. The cocks, as usual in black
breeds not very largely bred, are very liable to red or gold
hackles, and to get rid of this and any awkwardness of
carriage, and select good layers, are the chief points in
breeding.
There are white Javas in America, bred from sports, and
from crosses of these mottles have been bred, as no doubt
cuckoos could be. But such colours lose that magnificent
gloss, which is one of the attractions of the original Java.

—
Wyandottes. This handsome breed is believed to
have principally originated in crosses between Dark (some
think Light) Brahma, Spangled Hamburgh, and Polish
fowls. The first has given the general shape, the second
the comb, and the third the lacing. It originated as a large
fowl with laced plumage, and so far filled a distinct gap
amongst The first bred in England
varieties of poultry.
are believed to have been shown by Mr. T. C. Heath in
1884, and since that date no fowl, probably, has made so
much progress in both exhibition quality and general
popularity. At first the breeding of the recently-mixed
blood to any decent type was simply awful : from the best
 —

234 '^TuE Practical Poultry Kupper.

stock, the great majority were sooty, mongrel-looking birds,
worth about half-a-crown apiece. But this gradually
mended, and though still a very difficult fowl to breed for
show points, it is possible to do it with reasonable success
from good strains.
Laced Wyandottes are both Silver and Golden the ;

lacing being exactly similar, but the ground-colour in one

being white, in the other rich golden bay, which some
allege is improved in certain cases by colour-feeding. The
head is wide and short, of the Brahma type, with deaf-ears
and wattles of moderate size and brilliant red. The comb is
rose, but much narrower than the Hamburgh, less expansive
at the top —in fact, spreading out but little above the base
and with a shorter peak, which must turn rather downwards,
so as to follow the line of the top of the head. This down-
ward curve backward of a smallish rose-comb is one of the
breed's characters. Taking the Silver laced as a type, the
hackles of the cock are white with a black stripe coming to
a point something short of the end, and there must be no
soot or black outside this stripe. The breast and under
parts are white, heavily but evenly and sharply laced with
black, the fluff also plainly showing lacing tail and upper
;

coverts black with green gloss back silvery white

;
wing
;

bow white ;
wing coverts heavily laced in the Polish
manner, with broader lacing at the tips, showing two laced
bars and sometimes three ;
secondaries white with lacing on
outer edge, flights black on inner and white thickly laced
on outer edge. The fluff on thighs should be laced as
well as possible, and the under-fluff should not be white or
peppered, but slate-colour, a little peppered with dark grey,
and the fluff at the roots of all feathers also slate colour
with grey —another point from the Brahma. The general
carriage of Brahma type, but more rounded form and fuller

breast.
 Wyandottes. 235

The hen's hackle resembles the cock's, only shorter and

broader. Secondaries and primaries of the wing same as
the cock, and her tail also is black, the coverts black with
white centres. All the rest of the body- — breast, shoulders,
back, and cushion white, sharpl}- and evenly laced with
dense green-black, free from soot or speck in the centre,
and as uniform in width all over the bird as possible. Her
under-flufF also should be slate colour. The legs (clean) are
bright yellow. The size is large medium, cockerels weighing
about 7 lb. and adults a pound more, and females a pound
less.

The same description applies to Golds, with the dif-

ference in ground-colour, and the fluff is almost black, a

little powdered with yellow.
The principal faults in marking and colour are light
fluff, crescents or spangles on the breast instead of lacing
round the feather ; the very edge of the
lacing inside
feather (double lacing) moss inside the lacing
;
soot or ;

lacing so heavy as to show hardly any centre, or very

narrow lacing, or any great inequalit}' of lacing spangled ;

instead of laced bars in the cock rusty or brown lacing ;

instead of black. In regard to the last point, however, fine

pullets often moult out brown or mossy as hens, and such
will breed as well as before ; still, such as preserve their
colour are to be preferred, and by degrees this tendency
may be bred out.
The sexes are generally bred now from separate pens ;

choosing for the cockerel pen a standard show bird with

good breast-lacing, rather broad, and putting with him
pullets with lacing rather broader than desirable, but black,
even if the cushion be a little sooty in the centres. (It has
been said that as hens these birds may come brown and
mossy). For pullets, on the other hand, it seems best to
choose exhibition females, putting with them a cockerel
236 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
whose breast-lacing is decidedly rather broad or dark, and
whose lower tail-coverts are laced with clear-ground centres.
These well-laced lower coverts appear necessary to breed
well-laced, clear cushion feathers in the pullets. If only
one pen can be put up, most breeders prefer to put
with such a cock or cockerel, as first described, a couple of
the dark birds there mentioned, and others nearer to
standard lacing, and above all, clear and sharp on the
cushion. Then the first pair will probably breed good
cockerels, and the lighter ones fair pullets.
Buff-laced have recently been produced, in which the
colour is buff beautifully laced with white, instead of black.
As in the case of Chamois Polish, the lacing seems more
accurate than when the marking is black. Good classes
have appeared at the Crystal Palace, but the breed is in
very few hands, and its popularity remains to be seen.
There appear to be two quite distinct strains. In one the
buff is very dark, almost a bay, and the white edging very
crisp and bright, but with very plain approach to blue lacing
at top of the breast —
this blue may probably show descent
from Andalusian. The other is a lighter buff, with a
broader white lacing not so sharply cut out, but is quite
free from the blue tinge anywhere.
White Wyandottes were probably in the first place a
sport from silvers, but have been aided by a white Dorking
cross, which has left its mark in coarse combs and a rather
Dorking body, points which still need attention. Needing
less care, except in ^these features, this is no doubt the

hardiest and best layer among all the varieties.

Buffs were produced by a Cochin cross. It is still very

difficult to find birds free from black ticks, or white feathers.

In breeding there is little chance unless a cockerel can be

secured of sound even buff colour, a shade or two darker
than desired, with hens even all over, and free from black
 Jersey Blues. 237

in hackle or tail. If even all over, the hens may differ a

little in shade ;
and indeed such an assortment is most likely,
amongst them, to hit the mark.
Partridge Wyandottes are rather frequently e.xhibited,
and there were fair classes at the Crystal Palace in 1898.
The colour and pencilling is not only pretty, but seems to
suit the real Wyandotte shape very well only unfortunately ;

that shape has so far been much lacking, the deficient

Cochin breast being but too prominent in those e.xhibited.
This fault will doubtless be corrected in time.
Cuckoos are also seen occasionally. Such multiplication
of varieties is very undesirable in a purely cross-made
breed of this kind. Moreover, as the very idea of the
Wyandotte originally was a large useful bird with laced
plumage, it is difficult to see what selfs and quite different
markings have to do with it. It is certainly a pity that
three varieties with so much in common as Buff Wyan-
dottes, Buff Rocks, and Buff Orpingtons, all depending
upon Cochin blood for their origin, should be encouraged.
Like most cross-made breeds, the Wyandotte is hardy
when not too much inbred, its shape is extremely good for
table, and it is a wonderful layer of brown eggs, which,
however, are on the average a little small. The White
variety being easiest to breed, is the best layer, so far as
we know, and a large flock of birds of this colour has been
known to average 175 eggs in a year.

Jersey Blues are still bred in America, though not

popular in England they have as yet not established any
;

footing. They may be described as in shape a Pl3'mouth

Rock, slightly larger, with slightly longer neck and shorter
but with the colour of the Andalusian, both in legs and
tail,

plumage. They are no doubt a sport from the Plymouth

Rock, but a much less attractive fowl.
238 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
It is a little remarkable that while Americans are
generally admitted to have scarcely equalled English
breeders in the precision of exhibition points, they have
far surpassed them in the skill with which they have pro-
duced new and valuable breeds, with really difficult points,
out of complicated crosses. It is almost as remarkable to
observe how, by breeding consistently to a close-feathered
tj'pe, known to be connected with table quality and fertility,

they have thus produced, like the French, excellent table-

fowls and surpassing layers out of Asiatic materials.

CHAPTER XXI.
MISCELLANEOUS BREEDS.
Under this chapter we may which
collect several breeds
rarely have a own, but usually compete
class of their
together in a mixed class provided for such waifs and
strays or which, like Orpingtons, though filling good
;

classes, are less distinctive in character. Sultans usually

compete in the "Variety" class, but have already been
described under Polish fowls.

Scotch Greys. — This breed is rarely provided for in

England, but in large and good classes.
Scotland often fills

It might be called the Scotch Dorking. It is of the cuckoo

or Dominique colour, has single upright combs, and red
faces and ear-lobes. The legs vary a little, from bluish to
mottled blue and white like the Houdan, and nearly white ;

and there have been advocates of all. The size is about

that of the White Dorking, and the shape and carriage are
more sprightly than that of English Dorkings, somewhat
resembling the free and agile style of the Game fowl. The
flesh is good, and the bird hardy and a good layer, usually
 Orp/xgtons. 239

becoming broody once in the season, and being then a good

mother. It stands the Scottish cHmate better than most
fowls.
The difficulty in breeding, as usual, is to keep the
colour and marking good ; black, white, and coloured
feathers being apt to appear.

Orpingtons. —This breed was manufactured by Mr. W.

Cook in the little Kentish town whose name it bears. Mr.
Cook's account of the process is that he crossed large
Minorca cocks with black Plymouth Rock heiis, again
crossing the produce with clean-legged Langshans, breeding
afterwards by selection. The Langshan probably contains
Black Java blood, and the Rock almost certainly does it is ;

not, therefore, strange that the double cross of Asiatic blood

should have to all intents and purposes expelled or over-

powered the Minorca. Besides this, however, many sub-

sequent Langshan crosses have taken place, and it is known
that many clean-legged Langshans have been used and
exhibited as Orpingtons. The fowls as now exhibited and
known resemble in every visible point cobby, short-legged,
clean-legged Langshans, showing the real merits of that foAvl

in its best form. One exception may be made in the fact

that in some specimens there is a yellow tinge in the
shanks from the Plymouth Rock cross, which in a Langshan
would entail disqualification.
The black Orpingtons are massive and deep in bod}-,
with prominent breasts, and short, clean legs. They are
hardy, capital layers, good eating, and very general
favourites. They also lay brown eggs, and have the gloss of
the Langshan breed. Besides the single-combed variety,
which has the typical Langshan head in every point, from
rose-combed Langshans has been bred a rose-combed
variety of the black Orpington. These birds, from some
240 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
accidental peculiarity in the rose-combed Langshans em-
ployed, as a rule lay smaller eggs than the single-combed
birds.
The original Orpington is a most useful introduction.
Even though in many cases all but Langshan blood has
probably been expelled, by reversion to the stronger Asiatic

Orpingtons.

blood, the fowl has been bred to a compact, plump, well-

bodied tvpe which Langshan breeders have unfortunately
neglected or departed from. We
thus have to go to the
Orpington sub-type for a large black fowl of really satis-

factory table conformation. Except for the prejudice against

black legs, we have seen Orpingtons at exhibitions of table
poultry which left little to be desired, and were claimed by
London poulterers at a very early hour.
A buff Orpington has been lately introduced, or at least
 Buff " Orpingtons^' 241

a fowl so-called bv Mr. Cook but as this was bred quite

;

differently — it was stated to be compounded of Hamburgh,

Dorking, and Buff Cochin — there is not a single element
really in common, and there are serious objections to such
methods of nomenclature. There are, moreover, strong
grounds for the belief that the real origin of the variety
was rather in a local breed gradually formed during many
years in Lincolnshire, apparently from a foundation of Buff
Cochin on Dorking and farmyard fowls, and known as the
Lincolnshire Buff. These fowls were not bred to a precise
standard, some having yellow and some white shanks, some
clean and some scantily feathered but what they had
;

attained was far more " fixed by long local breeding in the
''

French manner, than any absolute recent cross. Many of

these Lincolnshire birds were admittedl}^ purchased b}' Mr.
Cook, and it is known that many others, selected for
smooth white legs, have been purchased and exhibited as
buff " Orpingtons," while yellow-legged ones have on the
other hand been shown as Plymouth Rocks. It is much to
be wished that these large, smooth-legged buff fowls could
have an independent name of their own, since they have
notoriously nothing to do with either the original Orpington
or Rock fowls. The buff " Orpington " is supposed to be
bred to the same standard as the black, except for its white
shanks and buff plumage ;
but this has not been the case
hitherto, all we have seen being much taller, and less
massive and broad in shape. Of all these manufactured
buff varieties, probably this white-legged one is best adapted
for the English market, as yellow legs are for the American ;

but breeding for buff colour with white shanks is attended

with difficulties, and by the time these are quite overcome
and yellow shanks banishetl, we fear the process of over-
coming them will have impaired some of the economic
merit the fowl originally possessed.
Q
 ;

242 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

DuMi'iKS. OR Ckkki'kks. —
This is a local Scotch breed
and has long been known under such names as Bakics, Go
Laighs, etc., but is now getting rather uncommon. It has
never been much valued in England. The principal char-
acteristic is the extreme shortness of the shank, or leg
bone, which should not exceed two inches from the hock-
joint to the ground. In other respects they most resemble
Dorkings, lacking, however, the fifth toe, and being more

hardy than that variety. The hens are fair layers of rather
large eggs, and as mothers cannot be surpassed. The
plumage is generally an irregular speckle, and it is difficult
to get them any uniform colour. The cock should weigh
6 or 7 and the hen 5 or 6 lb.
Dumpies certainly deserve to be better known. They
have no particular faults, and, combining as they do very
fair laying with great hardiness and first-class edible
qualities, they must be considered decidedly profitable fowls.
They also make splendid sitters for small and valuable eggs.
Their general resemblance to Courtes Pattes (described on
page 226) will not fail to be remarked.

Silkies. —
This fowl has a class at some shows. It

possesses two distinct peculiarities. The webs of the

feathers do not cling together as in other breeds, but
hang loose as silky or woolly fibres, which makes the bird
appear much larger than it really is, the actual weight of
the cock being generally about 3 lb. and of the hen
about 2 lb. The colour is usually pure white, but black
and other colours are occasionally seen. The second
peculiarity is the dark tint of the bones and skin, from
which the name of " negro " fowls is derived. The skin is

of a very dark violet colour, approaching to black, even the

comb and wattles being a dark purple, and the face a li\id
blue. The bones are also covered with a nearly black
 S/LKiEs AND Frizzles. 243

membrane, which makes the fowl anything but pleasant to

look at upon the table ;
but if the natural repugnance to
this can be overcome, the meat itself is white and very
good eating, indeed, superior to that of many other
breeds.
The comb should be rose, but is seldom very good in

shape. There is also a crest on the top of the head

standing rather up. The legs are feathered with silky
feathers, and have five toes ;
they are black, or rather blue
in colour. The leg-feathering is peculiarly apt to drop off
in the show-pen, or after washing ;
and as it is one of the
points in judging, this makes winning with Silkies very
much a matter of speculation.
The chief value of the Silky fowl is as a mother to
Bantam, or other small and delicate chickens, such as
pheasants or partridges. For such purposes they are
unequalled, the loose long plumage affording the most
perfect shelter possible and another useful point is that a
;

full nest of eggs will usually tempt the bird to sit within a

few days at any time. They are, of course, peculiarly sus-

ceptible to cold or wet, and have little other value than
that stated, except from their singular and not un-
ornamental appearance.
There is an occasional silky sport from the ordinary
Cochin fowl. The plumage resembles that of the preceding
variety ; but in every other point the fowl is a true-bred

Cochin. The loose feathering being no real protection

from wet, this breed, like the other, is delicate in our
climate.

Frizzled Fowls present a most remarkable appearance,

every feather in good specimens being curved, or turned
back from the body, so as to show a portion of the under
side, like the curved feathers in the tail of a common drake.
Q2
244 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
The colour of the plumage is generally white, and the comb
double : but black and various colours are also seen.
Frizzled fowls are, as might be supposed, often delicate,
and uncertain layers, though we have met with other
strains which were stated to be hardy, and very good in
the latter respect. They are very common in the Mauritius,
where they are reckoned amongst the most useful poultry.
As a rule, however, their peculiar plumage cannot and
does not suit a damp climate. We may add that, though
" frizzled," the plumage should not be ragged.^ but every

feather sound and neat. The handsomest of all are black.

There are also Frizzles so small as to be shown in Bantam
classes.

RuMPLESS Fowls are of various colours, the only

essential characteristic being the absolute want of a tail, or
of any approach to one. It is, indeed, exceedingly difficult
to breed any particular colour, as few persons have interest
in the breed sufficient to persevere long enough for securing
uniformity. The handsomest are white black also looks;

well ;but speckled are most common. The size also varies
much, ranging from 7 lb. each, down to Bantam size.

Naked Necks. — On several occasions there have ap-

peared at exhibitions some fowls imported froip Austria,
and stated to be bred in Transylvania, with the curious,
and to ourselves, hideous peculiarity of having no feathers
on the neck. The heads are feathered, and the appearance
is just as if the entire neck below the head had been
plucked, except that the skin is of a red colour. Other
points have differed, and we have seen one bird of a pair
with clean, and the other feathered shanks. The only
merit of the fowl is singularity, but of a kind that is

singularly repulsive.
246 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
YoKOHAMAS, Phcexix Fowls. — There have been in-

troduced from Japan, through German importers, some

very pecuhar fowls, mostly known in England under
the above names. The general character of the bodies
and heads, and the colours, resemble that of Game fowls ;

Piles and Black-reds being the usual colours. The

peculiar point is the immense length of the cock's hackles
and streamers. Those called " Phoenix have been longer ''

in feather than others shown as Yokohamas but we believe ;

the whole class to be one race at the bottom, and it is to be

hoped that some one name may be adopted. In Germany,
for want of stock, many have had to be crossed with
common Game fowls and even so, tails three and four feet
;

long have been produced but sickles nearly seven feet long
;

have been dropped by some of the importations, and at Tokio,

in Japan, there are said to be feathers nearly 27 feet in
length. The illustration is engraved from a painting made
in Germany.
This breed is of course of purely ornamental value, and
much care is required to keep the plumage in good order.
Length of feather, if in decent condition, will naturally be
the chief point in judging.

CHAPTER XXII.
BANTAMS.
Thrre is not the slightest reason for supposing that any of
the diminutive fowls known as Bantams are descended from
an original wild stock. They are in many cases the exact
counterparts of ordinary domestic breeds, carefully dwarfed
and perfected by the art of man and even where this is not
;

so,the process by which they were produced is occasionally

on record. They are, in fact, more than any other class,
 Sebright Bantams. 247

"artifaial fowls," and their attract ivene.-.s consists ratlicr in

their heauty than in aiiv economic value.

Sebrights. —Cock not to exceed twenty, and hen six-

teen ounces. For exhibition still less is preferable, but not

for breeding. Carriage of the cock, the most conceited it is

possible to conceive ofhead thrown back till it touches the

;

nearly upright tail wings drooping halfway down the legs;

;

motions restless and lively, always strutting about as if

seeking for antagonists. The bird is, in fact, " game to the
backbone," and will attack the largest fowl with the utmost
impudence.
Plumageclose and compact, and every feather laced with
black round the edge. The shoulder and tail coverts are
all

the parts most likely to be faulty in this but in tirst-class

;

birds every single feather must be properly edged right up

to the head. This part usually appears darker from the
smaller size of the feathers but the nearer the head is to
;

the rest of the body in colour the better. The only excep-
tions allowable in the lacing are on the primary quills or
flight feathers of the wings, which should have a clear
ground, and be only tipped with black. The tail feathers
ought to be laced, and in the hen must be so but in the ;

cock this is rather rare. In his case a clear ground colour

throughout, nicely tipped with black, may be allowed to
pass instead. The cock must be perfectly hen-feathered
throughout, his tail not only square and straight, without
sickles,but the neck and saddle hackles resembling those of
the hen. The late Mr. Hewitt, however, a most eminent
authority on this breed, remarked to us that while this is

imperative for exhibition, he always found such cocks nearly

or quite sterile, probably in consequence of the long inter-
breeding necessary to maintain such a point in perfection.
He recommends, therefore, that a cock for breeding should
248 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
show a slight approach to sickle-lcathcring, when the eggs
willbecome productive.
The comb should be a perfect rose, with a neat spike
behind, pointing rather upwards, and free from any depres-
sion, and rather livid in colour. Face round the eye rather
dark. Eye itself a sparkling red. The ear is bluish. Bill
slate-coloured ;
legs blue and clean.
There are two varieties. In the gold laced the ground
colour is a rich golden yellow. In the silver laced, a pure
white. In both cases the ground must be perfectly clear
and unsullied, varied only by the clear black line round
each feather, which constitutes the lacing.
These remarks apply to the original strain, and those on
colour of comb, face, and ears, still apply to the Golds. For
many years, however, breeders used to cross their Silver
with Golden, and the result was that the silver ground
became yellower and yellower, until the so-called " Silvers "
hardly ever won in competition with good Golds. Just as
matters came to this pass, an entirely new strain of Silvers
of dazzling whiteness and dense black lacing burst upon the
scene from Scotland, and carried all before them. How
they were bred has never yet been divulged but their ;

combs were bright red, the ears fairly white, and though the
hen-tail was good, the carriage of the cocks is far less
strutting than that of the old strain. The superiority of
this new Silver strain in lacing and hardiness has now,
unfortunately, in its turn all but e.Ktinguished the Golden
Sebright.

Black. —This
one of the most popular Bantam classes.
is

The plumage uniform black, with no trace of rust, or

is a
any other colour, and in the cock, with a bright lustre like
that of the Spanish fowl. Tail of the cock full and well
arched ;
legs short, dark blue or black in colour, and
Z !S

a a
 Black and White Bantams. 249

perfectly clean. Comb a bright red rose. Ear-lobes white ;

face red ; in brief, the bird should resemble a miniature

Black Hamburgh. Cock not to exceed twenty, hen eighteen
ounces.
There have been changes of fashion in this breed of
Bantams. At one time a slim, upstanding Gamey shape and
carriage were bred for. In reaction from this came a plump
body and cobby stj'le of bird with high tail. The Ham-
burgh type as regards shape and sj'mmetry is now accepted,
particular stress being laid upon neat combs and smooth,
well-developed ear-lobes.
Black feather-legged Bantams have now and then been
shown under the name of Black Booted. We have seen
them with the foot-feather as long as their bodies. During
recent years they have been very much ousted by the far
more widely known Black Pekin, or Cochin breed.

White. — Except that the legs are white and delicate, all

other points are similar to the Black Bantam, changing the

colour of the plumage from black to a spotless white. It
should, however, be remembered that while the white ear-
lobe is required by most judges, as in the black variety,
there are some who prefer a red^ and this latter we must
express our own decided opinion is much the smartest
looking, and harmonises better with the white plumage.
The most usual fault is a yellowish colour in the cock's
saddle. A single comb is, of course, fatal.

A
very pretty feather-legged White Bantam was not
unfrequently seen but this also is nearly displaced now by
;

the White Cochin variety.

—
Nankin. This is one of the old breeds of Bantams, and
at one time nearly disappeared, but attempts have been
recently made to re-introduce it. The ground colour is a
250 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
pale orange yellow, usually with a little pencilling on the
hackle. The best tail, to our fancy, is a pure black, with
the coverts slightly bronzed. The comb is rose ;
and the
dark legs should be perfectly clean.

Cuckoo. —These Bantams should be miniature Scotch

Greys. A strain also exists which, like these in other
respects, has a rose comb.

Pekin or Cochin Bantams. —This most remarkable of

all Bantam breeds was first introduced in i860, the original
progenitors having been stolen from the Summer Palace at
Pekin during the Chinese war. They were first shown in
1863. They exactly resemble Buff Cochins in colour and
form, possessing the feathered leg, abundant fluff, and all

the other characteristics of the parent breed in full per-

fection, and presenting a most singular appearance. This
strain, however, became practically extinct. The importa-
tions were very few, and several even of these died, the
breed being delicate and the owner of what was the chief
;

stock for many years, seemed to care more for having some-
thing which no one else had, than for saving the breed,
which might have been done by spreading it amongst a few
other hands. Further birds were, however, imported in
1884, and by crossing these with the few left, and with
other feather-legged varieties, this quaint breed was resusci-
tated, and is now well spread. Blacks and Whites are also
bred of fine quality, as well as the original buffs and of ;

late, thanks to the efforts of the late Mr. W. F. Entwisle,

Partridge Cochin Bantams have been added to the list,

being, however, as yet rather large.

Japanese. Several — strains of Bantams have been

imported from Japan. All agree in being exceedingly
 Game and Various Bantams. 251

short-Ieggcd, and most have very upright tails. Some are

cuckoo colour and feather-legged, but what is usuallyknown
as the Japanese Bantam has short, clear legs, a white body,
and a very upright or squirrel tail, the sickles, or rather
scimitar feathers, being dense bronze black with a sharp
white edging. The combs are single and upright. This
variety is shown in the right-hand upper corner of the
plate.

Game B.a.ntams. —In Game Bantams the plumage is

precisely similar to the corresponding varieties of the Game

fowl, from which they were undoubtedly obtained by long
interbreeding, and continually selecting the smallest speci-
mens, occasionally, perhaps, crossing with a Bantam to
expedite the process. The carriage and form must also be
similar,and the drooping wing, so common in other
Bantams, would infallibly disqualify a pen of Game.
In courage and " bottom " Game Bantams are not
behind their larger relatives. In constitution they are the
hardiest of all Bantam breeds. Black-reds, Duckwings,
Brown-reds, and Piles are all At one time the
shown.
Black-reds were far the best, but the others are now fully
equal to them ; and in all the colours, the long legs and
stylish carriage are now attained as fully as in the larger
Game, there being no shortcoming in any respect.

Variety Bantams. — During late years, owing chiefly to

the skill of the late Mr. W. F. Entwisle, by crossing with
existing Bantams and breeding size down, almost all the
larger breeds of poultryhave been reproduced in Bantam
form. The proper standard of size, Mr. Entwisle con-
sidered, was one-fifth the weight of the original breed.
We can only give a list of the breeds and varieties which
have been thus produced. In addition to the foregoing,
•252 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
there have been exhibited Malays in several colours, Aseels,
Andalusians, Leghorns in several colours, Hamburghs both
pencilled and spangled, Polish, Spanish, Dark and Light
Brahmas, Houdans, Silver-grey Dorkings, Silkies, and
Sultans. We confess that some of them do not appear to
us worth the trouble of production, especially considering
their little practical value.
Bantam chickens require, for a week or two, a little

more animal food than other fowls, and, rather extra care
to keep theni dry. After that they are reared as easily as
other birds, and should indeed be rather scantily fed to
keep down the size. Rice is often largely employed in
their diet for the same purpose, and so is late hatching ;

but this tends to shorten the tails and other furnishing of

the cocks. It is better to rely upon an avoidance of such
grains and meals as are rich in nitrogen —thus dispensing in

particular with grits,and middlings and

oats, oatmeal, —
feeding scantily at longer intervals. This does not imply
starvation, but on the very contrary the highest health and
condition the ample and frequent feeding with which
;

other poultry is often pushed on, by no means always

producing the greatest degree of bodily vigour and activity.
In the Bantam we desire simply to produce the light and
flesh which is
nimble grace of nature, rather than the heavy
the breeder's object in many
Most of the hens
other cases.
are good mothers, and are often employed to rear small
game; and are not bad layers if the eggs were only larger.
We believe them, however, to produce quite as much for

their food as ordinary breeds. But their chief use is in

the garden, where they eat many slugs and insects, with
very little damage. On this account they may be usefully
kept where a separate poultry-yard is found impracticable.
We should prefer the Game variety, as being hardiest ; and,
being good foragers, five or six of these may be kept in a
 Turkeys. 253

garden for almost nothing, requiring only a house two feet

square to roost and lay in.

Bantam eggs are just nicely cooked by pouring boiling

water over them in a breakfast cup, on the table.

CHAPTER XXIII.

TrRKKVS. GUIXiiA-FOWL. PKA-KOWL.

The most opposite opinions have been expressed by dif-

ferent breeders as to whether or not the rearing of turkeys

in England is profitable. The mortality in turkey chicks is

very often tremendous, and quite sufficient to eat up any

possible amount of profit; but there are persons who for
years have reared almost every chick ;
and, under these
circumstances, they
will yield a very fair return. For
about the first weeks or two months turkey chicks, as
six

usually reared in England, are cxcessu'elx delicate as regards

wet. The very slightest shower, even in warm weather, will
often carry off half of a large brood. When about two
months old, however, the red naked protuberances about
the neck and throat begin to appear, and as soon as these
are fairly developed, or the birds " shoot the red," as it is

called, the chicks become poults^ and are hardier than most
other fowls.
The large importation recently of the American bronze
turkey, and consequent increase of information about
American methods, have lately shown that the causes of
this early delicacy have not been altogether understood.
It has not been sufficiently taken into account that the
turkey, like the pheasant, still retains in large degree its

character and constitution as a iciUl bird ; and accordingly,

 254 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
like the pheasant, is poisoned by, or extraordinarily sensi-
tive to, both tainted ground, and complaints caused by
inactivity and over-feeding. Mr. Tegetmeier has done
much to make this matter clear, and has published from
time to time convincing evidence that when reared really at
liberty on very wide range over fresh, high, dry ground,
healthy turkey chicks are hardy and brave the weather.
He quotes especially the State experiments at Rhode
where it was found that such housing as is usual in
Island,
England led to heavy mortality that restricted liberty put
;

them out of condition from want of exercise, and full

feeding also caused disease ;
whereas wide range on clean
ground, scanty feeding, and sleeping out of doors, gave
health, and ultimatel}' even greater weight.
We may also quote * the experience of Mr. George
Tucker, one of the largest American raisers, who rears
hundreds every year Prudence Island. After only
in
average success by old methods, he now makes his nests
out of old barrels turned on one side and placed in out-of-
the-way corners. Early eggs may or not be given to hens,
.butwhen the turkey stag's on the nest two days, seventeen
are given to herself, choosing the same age as nearly as
possible. When the two days old they are
chicks are
removed with the hen remote part of the farm, where
to a
each brood is placed in a triangular open pen formed of
merely three boards twelve feet long, care being taken that
there is no hollow in the ground to hold rain. Only four
or five such broods or pens are placed in a twenty-acre field,
which they are to occupy, and the pens are moved fre-
quently for five or six days, after which they are let out and
allowed free range. They are fed on corn meal mixed with
sour milk, and given drinks of sour milk, but no water.

* From Farming (Canada).

 Rearing Turkeys. 255

After four weeks tracked maize is mixed, and this gradually

displaces the meal, but is still moistened with the milk ;

feeding being at first thrice and later on twice a day. The

young Avoman who attends to the feeding has about three
miles to walk upon her round. Mr. Tegetmeier has
collected similar evidence from others, by who do best
removing the broods very early to the highest and driest
pastures, farthest from the homestead, and leaving them in
the open, any which stay about the house always suffering
most from disease.
These facts are most valuable and suggestive, but do not
give us all the truth. It is not the fact, as Mr. Tegetmeier
represents, that the climate of America " is more severe
than our own," except as to the winters on the contrary, ;

during the rearing season it is farmore uniformly warm and

dry. Neither is it the fact that birds reared by "English
methods " die, to any such extent as represented, under the
management of experienced rearers. If this were indeed so,
turkeN's could not have been reared commercial!}' at all, as
they have been for many years, nor could the
hundreds of
tons have been sent over from Normandy, where similar
methods are pursued. Where such a system as above
described has succeeded in the far damper climate of
England has been mostly in woodland country, which
it is

at the command of very few, or on large farms where a

comparatively few are reared. Americans, again, have not
to take fox-preserving into account.
But there is a further matter to be considered ; for there
are in fact two kinds of hardiness and two kinds of delicacy
involved, and there are in this respect very great differences
in breeds. The American bronze is often half-bred wild
and seldom far removed from wild, hence it does best under
wild conditions. It is hardier to mere exposure; and more
sensitive to tainted ground, confined air, or other effects of
256 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
connnement, like wild races of men.* On the other hand,
our long-domesticated races, like the Norfolk or Cambridge,
have been profoundly modified (as shown by increased
number of eggs, like the fowl), and have become
more
more delicate as regards wet or
tolerant of restriction, while
other exposure. This, and the immense difference between
England and America in extent and rental of lantj, all have
to be taken into account, if the best is to be done with a
given strain under given circumstances.
To be practical. Turkey rearing should not be
attempted except on dry soil, preferably pretty high and
where the grass is poor, and not tainted b}' any heavy head
of other poultry, especially by ducks or geese. The greatest
care should be taken to avoid anv in-breeding, by regular
introductions of fresh unrelated blood and the breeding
;

stock never be allowed to get over-fat, as presently noted.

Too many hens to one gobbler should also be avoided.
One union is sufficient to fertilise all of the eggs in one
laying of the turkey-hen, and hence it has been said that

the number of hens to one turkey-cock may be unlimited.

The best breeders, however, find that as the number of hens
allowed to one bird approaches a dozen, the chicks show
falling off in constitution and the number ought therefore
;

to be limited to about this.

Tlie turkey-cock may be used for breeding at two years
okl, and the hen at twelve months, but are not in their
prime till a year older. They will be first-class breeding
stock, as a rule, for at least two years later, and many cocks
in particular will breed splendid chickens for considerably
longer. Here a verycommon mistake is made, even by the
Norfolk breeders, who are apt to sell their larger and older
birds and breed from young stock, in order to save the

* We have noted a somewhat similar iiiitance of special delicacy to

confinement in the splashed Ancona amongst fowls.

 Breeding Turkeys. 257

keep of large birds through the winter and get a better

price. Now repeated experiments have been made on this
point, of which we will only quote one, recorded in
America, where turkeys are reared far more systematically
than in England. A raiser bred from an unusually large
and strong gobbler, bred the preceding season, but weighing
25 lb., and very fine j-earling hens. All were from a large
strain, and gave a fine flock, several pairs weighing 35 lb.

at seven months old. The birds were kept over, and next
year the cock weighed over 30 lb., and the hens 18 lb. :

there were that season more pairs iveighiug 40 lb. than

there had been 35 lb. the year before and they were ;

hardier and reared with less trouble.

This rule is iiniversal. The only thing to be said
against it is, that a very heavy gobbler is sometimes too
much for the hens. This, however, is avoided in America
by shutting up the gobblers a while before breeding, and
feeding sparingly, but on good food, so as to reduce their
weight. Both gobblers and hens, in fact, should be as large
inframe as possible, but not in the least fat and heavy.
The best chicks, with a very large father, come from hens
14 lb. to 17 lb. each, and chicks from plump, heavy
parents, are far less hardy. Special care should be exercised
to weed out birds which have a short keel or breast-bone,
which is a great fault, and will reduce the price, affecting
carving most seriously.
In regard to the housing of breeding stock, an important
lesson is to be drawn from the experience above cited. If

even a large and high roosting-house be enclosed, it will be

noticed how the birds hurry out in the morning they want —
fresh air. A
turkey-house should not face towards cold
aspects ;
but having seen to that point, it should be entirely
open in front^ and, if possible, the front of the shed higher
than the back. Then if the perch be as near the back wall
R
258 The Practical Poultry Kleper.
as will allow rouiii, they will have all the shelter they
require.
The best time to hatch the chicks out is in the months
of Mayand June, or even July and all eggs set should be
;

marked, as the turkey often lays several after commencing

incubation. A very good plan is to give a turkey'^ tir^t
eggs to a common hen. In a state of nature, the turkey-
cock is constantly seeking to destroy both the eggs and
chickens, which the female as sedulously endeavours to
conceal from him. There is generally more or less of the
same disposition when domesticated, but the behaviour of
many cocks is quite unexceptionable ; and as such a quiet
disposition saves a great deal of trouble, it is always worth
while to ascertain the character of the cock of the year in
this respect.
Domestication has also, in England, profoundly affected
the fecundity of the turkey. Early in the nineteenth century
the hen often laid only a dozen eggs, rarely more tha'A
eighteen at one and her second batch was rarely in
la3'ing,

time to hatch with Very recently we heard of a hen

profit.

(hatched in June, 1896) which laid her first egg on Decem-

ber 22nd of the same year. The second batch is very often
now in time to hatch and rear if desired, and the number
has considerably increased. A batch of 20 eggs is now not
at all uncommon, and we have heard of occasional hens
laying as many as 50 eggs in one year. One was recorded
as laying 70 eggs, but we do not know on what evidence.
The turkey-hen is very prudish, but gives scarcely any
trouble while sitting. She sits so constantly, that in con-
finement it is needful to remove her daily from her nest to
feed, or she would absolutely starve, unless she has made
her own nest in a shrubbery or plantation, when she may be
trusted. Nevertheless, when absent she is apt to be forget-
ful, and, therefore, if allowed to range at liberty, care should
 Rais/ng Turkeys. 259

be taken that she returns in time twenty minutes. — A

better plan, however, have her liberty, only in a
is to let her
confined run of grass. Besides her daily feed, a water vessel
and some soft food should be always within her reach. No
one must visit the hatching-house but the regular attendant,
or the hens will get startled, and probably break many eggs,
which easily happens from the great weight of the birds.
The chicks break the shell from the twenty-sixth to the
twenty-ninth day, scarcely ever later. The day but one
before the hatching is expected, the hen should be plenti-
fully fed, dung or feathers during
the nest cleaned of any
her absence, and an ample supply of food and water placed
where she can reach it, as she inn^t not again be disturbed
till the chicks are out. There will rarely fail to be a good
hatch. The egg-shells may be cleared away after hatching
has proceeded some hours, but the chicks should never be
taken away from the hen, and never be forced to eat.
Water or milk may be given, however, by dipping the tip
of the finger or a camel-hair pencil in the fluid, and
applying it to the end of their beaks.
And now for the chicks. These are often fed on oat-
meal, etc., like the young of other poultry and it does not
;

answer. Nearly all the young birds which die otherwise

than from wet, do so from a strong tendency under our
artificial feeding to diarrhoea, or other inflammatory irrita-

tion of the intestines, which has always to be watched

against. The constant maintenance of eager appetite, with
plenty of exercise, one great means towards this. Ex-
is

perienced rearers feed for the first few davs on hard-boiled

egg^ mixed with some stale bread-crumbs and a little of

some kind of salad, and sometimes after the first day with
milk-curd, which must, however, be squeezed very dry.
The best green food right through for young turkeys is
dandelion leaves^ chopped fine at first and where they are;

R 2
26o The Practical Poultry Keeper.
regularly reared, itworth while to see there is a
is well
supply, which is When they have a choice,
but too easy.
they prefer this to all others, and its known tonic and biliary
properties explain the reason. At all events, nothing more
helps turkey chicks to thrive but it must not be overdone.
;

After a week or so, barley-meal and bread-crumbs may be

gradually added, till, at the end of three weeks, the egg is as
gradualh' left off altogether. By degrees, also, a little hard
grain and boiled potato may be given, but avoiding too soft
or new grain carefully. " Little and often'" at first, but

gradually coming down to four and three times a day, and

feeding rather sparingly than otherwise.
The following tonic, often used in France, is sometimes
useful.
Powdered cassia hark ... ... ... 3 oz.
,, ginger 10 „
,, gentian ... ... ... i ,,

,, aniseed .. ... ... i ,,

Iron carbonate ... ... ... ... 5 ,,

Or in like proportions. This may be mixed with the meal

food occasionally at the rate of a small to large teaspoonful
for a fair brood, especially at five to ten weeks old, choosing
the worst days, or if they seem to flag ; on signs of diarrhoea
it is also a useful corrective.
In our damp climate it is very desirable to have ample
but open shedding or roofed coops, under which the chicks
can be cooped for at least a week. With Norfolk or Cam-
bridge birds, such shelter should be always at hand, and the
hen, at least, kept out of wet grass. But we may learn from
our American cousins that the more liberty they can have
almost from the first, on short dry grass, or on dry soil, the

better and with the semi-wild American bronze strains

;

now so widely distributed this is even more important, and

such may have freer range and exposure, if that range is
 Fattening Turkeys. 261

wide and dry enough to keep the ground pure. In that

case these fine strains will do better kept away from the
house and yard, provided foxes are not preserved in the
neighbourhood (another point which Mr. Tegetmeier seems
to have forgotten). But our more domesticated breeds will
do best, on the whole, kept carefully out of the wet till nine
or ten weeks old, when they begin to " put out the red."
When this growth of the red on the neck is complete they
will be pretty fully fledged, and as regards the weather, may

be considered hardy: even in America, under the "wild"

system, most deaths are found to occur just before this crisis
in their growth.
To finish or fatten for market different systems are
adopted. All agree that on very wide range little food is

needed during August and September, as they find a great

deal. In America they are usually fattened by giving them
after that what Indian corn they will eat, the white grain
being preferred, and care taken not to give much new corn
of the year, which causes diarrhoea. In Normandy, whence
several thousand tons are sometimes sent over to England
for Christmas, it is customary during the last three weeks to
cram them morning and evening with dough composed of
barley-meal, boiled potatoes, and some bran and minced
grass, which is made into boluses, each dipped in milk as
given ; but the birds are still driven out to pasture all day.
The best English birds are also left at liberty, but fed freely
for some weeks, mainly on soft food. But in parts of
Norfolk and other places they are often put up to fatten, in
stables or sheds, or pens made of wattles and furze, well
littered down with peat moss, raked over every other day,
and with a dust-bath in one corner, and perches about a
yard from the ground. They are mainly fed on oatmeal,
Indian meal, and barley-meal mixed equally, with the house
scraps and some boiled potatoes, and made up with skimmed
262 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
milk if obtainable. A little grain is generally given after the
evening feed, and many feeders give an occasional whole
meal of grain as a treat. For the last fortnight some rough
suet is often mixed with the meal. Most of the time
between meals most feeders keep the shed in semi-darkness;
but many let them out for half an hour before feeding,
getting them quietly in again for the meal, and then
darkening as before. They should have grit also, and a
little cut grass. Insect vermin must be sedulously guarded
against from the first to the final stage. We have already
said that those meant for breeding should never be fattened
up in any way.
The ordinary English turke}' is of two kinds —the
Norfolk (black all over) and the Cambridge. The latter is

of all colours —the our fancy, being a dark copper-

best, to
bronze ;
but fawn colour and pure white are often seen, as
are also variegated birds, which occasionally present a very
magnificent appearance. In early editions of this work we
expressed the hope that English stock might be improved
by crossing with the much larger American bronze hirke\\
containing chiefly wild blood. Long ere this, repeated
importations have been made of this noble strain, and the
advantages have been even greater than we had expected.
The average size of the Birmingham prize birds has not
only been greatly increased, but the hardiness has been
even more benefited and there are now probably no prize
;

English strains which are not at least half American blood.

The magnificent plumage of the American breed is another
point in its favour. The heaviest recorded American
weight is 45 lb. The new blood
is, however, while
hardier regarding exposure, speciall}- sensitive to tainted
ground, as above noted.
The magnificent Honduras, or ocellated turkey, has
unfortunately never been successfully domesticated. It
 Guinea Fowls. 263

breeds freely in confinement, but appears to require a

tropical climate.

Guinea-fowl. —This bird, called also the Gallina and

Pintado^ mates in pairs, and an equal number of males and
females must therefore be provided to prevent disappoint-
ment. A single male should not inany case have more
than two hens. There appear to be ten or twelve wild
varieties, but onlv one has been domesticated in this
countr}-.
To commence breeding Guinea-fowls, it is needful to
procure some eggs and set them under a common hen for ;

if old birds be purchased they will wander off for miles as

soon as they are set at libert}', and never return. If hatched
in the poultry-yard, however, and regularly fed, they will
remain ;
but must always have one meal regularly at night,
or they will scarcety ever roost at home. Nothing, how-
ever, will persuade them to sleep in the fowl-house, unless
it is large and lofty, and they usually roost in the lower
branches of a tree.

The hen lays pretty freely from May or June to about

August, often 90 or 100 eggs in a season. She is a very
shy bird, and if eggs are taken from her nest with her
knowledge, will forsake it altogether, and seek another,
which she conceals with the most sedulous care. It is best
to give the earliest eggs to a common hen, as the Guinea-
fowl herself frequentl}' sits too late to rear a brood. If
" broodv ''
indue season, however, slie rarely fails to hatch
nearly all. Incubation is from twenty-six to twenty-nine
or thirty days.
The chicks require food almost immediately —within, at
most, ten hours after hatching — and should be fed and cared
for in the same manner as young
turke3's. It should be

observed, however, that they require while very young

264 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
more constant feeding than other chickens, a few hours'
abstinence being fatal to them and they need also rather
;

more animal food to rear them successfully and keep them

in good condition, especially in the winter. The chicks are
very strong on their legs, and in fine weather may be
allowed to wander with the hen when very young.
The male and very apt to beat
birds are quarrelsome,
other fowls. They may be known from
the females by the
wattles being nearly double the size also the hen alone ;

"
utters the peculiar cry so well known as " Come back !

The flesh of the Guinea-fowl is of exquisite flavour,

much like that of the pheasant. The body is very plump
and well-proportioned. Like all other finely-flavoured birds,
it should never be over-fed or crammed, as is sometimes done.
Who would think of cramming a pheasant to make it more
" fit for table " ?

—
Pea -FOWL. The distinguishing characteristics of this
well-known bird are the crest or aigrette on the top of the
head, and the peculiar structure of the tail covert feathers".
The true tail of the peacock is short and hidden, and what
we call the " tail " is, strictly speaking, an excessive develop-
ment of the tail coverts, which occasionally
or side feathers,
have been known to extend more than a yard and a half
from their insertions.
The colour of the ordinary peacock is too well known to
need description. White and pied varieties are also bred,
but are, in our judgment, far less ornamental. This
species, called by naturalists Pavo cristatus, has a crest con-
sisting of about two dozen feathers, only webbed at the
very tips.

There is another variety known as the Javan Pea-fowl,

or Favo inuticns. This bird is larger than the common
Pea-fowl, the male sometimes measuring more than seven
 Pea Fowls. 265

feet from the bill to the end of the " tail." The naked
space round the eye is also of a livid blue colour, and the
feathers of the neck are laminated, or resernbling scales.
The most characteristic difference, however, is in the crest,
which is much higher, and the feathers of which are
webbed, though rather scantily, from the base, instead of
being bare till near the tips. The bird also differs in only
possessing his long and splendid ocellated train during the
breeding season, at other times appearing with feathers not
so long, and destitute of the well-known "eyes,'' but of a
rich green with gold reflections, beautifully and regularly
"barred," or "pencilled," on a very large scale, with whity-
brown. This splendid bird is not very common.
A third variety has recently been described, called the
" black-winged " Pea-fowl, in which the shoulders and most
of the wing in the The hen is much
male bird are black.
lighter than the common breed, being generally of a cream
colour, with a dark back.
Pea-fowl are of a very wild disposition, and generally
roost either on trees or on the very top ridge of a roof, to
which they fly with ease. The hen lays in the greatest
seclusion, and must be allowed to select her own nest,
usually deep in a shrubbery. She lays generally from five
to nine eggs, but sometimes considerably more. The time
of incubation is about twenty-eight to thirty days. One
cock should not have more than three or four hens.
It is no use setting Pea-fowl eggs under common hens,
which forsake their chickens long before the young Pea-
chicks can endure the night air. The Pea-hen goes with
her brood nearly six months, and the chicks need this.
They have, however, been reared in an artificial brooder.
They are fed and cared for as turkeys, but must be let out
on the grass always in dry weather, or they will not thrive.
The food is also similar in general ; but some worms or
266 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
other insect food should be provided in addition, in default
of which some raw meat cut fine is the best substitute.
Pea-fowl are tolerably familiar, and if regularly well fed
will get very tame, and tap at the window when neglected.
They are, however, ill-natured, and frequently beat and
even kill other fowls, sometimes even attacking children.
From this cause they are ill adapted to keep in a general
poultry-yard, apart from their natural impatience of
restraint. Young chickens in particular the cocks will
often kill, and we believe eat them afterwards. Their only
place is on the lawn or in the park, where the splendid

hues of the cocks show to great advantage, and their

peculiar shrill scream is not too near to be disagreeable,
and where they can nest in their own wild way. They do
not reach maturity until three years old.

CHAPTER XXIV.
DUCKS.

These waterfowl cannot be kept successfully unless the

breeding and exhibition stock has access to water sufficient
to swim in. Without this the eggs are always more or less

unfertile, and constitution fails. If there be pretty good

range over garden, or farm, or roadside, however, an iron
cistern a few feet across, sunk in the ground, may be made
to suffice for this,and the birds will still be healthy and
wandering over the soil for slugs and insects. A pen
fertile,

of ducks is most useful in a garden, doing little damage and

eating all the slugs they can find strawberries, however,
:

must be carefully protected from them. The wild duck is

monogamous, but in domestication the eggs from three or
four ducks to one drake are generalh' fertile.

It is very different with ducklings for market, which are

 Rearing Ducks. 267

reared in thousands without swimming at all, in very small

space. Hence duck-rearing has been found a lucrative
industry in many parts of the world.
The house for a pen of ducks need only be a few feet
square, but must be well ventilated above. The floor must
be dry, preferably of flags or concrete, sloping down a little
from the bed-place. On this dry straw is laid, renewed
clean every two or three days. If they have good range
they will only need a little meal and grain twice a day ; if

not much range they need more, and must have some
animal food, considerably more than fowls. They also need
ample lime rubbish and sharp grit, the latter of which
should also be freely put in a trough of water. They are
best shut up in the house till nine or ten in the morning,
by which time they have generally laid, otherwise many
eggs will be lost.

For exhibition (of the larger breeds) only a few of the

very best of the young ones should be put by themselves,
and pushed on with grain and meal, but in a hardy way.
Both these and ducklings meant to be kept for stock,
however, are better not let into the water till three or
four weeks old. In nature the mother duck pushes them
in at once, and this seems to harden the skin so that no
harm results. But with hens or incubators they cannot be
thus early hardened, and catch cold, as they will also do in
a shower of rain. Hot sun will also kill many; and it
needs to be remembered, therefore, that young ducklings
must be kept out of both hot sun and rain.
Ducklings for market are reared upon quite a different
system, which varies a little, however, amongst rearers both
in England and America. As is well known, thousands of
tons are reared yearly in Aylesbury for the London market.
The supply has so increased that the very high prices once
realised for early ones have somewhat declined, but fine
268 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
couples in January even yet sometimes realise a sovereign,
gradually decreasing to June. And yet it is curious that
early ones are easier and more quickly prepared than for the
latter month. Eggs, however, are scarce, which limits early
production.
Round Aylesbury the rearers collect eggs as soon after
Michaelmas as possible. These are still largely set under
hens, though incubators are also used in the latter a little
;

lower temperature is necessary than for chickens, and

generally rather more moisture. The eggs hatch in twenty-
eight days, and the ducklings are left for twenty-four hours.
After that, some rearers put about fifty with one hen, to
brood them a little in turn others put them in warm boxes
;

by the fire. For a few days they are fed chiefly on a

mixture of hard-boiled egg, boiled rice, and bread-crumb ;

later on chiefly on barley-meal mixed with boiled greaves

chopped up, and mixed with the liquor the greaves were
boiled in, grit being freely supplied, the feeds coming
down from five or six per day to four. Chopped green
food is also given. As to accommodation, all rearers do
not manage alike, except that while very young they are
crowded pretty thickly, all indoors ; later on they have a
little more room. Some will put, say, 150 ducklings in a
room twelve with an outer yard, and allow them
feet square,

to dabble for an hour in a small tank of water. Others

keep them always under cover, in a warm place. They are
always kept in with little light after meals, and fresh straw
or peat-moss should be given daily. By eight or ten weeks
they should be ready market, weighing about 4 to 5 lb.
for

each, and if kept beyond that begin to moult and lose in

fle^h and value. The general breed is the Aylesbur}-.
Of late years the vale of iVylesbury has been losing much
of its pre-eminence as a duck-raising centre, large numbers
being bred and fattened in Norfolk, Surrey, and other
 Duck Farming. 269

localities, and largely by the use of incubators, whilst the

Aylesbury rearers adhere too much to old-fashioned
methods. A very usual method is to push them on well
for about seven weeks on a proper mixture of meals,
granulated meat, and green food, keeping them out of the
water, and at about that age to put them up for sixteen or
twenty days of fattening, during which time locust-bean
meal, fat, and the intestines of animals minced up are added
to the food. They should then be ready for killing, and if
kept on much beyond this point generally begin to moult
and lose weight. They have to be kept carefully out of
both rain and sun, generally in sheds about 12 feet square,
with an outer yard, which may accommodate about 150
birds. The greatest profit is of course realised in those got
to market along with green peas.
In America duck-marketing is carried on chiefly by very
large establishments or duck-farms, provided with large
"brooder houses," mostly long gable buildings with a
passage up and rows of pens about ten feet square
centre,
on each side, which are heated by hot-water pipes. The
favourite breed is the Pekin, which in America appears to
compare better in size with our own large breeds. Mr.
Hallock's celebrated Atlantic Farm on Long Island * has
carried on duck-raising for forty years, lately averaging
15,000 birds. marketed per annum and one couple of Pekins
;

weighed every week in 1897 weighed at ten weeks 8 Ih.

each^ which far surpasses any English result. At a certain
age the birds are taken from warmed brooder-pens which
have no outer yards, to cold pens which have outer yards
but no pond. Their meal is constantly mixed with a
portion of sand, cut green food, and chopped meat, the
meal portion consisting of maize meal, bran, and coarse

•We gather these particulars from The Feather (U.S.)

270 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
flour, the maize and meat being somewhat increased and
the bran decreased with age. There are, however, estabhsh-
ments which market as many as 30,000 duckhngs annually.
On other large duck -farms, as we are informed by
Mr. A. F. Hunter (the editor of Farm Poultry, U.S.),
ducklings are reared out of doors, a hundred or more in a
pen of about a quartei of an acre. Several lots are reared
per acre are reared on these
in succession, so that 2,000
plotsup to August then the partitions are removed and
;

the ground ploughed up and sown with winter rye, not to

be used again till April. Early ones are reared in-doors in
pens, more or less as above. Where there is water it is

often fenced up into small portions, each belonging to one

of the pens ;
these small ponds become filthy, but the
ducklings seem to take no harm. On other farms the pens
may be roughly 100 feet square.
The splendid appetites of young ducks, their hardiness if
kept out of rain, sun, and damp for a few weeks, and their
early maturity, make duck rearing a steady business when
properly managed. But like other branches,it must be

gradually grown into, directed by experience acquired in

actual practice, and the market and machinery gradually
worked up to or created by the rearer.
It should be remembered that the first dozen eggs or so
which a duck lays are generally (or at least, very often)
unfertile.

Aylesbury Ducks. —In plumage these should be of the

purest snow-white all over. The head should be full, and
the bill well set on to the skull, so that the beak should
seem be almost in a line from the top of the head
to
to the tip. The bill should be long, and when viewed in
front appear much like a woodcock's it should be in prize :

birds of a delicate flesh colour without spot or blemish, and

 Aylesbury Ducks. 271

with a slight fleshy excrescence where the feathers com-

mence. Eye fuh, bright, and quite black. The legs should
be strong, with the claws well webbed, and in colour of a
rich dark 3^ellow or orange. Body rather long, but broad
across the shoulders, and the neck rather long and slender.
The drake should have one, and sometimes has two. sharp

Aylesbury Duck.

curls in his tail. The keel or breast-bone ought to be long,

deep, and straight.
The delicate flesh-colour of the bill is of the greatest
importance for exhibition, though of course not for market
only. Besides being of good breed in this respect,
plenty of sharp grit or gravel must always be kept in
large water troughs, in which their grain is given ; they
must be kept out of much sun, and not kept on ferruginous
either of which stains the bird, as will yellow maize
soil,
j
2/2 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
and they must not be allowed to grub about in filthy water.
On old birds, however, a coarse horny substance often forms,
upon the bills of ducks which have their liberty especially,
and for exhibition this is carefully pared away, taking care
not to touch the inner skin or make it bleed. After this the
bill is smoothed with fine sand-paper, and the duck
carefully
kept in semi-darkness for two or three weeks, feeding chiefly
on wheat put in gravel and water.
An A)'lesbur3' duck lays on an average about 60 eggs
in a year but individuals have laid double that number,
;

and doubtless eggs could be bred for as in fowls. The eggs

may be either white or green, and the same duck may lay
both.

Rouen Ducks. —The best general description of the

Rouens in plumage is to be precisely like the wild mallard,
but larger. The drake should have a commanding appear-
ance with a rich green and purple head, and a fine long bill,
formed and set on the head as described for the Aylesburys.
The bill should look clean^ of a yellow ground, with a very
pale wash of green over it, and the " bean " at the end of
it jet black.His neck should have a sharp, cleanly-marked
white ring round it, not quite meeting at the back. Breasf
a deep rich claret-brown to well below the water-line, then
passing into the under body-colour, which is a beautiful
French grey, shading into white near the tail. The back
ought to be a rich greenish-black quite up to the tail
feathers, the curls in which are a rich dark green. Wings a
greyish-brown, with distinct purple and white ribbon-mark
well developed. The flight-feathers must be grey and
brown any — approach to white in them is a fatal disquali-
fication, not to be compensated by any other beauty or
merit. Legs a rich orange. Nothing can exceed the
beauty of a drake possessing the above colours in perfection.
 Rouen Ducks. 272>

The bill of the duck should not be so long as in the

drake, and orange-brown as a ground colour, shading oft" at
the edges to yellow, and on the top a distinct splash or mark
of a dark colour approaching black, two-thirds down fi-oni

the top ;
it should there be rounded off, and on no account
reach the sides. Any approach to slate-colour in the bills of

either sex is a fatal blemish for exhibition. The head is

dark brown, with two distinct light brown lines running

along each side of the face, and shading away to the upper
part of the neck. Breast a pale brown, delicately pencilled
with dark brown ;
the back is exquisitely pencilled with
black upon a moderately dark brown ground. The shoulder
of the wing is also beautifully pencilled with black and grey;
flight-feathers dark grey, any approach to white being
instant disqualification ; and ribbon-mark as in the drake.
274 T^^'p- PRACTICAL Poultry Keeper.

Belly, up to the tail, light brown, with every feather

delicately pencilled to the tip. Legs orange, often, how-
ever, with a brown tinge. Both sexes should be well
" keeled," as described for Aylesburys. The Rouen is not
so good a layer as the latter, but quite as heavy and good
for the table.

—
Pekin Ducks. This breed was imported from Pekin into
both England and the United States, in the year 1873, and
has most marked characteristics. One of these is the strong
yellow blood. Both legs and bill are deep orange colour,
and the plumage a kind of ferret-white, with a strong
canar)^ tinge,which becomes stronger still in the under-
feather. The legs are set on rather far behind, which gives
an upright or Penguin carriage. Another feature is the
boat-shape of the long and deep keel, which, with a fulness
of rump and peculiar turn-up at the tail, irresistibly suggests

the shape of an Indian birch canoe. Yet another peculiarity

lies in the fact that the duck is, as a rule (though there are
and
exceptions), a non-sitter At one time
proliiic layer.

birds were shown with white plumage and pale bills, but

which, no doubt, were crossed with Aylesbury ;

and the
canary tinge is now fully recognised.
This most valuable duck, but does not seem to be
is a
bred to nearly as high a standard in England as in
America, where it is the breed universally used now by the
duck-farmers. In England a large-looking bird often weighs
no more than 8 lb., though large specimens are exhibited
of greater weight, and some breeders average the eggs at
90 per annum, others less. On the American duck-farms
birds of II lb. and more are quite common, in adults,

and the average in eggs from many hundred ducks is

reported from three of the largest farms as 135, 140, and

145 per duck. But these are the results of breeding and
 ;

Pekin Ducks. 275

selecting the bird, on a large scale, as the Aylesbury is

bred with us.

The Pekin grows fast and early, and in America is

expected to weigh 5 lb. at eight weeks. It is a little wild

Pekin Ducks.

or free in habit, and does not fatten well in small pens

hence the larger American yards or pens mentioned in the
above remarks. The flesh is particularly free from grossness.
We are inclined to believe that the greater weight and
growth in America as compared with England, is partly
S 2
276 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
owing to the recognition of its freer habits but still;

more largely to the use of green food and bran along with
Indian meal, which probably keeps the digestive organs in
more active exercise.

The Cavuga is a large black duck, originating in North

America. The original wild stock is no doubt descended

Cayuga Ducks.

from the mallard, and was of a brownish black, with an

irregular white collarround the drake's neck. Breeding to
get out these faults of colour at first reduced the size but ;

this was recovered, and the breed now is a good size, and
black all over, with as much green lustre as possible — in
fact, as nearly as possible a large edition of the Black East
India Duck. The shape, however, is not nearly so short as
that of the East India Duck, but more resembles that of
 Muscovy Ducks. 277

the Avlesbury. This duck has been bred to weigh 19 lb.

per p:iir. hardy and matures early is quiet in habit,
It is ;

and a very good la^-er. The flesh has a gamey flavour

which most people like. It is very apt to moult out white
feathers after the first year or two. This fault should be
avoided, and the legs chosen as dark as possible.

Blue Ducks, resembling Andalusians in colour, were

known in Lancashire many years ago, and no doubt origin-
ated (as in fowls)by crossing white ducks with some dark
breed. Thev have no
special merit, and their colour is not
particularly attractive, but some attempt has lately been
made to revive them. They often occur by pure accident,
and are easily perpetuated.

The Muscovv, or Musk Duck, appears to be a totally

distinct species ; the cross between it and other ducks
being, at least usually, unfertile. The drake is very large,
often weighing 10 lb., and looking far more on account of
the loose feathering : but the female is less than the
Aylesbury, not exceedmg about 6 lb. The plumage of
this variety varies greatl3^ from all white to a deep blue-
black, but usually contains both. The face is naked, and
the base of the bill is greatly carunculated. The drake is

very quarrelsome, and we well remember the injuries

inflicted by an old villain of this breed belonging to a
relative, upon a fine Dorking cock in the same 3'ard.
When excited, the bird alternately depresses and raises its
head, uttering most harsh and guttural sounds, and with the
red skin round the face, presenting an appearance which
has been justh^ described as " infernal." The flesh of the
Musk Duck is very good eating ; but it is far inferior as a
layer to either of the preceding, and cannot be considered
a very useful variety.
278 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
—
Indian Runner Ducks. These ducks have existed
round Cumberland nearh* half a century, under the former
name of Penguin Ducks, from their very upright carriage ;

of late 3-ears their unusually' active habits have given them

the above name, and their prolific laving has brought them
into notice and popularity. Instead of waddling, they

Indian Runner Ducks

literall}- do " run " along the ground, and on any range will get
their own living. Their size is small, averaging about 4 lb.
each ;
their plumage very tight and close, and in pure birds
a sort of buff-fawn and white ; the bill, tapering from a
broad base, and straight on the top, not dished as in other
breeds. The neck is very long and fine. The head is
yellow when hatched, but becomes green.
graduall}-
These ducks are non-sitters, and often con-
lay early,
stantly till moulting-time. They are hardy and easily reared.
 Call and Fancy Due as. 279

and the flesh is but they do not fatten, and

fine in quality ;

are not profitable for table. Their value is as layers and

foragers, and they are certainly the most prolific of any
breed in this countr}-, though they do not much, if at all,

surpass the standard to which American breeders have

brought the Pekin.

Call Ducks are principally kept as ornamental fowl.

The voice of the drake is peculiar, resembling a low whistle.
They vary in colour, one variety precisely resembling the
A5'lesburv in plumage, but with a yellow bill, and the other
theRouen but in both cases bearing the same relation to
;

them as Game Bantams do to the Game fowl. The flesh is

good but there is too little to repay breeding them for the
;

table, and their only proper place is on the lake.

The East Indlax, or Bup:nos Avres Black Duck, is a

most beautiful bird. The plumage is black, with a rich
green lustre, and any Avhite, gre}', or brown feathers are
fatal. They should be bred for exhibition as small as
possible, never e.xceeding 5 and 4 lb. As they usually pair,
equal numbers should be kept of both sexes.
Many most beautiful varieties of small foreign ducks are
often shown, the most cornmon being the Mandarin and
Carolina ;
but it is needless to give detailed descriptions
here.

CHAPTER XXV.
GKESE A\n SWANS.
In a small way, a pen or two of geese are most profitable to
the farmer or cottager who has access to waste land,
common, or roadside, with water-range of some kind. In
28o Thf. Practicai. Poultry Kef per.
such circumstances the stock birds, and the young ones
during great part of their growth, cost scarcely anything, as
they graze and forage about, especially on Avheat stubbles.
They differ from ducks in being vegetable feeders, and will
not touch such garbage as ducks delight in ;
and they keep
better together, so that a number can be herded. It is

unprofitable to turn them into really good pasture, however,

as they consume so much grass, which they bite even closer
than sheep.
The house for a pen of geese need only be two or three
yards square. The floor must be dry and hard, littered
down with renewed frequently,
straw, or ferns, or leaves,
and the bedding used for manure.
soiled
The wild goose is monogamous in domestication, the ;

number given to one gander varies from two to four, but

they are seldom so prolific in the latter case. Prolificacy
also depends to a certain extent upon their having rather
deep water to mate in. They seldom lay till after a year
old, and purchased goslings often do not lay their first year.

A nest for each goose in a pen is required, as every bird lays

where her first egg is laid. The nests should be 2 feet

6 inches square. The time of incubation is thirty days.

Geese generally commence laying in February, and lay
about fifteen eggs each, sometimes rather less or more.
The bird " feathers her nest " for sitting, and when she has
stayed on a dav or two she sometimes set upon thirteen
is

— the first four or five are often set under a hen. She sits
very steadily as regards the Embden or White, but the
Toulouse is not a good sitter, and her eggs are often set
imder large heavy hens, or even turkeys. Of late, in-
cubators have been largely used in the chief goose centres.
Goose eggs particularly require sprinkling. The goose
gives no trouble, neither does the gander, who will often
come and squat by his favourite wife for he usually has —
 Rearing Geese. 'Si

one. Neither parent will brook much interference, nor do

they require it, but they will allow the feeder to approach.
On hatching, the goslings should be left for a day in the nest
to get strong, and may have a meal or two of hard-boiled
chopped egg and breadcrumb, mixed with some chopped
—
weed or greens some green food they require from the first;
after that, barley-meal makes a good staple till they can eat

Emh'ien Goose.

grain. Any —
even boiled turnips, and potatoes,
vegetables
and carrots — may be
mixed with their food. When stronger,
they should be cooped out on grass, the best coop being one
of the open crates used for packing earthenware and Avhen
;

quite strong and vigorous it is as well to let them run with

their parents over the range. They need httle food after
that, until put up for fattening, but are generally rather
poor till after harvest, when they are turned out on the
stubbles, getting there both as much grain as they can eat
and miscellaneous weeds and other green food, of which
282 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
they are equally fond. After being out a few weeks on lh<
stubble fields they will have added from 2 lb. to 4 lb. each
to their weight, and are in very good condition for killing.
If not then killed or fattened, however, it isbad economy
to put them back to mere grazing diet, as they lose weight
and become poor again.
At Michaelmas these farm or country-reared geese are
often killed just as they are, as "green" geese. But more
are fattened, upon systems which vary considerably. Some
pen them up in a rather dark shed and feed on barley-meal,
with some whole barley also in troughs of water. Others
fatten on barle^'-meal mixed with brewers' grains. Some
prefer bruised oats in water.
Among the large goose fatteners of Norfolk and other
districts matters are more systematised. Some are hatched
in incubators, and reared under brooders, somewhat heated
for a little while; but many are bought up from farmers
and other rearers round, or from Ireland. Some turn them
for a while into turnip fields, where they are fed in large
numbers of pens, or sheds kept rather dark. It is found
better, where it can be done, not to pen them up suddenly
after free range, but to break the change in some such way as
this. When penned, some use grain boiled or steeped in hot
water, till the last fortnight, finishing with barley-meal
mixed with skim milk and a little fat. Others prefer heavy
oats, either whole or ground, soaked and given in troughs of
water this is said to make heavier flesh and less fat.. Of
;

the tons of geese now sent over from France, the best are
fed in batches of about twenty in a pen, the food being
buckwheat given in long troughs of water, the meals being
three per day. These are only penned about four weeks,
and the flesh is remarkably white. Some green food should
alwa3'S be given if possible, but it is often dispensed with, in
our opinion to the detriment of the flesh.
 Embden and Toulouse Geese. 283

The heaviest goslings are produced by a cross between

Embden and Toulouse.
For exhibition, geese are shut up in the dark, and fed
liberally on whole barley, or wheat, or heavy oats in troughs
of Avater. To obtain great weight they must be kept quiet.
They should have some fresh turf, and be let out for a swim
half an hour or more every day. Without such a swim
they lose health and spirit.

Toulouse Goose.

The Embden Goosk is pure white in every feather, the

iris showing a curious blue colour.
The Toulouse Goose is and heavier, the plumage
larger
a rich brown, passing into white at the under parts and
tail coverts. The forehead should be flat, and the bill a
rich orange-red. The cross is generally saddle-backed in
marking.
The Canada Goose appears to stand zoologically between
geese and swans. It is not a good grazer, but does extremely
well wherever there are marshy ponds, as it is very fond of
284 The Practical Poultry Kfp.per.

all pond-weeds and plants. It is quite easily domesti-

cated, and is said to be more delicate in flesh than the
common goose. It calls for no peculiar management ;

and as it is quite as hardy, as well as very ornamental,

it is to be regretted that it is not more kept as farm
stock. It also does well when left to itself on ornamental
waters.
The Chixesk Goose also occupies a position rather
between geese and swans ; it is also called the Knobbed

Canada Goose.

goose, having a protuberance at the base of the bill. It

too is domestic, and quite easily reared, and is remarkable

as the only prolific laver of the family. A Chinese goose
will generally about 30 eggs in a batch, and from three
la}'-

to four batches in one season hence it is worth keeping on

;

that ground. It is also very fine in flesh, and very orna-

mental on the pond.

The appearance of the Chinese Goose will be seen from
the e.Ncellent illustration.* It varies in colour, the most

* From Tke FealJur, U.S.

 Chinese Geese. 285

usual being a grcy-browu on the upper parts, with front part

of neck and breast a yellowish grey a very dark brown
;

stripe runs all down the nape of the neck from head to

back. Others are white, but in these also a stripe of quite

different character —
the feathers being closer and denser

Brown Chinese Geese.

looking, though still white — can be clearly seen. The neck is

very slender, and there is a sort of dewlap at the throat.

The cry is rather harsh, and the bird is said to be fond of
swimming at night, but this is easily remedied by shutting
up after a feed of grain. There is really no reason why this
prolific and beautiful breed should not be more generally
kept as useful stock.
286 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

Swans. — There are six or seven varieties of swans

known to naturalists, but only three are at present, or
likely to be, domesticated in this country — viz. the English
White or Mute Swan ;
the Australian or Black Swan ;
and
the Chili or Peruvian Swan. The plumage of the two
first needs no description ;
but that of the Chilian Swan
differs from either in being white on the body, with a black
head and neck, making rather a pleasing contrast of colour.
In size the White Swan is largest of all. All three varieties
are long-lived, and individual birds are reported to have
reached the age of one hundred years.
The female swan lays in February, every other day until
seven to nine eggs are laid. More than five cygnets, how-
ever, are seldom hatched. The nest is made somewhere
amongst the flags and weeds at the water's edge, and it is
dangerous to approach either the male or female during
incubation, as they are very irascible, and a blow from their
strong pinions will even break a man's arm.
On ornamental waters, unless there is very heavy
shrubbery or flags at the edge, a house must be provided in
the most secluded place possible at the edge, with a slatted
ladder leading up to the entrance from the water. In this
an ample nest or two should be provided. The birds must
then be left alone. They will want some grain in these
more limited circumstances, especially in winter and are ;

the better if grass be thrown to them, unless they can get it

themselves, as, of course, is often the case. The parents are

too jealous of the cygnets to permit interference, and will
bring them out themselves when ready, but some meal in

shallow troughs may be provided near the entrance. The

cygnets are afterwards best fed by throwing coarse meal on
the water, and later on will partake of pieces of bread, and
grain, with their parents.
 CHAPTER XXVI.
DISEASES, VICES, AND VERMIN.
When a fowl becomes ill, the best cure in very many cases
is to kill it. Some such deaths are both necessarv and
beneficial for Nature has picked out the very birds
;

which you ought, if you knew their real state and con-
stitution, to discard and if 3'ou manage to save them
;

and continue to breed from them, you may probably

perpetuate their weakness. This consideration is never to
be forgotten. Only in trivial ailments, or in the case of
valuable birds probably infected from outside, do we recom-
mend much attempt and even then only when
at a cure,
the eiisease is so defined that the treatment is fairly certain.
As this work is intended to be strictly practical, it is only
for such well-defined complaints we shall prescribe.
Besides actual diseases, there are certain natural
ailments, as they may be called, to which all fowls may
be subject, and which demand treatment. And it is

convenient also to collect into this chapter certain other

adverse agents which the poultry-keeper may have to
contend with.
For actual diseases, it is well in all large establishments
to have a weather-tight and well- ventilated house kept as a
hospital, in which healthy fowls should never be placed.
Roup, in particular, is so contagious that even a recovered
bird should be kept by itself for a few days before being
restored to its companions.
Apoplexv occurs from over-feeding, and can seldom be
treated in time to be of service. If the fowl, however,
although insensible, does not appear actually dead, the wing
may be lifted, and a large vein which will be seen under-
neath freely opened, after which hold the bird's head under
288 Thr Practical Poultry Keeper.
a cold water tap for a lew minutes. It is just possible that it

may recover ;
if so, feed sparingly on soft food only for a few
days. In over-fed hens death often occurs during the
exertion of laying ;
if, therefore, a laying hen be found dead
upon the nest, let the owner at once examine the remainder,
and should they appear in too high condition, reduce theii
allowance of food accordingly.
Bad Moulting. — Old fowls sometimes suffer much at this
season, especially if the precautionsChap- recommended in

ter II. Give stimulating food, warm,

have been overlooked.
ever)' niorning, and well peppeied, with meat and ale every
day, and keep under cover in wet weather. Add also iron,
in the form of " Douglas Mixture," to the drinking water,
and give small doses of sulphur as advised in cha{)ter above.
The birds, if not sunk too low, will then usually pull
through. Fowls should not, however, bo kept until old,
except in the case of pets or valuable stock birds.
Bronchitis. — This is often shown in a quite mild and
chronic form by frequent coughing and sneezing, with little

or no discharge, and that from nostrils only and not eyes.

Put enough nitric acid (it is less ilangerous, as nitric

acid is violently corrosive, to ask at a chemist's for B.P.

dilute nitric acid) in the water to taste slightly sour, with
two teaspoonfuls of givcerine and one of gum arable to a
pint. It will do the rest no harm, and. usually stops the
cough in a few days. If not, see other remedies under

Cold.
Cold. — This is usually shown by discharge from nostrils,
and perhaps also from the eyes. There is very often also
some watery diarrhoea. Much mischief may often be pre-
vented if such symptoms are treated at oiice.^ by removing
to shelter, and giving to drink a quarter-pint of water con-
taining ten drops B.P. tincture of aconite. If the chemist
makes difficulty about this under the Poisons Act, get
 Diseases of Poultry. 289

some aconite " tabloids," which contain one drop each,

giving one at once, three or four more (singly) every half-
hour, and then every two hours. Aconite is no use
unless given very early, and then only in the early stages.
The nostrils may be syringed gently with hazeline tincture,
diluted with equal parts water; and a drop or two of essence
of camphor with the aconite often helps at this stage. It

is, of course, necessary to keep the patient from draught,

wet, and cold.
If these measures and the cold develops into a
fail

confirmed catarrh, twenty-four hours aconite must

after, say,

be superseded by other medicines. The nostrils and eyes

should be cleansed frequently with hydrogen dioxide and
water in equal parts (this admirable wash is well known to
all good chemists now), and the nostrils may then be greased

with vaseline, mixed while melted with one teaspoonful in

ten of eucalyptus oil. A few drops of eucalyptus and also
of pure terebene should be put in the fountain, the soft food
be slightly peppered, and 10 grains of Epsom salts may
be given daily with advantage. It is also of the greatest
service in many cases to fumigate the fowls well, whilst on
their perches, by sulphur on a fairly red-hot shovel held
underneath, or a little on a shovel not quite
eucalyptus oil

so hot. The birds will sneeze or cough, but this will do

them good, and no notice need be taken of it. Should all
these measures fail to arrest the catarrh, and especially if
the discharge appears to assume a more sticky character,
treatment for roup had better be adopted, and will be
equally proper even if true roup be not present.
Consumption is denoted by cough combined with gradual
wasting and ill-health, though sometimes the appetite is
good. Cure is out of the question.
Crop-hound. —Fowls sometimes so distend their crops
that nothing can pass out to the gizzard, and death ensues
T
290 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
unless relieved. Careless feeding after hunger is the usual
cause. In most cases persistent and gentle kneading, about
of the crop with the fingers, occasionally pouring a tea-
spoonful of warm water down the throat, and after leaving
the bird a couple of hours, repeating the process, will be
effectual. If not, there is no remedy but to make a per-
pendicular cut rather more than an inch long in the upper
part of the crop, remove all the contents with a teaspoon,
wash it out thoroughly, and then join each skin separately
with three or four horsehair single stitches or ties, making
the outer set come between the inner ones, not over them.
Feed in small quantities on biscuit-meal for a few days,
giving no water for twenty-four hours. There is no danger
about the operation, and apparentl}'' not much pain.
Crop Dropsy.^ Soft Crop^ Crop-sick, are all names used
to denote a distension of the crop by foul watery fluid, with
general ill-health. There is little doubt that profuse
drinking is often a cause of this. The crop must be
evacuated, holding the bird head downward, twice a day :

feeding rather scantily an hour afterwards with biscuit-meal

in which grains of wheat are mixed, moistened with brandy
and water. In the water should be placed some quassia
chips and a little tincture of perchloride of iron. First of
allgive 30 grains of Epsom salts afterwards, twice a day, ;

should be given half the bulk of a hazel-nut of Walton's

Tonic Paste mashed up with a little water. In some cases,
about three grains iodide of potassium daily seems of marked
benefit, but in others we were unable to trace any effect

to it.

Diarrhoea may in mild cases be cheeked by a diet of

rather dry barley-meal, or a few meals of well-boiled rice
sprinkled with chalk ; it is well, however, to give also six
drops of camphorated spirit thrice daily on a pill of soft
food, giving no green food beyond finely-cut grass. If this
 Diseases of Poultry. 291

fails, give a bolus made of five grains chalk, five grains

rhubarb, three grains cayenne pepper, and half a grain of
opium, one in the morning, and another in the evening or ;

three to twelve drops (according to size) of chlorodyne

every four hours will almost alwavs stop it.
Diphtheria. It is —
uncertain whether or not this
malignant disease, marked by white or yellowish growths
about the throat, is a modification of the ordinary roup
virus or not. Very often it is combined with roup, the
birds being attacked with ulcers about the eyes, nostrils,
comb, or face, or in the inside of the mouth or throat,
besides the usual roup symptoms. On the other hand, in
some cases the latter are not present, while the diseased
formation may be plentiful.
This complaint broke out
with such virulence in "the nuw
1876 as to be called
disease," and has never since been absent from England.
The form in which white or yellowish membrane forms
in the throat, or on the tongue, or anywhere inside the
mouth, is properly "diphtheria" or "diphtheritic roup,"
and is often accompanied by roup symptoms. So deadly
is it thatmany advise wholesale slaughter and disinfection ;

but many cases have, beyond doubt, yielded to treatment.

This is most hopeful where one or two birds only are
attacked, obviously from outside infection, in a clean and
generally healthy yard. If such cases be at once isolated from
the rest, it may be well to treat them ; but if that cannot be
done, instant execution is cheapest in the end. Also if the
disease appears when fowls have access to pig-troughs, or
manure-heaps, or drainage, or in some farmyards, the case
is almost hopeless, as the germs find such ample breeding-

ground.
The fowls attacked should at once be placed apart in
a hospital, free from draught, and a slight aperient given
of from one-third to half a tea-spoonful of Epsom salts.

T 2
 —

292 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

Meantime obtain at once from the nearest chemist a bottle of
ordinar}^ chlorate of potass and perchloride of iron mixture
—every chemist makes it up, and any will do — and also a
bottle of the following dressing ;

Carbolic Acid ... i drachm.

Sulphurous Acid ... ... ... ... 3 ,,

Tinct. Perchloride of Iron ... ... ... 4 ,,

Glycerine ... ... ... ... ... 4 ,,

With a camel-hair or sable pencil touch all the parts

which show growths, morning and evening, with this latter
dressing and six hours after the salts begin to give one-
;

quarter ordinary adult doses* of the chlorate and iron mixture,

feeding meantime on the best soft food, unpeppered, but
mixed with warm brandy-and-water an occasional egg-and- :

brandy between two fowls is also of much service. Great

care must be taken in anointing the throat and occasionally ;

a bird may be so irritated by a drop "going the wrong way''

as to choke and die. These cases cannot be helped, some
such dressing being absolutely necessary but for bantams ;

and chickens the lotion may be diluted with one-third

water. If the mouth and throat appear healing, while there
are sores outside which make no progress, these may be
treated with lunar caustic as an alternative. When the
worst symptoms are alleviated, after treatment must be
guided by circumstances, according as there may be
diarrhoea or the reverse ;
or roup may remain and have to
be prescribed for.

A treatment occasionally successful has been the im-

mediate application to every spot attacked of lunar caustic ;

but, on the whole, cures have been rare with this. More
* These and other quantities refer to fowls of good size and vigcnir.
Smaller fowls and bantams may have from two-thirds down to one-third of
the quantity.
 Diseases of Poultry. 293

success has been reported from the apphcation of an

American coal-tar preparation called Cresolene,* ten drops
to a pint, applied as a lotion, especially to the inside of the
mouth and throat ; but, as this is difficult to procure,
experience is not sufficient to pronounce positively.
Finckler's tincture of Papaine, so far as it has been tried,
also appears to exert a most marked effect upon the
diseased secretion. Any
outbreak in the yard may too
probabl}' give ample opportunity for the trial of each and all
of these remedies.
There are symptoms, not to be confounded with the
above, of an obvious catarrhal cold or roup with apparently
sore places or ulcers inside the mouth, not, however,
forming a skin or membrane. This appears to be more of
the nature of quinsy or thrush, and may be often dealt with
satisfactorily by isolation and warmth, with slight aperients
of Epsom salts (say 20 grain doses), and application
frequently to the sore places of borax and honey. But such
cases should be very carefully watched for fear of mistake,
and lest, after all, they be instances of true diphtheria.
The more appears to be more or less
serious disease
communicable both and human beings and a grave
to cats ;

responsibility, therefore, attaches to keeping cases about

where there are children. Bodies of all fowls which die of
it should be either burnt or buried in quicklime.

Gapes is a fatal disease of chickens, due to the presence

in the windpipe of a number of small worms, which finally
kill by either wasting or actual suffocation. A solitary case
may sometimes be cured by camphor in the water and a
small pellet twice a day, removing the actual worms by
introducing a feather stripped nearly to the top, or a loop
of horsehair, into the trachea, and turning it round during

* Not to be confounded with an English preparation termed Kresyline.

 —

294 The Practical Poultry Keeper.

withdrawal, which usuaUv brings one or more worms with
it ; or fumigation over the fumes of carbohc acid poured on
a hot brick, till the chicken is nearly dead, will also kill the
worms. It has been discovered that in some mysterious way
the disease is frequently connected with a large insect often
found on the heads of newly-hatched chickens. These are
destroyed by anointing the heads of the chickens while
only a day or two old with the following ointment :

Mercurial ointment * i oz., lard i oz., powdered sulphur

\ oz., crude petroleum \ oz. The ointment is to be
warmed to semi-fluidity, and in that state gently rubbed in.

If the chicks even of a yard previously infested are thus

treated, it has been proved over and over again that there
will be no gapes amongst them. Infusing garlic in the
water, and adding (chopped up) to the food, are also
it

beneficial ; and M. Megnin's cure for pheasants consists in

dosing each bird with 7| grains of yellow gentian and
" cures " are also
7^ grains of assafoetida. Several gape
advertised, and are pretty effectual.
IjCg Weakness. — Highly-fed chickens which grow fast,

bred from prize stock, are most subject to which simply this,

arises from outgrowing their strength, and must be met

accordingly by mineral tonics. Parrish's chemical food
which combines phosphates and iron, will be the best
medicine.
The above must not be confounded with cramp
affection
or rheumatism from cold and wet, which also makes the
birds unable to walk, or even stand. In this case the treat-
ment is warmth, feeding meanwhile on meal mixed with
ale, and always given warm rubbing the limbs daily with
;

a liniment composed of two parts linseed oil to one ot

turpentine. Sometimes bathing the feet and flexing them

* The mild kind. There are two ointments so known to many druggists.
 DisliASES OF PoultrV. ^95

in hottishwater is of service. Under this regimen the bird

will soon recover, unless the attack has been long unper-
ceived and neglected. Cramp in very young chickens has
been dealt with in Chapter IV.
Liver Disease presents many and various symptoms.
The chronic form much resembles consumption, being also
due to tuberculosis but there is seldom any cough, and
;

the failure of the appetiteis the first and most marked

symptom, with moping and listlessness, and often shrunk

and dark comb. This is practically incurable but when ;

cases occur the owner should consider whether his stock

is tainted, or if his yard does not present such unsanitary
conditions —particularly damp ground— as need prompt
treatment ; or if he is using potatoes or maize.
Without this constitutional taint, the liver may become
congested, or even inflamed. The symptoms are not very
defined, consisting mainly of evident distress and depression,
quick respiration, loss of appetite and weight, and often
bilious evacuations or dysentery. If there be a 3'ellow look
about the face and lameness in one leg, the case is nearly
certain, but these symptoms are not at all universal.
Acidulate the water with nitric acid, and give at once half
a grain of calomel and half a grain of opium, with a second
dose of same next morning or evening. The bird should be
kept quiet and in darkness in a pen on some hay, and fed
very sparingly on bread and milk. If there should be
improvement soon after the second dose of calomel and
opium, follow with lo grains tartrate of potash, morning
and evening for a few days, and recovery is probable. If
not, the case is probably hopeless.
Nervous Debility is not uncommon in fowls much
exhibited. Many are barbarously overshown but far short ;

of this there may be much suffering, which is manifested

without any actual disease, much as in human beings.
2g6 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
Perfect quiet at home, with a daily raw egg, and half a
teaspoonful twice daily after meals of Parrish's food and
pancreatic emulbion, have marvellous effect if the fowls are
not too far gone.
Pip. — For a long time we did not believe in any real
disease of this nature, but we have had many specimens
sent to us of scale or skin at the tip of the tongue, as hard,
large, and sharp as the nib of a quill pen, the birds being-
unable to eat —from soreness, as we believe. And we are
quite satisfied now that, though not common, such a com-
plaint is sometimes endemic, or " about," as people say.
The treatment is simple. If a fowl is seen to peck at and
drop corn, it should be examined. If the hard scale is

found, must be removed by the thumb-nail, and the spot

it

dressed once or twice with borax and honey. Give also

fifteen grains Epsom salts, and soft food for a day or two,
and the bird will speedily be well.
—
Pneumonia. The name for inflammation of the lungs.
Besides the cough of bronchitis, there will be quick and
distressed breathing like gasping, with evident distress, and
matter may be coughed up. Remove at once to a warm
pen, and give one drop aconite tincture, or one tabloid
(aconite should always be at hand in a large yard) every half-
hour for six or eight hours. Rub in between the shoulders,
among the roots of the feathers, as a counter-irritant, some
turpentine, or Homocea (strong) embrocation, or paint on
the skin some iodine liniment. After the aconite give
two drops ipecacuanha wine in water every hour. Brandy
and egg will do much to keep up strength the food had ;

better be bread and milk. When better, give the wine half
as oftenwhen distress ceases, discontinue it.
;

Rheumatism is shown by lameness and weakness of the

wet weather if the weather be warm, it can
legs, in cold or ;

hardly be rheumatism. Take the bird in from exposure,

 Diseases of Poultry. 297

give a five-grain tabloid of salicylate of soda twice a day,

and rub well into the joints any stimulating" embrocation;
any one of those so commonly advertised is more or less
eflfective, or turpentine will do. Chaulmoogra oil is said to
be specially good. Rheumatism can generally be apparently
cured, the first at the same time, a rheumatic
time or two ;

fowl is a weakly fowl, and to such our remarks at the com-

mencement specially apply.
Roup is caused by wet or very cold winds, if it ever does
arise spontaneously ; many think it purely contagious. It
is certainly quite distinct from mere catarrh, though the
symptoms resemble these to a certain extent. The leading
features are a high state of fever, with an offensive-smelling
discharge from nostrils or eyes, or both, or sometimes
hanging about in froth, but more often tending, after a few
days, to become thick. Any fowl attacked should be at
once secluded, and everything it has used be disinfected
with carbolic acid for the sake of the rest. The fowl must
be kept in a moderately warm and dry place, and given at
first half a teaspoonful of Epsom salts, washing the head and
organs affected with Labarraque's solution of chlorinated
soda, diluted with twice its bulk of water, or dioxide of
hydrogen diluted in the same way, twice or thrice a day
all through the attack. The food should be slightly
seasoned with cayenne. A few hours after the oil give a
copaiba capsule, and continue these every twelve hours till

the discharge yields, giving a second dose of on the salts

third day. After recovery the fowl should be quarantined

for a few days, and be given a last wash with the chlorinated
soda before being returned to its companions. If copaiba
capsules cannot be readily procured, nearly all the advertised
" roup pills " are more or less beneficial, or the following is

a good prescription : —Cayenne pepper, 20 grains ; copper

sulphate, 10 grains; copaiba, i fluid drachm. To be made
298 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
into twenty pills, one to be given morning and evening.
It is to be noted that most cases of true roupfirst begin

with the symptoms of mere catarrh or cold. These should

have been treated at once^ as there described if they have ;

not been, hopes of recovery are much lessened. The

directions here are for the further symptoms above
described, or, if diarrhoea has first appeared, that will have
been treated.
Scaly Legs. —This unsightly incrustation of the shanks
is chiefly confined to feather-legged breeds, and is due to a
small insect. It can be cured by scrubbing every morning
with strong carbolic soap, and anointing at night with
sulphur ointment, or ointment sold for the purpose.
Soft Eggs are generally caused by over-feeding the hens,
and the remedy is then self-evident. It may, however,
occur from want of lime, which must of course be supplied,
the best form being calcined and pounded oyster-shells.
Sometimes it is occasioned by fright, from being driven
about, but in that case will right itself in a day or two with
quiet and rest. If perfect eggs are habitually dropped on
the ground, the proprietor should see whether the nests do
not need purifying.
Wljite Comb is shown by an appearance like white flour
on the comb and parts of the face, often traceable also over
the head, with or without loss of feathers there. It is

essentially a disease of low tone^ and usually due to over-

crowding, or want of cleanliness, or insufficient green food.
Any such omission should be supplied, and quinine and
iron tonic given in the water if it seergis needed. To the
places apply carbolised vaseline. About 30 grains of
Epsom salts, followed by half a teaspoonful of powdered
sulphur every other day for ten days, will help towards a
cure.
There is often confounded with this comparatively mild
 Diseases of Poultry. 299

affection, a much more severe form of eruption which is

terribly contagious, and appears to be caused by a parasite

of the Sarcoptcs order. This, also, usually begins round or
near the head, sometimes also the feet, before the body
itself is reached. Actual pimples are observable in this
malady, and as the heads of these break, scales form, and the
feathers fall off. Rigid isolation is necessary if the victim is

not at once destroyed, and the best treatment will be the

rubbing in of an ointment composed of i ounce mercurial
ointment, i ounce sulphur ointment, and \ ounce kerosene
or paraffin oil.

Wori7is. —These are not unfrequently observable in the

droppings of fowls. The most efficacious remedies (on the
authority of Prof. Woodroffe Hill) appear to be, 10 grains
of fresh areca-nut powder (fasting) in a spoonful of milk ;
or
I grain of santonin with 7 grains of the nut or 3 or 4 drops ;

of the oil of male fern in a teaspoonful of salad oil. No food

should be given for several hours after, and then warm soft
food only for a few days. The dose may need to be re-
peated in about a week. Turpentine capsules have been
also found useful in some cases.Contaminated animal food
is the usual cause of worms. All worms expelled or
evacuated should be carefully destroyed by burning.
It will be seen that by far the greater proportion of
poultry diseases arise either from cold or wet, or neglect in
preserving cleanliness — often both combined. It should be
noted also that a first general symptom of many such
diseases is diarrhoea, which we have observed often mani-
fests itself even in roup, beforeany discharge from the
nostrils is perceptible. At this stage much evil may be
warded off. Whenever a fowl hangs its wings, and looks
drooping, let it be seen at once whether it appears purged,
and if so, give immediately, in a tablespoonful of warm
water, 10 to 15 drops of essence of camphor. This will be
300 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
as beneficial for cold or chill as for the diarrhoea itself.

Repeat this next morning, and in many cases the disease,

whatever it is, will be checked care being of course taken
;

to give the invalid warmth and good shelter.

VICES.
Egg-eating is generally acquired from the breakage of
soft eggs, which creates an appetite for the delicate food ;

we do not believe it ever due to a craving for lime. Some

think that eating broken-up egg-shells leads to the habit,
and possibly whole or half shells might do so. Whatever
the cause, the vice is most inveterate when once acquired.

The only possibility of real cure depends upon isolattug the

criminal, which is also necessary to prevent her con-
taminating the others. She should be provided with a
regular supply of egg-shells carefully emptied and refilled
with nauseous materials, if possible of a yellow colour.
Sometimes fresh-made mustard is rejected, but we have
seen hens eat it unconcernedly ;
carbolated vaseline, how-
ever, is always, we think, turned from with loathing. There
should always be such an egg near the nest ; and on the
other hand, the nest itself should be so constructed that
the egg rolls down out of reach as soon as laid. An easy
way of managing this is to make
bottom to it of a a false
rather slack or hollowed piece of carpet, in the back region
of which a cross cut is made through which the egg dis-
appears on to a cushion of hay below. Half a nest-egg
should be cemented to the carpet by the flat side. Thus
deprived of the real delicacy, and every trial resulting in
the nauseous carbolate, experience proves that many hens
can be cured but the necessity of having only one bird
;

to deal with, and the patience and perseverance needed

even then, are obvious.
Feather-eating is a far more common vice, especially
 Vices of Poultry. 301

prone to occur in confinement, when fowls are close to-

gether with httle to do. Certain breeds are thought by
some to be especially prone to it under these circum-
stances Houdans and Andalusians have that reputation,
;

but others have found them exemplary. It is probable

that insect vermin start the habit in some cases, and certain
authorities attribute all to this cause ;
but we have been
consulted in one where close scrutiny could find no such
reason. We
believe a craving for animal food not supplied
may occasionally be a reason
also a feverish state of body
;

from want of green food or a sore place about the head of

;

any bird. For in the same category must be placed the

habit of pecking at the comb and face, until the fowl
attacked becomes a pitiable object. In this latter case it

is generally the cock which is attackedand the way in

;

which he stands perfectly still, apparently content and even

happy to have his comb and wattles torn to pieces, is a
proof of how little sensation there can be in these parts,
and how little truth in the charges of cruelty so recklessly
brought against those who dub their birds.
This habit also is in some cases inveterate, when it has
been any time unchecked. Whatever the cause, these
things are not diseases, but real vices^ or acquired vicious
and artificial appetites and we have no moral sense to
;

appeal to. Many cases, however, have been and can be

cured. Any bird specially attacked must be isolated, as it

tempts the others on the other hand, if only one or two

;

are culprits, let them be removed ere they corrupt the

others. Vermin, if found, must be dealt with so also with ;

want of cleanliness, and above all, any deficiency in regular

and ample green food. Animal food must also be given in
proper but not excessive quantity, and small cooling and
tonic doses of Epsom salts —
say, ten grains each, which
is not a laxative after the first dose, will tend to allay
302 Thf Practical Poultry Keeper.
feverishness. The attacked plumage should be drenched
every two or three da^'s with Jeyes' Fluid diluted by two
parts whose taste will probably prevent feathers
water,
being swallowed, and carbolated vaseline applied freeh to all
bare places. The beaks of all oflFenders should be carefully
filed away from time to time, at the edges of the tips of
both mandibles, so that an eighth of an inch the bill
for
cannot quite close corn can
still be picked up, but the
;

beak will not be able to close upon and draw out a feather.
But, finally, care must be taken to reduce the numbers
to a proper proportion for the space, and, while feeding
adequately, to do so in a way to provide occupation for
the fowls. For enemy celebrated by Dr. Watts
it is the old
who is chiefly to be combated. The grain may be scat-
tered sparingly and worked tinder the loose earth, or straw
scattered over it, to promote constant scratching ;
or green
food may be supplied by half a cabbage cut open and
hung by a string or the animal food by a piece of cooked
;

liver or a large bone suspended in the same way. By such

means, and never forgetting the withdrawal of either
the special culprit (if any) or the special victim, or
both, can this horrible propensity be very frequently
overcome.

VERMIN.
Under this heading we include all living enemies of

the poultry-yard, both in the insect world and amongst

mammalia.
Insect vermin in general seldom become very trouble-
some if the dust-bath be properly attended to, the houses
and sheds whitewashed at proper intervals, and occasionally
sprayed with dilute carbolic acid. But there are exceptions,
sometimes what may be almost called an epidemic, perhaps
from some less careful neighbour's premises, and special
 Poultry Vermin. 303

precautions are therefore advisable, as special measures may

be necessary.
Fleas or Lice are most common in the nests and in the
sitting hen, from which they may infest a brood of chickens.
When either abound, nest material should be frequently
changed, and wild fern or bracken, if it can be obtained,
will be found much by them than straw. The
less infested

birds themselves should be treated individual!}-, a mixture of

two parts Dalmatian (or that bearing any other name, all are
the same) insect powder and one part powdered sulphur,
being well rubbed into the plumage. The heads should be
touched with carbolised oil, or oil with a little kerosene in
it, which can also be slightly applied under the wings. A
French paper states that these pests may be kept away from
nests b}^ blowing out an egg through holes in the two ends,
and placing therein some eucalyptus oil. This is done by
cutting a few long narrow strips of sponge, moistening them
with water, and then rolling them tightly and closely round
with twine from end to end. When dry, the twine is un-
wound, the sponge retains its shape, and can be passed end-
ways through the hole into the shell. Eucalyptus oil is
then dropped in to saturate the sponge, the holes are
sealed up with wax, and the oil exhales through the shell.
Perforated eggs of enamelled metal can now be obtained,
in which disinfectants or insecticide can be introduced. One
of these will permeate a nest aiid do much to keep away
insect vermin.
Mites are the worst of insect vermin, and are often un-
suspected because nocturnal. When they have got a footing,
they come out in myriads and attack the fowls or chickens
all night, the blood giving them the red colour so familiar.

Their haunts are cracks, and intervals between two pieces

of wood. Perches must be made movable where they are
found, and taken out weekly in summer for the ends in
304 The Practical Poultry Keeper.
contact with the house, and the sockets, and all fissures and
cracks to be painted with kerosene. And besides the
regular lime-wash, the inside of the house should be
sprayed, or the cracks painted over, with dilute carbolic
acid, or even corrosive sublimate solution. Poisons are,

however, better avoided.

Rats may often be kept out by laying small mesh
netting under the floor and a foot high all round. A terrier,
trained not to hurt the birds, will often keep them away.
Pouring gas-tar down every hole that is found is sometimes
more effectual plan is to stop up every hole
efficacious; but a
but one, and to pour down this some bisulphide of carbon.
This should, however, never be done at night, and no light
should be taken near as long as any smell remains, the
vapour being about the most inflammable of any known.
It penetrates through their runs and kills them by
suffocation.
Foxes can be to a considerable extent guarded against in
several ways, so far as a limited stock is concerned it is :

very large establishments which are so helpless. A small

roll of netting near each door, or a semicircle in front,
generally frightens them away, as they suspect a trap ; so
will often a piece of red rag tied to a stick. Any such scares
should, however, be changed about or varied every few days,
that the animals may not get used to them. Another
usually sviccessful way to guard a fowl-house which must be
left open is to make the exit right at one end of the side,

and to give access to it by a wooden tunnel all along the side,

only large enough for the fowls to walk along, and turn at
the end. Here, again, the fox suspects a trap, and will

rarely enter, especially if the open end be further furnished

with a variable scarecrow such as the above.
 1 N D E X.

Black Hamburgh?, 213

Absence of Hen from Nest, 49 Blue Colour, Origin of, 204

Acland, Sir Thomas, and Minorcas, Ducks, 277
201 Bourg Fowls, 228
Acre, Number of Fowls per, 97, in Brahmas, 174 Breeding Lights, 176
;
;

Age for Breeding, 144

Breeding Darks, 177 Changes in ;

ICxhibition, 157
Breeding, 178 ;
Qualities of, 179

Air-cell in Hatching liggs, 75

Bran as Food, 28
Airing Eggs in Incubators, 73 Breast of a Table-fowl, 83

American Breeds, 228, 238 Breast-bone, Breaking the, 92

Incubators, 71 Bredas, 225

Poultry-farn ing, 121 Breeding for Layers, 99, 105, 109,

Analysis of Foods, 29 112, 114, 119, 126, 128, 144 ; for

Anconas, 205 Points, 131

Andalusians, 202 Breeds, Choice of, 39

Animal Food, 32 ; for Chickens, 58 Broken Eggs in Sitting, 47

Apoplexy, 287 Broilers, 86

Apprenticeship, Necessity of, in Broiler- Farms in America, 127 ; Mr.

Artificial Hatching, 61 Loughlin's Plant, 128
Rearing, 76 Bronchitis, 288

Aseels, 182 Bronze Turkeys, 253, 262

Aspect of Fowl-house, 4 Brood Cocks, Care of, 146
Aylesbury Ducks, 270 Brooders, Artificial, 76, 78
Broody Hens, 44
B Brown-breasted Red Game, 187
Back, Meat on the, 87 Buckwheat, 31
Bantams, 246 Buenos Ayres Ducks, 279
Barbezieux Fowls, 228 Building Fowl-house=, 2
Barley, 31 Bumble-foot, 196
Barley-meal for Fattening, 89 Buying Fowls, 38, 145
Barn-door Fowls, 40
Best Birds, Not Parting with, 141
Black-breasted Red Game, 186 Call Ducks, 279
Black Bantams, 248 Cambridge Turkeys, 263

u
 ;

3o6 Index.
Canada Goose, The, 283 Courtes Pattes, 226
Carolina Ducks, 279 Crossing and Reversion, 137
Carrington, Mr., and Farm Poultry, Cramming Poultry and Cramming
107 Machines, 89
Casey, Captain, and Moisture in Incu- Cramp, 294 ;
in Chickens, 59, 80
bators, 74 Creepers, 242
Cats and Chickens, 55 Crest of Polish breeds, 215
Cayenne and Colour, 154 Cr^vecoeurs, 221
Cayuga Ducks, 276 Croad, Miss, and Langshans, 171
Chamois Polish, 218 Crop-bound, 289
Cheshire, Mrs. F., and Artificial Crop Dropsy, 290
Brooders, 76 Crosses for Table Poultry, 84
Chickens, Food when Hatched, 51 J Cuckoo Colour, 204 Bantams, 250
;

Coops for, 52 ; Protected Run Cutting Wings of Fowls, 14

for, 55 ; Feeding, 56, 81 ; Water Cygnets, Feeding, 286
for.59
Chinese Goose, The, 284
Christy, Mr. T. , and Hydro-Incu- D
bators, 62; on Table-fowls, 87
Cleanliness, 4, 8, 14 Damp in Incubation, 46
Climate in England and America, Dead Poultry, Exhibiting, 95
130 Deodorisers, 5, 15
Cochin Bantams, 250 Detached Fowl-houses, 18
Cochins, 165 ; Buff, 167 ; Partridge, Diarrhoea, 290
168 ; Cuckoo, 169 ; Black, 169 Diphtheria, 291
Cock, Hens without, 37 ; Number to Diseases of Poultry, 287
One, 43 Dishes for Food and Water, 30, 31
Cold, 288 Domestic Poultry-Keeping, Profits of,
Coles, Mr., and Andalusians, 202
Coloured Dorkings, 193 Dominiques, 229
Colour, Preserving, 153 ; of Legs, 155 Dorkings, 192
Colour- Feeding, 154 Douglas Mixture, 35
Combs and Laying Properties, 100 Draughts, 8
Colour of, 161 ; Growth of, 153 Dressing Market Poultry, 91
and Infertility, 202 ; of Hou- Drink for Chickens, 59
dans, 224 ; Bredas, 225 Druce, Mr., on Farm Poultry, 107
Commencing a Strain, 141 Drying Fowls Washing, 160
after
Consumption, 289 Dryness in House and Run, 4
Coops Chickens. 53
for Dubbing Game Fowls, 190; Minorcas,
Cornish Game, 183 I
202
Corridor Plan of Poultry-houses, 18, Ducks, 266
20 Duck wing Game, 187
Cosy Coop Incubators, 70 '
Dumpies, 242
Course of Breeding, 137 I
Dust-bath, The, 11
 ;; ;

Index. 307
E Food for Newly-hatched Chickens, 51
Foods, Analysis of, 29
Early Chickens, 146
Forester Incubator, 67 the Re-
Elarth asa Deodoriser, 15 ;

gulator, 69
East India Ducks, 279
Fowl-houses, i
Edwards, Miss, and Poultry Farming,
118
Fowler, Mr., on Farm Poultry, 99
Foxes and Poultry, 108, 304
Egg for Chickens, 56
Free Range, 14
Egg-eating, 300
French Breeds of Poultry, 220
Eggs, Individuality of, 37; for Setting,
Fresh Blood, 135, 137
42, 149 ; Fertility of, 42, 48 ; Sex
of, Breeding for, 99, 105, 109,
Eggs for Setting, 43
44 ;

Frizzled Fowls, 243

112, 114, 119, 126, 144
Embden Geese, 283
Fruit Trees and Poultry, 113
Even Feeding from the Funnels for Cramming, 89
87 Shell,
Exhibition, 157 ; Care of Stock for,

158 Diet at, 163 Return after,

; ;

G
164
Gallina, The, 263
Galvanised Iron Roofs, 3
Family Likeness, 132 Game Bantams, 251
Farm, Poultry on the, 96, io5
—— Fowls, 185 ; Colours of, 186
Farming, Poultry, 198 Dubbing, 189 ; Old English, 190
Fasting Fowls before Killing, 82 Gapes, 293
Fat, Avoidance of, 24 Geese, 279

Fattening Table Pouliry, 88 Gloss, Feeding for, 158

FaveroUes, 226 ; and Houdans, 227.

Gout in Chickens, 8r

Feathers, 36 Grain, 31

Feather-eating, 301 ; in Malays, i8i Grass-Runs, 16 ; in America, 130

in Andalusians, 205
Green Food, 33 ; for Chickens, 58

Feeding, Mistakes Corrected for Fattening Fov»ls, 89 for

in, 24 ;
;

by Handling at Night, 24 Prize Chickens, 151

Number of Meals per Day, 26 Grit or Gravel, 35

;

for Market, 87 Ground, Nests on the, 46

Fencing for Runs, 120 Gueldres, 225
14, 22, 113,
Fertility of Eggs, 42, 146 Guinea-Fowls, 263
Fixing of Points, 136
Fleas, 303
H
Flint Grit, 36
Flocks, Separate, 102 Hamburghs, 209
Floor of Fowl-house, 4 Hampers for Exhibition, 162
Flying, Prevention of, 14 Hatching, 50 ; Strength for, ^3 ;

Food for Poultry, 23 ; Analysis of, 29 ;

Artificial, 61 ; Eggs for, 149
Quantity of, 25 Hearson's Incubator, 64
3o8 Index.

Heat in Brooders, 78, 80

Hempseed, 154
Labour on Poultry Farms, loi, 105
Hens, Care of, in Breeding, 148
La Bresse Fowls, 225
Hen-tailed Breeds of Fowls, 192, 211,
Lacy, Mr., on Brahmas, 177
212, 247
La Fl&he, 222
Hillier's Incubator, 71
Lancashire Mooneys, 211, 213
Hocks of Asiatics, 166
Lane, Mr., and his Yard, 17
Houdans, 223
Langshans, 170 ; While and Blue,
Houses for Fowls, i ; Materials for,
173
3 ;Ready-made, 6 ; for Large
Layers, Good, 38 ; Conformation of,
Establishments, 16 ; for Farms,
100
102, 120
Laying, Breeding Hens for, 38, 99,
Hunter, Mr. A. F. , and Poultry-
105, 112, 119, 126, 144; Crosses
Farming, 125, 129
for, 99 ; Postponement of, 157
Mr. Simon, and
, Poultry-
Le Mans, 228
Farming, 118
Leg-Feather, Care of, 158
Hydro-Incubator, 1 he, 62
Leg Weakness, 294 ; in Langshans,

173
Leghorns, 206
Like Produces Like, 132
In-Breeding, 136 Lime for Hens, 35 as a Deodoriser, ;

Incubators, Hydro-, 62 Tank, 64 ; ;

19
Atmospheric, 64, 68, 71 Man- ;
Linseed, Use of, 158
agement of, 72 Liver Disease, 295
Indian Corn, 29 Liverine, 146
Game, 183 Ljall, Mr. Knox, on Farm Poultry,
Runner Ducks, 278 106
Insect Vermin, 153, 302
Iron as a Tonic, 34 M
Maize, 29, 30

J Malays, 180 Usefulness as a Cross,

;

181
Japanese Bantams, 250 Management of Fowls, 23 ; System
Javas, 232 of, 39
Jersey Blues, 237 Mandarin Ducks, 279
Judges of Poultry, 162 Manure from Poultry, 36 ; Value, 97
Market, Making a, 113
Marketing Eggs, 114
K Marking Eggs, 44, 47
Mating Prize Stock, 148
Killing Poultry, 82, 91 Meals per day, 26
Knapp, Bros., and Poultry- Farming, Meat for Chickens, 80
124 Mediterranean Races of Fowls, 197
 Index. 309
Middlings, 29 Pekin Bantams, 250
Milk Chickens, 8s Ducks, 274
for Chickens, 58 ; for Fowls Pencil'ed Hamburghs, 210
Fattening, 88, 117 Penning Fowls before Exhibition, 159
Minorcas, 200 ; Crossed, 201 Pens for Fattening Fowls, 88
Mites, 303 Perches, 10
Mixing Soft Food, 30 Petit Poussins, 85, 114

Moisture in Incubators, 74 Pheasant Malays, 183

Mooneys, 21 r, 213 Phcenix Fowls, 246
Mortar, Old, for Fowls, 35 Pile Game, 188
Moulting, Bad, 288; Treatment at, 35 Pip, 296
Muscovy Ducks, 277 Plans for Small House and Run, i ;

Larger Establishments, 16, 20

N Plucking Fowls, 92
Plymouth Rocks, 229
Naked Necks, 244 Pneumonia, 296
Nankin Bantam?, 249 Points, Breeding for, 131
National Poultry Company's Plan, 15 Polish Fowls, 215
Nervous Debility, 295 Poultry-Farming, 108 ; Conditions of
Nests, II ; Hens, 45
for Sitting Success, no
E.xamples in Eng-
;

Norton, Mr., and PouUry-Farming, land, 114; in America, 121

121 Poultry Mixture as Food, 32
Number of Eggs for Sitting, 49 Yards, 16
Potatoes, 23 ; Peelings, 27
O Practical Management, 23
Press, Influence of the, 163
Oats, Value of, 30 ; Ground, 30
Pressing Poultry, 94
Old English Game Fowls, 190
Prize Poultry, Breeding, 131 ; rearing,
Old Fowls for Table, 95
145
Oliver, Mr., on Fattening Sheds, 88
Profitfrom Poultry, 40, 96
Orpingtons, 239 Buff, 241 ;

Ptarmigans, 219
Over-feeding, Evils of,23; of Chickens,
Purchasing Fowls, 38, 145
80
Oyster-shell, Use of, 35 R
Rake for Poultry-run, 15
Rankin, Mr., on Moisture in Eggs
Packing Eggs for Sitting, 150 during Hatching, 75
Partridge Cochins, 168 Rats, 4, 304
Paternity on Change of Cock, J48 Ready-made Fowl-houses, 5 ; their
Pea-comb in Brahmas, 174 ; in Indian Limitations, 6
Game, 182 Rearing Chickens, 52, 75 Turkeys, ;

Pea -Fowl, 264 259 Ducks, 267 Geese, 281

; ;

Peat-Moss Litter, 5 ; in Brooders, 78 Prize Poultry, 150

 ; ;

;io Index.

Rearing, Artificial, 76 Shanks, Colour of, 155

Redcaps, 214 Shaping Troughs, 93
Red Mite, 303 Sharps, 28, 29
Regulators for Incubators, 65, 69 as Food, 28
Resting Travelled Eggs, 149 Shedding, 4
Reversion in Breeding, 133, 135 Shelf, Use in a Fowl-house, 8, 104
.Produced by Crossing, 137 Silkies, 242
Rew, Mr., on Poultry-fattening in Silver-grey Dorkings, 194
Sussex, 116 Singeing Table Poultry, 91, 92
Rheumatism, 294, 296 Sitting Hen, The, 44
Rice as Food, 28 Sittings of Eggs, Purchased, 149
Risks in Breeding, Unknown, 139 ; Snow in Water, 34
Deliberate, 142 Soft Eggs, 298
Roofing for Poultry-houses, 3 Food, Benefit of, 26 ; For a few
Roosting, Too Early, 152 Birds, 27 ; Mixing, 30
Rouen Ducks, 272 Space and Number, Relation of, 15
and Arnoult, and Hydro-
Rouillier Spangled Hamburghs, 211
incubators, 62, 63 Polish, 217
Roup, 297 Spanish, 197
Rumpless Fowls, 244 Spring Chickens. 86
Runs, Small, 4 ; Size of, 14 ; Care of Standards of Excellence, 163
Small, 5, 15 ; Grass, 15 ; Less SterileEggs, 48
Extent in America, 130 Storing Eggs, 44
Strain, what it is, 132 ; Commencing
a, 141
Straw for Bedding, 11, 152
Salt in Food, 27
Strength in Chickens, 146
Scaly Legs, 298
Sulphur during Moult, 35
Schroder, Mr., and Moisture in Incu-
Sultans, 218
bators, 61
Surrey Fowls, 86 ; Shaping, 93
Scotch Greys, 238
Sussex, Poultry Fattening in, 88, 106,
Scraps from Household, 27
116
Season and Fertility, 147 ; and Food,
Swans, 286
28
System of Management, 37
Sebright Bantams, 247
Seeds, Fowls and Damage to, 103
Selling Classes, 145
Connection, Necessity of Table-Scraps, Uses and Dangers of,

Building up, 113 27, 28

Separation of Flocks, 102 ; of Sexes, Table Poultry, 82 ; Conformation of
152 Good, 83; in America, 86;
Sex of Eggs, 44 Crosses for, 84 ; Kinds of, 85
Sexes, Breeding specially for, 143 ; to be Fed from Shell, 87 ; Fatten-
Separation of, 152 ; Signs of, 152 ing, 88 ; Killing, 91 ; Dressing, 91
 Index. 311

Teeth, Hen's, 35 W
Tegetmeier, Mr., on La Kresse Fowls,
Walls of Fowl-houses, 3
225 on Turkey?, 255
;

Warmth in Fowl-houses, 3
Temperature, Regulation of, in Incu-
Washing Poultry for Exhibition, 159
bators, 72
Wasters, Killing of, 156
Testing Eggs, 48, 50
Water for Poultry, 34 ; for Chickens,
Thermometers for Use with Incu-
bators, 72
59 Specitic Heat of, 63
;

Waterfowl, Eggs of, in Incubators,

Thermostat Regulators for Incubators,
68 75
Water- vessels, 34
Tiles as Roofing, 3
Weeding the Chickens, 156
Tonic for Poultry, 34
Westmeria Incubator, 71
Toulouse Geese, 283
Wheat, 31
Training Birds for Exhibition, 159
Wheaten Game, 187
Tiansmission of Features, 133
White Bantams, 249
Travelled Eggs, Resting, 149
-Comb, 298
Troughs for Shaping Poultry, 93
Dorkings, 195
Turkeys, 253 ; Breeding, 256 ; Rear-
Face in Spanish, 198
ing, 259 ; Fattening, 261
Wilbur, Mr., and Poultry Farming.
Turning Eggs in Incubators, 73
123
Turnips as Food, 28
Wings, Cutting, 14
Winter Layers, 39
Wire-covered Run, 55
Valine, M., and Incubator Valves, 61 Worms, 299
Values of Points in Breeding, 138
Wyandottes, 233
Variety Bantams, 251 Wyckoff, Mr., and Poultry Farming,
Ventilation, 8 ; Free Air Plan, 9 ; in

Brooders, 78 ; in Incubators, 63,

73
Vermin, Insect, 153, 302
Vices of Poultry, 300 Yards or Open Runs, 12
Voelcker, Dr. on Poultry Manure, 97
,
Yokohamas, 246
Vulture Hocks, 166 Young Birds, Signs of, 38

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5 B.— 3.09.
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Whys and Other Whys or, Curious Creatures and Their Tales.
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Cassell's Shilling Story Books. All Illustrated, and containing Interest

inij Stories The Giant's Cradle.
Bunty and the Boys. Shag and Doll.
The Heir of Elrartale.
Thorns and Tanples. The Cost of Revenge.
The Cuckoo in the Robin's Nest. Clever Frank.
John's Mistake. Among the Redskins.
The History of Five Little The Ferryman of Brill.
Pitchers.
Surly Bob. Harry Maxwell.

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John Cassell. By Holden Pike.

r,. Thomas A. Edison and Samuel
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Marsh P.^rker.
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George and Robert Stephenson.
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Oeneral Gordon. By the Rev.
S. A. Swaine. Charles Dickens. By his Eldes'
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Campbell. Lord Clyde. By Handel. By Eliza Clarke. [Swaine.
E. C. PhiUips. Turner the Artist. By the Rev. S. A.
David Livingstone. By Robert
Smiles. Abraham Lincoln. By Ernest Foster.
Benjamin Franklin. By E. M.
Tomkinson.
The Earl of Shaftesbury. By Dr. Arnold of Rugby. By Rose E,
Henry- Frith. Selfe.
Dr. Guthrie, Father Mathew,
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LL.D. Tomkinson. is. only.
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Cassell's Eighteenpenny Story Books. Illustrated.

Wee Willie Winkie. Faith's Father.
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Up the Ladder. Jeff and Leff.
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The Chip Boy. "Through Flooa— Through Fire";
and other Stories.
Roses from Thorns. The Girl with the Golden Looks.
The Young Berringtons. Stories of the Olden Time.

Gift Books for Young People. By Popular Authors. With Foui

Original Illustrations in each. Cloth gilt, IS. 6d. each.
The Boy Hunters of Kentucky. Major Monk's Motto. By the Rer.
By Edward S.Ellis. F. Langbridge.
I

Red Feather: a Tale of the

Trixy. By Maggie Symington.
American Frontier. By 1

Edward S. EUis.
Uncle William's Charges; or, Tho
Broken Trust.
Jack Marston's Anchor. Tim Thomson's Trial. By George
Weatlierly,
Frank's Life-Battle; or, Tho
Three Friends. Ruth's Life- Work. By the Rev.
Fritters. By Sarah Pitt Joseph Johnson
 jtbiiversity of British Columbia Library .

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