62 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



Miss Reed. I would like to ask what is meant by " con- 

 finement " ? Does the gentleman mean that the hens are kept 

 in a building or in a yard ? And if in a yard, is it a limited 

 yard or a large yard ? 



Mr. . They had a run, but were not allowed the 



liberty of the farm. I think milk has been spoken of as a diet 

 for hens. I have not found anything better than milk, fed 

 with wheat bran or middlings. 



Mr. Augur. There is one subject to which I would like 

 to allude in connection with this matter of poultry keeping ; 

 and it seems to me, from what I know of the practice of 

 farmers generally, that it is a subject to which reference 

 should be made. We have in Middlefield a gentleman who 

 is very successful in managing poultry, and two years ago he 

 told me that he made a strong point of this (I think Miss 

 Reed has touched upon it) : when the weather is cold, he 

 does not allow his hens to go out and get chilled. He thinks 

 that when the thermometer is below zero, or even near zero, 

 if fowls are allowed to range outside in search of food, it is a 

 great hindi'ance to their laying. Consequently, he is very 

 careful to keep them, in cold weather, where they will be 

 warm and comfortable. 



Mr. Allen. I have been exceedingly interested in this 

 discussion, and 1 have learned a great deal about this hen 

 business ; one tiling I have learned is, that there are some 

 people in the State of Connecticut who do feed their hens ! 

 That is news to me. In the vicinity where I live, nobody 

 ever thought of such a thing, that I know of. 1 am sure my 

 neighbors never did, or of feeding their turkeys either ; why, 

 there have been about forty or fifty turkeys roaming over 

 my farm all summer. I am sure the proprietor never thought 

 of feeding them ; and his hens are all around me, in every 

 direction. Our whole community, as far as I know, would 

 be very much surprised, if they were present in this Con- 

 vention, to hear that anybody took so much pains as to feed 

 their fowls. Is it a fact, sir, that this lady gives her time 

 and attention to her fowls, feeding them, housing them, and 



