POULTRY AND EGGS. 229 



one o'clock, when the fowls may be given all they will cat, 

 which will be considerable after they arc used to it. At the 

 same time give thcni a light feed of wheat and cracked corn, 

 which should be strewn amons: leaves or some kind of litter 

 that the fowls may get plenty of exercise in scratching for 

 their food. It is very important that they should indulge in 

 this afternoon exercise during the cold weather, as it is con- 

 ducive to their health and productiveness. Just before 

 dark, feed all the whole corn the fowls will eat, that they 

 may go to roost with well-tilled crops of such food as will 

 diirest slowly and last them well into the lonor winter nisflits. 

 The fowls should have constantly before them clean, fresh 

 water or milk, ground oyster-shells, and green food, such as 

 cabbages or raw turnips. With the above bill of fare and 

 regularly cleaned and ventilated quarters, the farmer will be 

 rewarded with a full e£r2,"-basket every niirht durinii: the win- 

 ter. 



When the warm weather comes and the fowls are naturally 

 more vigorous, they will need feeding only twice daily, 

 morning and afternoon, and if they are allowed the range of 

 the farm, will need no supply of green food or vegetables; 

 but if at any time tlw^y are confined in yards or buildings, 

 these articles should fiiyure in their re^^ular diet. 



It is believed by many that if fowls are confined in yards 

 and supplied with green food, that their eggs will hatch as 

 well :is when running at large ; but after repeated experi- 

 ments on this point, I find that eggs hatch much better and 

 that the chickens are much stronijcr when the brcedins:- 

 stock is allowed unlimited ranffc. When the fowls are 

 given this privilege, the e^g is constructed of such material 

 as nature intended it should be, and the nearer to nature we 

 can give our stock at this very important time the stronger 

 and more natural will be the i>erm in Ibc co-fj. It is neces- 

 sary, in order that we may be successful in any business, (hat 

 we should start right and lay a proper foundation to build 

 upon. If the fowl is deprived of nature's food at the time 

 of breedinij, the constituents of the cfrij- will be diHei-ent 

 from what they should be as food to nourish the embrj'o 

 chick in the shell. If the chick has been nourished by im- 

 perfect food during this early stage of its existence, it starts 



