March 27, 18S6. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE G.VRDENER. 



249 



POXTLTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE- 



NOTES FRO:!J MY POTTLTRY JOUEK^VL. 



Egos in Wintek. — Wlule reading a late Number of The 

 JouRNAii OF HoRTiCDLiUBE I noticed the number of eggs given 

 by three hens and five pullets during the winter months as 

 instanced by a schoolboy, and your remarks thereon as regards 

 feeding. Perchance a lady's experience in the same school 

 may be equally interesting to your readers ; and they may 

 perhaps profit by what I tell them of my Utile yard when the 

 dark wet days of winter come again, the time when the bright 

 coral colour is so apt to leave the comb, and the clear, ringing, 

 morning crow, that should make the hills echo, sounds like the 

 croak of a raven. 



^YeU, on the 10th of last December I turned out in my yard 

 ten pullets and two hens — viz., six Spanish and six Light 

 Brahmas, with a, Black Spanish cockerel, ily yard is a space 

 14 feet square, in which the hen-house, 4 feet square and 

 7 feet high, is buOt enthely of wood, placed upon joists with 

 the ground taken away underneath, thus leaving a free space 

 for air all round and under the house. Two small doors, slung 

 on hinges at the top of the hen-house, are aids to ventilation, 

 and a little latticework in the front gable end admits, day and 

 night, pure air when the doors are closed. The floor of this 

 hen-house is kept covered to the depth of an inch or two with 

 ashes, which are sifted carefully every morning, thus rendering 

 it clean, sweet, and free from vermin. The nests are separate 

 boxes placed in each comer of the house. The yard has a 

 border all round, 2 feet in width, planted with laurels and other 

 evergreens, the ground beneath being covered with gi-een turf 

 renewed every fortnight, over which the fowls in fine weather 

 love to walk and trim their plumage, cackling under cover of 

 .the shrubs. The yard is of fine gravel, with a high mound of 

 -the same in the centre for the fowls' scratching and eating. 

 The fence enclosing the yard is of galvanised wire netting, 

 6 feet high, supported by iron posts, and has one door, with 

 strong wooden posts and frame, for admission to the yard and 

 hen-house. All is thus under lock and key. 



Now for an incident which may serve as a warning to others. 

 I had not roofed my yard over. Jly fowls came in the after- 

 noon, and all-desirous of theii' comfort, I turned them into the 

 yard, and fed them for the first time with my own hands. 

 They were very quiet, and I left them, of course thinking they 

 ■would naturally seek the shelter of the hen-house at roosting- 

 time ; but fancy my horror and affright when, in less than an 

 hour, my maid came rushing to me with the news that my 

 valuable fowls "were up in the trees like so many crows.'' 

 'Never shall I forget it. A fall of sleet had set in, and every- 

 thing was wet and sloppy, but there was no help for it. 'V\'hat 

 a hunt it was catching them ! and oh ! the looking up in 

 the trees, with the snow and rain drizzling down my face, and 

 the wind, and my ribbons ; but at length we were rewarded, 

 though the gardener had to cUmb the trees for the last two. 

 When all were safely shut in the hen-house we soon threw 

 ■wire netting over the yard, drawing it tight to the iron uprights, 

 and binding it with wire. 



After this aU went well for a time, and eggs began to come in. 

 I fed the fowls according to my usual regime, to which I shall 

 allude by-and-by ; but the weather became so miserable, rain- 

 ing day and night, and several of the birds had begun moulting 

 heavily, and their consequent tenderness made them so sus- 

 ceptible of damp and cold, that my utmost care would not 

 prevent their becoming sickly. That beautiful gloss, like the 

 snn on a gipsy girl's hair, left the Spanish plumage, and the 

 delicate penciUing of the Light Brahma faded away in wet and 

 dirt. I saw plainly something must be done to help them. 

 I at once determined to make them a nice dry day run, where 

 they would have sufficient protection fi'om rain, and wind, and 

 wet ground, and yet enough of liberty. I therefore erected 

 alongside the hen-house a wooden building, 10 feet long and 

 4 feet wide, thus running parallel with it ; a door opening out- 

 side the henyard, so that I could pass in and out of this covered 

 building without going into the yard. It is all of wood, with 

 strong plate glass windows in an asphalted roof. The front, 

 down to within a foot of the ground, is of galvanised wire 

 netting, which, however, can be closed in by shutters during 

 heavy rains and severe cold. This building communicates with 

 the hen-house, and the floor is covered 6 inches deep with fine 

 old mortar rubbish, the surface of which is raked and sifted 

 <3aily. This was finished by February, and since the fowls have 



had this retreat there has not been an ailment amongst them. 

 They are all in the most perfect health and feather. They are 

 as sleek as moles and eat like hunters, and up to the 10th of 

 March, thus including the three winter months, have laid me 

 230 eggs. I do not boast of this as a great number ; but when 

 I remember that all the Brahmas moulted during the time, 

 and the damp and cold of the season, I am satisfied with the 

 result. 



So much for housing them ; but after all, as you say, there 

 is a great deal in the mode of feeding. I like a generous diet 

 for fowls as well as for children. In the morning I give my 

 thirteen fowls one pint of Indian com and barley mixed, a 

 plate of boiled potatoes, and about sis spoonfuls of Tyler's 

 patent meal mixed with water. Then I place in the build- 

 ing a large cow cabbage, which is always entirely devoured by 

 four o'clock in the afternoon, at which time they are fed again 

 with the same quantity of mixed com and Tyler's meal, and 

 about 3 ozs. of barleymeal in paste. About every second day 

 they are allowed 2 ozs. of meat saved from the table, and cut 

 very fine. I always take great care that the bii'ds have fresh 

 spring water in clean garden saucers twice a-day, and I believe 

 there is nothing more conducive to their health. 



In keeping all live stock it should be, I think, our constant 

 endeavour to subject them, as nearly as we can, to the great 

 guiding laws of Nature. V,'e shoiUd enable them to employ 

 their instincts, such as running under cover in rain, and dusting 

 themselves. We should give them imitation bowers, and food 

 which assimilates as nearly as can be to that which they would 

 gain in the wilds. Then their animal Ufe would become plea- 

 sant to them, and their various functions natural and not 

 matters of pain ; and we shoiild have our reward, if not in the 

 retm-n they made, at least in the obsen-ation of their perfect 

 health and thorough enjoyment. 



I am about rearing chickens, and if you care for my expeii- 

 ence I may tell you by-and-by how I progress. — L. W. 



RAILWAY CHAEGES. 



I SEST to the late Rochdale Show a basket containing a cock 

 and hen Bufi' Cochin, tied with another- basket containing a 

 cock and hen Sebright ; also two other baskets tied together, 

 containing each a Game Bantam cock and hen. All the 

 baskets were dii-ected lia Peterborough. In the freight-note 

 of the Great Eastern Railway the charge for carriage to Roch- 

 dale stands thus : — 



s. d. 



To Rochdale, one basket 12 lbs. each 2 



„ one do. SOlbs. „ 4 



G 

 On the 7th of Eebruary the baskets began to come back. 

 On the evening of that day arrived the Cochins ; on the 

 morning of the 8th came the Sebrights ; in the afternoon one 

 basket of the Game Bantams appeared ; the fourth basket I 

 received on the following morning. All the baskets were 

 marked lio Peterborough, yet two travelled by the London and 

 North-'Westem Railway. For thi-ee I paid ; for the fourth no 

 charge was made. I have this day a demand sent up from our 

 station for 3s. ijd. for a basket of birds from Rochdale, delivered 

 on the 8th of February, being one of the four above mentioned. 

 I paid on the return journey : — 



s. d. 



For the basket of Cochins 2 10 



For the Sebrights 8 6 



For the Game Bantams 1 o 



For the other Game Bantams 



7 10 

 I am now asked to pay 36 



11 i 

 Compare the charge to Rochdale— viz., 6s., with the charge 

 back, lis. id. ; note that all but the basket of Cochins were 

 ■within a few ounces of the same weight ; add also Is. Gd. 

 telegram to Rochdale, to know why my birds were delayed ; be- 

 sides, damage to the birds in a delay of one day whOst con- 

 fined in their baskets, the attendance of my man at nearly 

 every train to meet the expected birds, and correspondence 

 with the Secretary of the Rochdale Show, and I think I have 

 just ground for asking an alteration of railway charges and ar- 

 rangements in the matters of poulti-y carriage. I do not mean 

 to pay the amount claimed ; but I shall refer the claimants to 

 the railwav authorities at Rochdale, who may, if they Hke, try 

 whether they have a remedy in the County Court against me. 

 — Geoege Maknikg, Chapel House, Spri»ajield, Essex. 



