Thoroughbred Poultry for Fanners. 125 



the fowls are allowed their liberty. The pens for breeding 

 usually contain 10 to 12 hens, mated to one cockerel, and if 

 possible they are allowed free range. The laying hens need 

 no male. The hens in the laying-pens that are to be kept over 

 for another season 'are turned out to pasture after May or June, 

 and fed oats or buckwheat once per day. The forcing for eggs 

 throughout the summer from hens that laid during the winter 

 will retard the moulting, and too much "dead timber" in the 

 fall and winter will be the result. Hens allowed to pasture 

 and not forced with grain will moult out nicely. I remember 

 that all my Wyandottes moulted by November one season. 



In raising thoroughbred chickens, whether by natural or 

 artifical means, the great point is to follow closely nature's 

 methods. A hen with her brood on a nice shady grass-run 

 will bring up strong chickens. Brooders or artificial mothers, 

 except in the early spring months, must be outdoors, where 

 the chickens can have a good range. During January, Febru- 

 ary and March, chicks do well enough when raised indoors, 

 but as soon as the temperature gets over 60 degrees, the 

 sooner they get outdoors the better. This especially ap- 

 plies to Leghorns and other quick-feathering breeds. Deprive 

 the latter of a good range, and poor and sickly chickens will 

 be the result. 



There are numerous other excellent breeds, notably the 

 Light Brahmas. The latter in the hands of such skillful 

 breeders as James Rankin and I. K. Felch, bring large returns. 

 The Langshan is a fine fowl, a good layer and has fine meat; 

 but the black legs and the white skin do not take in the general 

 market. In a fancy market, however, the Langshan has many 

 admirers. One dealer in Fulton Market, New York, has in- 

 formed me that he obtained extra prices for their carcasses. 

 The Indian Game has unquestionably the finest breast-de- 

 velopment of any fowls I am acquainted with, and looks meaty 

 and appetizing in every way; but it has not been sufficiently 

 tried in America to enable one to estimate its practical value. 

 Properly selected and bred, it should reach the top notch. 



