POULTRY-KEEPERS' GUIDE. 



POULTRY, Management and Profit of. 



- — Except among professional poultry- 

 breeders, and amateurs who can afford to 

 gratify their fancy without regard to pe- 

 cuniary remuneration, poultry has usually 

 been left to care for itself to a great ex- 

 tent. The real profit of poultry-keeping 

 is becoming better understood, however, 

 and the care of fowls, in regard to both 

 food and shelter, is increasing. 



In the milder seasons of the year, do- 

 mestic fowls, left to their own free ways, 

 are almost invariably healthy. They se- 

 cure exercise, pure air, pure water, variety 

 of food, and access to fine, dry soil in 

 which to bathe. As health is the first 

 condition of success in poultry-keeping, 

 this fact presents the key to the whole 

 matter, of profitable management of 

 poultry on farms and in large numbers as 

 a specialty. If* fifty hens, kept in health, 

 can be made to produce a clear annual 

 profit of $50, a thousand in like condi- 

 tion may be made to yield a proportion- 

 ate profit. The chief difficulty experi- 

 enced is that of keeping large numbers 

 in good condition, and this difficulty 

 arises from failure to observe to the ex- 

 tent required the conditions which pro- 

 mote success with a few fowls. The pro- 

 portion of range necessary, of sheltered 

 space, of food, water, care, etc., must be 

 extended mathematically in proportion to 

 the number of fowls kept; and then, 

 other things being equal, the profit is as 

 certain with many hens as with a few. 



Upon the farm, where a few fowls are 

 kept for the benefit of the family, and 

 have during much of the year free range, 

 most of the conditions of moderate suc- 

 cess are attained. With a little care and 

 expense, however, absolutely necessary at 

 some seasons of the year, better results 

 may always be secured ; and regular care 

 is necessary from those who in cities or 

 villages engage in poultry-keeping for 

 pleasure or profit, hoping for success. 



It is obvious that poultry must have 

 room for exercise, and a place for rest, 

 laying, and brooding, and such places 

 should be fruitful, convenient, and health- 

 fully located. The best soil upon which 

 to keep poultry is a sandy one, resting 

 upon gravel, as it retains the least mois- 

 ture; stagnant moisture being a fruitful 

 source of disease. Any soil upon which 

 an inclosure for fowls is erected should be 

 well drained. The place should have a 

 southern or southeastern slope, preferably 

 the former, and be sheltered from the 

 north and east, thus securing warmth of 

 the sun and of location, and security 

 from cold winds. The hen-house should 

 afford proper shelter and warmth; perches 

 and nests should be kept clean and the 

 air pure, without permitting any percept- 

 ible draught. The floor should be hard 

 and perfectly dry, concrete or solidly 

 packed earth being the best material. 

 Whether composed of stone, brick, or 

 wood, the house must be suited to the 

 nature of its occupants. Success will be 

 diminished in proportion to the neglect 

 of any of these conditions. 



A room eight to ten feet square is 

 large enough for a roosting and laying 

 house for twenty-five hens. If the walls 

 are plastered, the protection against ver- 

 min and cold will be greater than when 

 otherwise. The sunny side, except of the 

 nest-room, should be composed of glass, 

 commencing one foot above the ground 

 or floor, and if the glass is small there 

 will be less liability of breakage by the 

 fowls. The perches should be low, espe- 

 cially for the heavier breeds, unless there 

 is convenient access to them by means of 

 steps, so that the fowls may not injure 

 themselves in jumping to the floor. A 

 good arrangement is one in which one 

 perch is elevated above the other and 

 behind it, the perches being about two 

 feet apart and the lower one two feet 

 from the floor. Some prefer, however, 



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