FOWLS -THEIR GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 



THERE is a great diversity of opinion in regard to the management of 

 fowls, the particular and desirable breeds for all purposes, &c. First of all, 

 their 



PROPER CARE AND KEEPING 



is essential to success, for a person may have the best known breeds, and if 

 they are not properly cared for they will, in nine cases out of ten, prove a 

 failure. Therefore we wish to impress upon the mind of the breeder, in the 

 outset, that this needs attention more than purity of breed or superiority of 

 kind. As a friend of ours said, " there exists gross neglect of the poor birds 

 generally." This neglect is not confined to persons who have no fancy for 

 fine poultry, but extends even to many who have the reputation of being fowl 

 fanciers. Still, as before stated, for poultry to be remunerative there must 

 be good management. In 



STARTING OUT IN THE BUSINESS, 



plans should be well matured and digested before hand. A good, convenient 

 poultry house should be properly constructed, sufficiently large to contain 

 the number of birds one desires, warm and dry in the winter, well ven- 

 tilated, and it should be kept scrupulously clean. The house should not be 

 over-crowded, but just large enough. Nothing is made by over-crowding the 

 hennery ; on the contrary, it will prove detrimental. The fowls must be fed 

 regularly and at stated periods. They must have plenty of pure water at 

 hand at all times this is of as much importance to the health of the brood 

 as proper food. If possible, they should also be given, in addition, a plat of 

 grass for a run. Place within the hennery a dust heap ; this may consist of 

 wood or coal ashes, sand, or dust from the streets. It should be kept under 

 cover, so that it will not become drenched with rain or snow, and to it the 

 fowls should have access at all times, to dust, and thereby rid them- 

 selves, in a great degree, of the numerous parasites which infest them. The 

 habit of 



GIVING TOO MUCH FOOD, 



to poultry, in a short space of time, is a very bad one. If one notices their 

 habits he will perceive that the process of picking up their food under ordi- 



