POULTRY-ITOUSKS.] 



POULTJiV 



[POLLTUV-HUUSES. 



Vicious, and will try to destroy a rival brood. 

 A small brick hutch, about a yard square, 

 with a hard dry lloor, and a movable woodou 

 top, is excellent as a titling- rootn for hens. 

 Before a fowl is put to sit, the nest should 

 be made perfeelly clean ; for if the hen 

 becomes infested with vermin, she [)inc3, 

 and cannot sit close. Should tho stock 

 comprise more than ono breed of fowls, and 

 should the races be intended to bo prosi.'rvcd 

 pure, they must, as a matter of course, bo kept 

 separate. 



""Where this is attempted," says Islv. 

 Eichardson, " an iucloauro adjoining tho poul- 

 try-house, with three divisions of iron wire, if 

 the space can bo spared, will bo found useful. 

 In these inclosures, in wet cold weather, the 

 poultry can be confined, with room to scratch 

 and feed. The largest division will be for 

 laying hens and turkeys, and miscellaneous 

 stock. In this space you can muster them, 

 accustom them to be fed, see that all are in 

 health, and make the close observations which 

 are needful for success. In the second, you 

 can place hens with young broods, before they 

 are strong enough to mis with the other fowls. 

 In the third, and smallest, you can keep poul- 

 try for fatting. If the accommodation is large 

 enough for them to enjoy the air without being 

 able to run about much, with shade, sun, 

 plenty of clean water and food, they will 

 generally thrive better than when cooped. A 

 few good coops, either of wood and wire, or 

 wicker, with the top thatched, should always 

 be at hand. These may be made so as to 

 shut up the chickens, if necessary, as well as 

 the hens. If the fowl-house is largo enough, 

 have a small hollow sunk in one corner where 

 there is light, and fill it with fine sand or 

 ashes, slaked lime, or burnt oyster-shells, as 

 a dust-bath for the fowls. If it is not, place 

 in the yard, under cover, a large glazed earth- 

 enware pan. By placing the dusting material 

 in a pan, it is easily changed from time to 



time. If you are obliged to put up with :i 

 siuall loan-to, or other confined place, for your 

 fowl-houao, at any rate tako caro to keep it 

 clean ; for warmth, cleanliness, and judicious 

 feeding are tho cardinal muxim.s for poultry 

 management." 



THE rOTTlKR'S POULTRY-HOUSE. 

 Under tho head of " Housing," wo have 

 already observed, that the bent mode of reaririLT 

 fowls, is tho old plan of allowing them to roost 

 on tho rafters of the room in which the cottier 

 keeps his fire. Owing to the warmth thus 

 afibrded during winter, when eggs are scarce, 

 and consequently at a high price, they are to 

 be obtained from tho humble cabin, when they 

 are not to be got from the less warm poultry- 

 house of the more affluent breeder. Let us 

 repeat, however, that should circumstances 

 render tho keeping of poultry in the cabin 

 unadvisablc, a comfortable house may bo 

 erected for them against the outside of the 

 cabin wall. If possible, tho part of the wall 

 against which the little hut is erected, should 

 be that opposite to the fire-place within. It" 

 shelter is required, it can be obtained by means 

 of a ievf bushes, or a wall of sods ; and the 

 neighbouring roads will servo as an ample walk ; 

 whilst the nearest stream will slake their thirst. 

 A few laying-nests may be placed in a warm 

 corner of the cabin. By such means as wo 

 have stated, the poultry of the poor cottior 

 will thrive as well, and yield as great a profit;, 

 as those kept in the best-appointed estab- 

 lishments in the kingdom. Indeed, we are 

 not certain that they will not thrive better; 

 simply because the artificial means adopted 

 to nourish and preserve them, is of a less 

 complicated kind than such as aro employed 

 by the more affluent. iS'ature is left much 

 more free to carry on lier own operations; and 

 ' as she is usually the best nurse of the bird, 

 j she generally performs her duties with aa 

 . unerring certainty as to results, 



879 



