8 GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY. 



Company kept for several years su-ch a family in each pen of 

 their large establishment at Bromley. Thesa pens did not 

 exceed the size mentioned, yet tho adult fowls at least were in 

 the highest health and condition ; and the company managed, 

 with birds thus confined, to take many prizes at first-class 

 shows. 



Poultry-keeping is, therefore, within the reach of all. The 

 great thing is purity, which must be secured, either by space, 

 or, in default of that, by care. Hardy fowls will sometimes 

 thrive in spite of draughts, exposure, and scanty food ; but 

 the strongest birds speedily succumb to bad management in 

 this particular, which is perhaps the most frequent cause of 

 failure. 



It should also be remarked that poultry thus confined will 

 require a different diet to those kept more at liberty; but 

 this will be more fully explained in a succeeding chapter. 



If the run be on the limited scale described, dry earth is 

 decidedly the best deodoriser. It is, however, seldom at the 

 command of those who have little space to spare, and sifted 

 ashes an inch deep, spread over the floor of the whole shed, 

 will answer very well. The ashes should be raked eveiy other 

 morning, and renewed at least every fortnight, or oftener if 

 possible. Of course, the number of fowls must be limited : 

 they should not exceed five or six, and, unless a second shed of 

 the same size can be allowed, the rearing of chickens should 

 not be attempted. 



To those who can give up a portion of their garden, the 

 following plan of a poultry-yard can be confidently recom- 

 mended. It represents what was our own yard for years, and 

 from experience we can pronounce it not only convenient, 

 simple, and cheap, but, with the addition of a lawn on which 

 the chickens may be cooped, sufficient for rearing in very 

 fair perfection almost any variety of either ordinary or 

 ' fancy " fowls. The space required in all is only twenty-five 



