WATER-FOUNTAINS 



27 



daily. Anything will do. A good plan is to mince up 

 cabbage-leaves or other refuse vegetables, and mix pretty freely 

 with the soft food; or the whole leaves maybe thrown down 

 for the fowls to devour ; or a few turnips may be minced up 

 daily, and scattered like grain, or simply cut in two and thrown 

 into the run ; or, if it can be got, a large sod of fresh-cut turf 

 thrown to the fowls will be better than all. But something 

 they must have every day, or nearly so, otherwise their bowels 

 sooner or later become disordered, their feathers look dirty, 

 their combs lose that beautiful bright red colour which will 

 always accompany really good health and condition, and 

 testifies pleasantly to abundance of eggs. 



The water- vessel must be filled fresh 

 every day at least, and so arranged that 

 the birds cannot scratch dirt into it or 

 make it foul The ordinary poultry- 

 fountain is too well known to need 

 description, but a better form, made in 

 two parts, is shown in Fig. 6. The advan- 

 tages of such a construction are that the 

 interior can be examined, and the vessel 

 well sluiced out to remove the green 

 slime which always collects by degrees, 

 and is very prejudicial to health. Some 

 experienced breeders prefer shallow 

 pans ; but if these be adopted they must 

 be filled frequently. When the water has 

 to be placed in a shed filled with loose earth, to which the fowls 

 are confined, a piece of board or other protection should be so 

 placed as to protect it from dirt being scratched into it. 



Grown-up fowls must never be left without water. During a 

 frost, therefore, the fountain should be emptied every night, or 

 there will be trouble next morning. Care must always be taken, 

 also, that snow is not allowed to fall into the drinking vessel 



Fig. 6. 



