50 GENERAL MANAGEMENT OP POULTRY. 



with liberal feeding otherwise, will rear chickens at the coldest 

 seasons ; and the extra cost is more than met by the extra 

 prices then obtained in the market. But shelter they must 

 have ; and those who have not at command a large outhouse 

 or shed to shelter them while tender, should not attempt to 

 raise winter or early spring chickens if they do, the result will 

 only be disappointment and loss. It may however be as well to 

 state that there is no place so bad as a greenhouse, which will 

 not answer the purpose at all. The experiment has often been 

 tried, and early chickens so " protected " simply die off like flies. 

 Some loose dry material under foot in the shed, and free run 

 out, are what they require. 



This much will suffice for the solid food of the chickens ; 

 but there is a further very important question as to what 

 should be allowed them in the way of drink. The usual plan 

 till lately has been to let them have water by them ad libitum, 

 the fresher and cooler the better ; and we have shared this 

 general practice with others. There have, however, always 

 been exceptions to this rule amongst country rearers, especially 

 some who have inherited traditions of Game-fowl rearing ; 

 and during the last few years there have been on several 

 occasions lengthy discussions in the poultry papers as to 

 whether it is not better, for about the first four weeks, to with- 

 hold water altogether, where the chickens are fed chiefly on soft 

 food, excepb so far as fluid may be contained in the latter. 



A careful and exhaustive analysis of all that we have been 

 able to meet with on both sides of this question, has led us to 

 the conclusion that the preponderance of experience is most 

 decidedly upon the side of withholding water. It is to be 

 remarked that by far the greater part of what has been 

 said on this side, consists of actual evidence as to extremely 

 good results from this mode of treatment, and in many 

 cases of very great improvement in results after its adop- 

 tion. On the other side, a very large proportion of what 



