206 MANNER OF FEEDING. 



as my experience goes, even if fed upon all sorts of grain. All fowls 

 should be placed so as to have the sun and come to the ground ; also 

 ehould have a box of ashes set so as the sun will shine upon it, and 

 they will wallow in it more freely. If they have plenty of gravel, 

 they will not become too fat, or oyster shells, or burnt bones, pounded 

 line. I am satisfied that this is the cheapest way of keeping these 

 breed:?. Geese do not require to be kept in this way, as they will be 

 healthy if not fed so high. Selected. 



Richardson, the English author, observes : 



" You must separate the two classes of fowls, layers and fatteners, 

 at all events at feeding time. Make some separate provision for your 

 cocks ; if they are only fed in company with the hens, they are apt 

 to think too much of their mistresses, and to neglect their own appe- 

 tites ; and recollect, that to have strong chickens, you must have a 

 strong cock, which an ill-fed bird cannot be expected to prove. You 

 should also make separate provision for such fowls as are bullied or 

 oppressed by the rest. Fowls are much given to jealousy the cock's 

 favor is sometimes the cause of this, but by no means invariably so; 

 and, indeed, the cause is not at all times to be ascertained ; however 

 obscure the cause, it is incumbent on the poultry fancier to prevent 

 the effect, by adopting the separative system at the times indicated. 



In such an occurrence, which is easily recognizable by the cock's 

 continually running at that particular bird, to the neglect, or .com- 

 parative neglect, of the others, it is best to remove the favorite at once ; 

 if not, quarrels will ensue ; this hen will nearly always be made a 

 victim, and in many cases the quarrels on her account will give rise 

 to other and more general affrays. On such occasions, the cock 

 usually interferes, and endeavors to establish peace ; he almost inva- 

 riably does so when the contest is carried on per duello ; when, how- 

 ever, a number of his mistresses fall upon one, his interference is of 

 little avail ; and, as if he were conscious of this, in such cases he 

 usually leaves the poor favorite to her fate. I would not be so minute, 

 but that I feel that these remarks, the result of long observation, will 

 interest the naturalist as well as the mere poultry fancier. I have 

 also known a cock to take a dislike to a particular hen ; and, in one 

 instance, he did not desist from his persecution till the poor thing 

 died. This is a much more rare case than the preceding, and I have 

 no doubt of its cause ; it is this when a vigorous, healthy cock, is 

 mated with very feio hens, he is very persevering in his attentions to 

 them ; when hens are in moult, they will not accept of any such. In 

 most instances of this kind, I have found the hen thus victimized by 

 her lord, to have been moulting, and to have incurred his hatred by 

 a refusal of conjugal rights. The cock will sometimes fall upon a hen 

 newly introduced into your yard, especially if of a different color 

 from his other mates. This recently occurred amongst my -own fowls, 

 they being chiefly black Spanish, and the new hen, a yellow Ham- 

 burgh. I tried the experiment of coloring the latter black; the cock 

 no longer beat her, and he did not seem to notice the subsequent 

 gradual renewal of the yellow, as the black wore off. 



