POULTRY. 



confined (wliere there is any pond 

 within her reach) to the rip, already 

 described, which should be placed on 

 a field of short grass with a flat dish 

 of water near it. The ducklings wad- 

 dle about in search of insects, and at 

 the maternal call return to the coop. 

 This restraint upon the liberty of the 

 poor mother should be avoided if cir- 

 cumstances permit, for to protract 

 her close confinement after more 

 than four weeks' sitting is a cruel re- 

 straint. It is very common to place 

 duck eggs under a hen, on account 

 of her excellent qualities as a nurse. 



" Any kind of meal is good for 

 ducklings at first, and this may soon 

 be mixed with potatoes. The rel'use 

 of the kitchen will not only support, 

 but fatten them ; but to have them 

 quickly and highly fattened, they 

 should have oatmeal made into paste. 

 They will also devour any animal of- 

 fal, and have no fastidiousness what- 

 ever. If allowed to follow a plough, 

 or attend on the gardener when his 

 spade is at work, their greediness 

 and activity in picking up worms are 

 extreme ; and for gobblmg up snails 

 and slugs, and other such delicacies 

 in the field or garden, they are most 

 useful, while they are at the same 

 time putting themselves into high 

 condition. Having no fastidiousness 

 of appetite, they never require cram- 

 ming ; indeed, they act as if they 

 considered it their duty to get fat as 

 quickly as possible, and therefore re- 

 quire no artificial aid. 



" In a poultry-yard the ducks and 

 geese are frequently lodged on the 

 lower floor of the fowl-houses, but it 

 is better, if the locality will permit, to 

 give them distinct chambers, partic- 

 ularly where a good pond (free from 

 eels) is available ; on the margin of 

 this their huts may be placed, with 

 very trifimg labour, and an invisible 

 palmg all round the water, construct- 

 ed at bottom on the principle of the 

 cage-trap, so as to prevent the in- 

 gress of rats or weasels, while it af- 

 fords them a ready outlet, renders 

 this department of the poultry estab- 

 lishment complete, though far too 

 expensive for common adoption. 

 632 



" Gccsc. — The proportion of fe- 

 males to the males is the same as in 

 the duck tribe, and the period of in- 

 cubation and the numlier of eggs that 

 may be set correspond exactly. The 

 goose lays in a mild spring very ear- 

 ly, and on this account (but only with 

 high corn-feeding in the previous win- 

 ter, and stimulating food during the 

 entire breeding season) two broods 

 may be had in the same year. Un- 

 like the peacock and the Guinea cock, 

 the gander is not only indisposed to 

 do any mischief to the nests, hut is 

 very attentive to the hatching birds, 

 whom he vigilantly protects as he 

 sits patiently by ; nor is his protec- 

 tion, as he accompanies the goslings 

 in due course, less creditable to his 

 paternal character. The goose is a 

 ver}' steady sitter, but usually rises 

 often enough to drink and take sus- 

 tenance, without its being necessary 

 to remove her from her nest for the 

 purpose. 



" The early treatment of the gos- 

 lings is similar to that of ducklings. 

 The mother should be penned up for 

 some days upon dry grass, but nei- 

 ther too early nor very late in the 

 day : beet leaves, or other green food, 

 may be mixed even with the early 

 diet, if immediate fattening be not 

 the object. 



"Green geese are brought very 

 early to market ; they can be made 

 quite fat with oatmeal and pease, 

 and skimmed milk or buttermilk, 

 when from four to six months old : 

 many prefer oats alone. 



'•The management of them is thus 

 detailed in a communication to Mr. 

 Moubray : 



" ' Cleanliness, punctuality, and reg- 

 ularity prevail ; the business is con- 

 ducted, as it were, by machinery, ri- 

 valling the vibrations of the pendu- 

 lum in unilormity of movement. The 

 grand object of preparing, not geese 

 only, but poultry in general, for mar- 

 ket, in as short a time as possible, is 

 effected solely by paying unremitting 

 attention to their wants ; in keeping 

 them thoroughly clean ; in supplying 

 them with proper food (dry, soil, and 

 green), water, exercise ground, &c. 



