1066 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK xn. 



body. Oats are excellent food, and should be given the birds before 

 roosting. Another point is to keep the birds free from vermin, for 

 which purpose dust baths should be thoroughly supplied with dust. 

 Change frequently the materials of which the nests are composed. 

 Fumigate the houses when empty with brimstone, and sprinkle a little 

 flowers of sulphur in the nests. To keep up the succession of broods, 

 hens selected for setting should be induced to become broody by the 

 end of the month for the earliest hatches. A few ducks' eggs may be 

 expected, and these should be placed under a hen for producing the 

 earliest broods. In the districts where early ducklings are raised, 

 ducks' eggs are often worth &d. a piece at this period. The duckling 

 raisers prefer hens to incubators. Get the guinea-fowls hi good 

 condition. 



FEBRUARY. 



Eggs generally become more plentiful at this season, and every 

 effort should be made to hatch out early broods as they are in all ways 

 the most valuable. The nests should be made in quiet places, and the 

 hens should only be disturbed at feeding times. If the hens cannot 

 get to damp places, the eggs should be moistened ; this is particularly 

 necessary in the case of ducks' eggs. If sitting-hens are not available 

 in sufficient numbers, incubators should be used. Guinea-fowls are 

 now in season, and, as game is not obtainable, are very valuable. A 

 most important point, at this period of the year, is to see that the cock 

 birds are healthy and well fed. Sometimes it is necessary to give them 

 food by themselves. 



MARCH. 



The hard work of the poultry yard may be said to have commenced 

 this month, hens rapidly becoming broody. Towards the end of the 

 month several hatches may be expected. For all the details.concerning 

 the setting of hens, the feeding and care of chickens, and the manage- 

 ment of fattening fowls and laying hens, see Text. In setting ducks' 

 eggs for hatches, the broods of which are to be reared for sale as 

 food, select those that are the produce of Aylesbury ducks and Rouen 

 drakes. Watch the turkeys so that, in case they commence laying, 

 their eggs may be found ; this is necessary as they often roam far and 

 lay their eggs in unexpected places at a distance from the homestead. 

 The early hatches are best; the first lot of eggs should be placed 

 under hens, and the turkeys will keep on laying. The same applies to 

 guinea-fowls. Young turkeys are very tender and must be carefully 

 managed. Goslings are much more easily reared, as they may be left 

 to the care of the geese, which make excellent and careful mothers. 

 They must have access to a pond and a run of grass. 



APRIL. 



The work of this month is chiefly connected with the care of broody 

 hens and young chickens ; the latter must be specially looked after. 

 See to laying hens, which will now be laying abundantly. Set turkeys 



