THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



poultry. This court is neatly paved, and a 

 circular pond and pump in the middle of it. 

 The whole fronts toward a rich little field, or 

 paddock, called the poultry-paddock, in which 

 the poultry have liberty to walk about between 

 meals. At one o'clock the bell rings, and the 

 beautiful gate in the centre is opened. The 

 poultry being then mostly walking in the pad- 

 dock, and knowing by the sound of the bell that 

 their repast is ready for them, fly and run from 

 all quarters, and rush in at the gate, every one 

 striving which can get the first share in the 

 scramble. There are about 600 poultry of dif- 

 ferent kinds in the place ; and although so large 

 a number, the semicircular court is kept so nice 

 and clean, that not a speck of dung is to be seen. 



"This poultry-place is built of brick, except- 

 ing the pillars and cornices, and the lintels and 

 jambs of the doors and windows ; but the bricks 

 are not seen, being all covered with a remark- 

 ably fine kind of slate from his Lordship's es- 

 tate in Wales. These slate are closely jointed 

 and fastened with screw-nails, on small spars 

 fixed to the brick ; they are afterward painted, 

 and fine white sand thrown on while the paint 

 is wet, which gives the whole the appearance of 

 the beautiful freestone." 



This sort of cleanliness, with as free a circula- 

 tion as possible, and a proper space for the fowls 

 to run in, is essential to the rearing of this sort 

 of stock with the greatest advantage and suc- 

 cess, as in narrow and confined situations they 

 are never found to answer well. 



MOWBKAY'S POULTRY-HOUSE. 



" Whether or not the poultry be suffered to 

 range at large," says Mowbray, "and particu- 

 larly to take the benefit of the farm-yard, a sep- 

 arate and well-fenced yard or court must be 

 pitched upon. Upon farms the poultry-yard 

 may be small, as the poultry should be allowed 

 to range over the premises, to pick up what can 

 not be got at by the swine. The surface must 

 be so sloped and drained as to avoid all stag- 

 nant moisture, most destructive to chickens. 

 The fences must be lofty and well secured at 

 the bottom, that the smallest chicken can not 

 tind a passage through, and the whole yard per- 

 fectly sheltered, from the northwest to the south- 



east. It should be supplied with some effe'.e 

 lime and sifted ashes, or very dry sand, in 

 which the fowls may exercise the propensity, 

 so delightful and salutary to them, of rolling 

 and basking themselves. This is effectual in 

 cleansing their feathers and skin from vermin 

 and impurities, promotes the cuticular excre- 

 tion, and is materially instrumental in preserv- 

 ing their health." 



If the number of stock be considerable, the 

 houses had far better be small and detached, 

 in order to secure safety; and especially, they 

 should be absolutely impenetrable to vermin 

 of any description. Should these houses abut 

 upon a stable, brew-house, or any conductor of 

 warmth, it will be so much more comfortable 

 and salutary to the poultry. 



The elevation should be a simple style, and, 

 for health's sake, the roof should be lofty ; the 

 perches will be more out of the reach of vermin, 

 should they break in ; and there should be only 

 one long and level range of perches, because, 

 when they are placed one above another, the 

 fowls dung upon each other; convenient steps 

 driven into the walls, will render easy the as- 

 cent of the poultry to their perches; or they 

 may be made as here shown, in which a, b are 



TEAMS VERSE SECTION. 



spars for the poultry to sit on ; c, c are ranges 

 of boxes for the nests ; d the roof, and e the 

 door, which should be nearly as high as the ceil- 

 ing, for ventilation, and should have a small 

 opening, with a shutter at bottom, to permit the 

 poultry to go in and out at pleasure. The 

 spars on which the birds are to roost should 

 not be round and smooth, but roundish and 

 roughish like the branches of a tree. 



