34 The Illustrated Book oi- Poultry. 



anything for attendance, repairs, and renewing utensils : as for the bird herself, she should be 

 worth, when killed, as much as she cost till she began to lay. A large flock will need an 

 attendant, and this will complicate the question considerably ; still more will the keeping of 

 " prize" poultry, which may either add to the profit or cause actual loss, as it is conducted with 

 judgment or otherwise. 



The importance of securing eggs in winter wc have already hinted at. The early-hatched 

 pullets will need no particular treatment as regards this, beyond giving them, as autumn ad- 

 vances, a moderate allowance of animal food in cases where no grass-run is at hand to afford it 

 naturally ; but the laying of the last year's hens will depend much upon judicious management. 

 Hens which lay late into the autumn cannot be reasonably expected to recommence till late 

 in the new year, especially if the moult has found them producing eggs, in which case several 

 of the best-laying breeds will continue till the process is nearly completed, and by this double 

 drain so exhaust the system that they literally cannot reconmience production till February or 

 March. The best way of preventing this is to allow each hen, as she becomes broody in the 

 autumn, either to hatch and rear a brood, or sit on the nest for six weeks. Either plan will 

 hasten the moult, and next year's production of eggs as well ; and a young brood will give no 

 trouble in rearing if ducklings be chosen, which may be made fit to kill in ten to twelve 

 weeks, and thus save the loss of the hen's time. Early eggs also depend much on early 

 mating, for it will be found that as a general rule hens which are healthy, and have got well 

 over the moult, will commence laying about three weeks after mating, if separated before. 

 Hence the stock-pens should be arranged and put together as early after the 1st of November 

 as possible. 



Another very material point is to see that 'eggs are not laid away or stolen. On several 

 occasions we have been requested to examine into matters, and have found the poultry well 

 chosen, well fed, and evidently in good laying condition, but very few eggs. Diligent search has 

 then discovered whole nests laid away in shrubberies or under hayricks. Poultry on a farm are 

 peculiarly liable to disappoint in this way unless very sharply looked after. In another instance 

 we could detect nothing wrong, and as the poultry were in yards the eggs could not be thus 

 accounted for. At length, in despair, we advised locks on all the house doors, but the suggestion 

 was received with indignation. It was, however, adopted, and the immediate result was a plentiful 

 supply of eggs. Dairy cows would not pay their expenses if the milk was regularly stolen, or 

 suffered to run over the pails after these were filled ; and such matters require careful examination 

 before it is said that poultry are unremunerative. Many people, otherwise fairly honest, appear to 

 have no conscience at all as to stealing eggs ; and, while we would never be the first to subject 

 faithful servants to what would probably be unjust suspicion, we would always advise, especially 

 when considerable numbers of poultry are kept, that a watchful eye be kept by the proprietor 

 himself over these matters. Want of such attention turns many a real profit into a loss. 



We need not say that it is far better if the whole concern — large or small — be conducted as 

 a strict matter of business, and on ordinary business principles. One of the first of these will be 

 to purchase the food wholesale and at the best prices, not always implicitly trusting the retail 

 dealer, but examining the market-rates to see if more than a fair profit is superadded. Another 

 will be the keeping of a fair account; but we are no advocates, in ordinary cases, for those 

 absurdly minute schemes of poultry accounts which are advised by some, putting down every egg, 

 and tracing cost of each brood of chickens weekly, from the shell. It is, indeed, well to ascertain 

 and record the cost of a brood at different ages ; but once done, no further object will be gained 

 by repeating the experiment : and, looking at some of these elaborate schemes, we cannot help 



