Advantages of a Grass-Run: 17 



shows than the Viscountess Holmesdale, whose Dorkings, so long as she exhibited, rarely- 

 failed to carry all before them ; but scarcely any of her birds were ever penned in a yard. 

 The whole stock, in fact, enjoyed as nearly perfect liberty as possible in Linton Park, each 

 family or colony having to itself a portable wooden house, mounted on small wheels, which 

 was moved a little every two or three days. Placed at wide distances apart, and hid from 

 each other by abundant timber, the different families never mixed ; and, each house having 

 an open window, the birds always breathed the pure air of heaven. Spanish were treated in 

 the same way, and in fact many of the fowls even roosted in the trees. The remarkable fact 

 was, that both breeds became in a great degree hardy under this natural treatment ; and 

 where Nature can be thus fully followed, there is no doubt that freedom from wet and draught 

 needs not to be so studied as we have insisted upon. We would, indeed, prefer such a plan 

 to any other ; but it must be followed entirely, or it will fail. Keep fowls at perfect liberty, 

 with unlimited grass and good shelter among noble trees, and they will thrive with very little 

 housing ; but if confined in even such grass-runs as we have described, they will need the pro- 

 tection we have there insisted on. 



It often happens that one large grass-run, perhaps fifty feet square, can be provided in 

 the centre of a number of small gravelled pens. In this case perfect health may be secured, 

 and the necessity for giving artificial green food avoided, by letting each lot of fowls out in 

 succession, even for one hour each day. In such circumstances, the most will be made of the 

 grass in this manner ; but unless the most exquisite cleanliness be observed in the yards, and 

 especially in the sheds, it will not give that exquisite bloom which constant running on grass 

 will alone impart. For mere health a grass-run is not in the least necessary. We have done 

 without it for six years, and not only obtained abundance of eggs, but reared pullets which 

 celebrated exhibitors have been glad to purchase at twenty guineas per pair, though the birds 

 had never seen a natural blade of grass in their lives. But the proper management of poultry, 

 under these varying circumstances, must be the subject of succeeding chapters. It demands 

 both more time and care ; and a good supply of fine natural turf does more for the health 

 and well-doing of poultry, and saves more time and trouble in their management, than any 

 other single condition which can be named. 



-=te<J 



