34 



FANCIERS' JODENAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



should see that they have a plentiful supply of green food of 

 some kind. 



There is among the refuse garbage of almost every family 

 cabbage leaves, celery tops, potato parings, &c, enough to 

 furnish a supply for a few fowls. But if you have many, 

 there will also be a demand for potatoes and turnips, or any 

 other vegetables, chopped fine, as excellent substitutes for 

 grass and herbs at this season of the year, all of which will 

 be highly relished, and contribute to the health and profits 

 of the poultry-yard inhabitants. Wm. E. Flowers. 



Note. — See article " Hay for Fowls in "Winter." 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



HAY FOR FOWLS IN WINTER. 



Many years ago, when a young fancier, I often noticed 

 that after making new nests, in pens where the fowls were 

 confined in winter, that they would gradually disappear. It 

 was sometime before I discovered what became of them, the 

 fact was they were eaten by the fowls. Since then, when 

 vegetable food was scarce, I have always kept good sweet 

 hay within their reach. It should be kept in a rack or tied 

 in a bundle and hung up. It must not be allowed to get in 

 the dirt and trampled on. I do not think it any advantage 

 to cut the hay fine. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



SCIENTIFIC BREEDING OF LIGHT BRAHMAS 

 FOR EXHIBITION. 



Article III. 



CARE AND SELECTION OF EGGS, MANAGEMENT OP SETTING 

 HENS, ETC. 



To some the question may arise, How shall I keep my 

 eggs fresh if I keep each hen's eggs separate until she has 

 laid enough for a setting? After trying various methods, 

 experience has satisfied me that eggs can be kept fresh and 

 fertile for two or three weeks by simply placing them, butt 

 end down, in a shallow dish filled with oats or bran. They 

 should be kept in a moderately cold moist place ; I usually 

 keep mine in the cellar. With regard to selecting eggs, I will 

 quote a few words from Wright, on page 110, Chapter IV, 

 of " The Brahma Fowl." He says : " So many follies have 

 been uttered concerning this matter that we almost fear to 

 hazard a fresh assertion. But in our own experience we have 

 generally found that the best shaped Brahma chickens were 

 hatched from eggs rather short and round; whilst very long 

 eggs, especially if much pointed at the small end, almost 

 always bred birds with some awkwardness in style or car- 

 riage — probably from the chick being incased in the shell. 



We had one hen which always laid such eggs, and although 

 she and her sultan were free from the fault, all her chicks 

 had backs drooping to the tail. It may be different with 

 others ; we give the hint for what it is worth. It is, how- 

 ever, certain that smooth-shelled eggs alone are proper for 

 hatching in this variety, rough shells generally showing 

 some derangement of the organs, and being often sterile. 

 The color is of little importance; we prefer a rather dark 

 egg, but the best hen we ever possessed for breeding laid eggs 

 perfectly white. Eggs should be chosen of the fair average 

 size usually laid by the hen they are from, any unsually 

 large or small being rejected. The absolute size is of little 

 importance, some hens laying immense eggs and others small 

 ones." 



In regard to the management of setting hens, I think the 

 best results will be obtained by using small pens, similar to 

 the breeding pens, in which to set the hens ; by pursuing 

 this plan each hen will have undisturbed possession of her 

 own nest, besides having a small yard for exercise, dust-bath, 

 &e. The perch of course will be removed. The nest-box 

 should be about fourteen inches square, and eight inches 

 deep. Now fill it two-thirds full of damp earth, pick out 

 all the hard lumps and stones, scoop out enough to make it 

 hollow in the centre, sufficiently large for the eggs, but not 

 deep enough to cause the eggs to roll on top of each other. 

 Now cut a sod the size of the box, shave it down thin, and 

 fit it in the box, grass side up, and your nest is made. There 

 is no difficulty in making a hen set just where you want her 

 to ; a little patience and tact is all that is required. Be sure 

 that j'our hen wants to set. This fact being ascertained, go 

 to her at night, lift her gently and quietly from her nest and 

 carry her to the nest you have prepared for her. Carefully 

 place her upon it, first putting three or four porcelain nest- 

 eggs under her, then cover her over with a box, and let her 

 remain until the afternoon of the following da}', then quietly 

 remove the cover. If she does not come off the nest herself, 

 lift her off as gently as possible. Place food and water be- 

 fore her, and leave her alone for twenty minutes or half an 

 hour ; in nine cases out of ten she will go back to the nest 

 of her own accord. If she does not seem inclined to do so 

 at the expiration of half an hour, place her on the nest, and 

 cover her up as before, which labor will seldom have to he 

 repeated more than twice. As soon as she takes rightly to 

 the nest, put your choice eggs under her, eleven of which are 

 sufficient for an ordinary sized hen. After the hen has set 

 upon her eggs ten or twelve days, go to her at night with a- 

 lamp, and examine the eggs by holding them up before a 

 strong light between the thumb and forefinger of the one 

 hand, and shading the eyes with the other. The unfertile 

 eggs can easily be detected ; those having chicks in them 

 will be dark, except a small portion near the butt end of the 

 egg. The sterile ones will be quite transparent, the light 

 showing through them quite plainly. If any of the unfer- 

 tile ones are allowed to remain in the nest they frequently 

 get broken, and their contents smeared over the other eggs, 

 closing up the pores of the shells, and smothering the embryo 

 chick. After the hen has set fourteen days, visit her again 

 in the evening, gently lift her off, and sprinkle the eggs and 

 nest thoroughly with tepid water ; repeat this operation again 

 on the eighteenth day, and the night before they are to hatch. 

 I do not think it advisable to remove any of the chicks while 

 the hen is hatching. Let them remain with the hen on the 

 nest until they are twenty-four hours old, then remove the 

 hen and her brood to a warm and dry coop. 



W. E. Flower. 



Shqehakertowk, December 24th, 1873. 



