FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



391 



cats, dogs, etc., that might by chance get in the yard below ; 

 also, rats, skunks, weasles, and other like enemies to the 

 feathered tribe will be unable to injure them. Again, on 

 removal of ladder it would puzzle all pilfering-disposed 

 persons to find out the roosting quarters, and if they should 

 discover the location of such, would not understand how to 

 get within reaching distance of them ; and finally, in dimin- 

 ishing the extent of ground occupied by the building, we 

 are enabled to provide so much the larger run. 



Ventilation is of so much importance in poultry houses 

 that it should by no means be overlooked. The openings 

 for admitting fresh air should be so arranged as to be regu- 

 lated at the discretion of the owner. The dormitory or 

 roosting apartment should be well ventilated, and by 

 making lattice work (B) in centre of roof it can be suffi- 

 ciently done, and the same will improve the external ap- 

 pearance of the building. 



The front or larger side of the house should have a south- 

 ern exposure, as it will add to the comfort of the fowls in 

 cold weather. 



Admission of light to roosting quarters is also important, 

 and for which purpose a long glazed window should be 

 made, and such would admit the light and heat of the sun 

 the greater portion of the day. In the laying and sitting- 

 room much light should not enter, as darkness contributes 

 to quietness and satisfaction of the hen during laying and 

 incubating season. 



By making a third floor, represented by line A in triangu- 

 lar corner of building, say 18 inches from top, there will be 

 sufficient space inclosed to shelter about fifty pigeons, and if 

 it should be desirable to keep such birds, the means of accom- 

 modating them can then be made without disadvantage to 

 room R. R. 



If it should be deemed necessary on the part of the owner 

 of such a planned building to provide heat during the colder 

 months, by means of a small stove placed at S, the whole 

 building can be agreeably heated, which will stimulate the 

 fowls to early laying and sitting, and add greatly to comfort 

 and healthfulness. 



In making a floor for sitting and laying-rooms, I would 

 recommend that such be made of what is known as a cement 

 floor, for the following reasons: the surface will always be 

 perfectly smooth ; afford opportunity to use water and brush 

 when necessary to clean it; it will be the means of keeping 

 the house cool and dry; the droppings can be easily removed 

 and saved ; the hard floor will not, like an earthy floor, 

 become tainted by such excrement, nor be as a harbor for 

 vermin ; and furthermore, the cement floor, if rightly made, 

 will be the means of keeping out of the building rats, 

 moles, &c, which generally gain entrance by underground 



A hennery, built similar in size to the foregoing plan, 

 would not be very expensive, when we consider the necessity 

 for the same, and that it fully answers the purpose for which 

 it is intended ; it will last a lifetime, and, by an occasional 

 coat of paint or whitewash, be an improvement on any 

 country place. Dklanco. 



TWO EGGS IN ONE DAY. 



I noticed in No. 6 of the Fanciers' Gazette, a correspon- 

 dent asserts that he has a hen which lays two eggs in one 

 day. This will seem incredulous to some, but my own ex- 

 perience verifies his statement. When living in the extreme 

 South, I had a considerable flock of poultry. One hen en- 



deared herself to the " little ones " by her extreme gentleness, 

 was given the name Crese. When the laying season com- 

 menced she selected the foot of the crib to deposit her eggs, 

 and always chose the time when the infant was sleeping in 

 it. Mrs. B. called my attention to the fact that Crese always 

 laid two eggs at a time. They were examined and found to 

 be identical in shade and shape, but still it was thought that 

 there might be two hens of the same color on the place. This 

 was proved not to be the case. We next determined to watch, 

 and found that she invariably deposited two eggs before leav- 

 ing the nest, but only laid ou alternate days. 



James S. Bailey, M.D. 



WILL GREASED EGGS HATCH? 



Me. Wade. 



Dear Sir: I receive your Journal regularly, and it is 

 highly appreciated; I see by this weeks' number, the in- 

 quiry: "Will eggs hatch after they have been greased ? " 

 I say no — not for me; nor will they if daubed with the yolk 

 of others, because the pores are closed. Eggs hatch well 

 that are laid in the weeds or bushes ; the dampness of the 

 ground keeps the shell moist and the pores open. 



When sitting on dry litter, in warm weather, I wash them 

 twice a week in warm water ; by so doing nearty all are 

 hatched. The life principle of an egg, if from a healthy 

 hen and a vigorous cock, is, however, hard to destroy. I 

 have had eggs two weeks old, which I put into a solution of 

 one quart of salt and two of water, for thirty minutes, which 

 was so cold that I could not bear my hand in it over three 

 minutes ; and out of the twelve eggs served in this way I 

 hatched eleven chicks, fresh and hearty; but will add, that 

 before sitting them I washed off the brine. The most deli- 

 cate time with an egg is between the first twenty-four hours 

 and three days of incubation ; as the chick is now forming 

 and the small veins are easily broken, which is often done 

 by the hen being disturbed by others, or in coming off care- 

 lessly to feed, if one slips from under her foot and strikes 

 another, nine times out of ten both are lost. 



THE TREAD OF AN EGG. 



Concerning Mr. Bicknell's opinion of the thick white 

 substance floating in the egg, or attached to the yolk, I 

 would remark that this is not necessarily the life principle 

 or tread. He says it can be seen in the egg laid by a hen 

 that never was with a cock. I will agree with him half-way, 

 that is, when it can be seen attached to the yolk and next to 

 the small end, the egg is all right so far as the hen is con- 

 cerned, but if not seen at the big end the impregnation is 

 not there, therefore it will not hatch, but if it can be seen 

 at both ends, or if a hen lays eggs of this kind, they will 

 hatch. 



The tread of the male bird is the first formation of the 

 chick. This you can see with the naked eye by looking in 

 the tread, at the big end of the yolk. If the cock has a 

 black beak, it will show in the tread ; if otherwise than 

 black, it will require the aid of a glass. With the point of 

 your penknife you can separate the upper from the lower 

 half, and can see the turn at the point very plainly. This 

 is the first to harden, next the eyes, and between them the 

 skull bone and the spine, &c. The yolk is of little or no conse- 

 quence until the day it hatches. It is then drawn up into 

 the belly by a fine network of blood veins, which supports 

 the chick for the next twenty-four hours, as it will not eat 

 before. Tours, &c, Wm. J. Pile. 



Mat 23, 1874. 



