NEW METHOD OF REARING POULTRY. 347 



broad, and fifieen inches long, supported by two feet in 

 the front, four inches in height, and b) a board at the back 

 two inches in height. The roof and back are lined with 

 Umb's skins dressed with the wool upon them. The roof 

 is thickly perforated with holes for the heated air to escape; 

 they are formed without bottoms, and have a flannel cur- 

 tain in front and at the ends for the chickens to run under, 

 which they do apparently by instinct. The cages are kept Cages, 

 perfectly dry and clean with sand or moss. The above is 

 a proper size for fifty or sixty new hatched chickens, but 

 as they increase in size, they of course require a larger 

 mother. When they are a week old, and the Meather fine, Airing. 

 the boy carries them and their artificial mother to the grass- 

 plot, nourishes and keeps them Avarm, by placing a long 

 narrow tin vessel filled with hot water at the back of the 

 mother, which will retain its heat for three hours, and is 

 then renewed fresh from the steamer. In the evening they 

 are driven into their cages, and resume their station at the 

 hot wall, till they are nearly three weeks old, and able to 

 go into a small room, appropriated to that purpose. The 

 room is furnished with frames similar to the artificial mo- 

 thers, placed round the floor, and with perches conveniently 

 arranged for them to roost upon. 



When I first attempted to bring up poultry in the above Numbers lost 

 way, I lost immense numbers by too great heat and suffoca- }J^^^^^^a^\ 

 tion, owing to the roofs of the mothers not being sufficiently ness. 

 ventilated, and when that evil was remedied, I had another 

 serious one to encounter; I found chickens brought up in 

 this way did not thrive upon the food I gave them, and many Food. 

 of them died, till I thought of getting coarse bai-ley-meal, 

 and steaming it till quite soft. The boy feeds them with this 

 and minced potatoes alternately ; he is also employed rolling 

 np pellets of dough, made of coarse wheat flour, which he 

 throws to the chickens to excite them to eat, thereby caus- 

 ing them to grow surprisingly. 



I was making the above experiments in the summer for In two montl:: 

 about two months, and during that time my hens produced '^^'^ reared. 

 me upwards of five hundred chickens, four hundred of which 

 I reared fit for the table or market. I used a great many 

 ?(iade into pies for the family, and found them cheaper than 



butchers' 



