226 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



be left at liberty ; then, that they must be fed, is well to give grain at this meal, because that 



in addition to grain, with large quantities of 

 x'egetable and animal food, such as meat scraps, 



A Mechlin Coucou Hen 



insects and worms, etc. Besides these things 

 they need grit and lime, but egg shells should 

 not be given them, a jjractice which will teach 

 the hen to peck at and so break her eggs. Vege- 

 table food serves to prevent constipation, and 

 lime goes to form and strengthen the bones. 



Hens, like dogs, should never be allowed to 

 leave half their meal. It should all be eaten 



White Mechlin Cock 



with pleasure. The}' are usuall)- fed two or 

 three times daily ; the last meal should be 

 given just before they go to their perch. It 



needs a certain time to pass into the stomach. 

 In winter a good meal can be made of hot 

 water and mashed potatoes, or bran mash 

 served warm ; above all, it is important to see 

 that no ice-cold drinking water can be reached. 

 It must never be forgotten that variety of food 

 keeps poultry in good health, and that experi- 

 ence will best teach what will induce hens to 

 lay well under local circumstances. 



Usually hens la)- eggs for several days 

 together and then rest for a day. If well fed 



A Mechlin Coucou Cock 



they begin to lay in February and cease in 

 the autumn, when they begin to molt. Of 

 course this depends somewhat on the hen- 

 house and the condition in which they are 

 kept. Their house should be extremely clean, 

 cleanliness being of great importance to them; 

 so much so that they will not lay their eggs 

 in a dirt\' henhouse infested with vermin, but 

 will go elsewhere for a nest. Nearly all hens 

 will make known by a peculiar cry, well under- 

 stood by those who know it, when they ha\'e 

 laid an egg. If they stay on the egg and are 

 unwilling to be driven away from it, it is a 

 sign that they want to sit, to the great alarm 

 of some people, who desire eggs to eat, and 



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