164 



Or the Rearing and Management of Poultry. 



adequate to the profitable keeping- of poultry. The annexed 

 sketch will enable me to illustrate my meaning. 



The fowl-house, as is seen in plan, stretches across the end of 

 the kitchen, and has the advantage of being kept sufficiently warm 

 by the kitchen-fire. Many people object to having the poultry- 

 houses so closely connected with the dwelling-house, and justly 

 so, if the excrement of the poultry be allowed to accumulate for 

 weeks ; but such accumulations form no part of the good and 

 profitable management which we would wish to have invariably 

 adopted. In no other situation could the poultry be so profitably 

 kept, for, in consequence of having the advantage of being warmed 

 by the kitchen-fire, there is either an increased number of eggs, 

 a less consumption of food, or the two combined. True, the 

 poultry-house might be kept w^arm independent of the kitchen- 

 fire ; but this would involve no trifling expense, not only in 

 the construction and attendance, but also in the consumption 

 of fuel. 



The temperature of the body of at least all warm-blooded 

 animals remains the same in winter as in summer. The heat 

 is generated by the decomxposition of food ; when the tem- 

 perature of the air which surrounds the body is low, then the 

 body gives off considerably more heat, and hence an increased 

 amount of food is required : or sufficient nutriment is not left 

 for the production of eggs. As a natural consequence in cold 

 weather, if the hens are not protected from it, a falling off" in the 

 number of eggs is invariably the result ; it is, therefore, of great 

 importance to have the poultry kept warm. 



Moreover, with the arrangements I recommend, the mistress 

 of the house, whether attenduig to the domestic duties of the 

 kitchen, or when entertaining a friend in the parlour, will have 

 the young poultry in the plot continually under her eye — a thing 

 essentially necessary. 



The Fowl-house. — The fowl -house should be divided length- 

 wise into two parts, either by lattice, wire, or by net ; the last 

 answers well, and will last a great number of years if painted or 

 tarred when put up. The house thus divided must have a door 

 between each compartment to admit the fowls into both at all 

 times excepting the hatching season. We shall enter more fully 

 into this in the chapter on hatching. 



The floor should be cleaned at any rate once every week, and 

 as much oftener as possible. To facilitate this operation the 

 floor should be of flags (with a descent of about 1 inch in 24 to 

 the door), and raised six inches above the level of the surface. 

 It should be covered over with dry sawdust, ashes, or peat, any 

 of which is a valuable addition to excrement as manure; but 



