34 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
anything for attendance, repairs, and renewing utensils : as for the bird herself, she should be 
vvoith, when killed, as much as she cost till she began to lay. A large flock will need an 
attendant, and this will complicate the question considerably ; still more will the keeping of 
prize poultry, which may either add to the profit or cause actual loss, as it is conducted with 
judgment or otherwise. 
The importance of securing eggs in winter we have already hinted at. The early-hatched 
pullets will need no particular treatment as regards this, beyond giving them, as autumn ad- 
vances, a moderate allowance of animal food in cases where no grass-run is at hand to afford it 
naturally; but the laying of the last year’s hens will depend much upon judicious management. 
Hens which lay late into the autumn cannot be reasonably expected to recommence till late 
in the new year, especially if the moult has found them producing eggs, in which case several 
of the best-laying breeds will continue till the process is nearly completed, and by this double 
drain so exhaust the system that they literally cannot recommence production till February or 
March. The best way of preventing this is to allow each hen, as she becomes broody in the 
autumn, either to hatch and rear a brood, or sit on the nest for six weeks. Either plan will 
hasten the moult, and next year’s production of eggs as well ; and a young brood will give no 
trouble in rearing if ducklings be chosen, which may be made fit to kill in ten to twelve 
weeks, and thus save the loss of the hen’s time. Early eggs also depend much on early 
mating, for it will be found that as a general rule hens which are healthy, and have got well 
over the moult, will commence laying about three weeks after mating, if separated before. 
Hence the stock-pens should be arranged and put together as early after the 1st of November 
as possible. 
Another very material point is to see that eggs are not laid away or stolen. On several 
occasions we have been requested to examine into matters, and have found the poultry well 
chosen, well fed, and evidently in good laying condition, but very few eggs. Diligent search has 
then discovered whole nests laid away in shrubberies or under hayricks. Poultry on a farm are 
peculiarly liable to disappoint in this way unless very sharply looked after. In another instance 
we could detect nothing wrong, and as the poultry were in yards the eggs could not be thus 
accounted for. At length, in despair, we advised locks on all the house doors, but the suggestion 
was received with indignation. It was, however, adopted, and the immediate result was a plentiful 
supply of eggs. Dairy cows would not pay their expenses if the milk was regularly stolen, or 
suffered to run over the pails after these were filled ; and such matters require careful examination 
before it is said that poultry are unremunerative. Many people, otherwise fairly honest, appear to 
have no conscience at all as to stealing eggs ; and, while we would never be the first to subject 
faithful servants to what would probably be unjust suspicion, we would always advise, especially 
when considerable numbers of poultry are kept, that a watchful eye be kept by the proprietor 
himself over these matters. Want of such attention turns many a real profit into a loss. 
We need not say that it is far better if the whole concern — large or small — be conducted as 
a strict matter of business, and on ordinary business principles. One of the first of these will be 
to purchase the food wholesale and at the best prices, not always implicitly trusting the retail 
dealer, but examining the market-rates to see if more than a fair profit is superadded. Another 
will be the keeping of a fair account ; but we are no advocates, in ordinary cases, for those 
absurdly minute schemes of poultry accounts which are advised by some, putting down every egg, 
and tracing cost of each brood of chickens weekly, from the shell. It is, indeed, well to ascertain 
and record the cost of a brood at different ages ; but once done, no further object will be gained 
by repeating the experiment : and, looking at some of these elaborate schemes, we cannot help 
