HUSBANDRY. 
519 
Ok POULTRY. 
As moft farmers confider the rearing and fattening of 
poultry as a bufinefs beneath their notice, they gene¬ 
rally give it up as a pleafing employment to their wives 
and daughters, and which is ufually the more agreeable, 
becaufe they are allowed the profits for pocket-money, 
and to fupply little contingencies about the houfe. 
Among the common poultry there are feveral kinds to be 
preferred, fuch as the Game-breed, the Englilh or white 
breed, the Poland or black breed, the Dorking-breed, the 
Shackbag-breed, and the Malay-breed. The two firft of 
thefe are much fmallerthan the others; but the game and 
the Poland breeds are much the beft layers ; though, in 
refpefl to the fize of the eggs, the larger breed is prefer¬ 
able. In letting and breeding-fowls, the Dorking and 
other large breeds are probably to be preferred from their 
fuperior lize ; but, in what regards the colour, quality, 
and flavour, of the flefli, the game and the white breeds 
are fuppofed, by tliofe who indulge in this fort of food, 
to be the moll delicate and rich in flavour. 
In order that there may be the leaft poflible interrup¬ 
tion to the poultry, feparate places Ihould be provided- 
for their roofting, fitting, and being fattened in ; and, 
where the quantity kept is very confiderable, for pluck¬ 
ing and preferving their feathers. In fetting both the hen 
and the turkey, in order to prevent their interfering with 
each other, feparate nefts Ihould be provided in fituations 
where they can be confined and kept from the reft ; as, 
without this precaution, the fame neft will have two or 
three upon it; by which much injury is often fuftained. 
Hens may be kept in the proportion of about fix or fe- 
ven to a cock. Young ones are the beft where eggs are 
the principal objedl : but where chickens are chiefly in 
demand, the older kinds Ihould be preferred, as they fit 
with more afliduity and care. Young hens moftiy begin 
to lay in Ja'nuary, or early in the following month ; bat 
this may be greatly promoted by the ufe of food of the 
more Simulant kind, fuch as buck-wheat, barley, hemp- 
feed, fenugreek, &c. in which intention any kind of re- 
fufe animal matter chopped very fmall has been found 
highly beneficial; alfo any of the fmall forts of fifli, fuch 
as fprats, &c. prepared in the lame manner. But, what¬ 
ever fort of food may be employed for the laying hens, 
it is eftential to their producing a great number of eggs 
that they be not too muck fed ; though they ihould not be 
keep too poorly, as from each extreme difadvantage pro¬ 
ceeds. The periods of fetting hens mull neceffarily vary 
according-as chickens are wanted, but in general the lat¬ 
ter end of Februan or the beginning of the following 
month is a good feafon for the purpoie ; as the weather 
will be getting warm about the time they are hatched. 
The period of fetting is ufually about twenty-one days. 
In fetting the hens, the eggs ihould always be fuch as 
are new-laid and perfeftly freih, and the number Ihould 
not exceed thirteen. While fitting, the hens ihould con- 
ftantly have a fufficiency of food near them, in order that 
they need not be taken from their nefts too great a length 
of time. In the time of hatching, fome ad,vife the re¬ 
moving the firft brought-out chickens; but it is probably 
a better practice to let them remain, to be fupported by 
the natural warmth of the hen until the whole brood is 
out. At this time fome recommend their being put un¬ 
der a coop with the hen ; but, where the poultry-yards 
are well inclofed, they may be differed to follow the mo¬ 
ther. YVhere there are more broods than one, the coops 
Ihould not be placed too near each, left; the hens ihould 
deftroy each other’s chickens. It is beft to feed the 
chickens firft with fteeped rice or fplit grits with boiled 
potatoes bruifed ; but afterwards the refufe wheat or bar¬ 
ley may be given them with propriety, after having been, 
boiled or fteeped fome time in water. 
Various direflions have been given for the fattening 
of poultry ; but the beft practice is probably that of con¬ 
fining them for a few days in dry well-ventilated places, 
which are covered fo. as in fame m'eafure to prevent the 
entrance of too much light, the fowls being previoufly 
kept in good condition in the poultry-yards. In theie 
fituations they Ihould be regularly fed three or four times 
in the courle of the day with well-fteatned potatoes, which 
are probably the cheapeft fort of food ; as from recent 
experiments this practice has been attended with the moll 
-complete fuccefs, the poultry thriving perfedlly well. 
Buck-wheat is likewife an nfeful and cheap food for fat¬ 
tening, either given whole or ground into flour. Barley- 
meal, ground-malt, and alfo coarl'e wheat-flour, when 
mixed up with milk, or, what is better, water, as milk 
runs quickly into a (late of acidity, have been much re¬ 
commended in this intention. From fome experiments 
alfo lately made, it appears that pea-meal, employed in 
the fame way, poffeffes a Hill more fattening property, 
and is at the fame time more economical. A confinement 
of feven or eight days to this mode of feeding, will in ge¬ 
neral be fufficient for effecting the bufinefs of fattening. 
When kept up long, fowls are extremely apt to be af- 
fefled with diieafe. Whatever fort of food is made ufe 
of, free air and a perfect ftate of cleannefs is effenti.d 
in all the utenfils employed for the purpofes, in order to 
prevent the food from becoming acid, and the fowls affect- 
with difeafe. 
The Galena, or Guinea Hen, is a kind of fowl that 
lays a great number of eggs ; but retains too much of its 
wild nature to be kept with advantage by the farmer. 
The leaft difturbance makes it forfake its neft, which is 
moftiy made in fome diftant unfrequented fituation. The 
flefli of this fort of fowl is fomewhat dry, but has more 
of the game flavour than that of the common fowl. 
Of Turkeys, there are two breeds or varieties ; the 
black breed, and the white or fpeckled breed ; the former 
is in general the largelt and moft hardy; the latter the 
earlieft in nefting. The turkey generally lays from eight to 
ten or twelve eggs, and hatches in about twenty-eight or 
thirty days. The young brood are extremely tender, and 
require conftant care and attention for a month or fix 
weeks after they are hatched to rear them with fafety. 
They fhould during this time be kept in a warm airy in- 
doled fituation, perfeflly free from wet, and be atten¬ 
tively fed with white bread fteeped in milk that is quite 
free from acidity; or, what fome prefer, alum curd 
mixed with chopped onions, for which ufe a proper fup¬ 
ply of early young onions fhould be provided, or old 
ones planted in this intention. After they have been 
managed in this way for about a month, they may be 
brought gradually to be fupported on oatmeal and fweet 
milk, or grain, of which buck-wheat is. found the moft 
fuitable. 
Young turkeys may be fattened with great expedition 
by means of boiled potatoes and good barley-meal mixed 
well together, if they be kept fed'in a regular manner. 
The practice of cramming them is a ftupid and unnecef- 
fary cruelty, as it is evident.they can only fatten in pro¬ 
portion to the quantity of food that is digefted, whatever 
quantity may be forced upon them; befides, they will 
confume it faft enough without forcing, if kept regularly 
fed. The flnenefs of the flavour in the Norfolk turkeys, 
is aferibed to the great drynefs of the foil in that diftricl, 
and the extenfivenefs of the range which they are fuffered 
to poffefs. 
Of Ducks there are feveral different freeds, but the 
common white or Englifh breed, and'the dark-brown or 
fpeckled wild-breed, are in moft eftimation. This fort of 
poultry may be kept with moft profit in fituations where 
there are large ponds or flieets of water for them to reft 
upon near to the farm-yards, as in fuch cafes they will re¬ 
quire little or no trouble; but in other circum'ftances, 
except where they are reared by perfons who make a bufi- 
nefs of dealing in thefe and other forts of poultry, they 
will afford little advantage, unlefs it be a few juft for the 
purpofe of the table. Ducks begin, to lay .early in the 
year, as the latter end of January or beginning of the fol¬ 
lowing month, efpecially when well fed. They require 
attention 
