172 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 27 . 
THE POULTRY-KEEPER’S CALENDAR. 
January. I 
By Martin Doyle, Author of “ Hints to Small 
Farmers,” <£c. 
The good results of now possessing pullets of last ! 
March for winter laying lias been fully experienced 
by those persons who have had the precaution to 
provide them in due time. Some old hens are still 
indisposed to resume then - laying in consequence of 
the moulting fever which affected them at a late 
period of autumn. For this reason it is judicious, 
(unless for the propagation of superior breeds) to dis¬ 
pose of hens, as well as cocks, before they become 
old. Even with the liberty of scratching for the un¬ 
digested corn which had escaped from the stomach 
of the horse on fermenting litter, and thereby ac¬ 
quiring warmth as well as amusement and food; and | 
of rolling in warm sifted ashes which, while it com¬ 
municates heat to their skins, relieves them from 
vermin; aged hens will be at this season languid in 
temperament. To induce laying, occasional feeds of 
hempseed will be found useful. We would recom¬ 
mend also the cultivation (on a small scale) of buck¬ 
wheat, for feeding layers. This grain is of a stimu¬ 
lating quality and given constantly to poultry in the 
provinces ot Normandy and Picardy, which supply 
England with millions of eggs annually. The French 
peasantry consider as;much of this grain as a full- 
sized wine-glass would contain to be a sufficient ave¬ 
rage allowance for each fowl per day. As this grain 
is very hard and angular, it ought to be ground, 
(though this process is frequently omitted) lest it 
should cause inflammation in the throat, which is 
not uncommon in pullets. Fowls, when unconfined, 
instinctively swallow gravel, or other gritty sub¬ 
stances to aid the work of grinding by the gizzard, 
which is a sort of thick machine worked by a power¬ 
ful muscle; in a coop they cannot supply the sub 
stances necessary to aid the action of the gizzard ; ' 
and, therefore, if their food be of unground corn, ' 
those substances ought to be placed within their j 
reach. 
Lime, also, in some form, should be conveyed in 
the food of liens about to lay, because it is the prin- 1 
cipal element of the egg-shells. One of the first i 
symptoms of laying, which a hen, with the power of I 
following her instincts, will exhibit, is to pick up i 
grains ot limestone, mortar, or any other calcareous 
matter. Some of our own hens have been busily 
occupied lately, among other indications of laying, 
in picking mortar from a wall, which had no previous 
attractions for them. Wheat contains lime—water j 
also may contain a sufficiency for the purpose of ■, 
generating shell—but in some manner it must be 1 
conveyed to all laying poultry. Providence acts 
mysteriously and bountifully in meeting necessities 
of this kind, but the care and skill of man are not j 
for this reason to be dispensed with. Proceed with 
the cramming and general fattening of fowls as in 
the two preceding months. 
Whether fowls at liberty should be fed twice or 
three times a-day will depend on circumstances. If 
they can pick up food for themselves it will be suffi¬ 
cient to feed them with corn early in the morning 
and in the afternoon before they roost. If they are 
not allowed opportunities of foraging for themselves, 
they ought to be given (and more decidedly so, if in 
course of preparation for the table) a feed at noon of I 
meat, mixed with boiled potatoes, parsnips, &c., if 
great economy be desirable, and skim-milk if it be 
easily procurable. It is evident that more artificial 
feeding is required in winter than in summer for 
poultry unconfined. It is supposed that ground corn 
goes much farther in fattening than raw grain ; and 
that the boiling of barley increases the bulk so much 
that a considerable saving is thereby gained. 
Our chief breeds of the fowl have arisen from 
crosses obtained by the aid of varieties imported from 
warmer climates. One of the most recent of these 
importations is the gigantic Cochin China foicl. Two 
fine specimens, represented in the annexed drawings, 
were sent in 1846 by our Queen as a present to Lord 
Heytesbury. This kind is so large and powerful 
as to have led unscientific persons to think them a 
variety ol the Bustard, or wild Turkey; and having 
the ends of their wings peculiarly jointed, so as to 
double them forward between their body and the upper 
part ol their wings, gives them an appearance which 
has attained for them the name of the “ Ostrich fowl.” 
Their plumage is generally a rich glossy brown, 
with a blackish horse-shoe mark upon the breast. 
The comb is middle-sized, not deeply toothed; and 
the wattles are double. The flesh is white and deli¬ 
cate, and the eggs good flavoured, large, and with a 
chocolate-coloured shell. They have been known to 
lay two and even three eggs in one day. This fact 
has been doubted, but Mr. Richardson, who records 
it, refers as witnesses to the Right Hon. Mr. Shaw, Re- 
