THE CULTIVATOR. 
69 
Breeding; and Management of Poultry. 
While others write with nobler views, 
Oi Cattle, Hogs, and bleating Ewes, 
Let humbler themes be mine ; 
“Bright Chanticleer proclaims the dawn,” 
And wakes the sluggard in the morn, 
Ducks, Geese and Turkies join. 
I most cheerfully comply, Messrs. Editors, with your re¬ 
quest, “ to furnish you with a plan and description of a Poul¬ 
try-House, yard and fixtures, together with my management, 
views,” &c. &c. This I will do the more readily, as it may 
save the necessity of replying to some letters of inquiry on the 
subject. It is however, but a little over one year since I erect¬ 
ed my poultry-house, and turned my attention to the subject; 
and it could not therefore be expected that my experience 
should be very extensive; but I have been enabled to discover 
some errors, which by making known, others may profit by 
the information. 
On most farms very little attention is paid to the breeding 
or rearing of poultry; and but very indifferent accommoda¬ 
tions for them, as the rearing of a greater number than can 
subsist by picking up waste grain, or what might escape the 
pigs and be lost, is considered by many as unprofitable ; and 
any cold apartment, with ill-contrived places for nests, and 
dirty roosting places, is generally considered all that is ne¬ 
cessary. 
Poultry may be considered by some, as a very insignificant 
part of live stock on a farm, still they should not be altogether 
despised, for there are very few who do not like a fresh laid 
egg, or a fi ne fat pullet, and these are some of the fine things 
which happily can be had in great perfection by the farmer, 
with very little trouble or expense. Eggs, whether boiled or 
fried, raw or roasted, or made into custards, agree with most 
palates, and fried with ham, or made into omelets, form a re¬ 
past within the reach of all, and to be despised by none. 
On small farms, near villages or cities, the breeding and 
rearing of turkies, ducks and chickens, and in some situations 
the keeping of geese, is found profitable. I know of several 
in this vicinity, whose receipts for poultry and eggs, have not 
been the least item of their income. 
In England there are exhibitions, and prizes awarded for 
the best poultry. At one of these exhibitions, a turkey was 
exhibited that weighed 20jf lbs. One capon 7 lbs. 14 oz. One 
pullet 6 lbs. 13 oz. 
The importation of eggs from Ireland in 1837, to Liverpool 
and Bristol alone, amounted in value to $250,000. The im¬ 
portation from France, the same year, was probably greater. 
I noticed in the “Farmer’s Magazine,” published in Lon¬ 
don, that a very curious and highly interesting exhibition, es¬ 
pecially to the physiologist, was opened in 1830, called the 
Eccaleobion, a contrivance for hatching eggs by artificial heat. 
It differs from the Egyptian method as well as those which 
were tried by De Reaumur in Paris, and Moubray in Lon¬ 
don. And now it remains for the ingenious Yankee to con¬ 
trive an apparatus for producing fresh eggs when desired. 
“Eggs,” says Low, “are an extensive product of common 
poultry.” Lawrence in his work on poultry, states that from 
five Poland hens he obtained in eleven months, 503 eggs, 
weighing at the average of one ounce and five drams each— 
504 pounds. 
Last year my hens commenced laying the 7th of February, 
and between that period and the 15th of August, we obtained 
2,655 eggs from 60 hens; when the year previous, from 100 
hens we did not get but a few over 1,000. This shows the 
importance of confining them so that the eggs can be readily 
obtained, and no time lost in “looking for hen’s nests.” 
A friend of mine, who resides in a neighboring city, and 
keeps between thirty and forty hens, informed me, a few days 
since, that he had obtained eggs from his hens through the 
year; that is, there was not a single day in which he did not get 
some. This he accounted for as follows : he had one brood 
of very early chickens, and when the old ones ceased laying, 
for moulting, the pullets commenced ; and in cold weather 
his yard is so completely protected by high buildings on the 
north and west, and receiving the full influence of the sun 
from the south. 
A neighbor who erected a poultry-house last summer, and 
took the precaution to have it filled in with brick, says his 
hens never ceased, but continued to lay during the fall and 
winter, and that he obtained 37A cents per dozen for the eggs. 
Mr. Stimson, of Galway, connected, a few years since, the 
profitable business of rearing poultry to the useful purpose of 
protecting his garden from the depredations of those nume¬ 
rous tribes of insects which so frequently render abortive the 
best exertions of the gardener. His method is simply this: 
a sufficient number of coops are constructed and are placed 
in different parts of the garden, and the hens with their broods 
are put into one of these coops; the chickens finding no re¬ 
straint upon their freedom, roam over the garden and devour 
every fly, bug or other insect which they may meet with. 
There is one objection, however, which I found to this, parti¬ 
cularly if left too long in the garden, as they become so at¬ 
tached that it is difficult to keep them out when grown up. I 
would, therefore, recommend removing them to the poultry- 
yard as soon as they get in feather. 
Whether the fowls are suffered to go at large or are con¬ 
fined, there should be a poultry-yard where they may be regu¬ 
larly fed, and this should be on dry ground and plenty of gra¬ 
vel. There should also be water in the yard, and it should be 
sheltered from the north and west. There may be placed in 
the yard, under cover, dried sand and ashes that they may in¬ 
dulge the propensity, so natural to them, of rolling or basking. 
In selecting a situation for a poultry-house and yard, ~I 
would advise by all means to place them on the south side of 
buildings, or the south or southeast side of a hill, so that one 
side of the wall may be set against the hill, and if of stone to 
be laid in mortar, which will add much to the warmth of the 
room. If the buildings are of wood they may be filled in with 
soft brick, tan or straw to the very top; brick is preferable, 
as it will harbor less vermin. 
The figure at the head of this article, showing the elevation 
of rather an extensive and costly establishment, would not 
only be very convenient but add very much to embellish the 
premises. The cupolas on the tops are for the purpose of 
ventilation as well as ornament. On the bottom of the cupo¬ 
la and inside of the building is a door hung on hinges, with a 
cord and pulley attached, so that it may be closed or opened 
at pleasure. The gable ends may be turned to the south, in 
which dove-cots may be formed or they may be made in the 
roof as in the figure. 
The buildings at the ends are intended for roosting apart¬ 
ments and laying and hatching. These buildings are to be 
thirteen feet square, and thirteen feet posts. I name this size 
as there would be no waste of timber, being just the length of 
the boards and joists. If not too near the dwelling-house, so 
that there could be no danger of fire from sparks, I would re¬ 
commend to have the roof thatched with straw , as being much 
warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer; and when 
well done it forms a tight and durable roof and will last for 
twenty years. It should, however, be made much more slop¬ 
ing in order to carry off the water more readily. 
A round hole one foot in diameter, with a sliding door, 
should be made in each apartment for the birds to pass in and 
but, and to confine them when necessary. 
There should be no floor to prevent the fowls from coming 
to the earth, and the litter should be often removed, and the 
bottom sprinkled with lime at least once in each week. 
The roosts should commence at the top and slope down¬ 
wards, at an angle of forty-five degrees, like a ladder, to the 
ground. The cross pieces or spars should be of sassafras of two 
inches in diameter with the bark on, which is said to be a 
protection from vermin. No flying is necessary in this form 
of a roost, as the birds ascend and descend by steps. The 
spars should be placed one foot apart horizontally for hens and 
eighteen inches for turkies, so that they may not incom¬ 
mode each other by their droppings. Ranges of boxes may 
be hung around the sides for nests. To gratify the hen’s or¬ 
gan of secretiveness the apartment must not be too light, and 
the access to the nests so contrived that she may steal quietly 
there unobserved. The boxes should have doors or covers to 
them so that the eggs can be removed without difficulty. 
In the hatching of poultry, as in most other things, Nature 
is the best guide. The hen and duck, if left to themselves, 
find some dry, warm, sandy hedge, or bank, in which to de¬ 
posit their eggs, forming their nests of moss, leaves or dry 
grass. In this way the warmth is retained when the bird 
leaves the nest for the moments she devotes to her scanty and 
hurried meal. The best mode is to put in the bottom of the 
nests a sufficient quantity of fine dry sand and grass, or moss, 
or cut straw. Wood ashes has been recommended by some, 
as they produce the effect of destroying vermin by which they 
are apt to be infested at that time ; and that this will not be 
disagreeable to them, is evident from the propensity which 
they have to roll or wallow in heaps of dust or of ashes of any 
kind. As this is the season for the incubation of every species 
of domestic poultry, I have thought the above might be accep¬ 
table to those who are paying some attention to this subject. 
The long building with windows in front, connecting the 
two extreme ones, is intended for exercise in the winter, be¬ 
ing made warm by filling in with brick, &e. and thatching 
with straw. The front to be ten feet high, roof sloping to the 
north. The windows are intended to admit light and heat' 
from the sun; or the windows may be omitted, and the front 
finished in the form of a shed. This apartment is well calcu¬ 
lated for feeding and watering, as well as for the gravel, sand, 
ashes and lime. Boxes may also be placed there for laying 
and hatching. By partitioning it off, two varieties of fowls may 
be kept separate; or one side may be appropriated for turkies 
and guinea hens, and the other to the gallinaceous tribe. 
These should open into a yard of considerable size, as room 
and space is necessary for their health, when they are not 
permitted the range of the barn-yard. The yard should be 
dry and have a southern exposure. Ventilation, cleanliness 
and pure water are essential to the health of poultry, as well 
as all domestic animals. 
_ The yard should be enclosed by a fence at least seven feet 
high, with long sharp pickets, and the timber on which the 
pickets are nailed, unless some distance below the tops, should 
be on the outside to prevent the fowls from perching on them, 
as they seldom fly over a fence without alighting. 
It appears to me from my experience to be the best method 
to feed fowls an abundance of nourishing food. Experience 
tells us also, it is better to give animals of all descriptions a 
full allowance of food from their birth to their maturity, and 
the same rule applies to fowls as to animals. 
Feeding Hopper—(Fig. 42.) 
1 have found all kinds of grain suitable for them ; although 
some contend that, buckwheat, some that oats, while others 
think there is nothing like corn to promote their laying; but 
it is my opinion that it matters but little what sort of grain is 
fed, only give them enough, and the better the quality of the 
food the more will they benefit by it. And not only will they 
feed on farinaceous food, but on animal substances, grease, 
suet and milk, sugar and molasses too are consumed by them. 
I have found wheat-screenings, which I procured at the flour¬ 
ing mills, a very good and cheap article for fowls. Corn, 
if fed alone, should always be cracked, as I have known some 
cases which proved fatal by swelling and distending the crop 
to bursting. 
But to feed economically, feeding hoppers or boxes should 
be constructed for that purpose ; and the one figured above I 
have found to answer a good purpose. 
It is very simple and easily constructed, as you may readily 
suppose, when I inform you that I made it myself. The di¬ 
mensions are as follows : it is four and a half feet long, nine 
inches wide; end pieces fourteen inches high ; the bottom four 
inches from the ground ; a strip of board four inches wide is 
firmly nailed on the sides, raised two inches above the bottom, 
forming a manger or trough to prevent waste of food. An¬ 
other strip three inches wide is nailed on the top in front to 
secure the ends. Narrow strips may be nailed to the top and 
bottom, leaving space enough for the fowls to enter their 
heads when eating. The hopper is formed by two pieces of 
boards nine inches wide set between the ends, as shown 
by the dotted lines like a V. They should extend to 
within half an inch of the bottom and from one to half an 
inch apart, according to the size of the grain. The top or 
roof may be the same width of the box, or it may extend over 
sufficient to protect the fowls from rain when eating. The 
length may be varied according to the number of fowls kept. 
In the feeding of poultry I am convinced it is the best plan to 
keep feed constantly where they can help themselves when¬ 
ever they desire it; and when it is kept constantly before 
them I think they will not consume as much as when fed at 
intervals from the hand. And for that purpose I would re¬ 
commend the one described above, whicn I have had in use 
for the last six months. 
The following is an improved poultry feeding fountain, pub¬ 
lished a few years since in the “ Transactions of the Highland 
Society,” in Scotland, and figured and described in “Lou¬ 
don’s Encyclopaedia of Agriculture.” 
Improved Feeding Fountain—(Fig. 43.) 
It may be made to contain any quantity of grain required, 
and none wasted. When once filled it requires no more 
trouble, as the grain falls into the receiver below as the fowls 
pick it away; and the covers on that which are opened by 
the perches, (the principles of which Ido not understand,) ana 
the cover on the top protects the grain from the rain, so that 
the fowls always get it quite dry ; and as nothing less than the 
weight of a hen on the perch can lift the cover on the lower 
receiver, rats and mice, (which are very troublesome where 
grain is fed in the ordinary way,) are excluded. It is aston¬ 
ishing, too, with what facility the fowls learn to leap upon the 
perch, and so open the cover of the receiver, which presents 
the grain to their view and within their reach. On their 
leaving the perch or platform, the door, either by a spring or a 
weight, closes at once. 
Water Fountain—(Fig. 44.) 
Fowls, like some other bipeds of larger growth, prefer pure, 
clean water, and where a running stream cannot be had I 
would recommend a fountain like the figure above, which is 
nothing but a tight keg set on a three legged stool, with a 
small tube extending from the bottom to a shallow dish, basin 
or trough, which should be small, so that the fowls cannot get 
into it and soil the water. A demijon, carboy or jug may be 
used for the same purpose, and on some accounts the glass ves¬ 
sel may be preferred, as it can be easily perceived when empty. 
And now, Me-srs. Editors and gentle readers, if your pa¬ 
tience is not entirely exhausted with this, my dull and I fear 
tedious essay, I will describe my chicken-coop, and bid you 
“good bye” for the present, fearing you may never wish to 
hear from me again. 
Tent Coop—(Fig. 45.) 
This is formed by nailing boards two feet in length, form¬ 
ing two parts of a triangle, like an inverted A, the ground 
forming the third, as I prefer having the fowls next the earth, 
so ihat we have only to remove the coop when necessary to 
cleanse it. It should be at least two feet long; one end may 
be boarded up tight and the other secured by nailing strips 
of lath, in the iorm of grates, leaving sufficient room between 
each for the free passage of the chicks without admitting the 
hen. There should be an earthen vessel or wooden trough 
for water, and a shallow vessel or a board in front to feed 
them on. 
It was my intention to have followed this in the next No. 
of this paper, with a description of the varieties of domestic 
fowls, but have been relieved by Mr. Gaylord, who has pre¬ 
pared a very interesting, able and excellent article on the sub¬ 
ject. CALEB N. BEMENT. 
