Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-06-24
MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY.

Mcssrs. GAYLORD g. Tucker-I have been re-
qucsted to give you and your readers, some ac-
count of my success in the management of do
nestle fowls. My experiments, having been
continued for many years, have wrought in me
the full conviction, that there is as great DIFF
ference and as much ground ofpreference among
The breeds or vartles, as there is among cattle.
Having tried great number of different kinds,
have adopted as my favorite, the Poland breed,
or the black topknots, as they are familiarity cal
led. These, when pure or Thoroughbred, are
of glossy coal black, with large tuit of long
white feathers on the top of the head, and are
the most beautiful domestic fowl probably, that
can be found in this country. Their excellence
consists mainly in their Discrimination TO set till
they are three or four years old, and when well
led, continuing to lay eggs the whole year, ex-
cept during moultlng time. This generally
commences in the month Of October or Novem-
ber and occupies about six weeks, during
which they never lay eggs
Last year kept Of the black top-knots, two
cocks and fourteen hens. Eerly in December,
1910. they began to lay and continued laying,
with occasional intervals of from three to six
days all winter and summer, till about the
middle of October, 1S4l. The whole number
OF eggs produced, did not ascertain !; but OF the
eggs OF three hens, that laid by themselves the
year round, kept an account, and found that
they averaged 2G0 eggs each. Only two of the
fourteen hens showed the least disposition to
set during the year. The food they consumed
during one year, consisted, first of twelve bush
els of damaged wheat which purchased at
twenty-five cents per bushcI, and afterwards
twelve bushels OF oats, also at twenty-five cents
per bushel, amounting to six dollars. This
with supply of fresh water every day, kept
them in good condition, and caused them to pro-
duce large eggs for all fowls lay larger and
heavier eggs when we'll fed, than when they
are poor. My fowls have also laid the whole OF
this last winter have never succeeded so
well with any other breed.
Button says, common hen, well fed and at
tended, will produce upwards of $50 eggs in a
year, besides two broods of chickens. But the
common hens formerly kept, always fe much
short of this number
Were to describe as the result Of my ex-
perience, what think the best food for fowls, !
should say plenty of grain, not. much matter
what kind, either boiled or soaked in water, and
in winter mixed with boiled potatoes, fed warm,
twice day. 1t is also of great Importance that
they have warm sunny place to stay in during
winter, for iflett without care to find their roos
here and there in an open barn or shed, they
will produce no eggs. If they could, in winter,
be roasted ina III ht room ten feet square, where
by their contguIty they could mutually impart
warmth, their improvement would be manifest
to the most incredulous.
The only disease of consequence that ] have
observed among my fowls, has been the pip,
which is a kind of horny scale growing on the
tip of the tongue, and by which they are liable
to be attacked late in autumn and early in the
winter. When attacked with this, they appear
stupid, stand by themselves with no inclination
to move about, refuse all food, and if not attend
ed to in two or three days they die. On dis
covering these symptoms, they should be i'm
mediately caught, and W tn knife or the thumb
nail, this scale may be caught on the lower side
of the tongue and peeled off, when they will
Immediately recover.
Keeping having tried many ways of
preserving eggs, have found the following to
be the easiest, cheapest, surest and best. Take
your crock, key or barrel, according to the
quantity you have, cover the bottom with half an
inch OF fine salt, and set your eggs in it close to-
gether on the small end ; be very particular to
put the small end dorm, for if put in any other
position they will not keep as well and the yolk
will adhere to the shell sprinkle them over
with salt so as to fill the interstces, and then
put in another layer of eggs and cover with salt.
and on till your vessel is filled. Cover it
over tight and put it where it will not freeze.
and the eggs will keep perfectly fresh and good
any desirable length OF time. My family have
kept them in this manner three years, aud found
them all as good as when laid down. | believe
we have never had bad egg since we COM
menced preserving them in this manner. The
trouble is comparatively nothing, for when we
have dozen or so more than We wish to use.
we put them IN the casi and sprinkle them ov-
er with salt and when al any future time we
wish 10 take them out, they are accessible and