The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1847-06-16
Eggs and Poultry.

1A'io'S ''i tiutlobS, anu IutOuSlOut til
gradeso society, eggs have been considered
favourite food But in our cities. and par
ticularly in winter. they are sold at such
prices that few families could afford to use
them at all, and even those in easy circum
stances consider them too expensive for COM
mon usc.-There is no need Of this. Eve
ry family, or nearly every family can, with
very l'tte trouble, have eggs in plenty du-
ring the year and Of all the animals domcs.
tcated for the use Of man, the common
dunghill fowl is capable Of yielding the
greatest prolific the owner. In November,
put apart eleven hens and cock, gave
them small chamber in the wood house.
defended from the sorm. Their food, wa
ter and lime were placed on shelves convc-
nlent for them, with nests and chalk nest
eggs in plenty. These hens continued to
lay eggs throughout the winter. From
these eleven hens | received an average Of
sixeggs daily during the winter; and when
ever any one of them was disposed to set,
namely, rs soon as she began to cluck, she
was separated from the others by a grated
partition, and her apartment darkened
These cluckers were well attended to and
we'll fed. They could see and partly associ-
ate through the CRATES with the other fowls,
and as soon as any of these prisoners began
to sing, they were liberated, and would very
soon lay eggs. 1t is pleasant thing TO feed
aud attend bevy of laying hens. They
may be tanned so as to follow the children,
and will lay in a box. Egg-shells contain
lime, and when in the winter the earth is CO.
vcred with SHOW, if lime b. not provided for
them, they will not lay; or if they do, the
eggs of necessity must be without shells.
Old rubbish lime from chi,nneys and old
buildings is proper for them and only be
broken. They often attempt to swallow
pieces oflime and plaster as large as wal
nuts The singing hen will certainly lay
eggs if she find all things agreeable to her,
but the hen is much prnde-as watchful
as weasel and iastidous as hypocrite-
she must, she will have secrecy and mvstc-
ry about her nest. All eyes but her own
must be avertcd. Follow her, watch her
and She will torsakc her nest and quit Law
ing She is best pleased with box cover
ed at the top, with a back side aperture for
light, and side door by which she can cs-
cape unseen. A farmer may keep one hun
dred chickens In barn, may suffer them to
trample on and destroy his mows of grain,
and have fewer eggs than the cottager who
keeps dozen, provides secret nests. chalk
eggs, pounded bricks, plenty of corn or other
grain, water, and gravel for them, and takes
care that his hens be not disturbed about
their nests Three chalk eggs please them
most have smiled to see them fondle
round andlay in nest of geese eggs. Pul-
lets will begin to lay early in life, when the
nests and eggs are plenty, and when others
are chuckllng around them. A dozen dung
hill fowls shut up from the means OF obtain
ing food, will require something more than
aquart OF corn day. think fifteen bush
els year fair allowance for them but
more or less, let them always have enou oh
by them; and after they have become ha-
bituated to find at all times a plenty in their
little manger, they take but few kernels
at time, except just before going to roost,
when they will take nearly spoonful in
their crops. But just so sure their come to
them seated or irregularly, so surewill they
raven up whole cropfus at time and stop
laying. A dozen hens well attended will
furnish family with more than two thou
sand eggs year; and one hundred full
grown chickens for winter stores. The ex-
penses Of feeding dozen fowls will not a.
mount to more than eighteen bushels of
grain. They may be kept in cities as we'll
as in the country, will do shut up the year
round, as to run at large. A grated room
well lighted, ten feet by five, partitioned from
a stable or out house, is sufficient for do
zen fowls with their roosting nests and feed
ing troughs. In the spring of the year, five
or six eggs will hatch at a time, and the ff:
ty or sixty shickens may be given to one
hen. Two hens will take care of one hun
dred chickens well enough until they begin
toclimb their little stick roosts. They then
should be separated from the hens entirely
l have often kept the chickens when young
in my garden. They keep the May bugs
and other insects from vines In case Of
confning fowls IN summer, it should be re-
membered that az ground floor should be
chosen; or it would be just as swell to set