American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-10-19
The farmtv's Department,
PonltrY Hints for October,

month DINERS Iltle llNui I4C G'.S'
they NAV be allowed considerable
liberty if they will not damage toma,
toes. vineyards, &c They will still
find some insects and scattered grain
but not sufficient without other food
to keep them growing. They should
receive at least one meal each day OF
boiled potatoes mashed and mixed
with wheat bran or shorts.
Chickens intended for market may
now be separated from the older
fowls, and confined in more restricted
quarters and fed literally with a va
riety of food, Of which grains of some
sort should form the basis. They
should be fed regularly three times q
day-the first time as soon after day
break as possible or convenient.
It is hopeless to attempt to fatten
chickens, while they are at liberty
and growing, they must be confined,
and during their confinement they
must be supplied with abundance of
pure fresh water, gravel, old lime,
mortar, crushed bones, or broken
clam or oyster shells if to be had.
In about three weeks they will be in
condition for marketing.
1t is equally hopeless 20 attempt
to fattcn older fowls unless confined
in a proper coop; and this, like most
other appurtenances need not be ex-
pensiyc. To fattcn a dozen adult
fowls, Of common size, n coop may be
made, three feet long, eighteen inches
deep made entirely Of slat, open on
all sides, top and bottom. Discrc-
ton must be used according to the
size Of the fowls coopcd. They do
not require much space indeed the
closer the better if they can all stand
up at the same time
Fowls selected to fatted should be
in good health, one diseased fowl
might contaminate the whole be-
sides if there are any that seem in
clined to be qualTcl5ymo they should
bcremoyod at once. Quarrclsome
fowls viii not fattcn kindly. Care
must be taken to put up such as have
been accustomed to be together or
they viii fight, and like other bad
examples, it soon fads imitators.
The food should be ground oats,
or Indian meal mixed with water or
milk !; the latter is best. 1t should
be slakod, forming a pulp or paste.
The food should be varied barley,
buckwhoat md wheat screenings,
boiled or baked potatoes. form an eX-
ccllcnt fattening material for fowls.
Regularity when fed, should al
ways be observed in the hours offced-
ing, also quantity Of food given them,
but give the fowle their food as regu-
lar as you take your own meals.
They must be well fed three or four
times a day-the first time as soon
after day-brcak as possible or convc-
nient, and then at intervals Of fom
hours.
No animal is easier kcpttha fowls,
No kinds Of food comes amiss to them.
When at liberty they obtain THEN
living promiscuously, and pick up ey,
cry thing that can be made use of as
food in the baIn-yard even the
worms, grubs, and bugs give them the
most nutrious food. And if insec.
tiyerous food is wanted, there is moth
ing perhaps more easily obtained at
almost any season, than by what the
French term a peym15Rer. Procure a
deep crock, into which put some bran
and on it 10y piece of earrlon OF
other flesh cover it with a glass cap
50 as to admit light, but exclude
rain +; in a few days it will be NOV.
ing mass of living insects or worms,
which may be thrown out to young
poultry, young turkeys in particular
there is nothing they will deyour
more greedi'y; but they should be
sparingly given, as the fowls are SC
fond OF them, that if given abund,
antly it viii prevent them taking their
usual food.
We have practiced another meth.
cd for fattening fowls, which has
proved successful. We confined q
number of fowls, ducks and turkeys
in the month Of November in a small
dark room, only giving them light
when feeding. BY depriving them Of
light they were kept perfectly quiet
nothing to do but eat, drink and
grow tat, spending most of the time
quietly on the roost. Feed was kept
constantly before them in a fiat box,
consisting Of a mixture of corn, oats
barley and buckwheat, with pure
fresh water supplied daily. They
were also provided with broken bones
oyster shells, gravel and pulverized
charcoal of which they ate quite q
arg quantity.
Now that winter is approaching
it would be well to cast about and see
if we have suitable accommodations
for the fowls. One of the greatest
errors that prevails in the manage