Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-05-28

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follows: .slasafmeuf
We are fighting nature all the time when
we try to get chickens out in winter, or even
to obtain eggs in winter, and we shall be
sure to come out second best unless we can,
in some way, bring our poultry into nearly
the same conditions under which they breed
during the warm months. ........,
Why is Il that eggs are always cheap in
the spring, aud chickens bring low prices in
the fall2 Simply because spring is the
natural season for birds to lay, and the fall
the natural time for having young birds Of
suitable size for the table. 1t is not natural
for our domestic fowls to lay until they are
about year old. five would hasten their
maturity, we must give them spring and
summer weather during the winter. If one
can do this without too great cost, he may
have eggs and young birds to sell out Of
season when the prices must be much higher
than at the natural harvest time for these
products. Last spring the market was
completely glutted with eggs. Twenty-Five
cents was the highest retail price in the
country villages around Boston for many
weeks. There seemed to be no outlet for
the surplus, aud eggs were the cheapest
animal food, by the pound, offered for sale.
Last fall, dressed poultry was equally
plenty and cheap in our markets. Boston
was full Of it from Thanksgiving TO Christ
mas, and one could buy ordinary qualities
at about his own. price. This winter, eggs
have been in good demand again and prices
have fully doubled since last May. II costs
a little moro to produce eggs in winter than
in summer, but they can be produced under
proper conditions even then. The first requi-
site is a warm, dry, light and airy room,
large enough to give ample couveniences to
the number Of fowls kept.
a variety Of food, chopped vegetables,
meat, oyster shells, gravel, &c, are all well
enough with the warm room, but, without it,
all the 6xings named in the largest poultry
book, will be of little avail towards produc-
ing plenty of eggs in cold weather, Hens
must be cheated into the belief that it is
spring time, or they cannot aud will not lay
in winter. 1t is not instinct that tells. our
winter birds, the crow the blue jay and the
chickadee, that they must not lay their eggs
till warm weather, because if they built
their nests and laid their eggs in winter
they would freeze, but they lay in spring
instead Of the winter, because 10 the spring
the weather iavors the growth of eggs aud
when eggs are grown they must be brought
forth.
There is no doubt that a long course Of
breeding in a state Of domestication has in.
creased the ability of our hens to lay in win
ter, but expose them now to the full severi-
ties of our cold winters and not an egg
shall we get. The kind Of fowls to keep
will depend somewhat upon what they are
kept for, whether for eggs. or for raising
poultry, or for both.
lf eggs alone are the object, some Of the
non-sitting varieties, SO called, will, undoubt-
edly, lay the largest number in a year, but
these are generally small fowls and cannot
endure the same degree of cold as the larger
birds, like the Asatics, which are natives Of
a colder climate.
II one is keeping poultry only for supply
ing the iamily table, and has no suitable
place for keeping fowls warm and comfort
able in winter, he had better keep the Leg.
horns Black Spanish or some other of the
summer layers, and onlyexpect eggs when
they are cheap, but if he would have eggs
in winter when they are costly TO buy, or If
a mopey income is an object, then select the
larger breeds, give them warm place, take
good care Of them, aud they will prove a
source Of both pleasure and profit.
To obtain the best success from these large
fowls, the chickens should be hatched as
early in spring as they can be safely pro.
tected from the cold weather. Large size
and early laying are antagonistic qualities,
one being attained at the expense Of the
other. The Brahmas have been bred of late
years, for size, great weights bringing great
prices, but great weights do not accompany
early maturity. The Brahmas are, accord
iugly, long while in getting their growth.
If they are expected to lay all winter, the
pulets must be batched early in spring, that
they may have the whole summer in which
to grow.
If they can be brought forward early
enough to commence laying in October or
early in November, they will lay well all
winter, If well protected and well fed, and
they will be ready to sit early in the follow.
ing spring, thus affording an opportunity of
getting out another crop Of early chickens
for laying the next winter, but, il the chick
ems OF these large varieties are not brought
out until june or July, there will be little
prospect of getting eggs until the following
spring, when eggs will be plenty and cheap.
lfone desires to obtain the very largest
profit from Brahmas, and is willing to work
for it, we should say, raise enough chickens
every year to replace all the old fowls.
We have kept Brahmas long enough to feel
warranted in saying that they can be kept
at work about oil the time after they are
six months old, till they are eighteen moa.ls
old. We allow six months for growing,
then expect about eleven TO twelve months
work, alter which they should be turned of
as dressed poultry. Hatched iu February
or March, they will begin to lay early in
the fall and will lay nearly all the time till
the moulting season the next fall.
Rearing one early brood of chickens will
interfere but little, il any, with the average
production Of eggs in the year. II hen
has laid well for whole year, she will take
a long while in rScuiting, during and after
the moulting season. Breeders Of fancy
fowls often prefer birds two or three years
old for producing eggs for sitting. The
breeders of Brahmas, having special regard
for increasing the size Of their stock, have
generally selected the largest ull-growu
birds for breeders, and, for this object, old
fowls are, undoubtedly, best but, if the great
est number Of eggs ID the shortest possible
time, and the greatest money income from
birds kept for business, not breeding, is the
object sought, then we say, keep Brahmas
only till they are about eighteen months old,
and have young stock ready to take their
places.
We have kept old fowls over winter as an
experiment, for the past two years, but are
fully satisfied that it has been an unproGta-
bic experiment. The hens lay very little
through October and almost none in Novem-
ber, December and January, the three best
a. l.. IL 4