The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-19
oUa POULTRY.

Below We publish an interesting article on
poultry, culed from the Country Gentleman
Our experience differs somewhat from the
able witness on the subject of brands suited
for our climate. So far as our observation
goes, and it has been quite extensive, the
Cochin variety far surpass any other as pro-
ducers of eggs and for the table. Healthy,
and feathering early, they require but little
attention and are easily raised.
Editors Country Gentleman-On page So, G.
w. injuries tor "the best mode of feeding
and taking care of two or three hundred hens
for the purpose of producing eggs" Perhaps
I can be Of some use in the matter, but 6.
w. must remember that my locality is in the
latitude of New York city, and consequently
he will have to modify what say to suit the
colder climate Of New Hampshire.
G. w. says he is thinking Of going into the
poultry business, and wishes to learn how
to manage them to the best advantage and
profit" From this infer that he has had no
experience in keeping fowls, and must de-
pend upon what he can CLEAN from the papers
as TO feeding, management, etc. do not
think there is any danger for novice to COM
mence with 200 fowls, if he takes good care
of them and pr .vides q suitable building, or,
rather. buildings; for while such large num-
Der can BE- kept with profit in one flock. the
returns will be much greater if they are d.
vided into two separate focks
The reason for this is, that when many
fowls are massedinto one flock, the stronger
crowd and domineer over the weaker at feed
ing time: and il disease (cholera. for instance,)
gets into large flock, it is very difficult to
be overcome. / remember we'll when the
cholera carried of over one hundred of my
chickens, two years ago, and the only cause l
could discover was that the fowls were massed
together I would, therefore, advise that the
800 fowls be divided into three seperate focks
of 100 each. A house Is BY 80 feet should be
given to each lot of fowls. The house may
Be Of the cheapest description, but / would
pay some attention to convenience.
As G. w. intends to produce eggs alone, he
had better get non sitters: but if he must use
common fowls he had better use some care
in their selection. It is quite easy to pick
out the layers from flock, if you have had
some experience and have been observant.
Some hens are always sickly, and never lay
eggs enough to pay for their keep; these are
sirones, and should be killed immediately.
Such fowls always have light yellow bills,
paleness about the eyes, rutfisd necks, and
walk around in q clumsy, jerky fashion.
For eggs, therefore, select fowls with darkish
beaks; they are nearly always good layers, be-
cause they are healthy. If G. W. starts with
q few pure-bred hens White Leghorn, for in
sstauce), would advise him. to select the hes.
ten hens and purchase cook not related to
them, and put them in pen by themselves,
and set enough Of their eggs to hatch out one
hundred pullets.
ia the iall, would sell one hundred Of th 9
Oldest hens, and each year 90 through the
same operation. II his fowls are the COM
mon stock, he had better order one or two
0pc n
reliable dealer, and make up pen next year.
In the large pens Of one hundred hens each,
I would put four cocks each for hens do bet
ter with 3 cock around and more than four
cocks will make confusion and fighting, and
ha worse than none. Of course with only
-four cocks to one hundred hens the eggs will
be Of but little value for setting but, as
have suggested, none Of their eggs would
have to be set. Non-iertilized eggs are as
good for domestic purposes as any, and l
ahink they are, as rule, trife larger
have thus been quite particular in de-
.scribing what conceive to be the best plan
for housing selecting, etc. and will now give
the method IT feeding, which find brings
me in the most eggs. The mornings feed
for nv wis is q mixture of equal parts OF
corn meal oat meal, and wheat bran wet up
With boiling water, and seasoned twice week
with cayenne pepper. This food surpasses
everything elseAs feed for producing winter
eggs When filed with this food the hens
.seem to think they must lay, and accordingly
they turn out an egg about every third day
the winter through.
This feed Keeps the hens in good con-
-aition. and they seem happy and contented
in the coolest weather. Wheat screenings as
! feed for hens does not pay, for the reason
that it is too expensive The screenings cost
more per 100 pounds than my mixture Of
corn meal, oat meal and bran. Nearly one.
half Of the screenings is waste. dirt chan:
and various kinds Of seeds that the fowls VIII