The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-01-16
Agricultural Department.
KEEPING POULTRY IN WINTER.
FOREST x. noRrLAsp.


"a - sf
Poultrysraising In climate where
the thermomeier at ono time indicates
80 sbeIow zero, aud in less than than "a
hpurs 500 above zero, must necessarily
dcpelin for its profits, to a great exIent,
ul,on the hardness of the fowls kept.
This is one of the essentials IN poultry
raising. What matters 1t how large
one chickens arc or how profitable they
may be rs GU producers ii they are
not adapted iu ,ur rigorous climate?
have Frequently heard my neighbors
boast of ihe inuumerable good quail
ties of their different breeds of poultry,
aud too often odd. " But they are n
great truublein winter; they won't Ia,
and very oftem they freeze to deaib."
Ii Is too true that the greatest fault is
very often in the hen house. No breed
of fowls ought to be expected to live IN
this climate, IN building where the
snow flows In ut every crack. But, no
matter " hat ought 10 be, we have 10
consider " hat il. and ii that Is an evil,
to suggest remedy if such a thug is
possible. n, The large, st-growing
fowls are not as vigorous as the more
active ones. Their habits are more
sluggish, aud they do not take sufficient
exercise In extremely cold weather.
Take fowl whose legs are covered
with feathers, although these are n
questionable ornament to my way OF
thinking, yet Ia winter they become IA
great Inconvenience, as they catch all
the filth and sluw, ii the fowl is al
lowed to 20 in the snow, as hardy
fowl should. A large fowl is chilled
much too easily in cold weather. / do
not mean dangerously chilled, but
chilled so that it loses desire to help
itself, and sits around on the ground,
growing worse all the time, and liable
to be stepped on and killed.
OF those classed rs large breeds there
are some active ones, but the rule is
that good growth and large size are
incompatible with active habits and a
hardy constitution. Take fowls that
are very active, great foragers from
early morning until late at night and
from early spring until late in the fall
able TO take care of themselves and
even little troublesome to the neigh
bors, and you have birds that are rather
hard to freeze, and which, under any
decent sort of treatment, will lay
through a good share of the winter.
When the poultry yard is so situated
that there is no chance of ANNOYANCE to
the neighbors, or of damage to gardens
and crops, there is much more profit in
keeping fowls that forage for them
selves than those that require regular
feeding. The former wander all around
the barnyard and fields, scratching and
picking up seeds that would be lost,
and v orms that would not be lost.
They live in this manner instead of re-
curing corn at seveniy-fve cents per
bushei, and always make good return
In eggs.
l have kept for several years the
Golden Polands, and have never made
but slight outlay for grain in summer.
Were IL not for their very active habits
they would be quite unfit to stand our
climate. AS it is, their value for the
table and as layers and non-sitters
makes them well worth little extra
care. They are better adapted to stand
our winters than some breeds, aud not
so well adapted as others. | think the
American breeds ure much better fitted
to stand cold weather than The Spanish
or French. But no breed of rouir,
can stand what some breeds OIL some
farms are required TO stand. Hen.
houses can be erected at very small cost
Warmth, with All abundance of light
and good ventilation is all that Is re-
quired. have seen very good lie n rits
constructed from some building that
was useless for any other purpose
Take an old frame of this sort and
double-board II and line il with sawdusl
or tan-bark, aud, provided the work is
well done, you have IA cheap and good
hen house. l do not propose in this
letter TO give plan of hen house, but
merely to offer some suggestions foi
the benefit of poultry for The winter
One side of the house should be glass
double if possible cit will be a means
of heat as well as light. The house
should be made as comfortable, and all
cracks and holes should be closed and
made as tight as possible.
Hens may be kept in the warmest
hen house, even in one warmed by ar
tificial heat; vet if they are not fed,
there will be lIo eggs. l have for years
followed The practice of giving the hens
all the meat scraps. egg shells and veg.
etable refuse from the kitten; it pays
much better than to feed the same stuff
to the pigs. Hens are very partial to
meat either raw or cooked, and they
also like vegetables IN the same way
But more than this mixture OF
food 10 healthful and greatly tends tc
increase the production of eggs. As
all this Kitchen refuse is we'll adapted
to the needs of fowls, 1t will yield 9
much better return if given to the hens
than If used in any other way. If they
are fed clear dish of corn, bar
ley or oats, their appctitcs are very apl
TO become cloyed, and themselves Il
fail in vigor and fertility. In winter
they should be fed sufficient quantit,
of heat-producing food. or this corr
or barley is the best, and the kitchen
refuse before spoken of, will furnish
the necessary meat scraps. If meal
can be procured in 10 other way, Ger.
tain portions of carcasses can be pro
cured at the slaughter houses, yer,
often for the asking. If the meat can
not be procured without buying, the
health and productiveness of the hens
will warrant the purchase of an occa
siOnsl piece tor them, though not of 8
porierhouse steak CT roasting piece
perhaps. If hens are unhealthy oil
lacking In vitality, there is no profit il
keeping them Rural New Yorker.]
Trimming.