Profitable Poultry

Part 1

PROFITABLE POULTRY;

THEIR MANAGEMENT

HEALTH AND DISEASE.

BY W. B. TEGETMEIER, AUTHOR OF A SERIES OF PAPERS ON THE DISEASES OF POULTRY, IN “THE COTTAGE GARDENER,” “THE POULTRY BOOK,” &c., &c.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRISON WEIR.

NEW EDITION GREATLY ENLARGED.

LONDON: DARTON AND CO., HOLBORN HILL.

1854.

PREFACE.

In issuing this edition the Author begs leave to tender his sincere thanks, firstly, to the public whose rapid purchase of an unusually large impression has enabled him to issue the present greatly enlarged, and, he hopes he may add, improved edition; secondly, to his brother amateurs to whom he is indebted for so many suggestions and so much valuable assistance; thirdly, to his reviewers, all of whom have spoken so favourably of his efforts to impart sound practical common sense, in place of the gross absurdities, which, it is not too much to say, previously disfigured all the low-priced poultry works; to the distinguished naturalist who did him the honour to give a lengthened review of the work in Fraser’s Magazine (Dec. 1853), he gladly takes this opportunity of expressing his thanks, as he is personally unknown. The present is distinguished from the last edition by the extension of such parts as were previously meagre; a table of the constituents of food has been added, which it is hoped may prove useful; a longer account of several varieties has been given, and the chapter on diseases has been considerably enlarged, and several new remedies indicated.

Willesden, Midsummer, 1854.

* * * * *

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

The object of this little work is purely practical; its aim is to place in the hands of persons who may not have had much experience, a book which should contain all that is most essential to be known respecting the housing, feeding, breeding, and treatment of fowls; and to this has been added such information as the experience of the author has enabled him to give respecting the most profitable varieties viewed as agricultural stock.

August, 1853.

PROFITABLE POULTRY,

&c. &c.

THE FOWL HOUSE.

The singular fact that our common domestic fowls are destitute of any particular English name, points at once to their foreign origin; and, although in the course of many generations, they have become greatly inured to the rigors of our climate, they still retain so far their original constitution as to require the protection of habitation during, at least, a great part of the year.

One of the most important requisites in a fowl house is absolute dryness, nothing being more fatal to poultry than damp; on clayey soil, or in moist situations, dryness must be secured, either by drainage or by raising the floor several inches above the surface of the ground; in cold situations especially, the aspect of the house is also of some importance; if practicable, the windows and other openings should face the south, as this secures a greater degree of warmth during the winter, an advantage which is also obtained by having the roof ceiled.

The perches on which the fowls roost should be low, especially for the larger varieties, as otherwise the violence with which they descend causes lameness, and not unfrequently fracture of the breast bone; in order to prevent the breast bones becoming crooked (a circumstance which greatly injures their appearance, and consequently their value as table birds), the perches should be much larger than ordinary; a split fir pole, three inches across on the flat side, which should be turned downwards, will be found advantageous, and a height of not more than three or four feet is desirable, as it enables the fowls to be readily caught after they have gone to roost, and prevents lameness; for Cochins it is even necessary that the perches should be much lower; their height should certainly not exceed one foot from the ground, otherwise, from the imperfect powers of flight possessed by these birds, the evils alluded to are very apt to occur. Heavy birds of this variety are sometimes subject to inflammatory tenderness of the feet; to prevent as much as possible the tendency to this disease, it is advantageous in these cases to lay some straight straw lengthway along the top of the perches, binding it in its place with string.

The ground below the perches should be strewed with sand, gravel, or ashes, to a considerable depth, so that the dung may be removed without soiling the floor. This should be done every morning early, and the house thrown open during the day, so as to be thoroughly purified. It seldom happens that fowl houses are so built, as to require any distinct contrivance for ventilation; in cases, however, where the door and window are air-tight, means should be afforded for a proper supply of fresh air; there should be an opening at or near the bottom, and another at the top, these should be covered with pieces of perforated zinc, to prevent any direct draught of cold air, which is very injurious. Cleanliness is also a consideration of the highest importance in a fowl house; if ashes or sand are used, as recommended, and the dung removed daily, this is readily secured; and in order to prevent as far as possible the annoyance of vermin, the house should be lime-washed once or twice a year, and the birds also be provided with a box full of dry dust or ashes to bathe in.

The difference between the health of fowls thus cleanly and warmly housed, and that of those compelled to roost in a dark, damp, dirty habitation is very great; these latter never becoming in good condition. So injurious is damp and cold, that I have known instances in which all the inhabitants of a poultry house have been attacked with violent catarrh terminating in roup, from an east window having been left open on a cold wet night; and it has been found by experiment, that scrofula may always be produced in chickens by confining them in damp, cold, and dark habitations.

I have found that exceedingly economical and efficient poultry-houses may be built against any wall that is conveniently situated, the sides and front being boarded, and the roof formed of inch deal boards, laid closely edge to edge, up and down the slope, and projecting over the sides and front so as to throw off the rain; the top should be covered with thin cheap calico tightly strained, and, by brushing this over with a good coating of coal-tar, it is cemented to the roof, which is thus rendered water-tight.

The patent Asphalte felt forms a cheap and warm roofing, but it also requires to be tarred over, in order to resist the weather. If the poultry-house is tiled, the downward current of cold air in winter, may be prevented by lining the roof with straw supported by laths nailed to the rafters; and in other cases I have found that stout brown paper, oiled or painted, and tacked smoothly to the under side of the rafters, has been very efficient in increasing the warmth of the house, and consequently the production of eggs in winter.

FEEDING.

There is, perhaps, no subject on which a greater diversity of opinion exists among poultry keepers, than respecting the relative value of the different substances used as food. This difference of opinion arises from the general ignorance that prevails with regard to the true principles of feeding. It cannot be too strongly impressed on all feeders of stock that the food eaten has to serve several distinct purposes when taken into the body. One portion is consumed in supporting the natural warmth of the animal; another set of substances supplies the nourishment required for the growth of the body, and replaces the daily wasting that occurs; a third yields the materials from which the bones are formed; and a fourth supplies the fat which is stored up in the bodies of animals; we may, therefore, speak of the following classes of foods:--

1st. Warmth-giving Food.--As starch, which forms almost the entire bulk of rice, and the solid portion of potatoes; gum, sugar, &c.

Part 2

2nd. Flesh-forming Food.--As gluten, &c., which exists in large proportion in wheat, oatmeal, peas, beans, middlings and sharps, and in somewhat smaller quantity in barley, Indian corn, &c.

3rd. Bone-making Food.--Which is found in larger proportion in the bran, or outer part of the grain, than in the inner parts.

4th. Fat-forming Food.--Consisting of fatty or oily substances; these occur, to a considerable extent, in Indian corn (the yellow variety), oatmeal, middlings, bran, &c.

All experiments that have been made tend to prove that each of these kinds of food is unable to serve the purposes of the others; thus, to give an example, neither warmth-giving nor fat-forming substances are capable of adding to the flesh of a growing animal, nor can flesh-forming food increase the quantity of fat. In a mere elementary work, like the present, it is impossible to go into this subject at any great length. Those who desire the facts on which these statements are grounded are referred to the works of Johnston, Liebig, and other eminent agriculturists and agricultural chemists. We must take the principles as granted, and apply them to an examination of the different substances usually employed in poultry feeding.

Continue reading Profitable Poultry free in the Wunder reader →