POULTRY FARMING.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2141, 5 January 1881, Page 4

POULTRY FARMING.

Formerly the wives and the daughters of farmers attended to th* poultry and looked after the dairy theme elves. Then there wag a porsonal supervision, and an interest taken in euch of those departments, and the consequence was a greater number of eggs were obtainod, and more butter and choeee was produced at less cost and with less waste thun is often the case now. If poultry keeping is to be made to pay, then must either the proprietor, his wife, or some other person, give the matter proper attention. If handed over to the charge of an attendant, it must be on the understanding that he or Bho retains the situation eo long as the fowls pay their own way, and that no eggs aro to be surreptitiously taken away, as is now too often the case ; also that tbo breeding, fattening, and the wholo management of the poultry yard shall bo conducted in en efficient and businesslike manner, and not in that half-hearted and careless way which is now so common. We see no reason why some member of the family should not take charge of the poultry, look to the feeding and attond to tho requirements of the birds, appoint a time for tho killing or selling the chickens, and the despatch of the surplus oggs to market, or to places in which they will realizo the best prices. There are matters which anyone could do with little inconvenience or annoyance. The birds, of course, require to bo fod at regular hours ; but as we shall now suppose only a limited number are kept in or around an ordinary farmhouse, theße, by means of a whistle, can be called together at any convenient spot close to the house to be fed, whilo the roooticg and laying house might alao be placed near at hand, to cause as little trouble and inconvenience as possible. What is wanted to make tho breeding and roaring of poultry a fairly profitable under-

taking is the personal supervision of some interested party. The whole thing consists of a largo number of very small items, and each •torn must bo carefully looked after, or the small profit will soon vanish. One hen, during a year, with the greatest care could nc|t return more than three or four shillings profit. We are awaro some writers have stated that far larger profits are to be derived from poultry keeping, but we prefer being rather within than over the mark. Wo know at tho present moment of several breeders who are making a clear £2OO or £3OO profit per annum out of their poultry ; but these ore farmers who have been breeders for years, who have by their care and skill hastened on the breeding of the birds, succeeded in making a name in the poultry world, and who consequently are now able to command long prices for their stock and for their eggs. Only last week a pair of light Brahmas were claimed at Hatfield show tor £l9 12j, not because the birds were worth that amount, but because they wore exhibited by a very successful breeder, who had the good fortune on this occasion to wiu with a moderate pair of birds. Another great advantage resulting from keeping poultry, and one which is often entirely overlooked, is that at all times and in all seasons a most enjoyable relish is to be obtained from eggs served in various ways. These are so extensively used that it would hardly be possible to get on without them. Then, again, in country districts where people are living along way from a to wn,great difficulty is often experienced in keeping fresh meat in a wholesome condition during the summer months. Now a pair of fowls, either boiled or roasted, with a pieca of pickled pork or bacon, make a dish which few people cannot enjoy. At a farmhouse there is generally a quantity of inferior corn, which is hardly worth the expense and trouble of sending to market ; this waste corn ought to be used for feeding the poultry, and a farmer should, by this means, be able to fatten birds for his own table at a coet little, if any, greater than the price of mutton or beef. There is no cost of carriage, nu middleman or shopkeeper to swallow up the profit when disposing of the corn or poultry. All the profits go into the pockots of the farmers, besides tho great advantage of always having at hand a plentiful supply of wholesome and nourishing animal food. The farmer in breeding poultry for home consumption ought to make this a profitable part of his concern, for the simple reason that he has at hand the very articles for food required by the birds. There are always some spare sheds or outhouses where the birds could be kept without costing any additional expense for rent, and the birds themselves can pick up a great deal of food which otherwise would be entirely wasted, so that with little trouble the eggs sold during the winter and. early spring months should pay for the food consumed throughout the year, while the birds consumed in the house and the birds killed for tho household should cost a mere trifling sum. These results can only be obtained by adopting the plan we have previously recommended, of keeping none but a strong healthy lot of birds, which are ready for killing and commence laying at an early age. Hitherto farmers have overlooked the poultry yard too much ; bat we can promise them, if they will only treat the fowls as they deserve to be treated, feeding them with regularity, housing them at night in a comfortable and wellventilated place, and giving them a fair share of oare and attention, that a hen, small as she is, will be found by no means the least profitable animal kept on a farm