Part 1

[Illustration: BLACK SPANISH.]

PROFITABLE POULTRY;

THEIR MANAGEMENT

IN

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.

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.

GRAIN forms the staple food of poultry, the varieties used being generally either barley, oats, wheat, Indian corn, or rice.

_Barley_ is perhaps more frequently used than any other grain; it is better relished by fowls than oats, and its first cost is considerably below that of wheat. It contains from ten to eleven pounds of flesh-forming, sixty of starchy substances, and two to three of oil or fat in every hundred.

_Oats_ are not taken so freely as barley, which is apparently owing to the large proportion of husk they contain, which lessens their value as poultry food; but when used in the form of grits or oatmeal they are eaten with great avidity, and in this state furnish one of the most wholesome and nutritious varieties of food, containing eighteen of flesh-forming, sixty-three of starchy substances, and six pounds of fatty materials in every hundred. No grain contains a larger proportion of flesh-forming substances than oatmeal--it is, therefore, the one best adapted to growing animals, and I have found that chicken make much more rapid progress when it forms the chief portion of their food than when fed on any other substances. Cochin, and Spanish chicken especially, show its good effects by the rapidity with which they feather when fed with it.

_Wheat_, contrary to the popular opinion, is not more nutritious than oatmeal; it contains about twelve pounds of flesh-forming nutriment, seventy of starchy, and two to four of oil, in every hundred. Its cost operates considerably against its employment, although it is extensively used by some breeders of choice poultry, with whom expense of feeding is a secondary consideration.

_Indian Corn_ is remarkable for the large proportion of oil contained in the yellow varieties, which averages eight pounds in every hundred; its capability of putting on flesh is not greater than that of barley, as it contains only eleven per cent. of flesh-giving food, and sixty-six of starchy matters. Cochins seem remarkably fond of it, but I have found that it is refused by Dorkings and Spanish, when they are able to obtain other grain.

_Rice_ is the least nutritious of all grains, and therefore the worst that can be given to growing animals. In the husked state in which it is usually found in this country, it contains scarcely any fat, or bone-making materials, and only seven per cent. of flesh-forming food, (less than half the quantity contained in oatmeal,) being almost entirely composed of starch. Boiled rice is a useful variation in the food of fowls, and is much relished, but as the main support of growing chicken it is very objectionable.

_Buckwheat Flour_ is about equal in nutritive properties to that of wheat, but the large proportion of husk that the unground seeds contain, must be taken into account in estimating its money value; it is commonly supposed to cause a greatly increased production of eggs, but its chemical composition does not shew any superiority over many other varieties of food.

_Dhoora_, or Indian millet, a small grain largely cultivated in the east, is employed by some poultry keepers; it is much relished by fowls; the nutritious properties of the flour are very similar to those of wheat, and as it contains very little husk, it may be regarded as a valuable addition to the poultry dietary.

_Malt Dust_, _Malt Culm_, _and Cummins_, are names given to the small sprouts of the barley which are broken off in the process of malting, and form a coarse fibrous powder. Malt dust contains from two to three times as large a proportion of flesh-forming food as wheat, and in this respect far surpasses any of the substances ordinarily used as poultry food; its value not being generally known, it is frequently used as manure; mixed with soft food, it is much relished by fowls, and as it may be obtained at a remarkably cheap rate, its employment is very advantageous.

_Bran_, _Pollard or Randan_, _and Middlings or Sharps_, particularly the latter, I regard as most valuable additions to the food of poultry. In the first place they are economical--and they contain a very high proportion (eighteen per cent.) of flesh-forming substances, and a very considerable quantity of oil (six per cent.) Another circumstance which adapts them to the use of chicken is the large proportion of bone-making materials they contain.

Many poultry feeders are in the habit of preparing the grain before use; some simply soak the barley or other corn, by placing it in water the previous evening, this lessens the time it has to remain in the crop, before passing on into the gizzard; others boil their corn, a proceeding which has the advantage of rendering it more digestible, as it effects an important change in the starchy part of the grain. Rice, especially, should always be boiled before use, and it should be cooked in such a mode as to allow the grains to remain separate, which may be easily managed by boiling it in a large quantity of water, to which a small piece of fat, as lard or dripping, has previously been added. The experience of all experimental agriculturists is in favour of cooked food for live stock of all descriptions: from the change effected in the starch it is more nutritious, and is more rapidly digested; hence, there is less work for the stomach and digestive organs to perform, and therefore they are less liable to become diseased. From considerable experience in its employment, I can strongly recommend the following cooked food, as being exceedingly well adapted to supply all the substances requisite to support a healthy and vigorous existence. A quantity of middlings, with or without half its bulk of barley-meal, or a corresponding proportion of malt-dust, is placed in a coarse red ware pan, and baked for about an hour in a side oven, or until the mixture is thoroughly heated throughout; water is then poured in, and the whole stirred together until it becomes a crumbly mass; if too much water is added, the mixture becomes cloggy, a defect which is easily remedied by stirring in a little dry meal. The advantage of this method is that the food is prepared with scarcely any trouble, and there is no fear of its being burnt as in boiling. Sometimes the barley meal is omitted, and the baked middlings mixed with rice which has been previously boiled. This mixture forms the stock food of my old fowls, a liberal supply of grain being given during the day. I have found that since its adoption they cost less in food, and that they are in equally good or even in better condition than when fed on an unlimited supply of grain alone. Should the convenience for baking not exist, it will be found more desirable to scald the middlings and meal with boiling water than to mix them with cold.

If grain of any kind is broken or crushed, it should only be done shortly before use, unless it is thoroughly kiln dried; for when this is not done, the grain, from the moisture it contains, soon becomes musty, sour, and unwholesome. Inferior samples of grain contain so large a proportion of husk that they are not desirable, and if regarded with reference to their nutritious properties the best will be found the cheapest.

_Potatoes_, when plentiful and free from disease, may be advantageously substituted for rice, which they closely resemble, in containing a large amount of starch; there is less waste in their use, if steamed, than when boiled.

_Peas_, _Beans_, _and Lentils_, either whole or ground, are much used by many feeders; they contain a larger amount of flesh-forming food than grain--on the average about twenty-four per cent., whilst the quantity of fat is very small, not usually more than two in every hundred; but they are not easily digested, and are too stimulating to be regarded as a wholesome diet. I have traced many cases of disease, such as white comb in Cochins, inflammation of the stomach and egg passage, &c., &c., to their employment.

_Hemp Seed_ is frequently given to cause the increased production of eggs, an effect which it can only produce at the sacrifice of the health of the fowls. Hemp is used in India as a most powerful medicine; the evil effects of the seeds on caged birds are known to all bird keepers. I regard it as one of the most injurious substances given to fowls.

_Fresh Green Vegetables_ form an indispensable addition to the food of poultry. Those having a free range in the country supply themselves with this kind of food; when they are kept in other situations they should be supplied daily with turf, cabbage, lettuce, or turnip leaves, and in the absence of these substances, as on shipboard, a little moistened corn, allowed to sprout, will be found very advantageous.

_Cooked Vegetables_, such as parsnips, carrots, turnips, &c., are much relished, particularly the former; they form an useful and wholesome variation in the diet.

_Animal Food._--The most advantageous animal food for fowls, and on which they make the most rapid and healthy progress, consists in the worms, snails and insects that they obtain naturally when unconfined; I do not think that there is any other kind of food which conduces so much to their healthy condition; where it cannot be obtained, a small quantity of fresh meat (either raw or cooked) may be chopped small and given to them; it is, however, but a poor substitute for the natural insect food. The maggots of the flesh fly, obtained by hanging up some meat to putrefy, are often employed, but I doubt very much, whether, in wholesomeness, they are at all equal to worms, and the plan is objectionable from the offensive odour of the putrefying meat; if it is thought desirable to employ maggots the best mode is to allow the animal substance to remain exposed to the air until thoroughly fly-blown, if it is then buried eighteen inches deep, the maggots remain under ground until they attain their full size, when they work their way towards the surface, before changing into the perfect insects; the fowls soon discover their approach, and by scratching obtain a plentiful supply; the maggots by working their way through the soil are cleansed from any adhering putridity, and the search for the gradual supply affords amusement for the fowls; even employed in this way, however, I do not think flesh maggots so desirable as worms.

_Tallow Chandler’s Greaves_, which are left on melting the fat from the stale scraps of the butchers, and the putrid accumulation of the marine store shop, are strongly recommended by some persons as causing an increased quantity of eggs. Animal substances which have once been in a state of putrefaction cannot by any subsequent process be formed into healthy food, and I can state from experience that greaves are exceedingly injurious to laying hens. Even dogs, when fed upon greaves, become offensive, mangy, and out of condition; their effect upon fowls cannot be less injurious.

It will not, I trust, be thought that the subject of food has been treated at an undue length, for I am confident that by far the greater number of diseases that occur in fowls arise from improper feeding. I have, therefore, arranged the following Table, in order to render the comparison of the relative value of the different substances more easily made.

TABLE

Showing the number of pounds of different substances contained in every 100lbs. of grain, &c., &c.

[When a (--) is used it signifies that the quantity has not been exactly ascertained.]

Column Key B - Water. C - Flesh-forming Food (Gluten, &c.) D - Fat or Oil. E - Warmth-giving Food (Starch, &c.) F - Husk and Fibre. G - Bonemaking Substances. &c., &c.

+-------------------------+------+-----+-------+------+-----+-------+ | Every 100 lbs. of | B | C | D | E | F | G | +-------------------------+------+-----+-------+------+-----+-------+ | | lb. | lb. | lb. | lb. | lb. | lb. | |Wheat contains| 12 | 12 | 3 | 70 | 1 | 2 | |Bran, Middlings, &c. ” | 14 | 18 | 6 | 53 | -- | 5 | |Oats, with husk ” | 9½ | 15 | 6 | 47 | 20 | 2 | |Oatmeal ” | 9 | 18 | 6 | 63 | 2 | 2 | |Barley ” | 11 | 11 | 2 | 60 | 14 | 2 | |Malt Dust ” | 6 | 30 | -- | -- | -- | 8 | |Indian Corn ” | 10 | 11 | 8 | 66 | 5 | 1 | |Rice, husked ” | -- | 7 | -- | 80 | -- |a trace| |Dhoors ” | 12 | 11 | -- | 70 | 4 | 2 | |Buckwheat ” | -- | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | |Peas, &c. } | | | | | | | |Beans } ” | 15 | 25 | 2 | 48 | 8 | 2 | |Tares } | | | | | | | |Lentils } | | | | | | | |Potato ” | 75 | 2 |a trace| 19 | 3 | ¾ | +-------------------------+------+-----+-------+------+-----+-------+

My position in connection with the _Cottage Gardener_, has given me the opportunity of examining more dead and diseased fowls than perhaps ever fell to the lot of one individual; and, as the most certain result of my experience, I can state that more than one half the cases that come under my care, or that are examined by me after death, are caused by errors in feeding.

Inflammation of the digestive stomach (which is situated between the crop and the gizzard), caused by the use of peas, beans, hemp seed, or by the endeavour to force fowls forward for exhibition, or to make them up for the sale room, is a most frequent result. Apoplexy from over-feeding, especially in laying hens, and paralysis from the same cause, are frequent. Inflammation of the egg passage is a common, and unless timely treated, another fatal complaint, generally taking its rise in over-stimulating food; and leg weakness, from the weight increasing faster than the strength, is common in Cochins.

[Illustration]