Much variety of opinion prevails respecting the best mode of
constructing the nests for laying and sitting hens. In this, as in
all other cases, the nearer we can imitate nature the better; I
object to the rows of pigeon-holes so frequently employed, as the
close crowding of the fowls harbours vermin, and renders it difficult
to thoroughly clean the nests after the eggs are hatched, and believe
it will be found more conducive to health and comfort if the nests
are quite distinct from each other, and are so formed that they can
be entirely removed after the chicken are hatched. The plan that I
have found to answer best is to use shallow baskets or boxes, which
can be partially filled with sifted coal ashes, road drift, sand, or
any similar material; on this a little short straw is placed, and the
hen hollows out a slight concavity, which prevents the eggs rolling
from under her, and in this way a very good imitation of a natural
nest is obtained. The ashes do not harbour vermin, and I have found
that eggs hatch much better than in those nests made solely of straw.
Care should be taken so nearly to fill the basket or box that the hen
can leave without having to spring up from the eggs, and can return
without jumping down upon them, otherwise there is great risk of
their being broken. Should the hen be particularly fearful, a board
placed in a slanting position over the basket with the upper end
leaning against the wall, will afford all the privacy required.
It is desirable that hens should be allowed to sit where they have
been previously laying, as there is usually much trouble, except in
the case of Cochins, in inducing a hen to sit steadily in a new nest.
Hens evince a strong desire to lay where there are other eggs, hence
nest eggs are usually employed; they are frequently made of chalk,
but from the hardness of the material they are apt to break the new
laid egg; soft white wood, turned into the required shape, makes
the best that I have seen, as it does not break the eggs or lose its
shape, and is capable of being easily washed, if soiled. Natural eggs
are not desirable for nest eggs, as they are very apt to break when
they become stale, and so render the nest exceedingly foul.
When a hen becomes broody, which is shewn by her remaining on the
nest a longer time than usual, and by the peculiar _clucking_ noise
she makes, it is desirable to give her three or four nest eggs to sit
on, to test her steadiness for a day or two, and if she is found to
sit well the eggs for hatching may be placed in the nest, either when
she leaves it to feed, or by lifting her off in the evening; if a
broody hen is removed from the nest during the day she usually flies
back, at the great risk of breaking the eggs, whereas, if lifted off
after dark, she generally remains quietly on the ground and allows
the requisite number of eggs to be put into the nest, when she may be
lifted back again.
The fresher the eggs that are used for hatching the better. If
practicable, it is desirable that they should not have been laid
more than a fortnight; although they will hatch after a much longer
time, if carefully protected from the drying influence of the air and
light, and from too high or too low a temperature, in bran or some
similar material.
Eggs intended for hatching, should be kept with the large end
upwards, otherwise they should be moved occasionally to prevent the
yolk adhering to the upper side; the lid of the box containing them
should be closed, in order to protect them from the light, and from
the rapid changes of temperature, and the whole should, especially in
summer, be kept in a cool place. When sittings of eggs are forwarded
by railway or other public conveyance, it is customary to pack them
tightly in bran, with considerable spaces between them, others
recommend oats to be used; my own experience is most decidedly in
favour of hay, or soft straw, which, by its elasticity prevents all
shaking, and enables the eggs to be forwarded any distance without
injury.
This season, I forwarded two sittings of eggs to the far north of
England, one packed most carefully in bran, the other in hay; of the
first not one egg hatched, whilst every one of the second produced a
chick; and a sitting that I received this season, which was similarly
packed, every egg was fertile, although the basket had travelled from
the north by coach, rail, and carrier.
The number of eggs placed under a hen usually varies from ten to
fifteen; no fixed rule can be given--so much depends on the season of
the year, the size of the eggs, and that of the hen. If the eggs are
cooled during the sitting, which necessarily happens if they are so
numerous that the outer ones are covered merely by the feathers, and
not by the body of the hen, the chicken will be weakly or deformed;
and as the hen constantly shifts their position by pulling those
outside into the centre, and so forcing out the others, all become
chilled in their turn, and a weakly brood is the result. A hen when
sitting, separates the feathers to so great an extent, that the eggs,
if they are not in too great number, are in contact with the naked
skin of the breast, and such a quantity should only be given, as can
be covered in that manner.
I am quite confident that a larger number of chicken can be ensured
by sitting a moderate than a large number of eggs, and as to their
health and vigour there is no comparison.
In those varieties which lay large eggs, such as Dorkings, I never
give a hen more than thirteen eggs, and usually a smaller number; in
winter, I would not exceed eight or nine. In the case of Cochins,
where the eggs are small and the hens large, a greater number may be
given.
With regard to the age of the parents, I believe that it is not so
desirable to breed from hens in their first as in the second or third
years; the chicken of first year fowls, are more leggy, smaller, and
less hardy and vigorous than those that are produced by more mature
parents. When young birds are employed, it is desirable to mate
pullets with cocks two or three years old, and cockerels with old
hens.
Some persons even carry their objection so far, as not to allow young
birds to hatch the eggs of older birds, being under the impression
they do not sit with sufficient steadiness. This is certainly not
true as regards Dorkings and Cochins, for I have found pullets of
eight months age, exemplary sitters and nurses; and at the time of
writing this in July, I have two Dorkings of fourteen months age,
which are running about with their third broods, having hatched in
January, May, and July.
To ensure healthy and large-sized chicken it is absolutely necessary
that there should not be any relationship between the parents;
breeding “in and in,” as it is termed, is well known by all rearers
of stock to produce diseased and weakly offspring, hence it is
indispensable that there should be an introduction of fresh male
birds every two or three years. In farm-yards where there are large
numbers of poultry, it will be found by far the most desirable plan
to keep separately a cock with from four to six of the best hens,
and to hatch their eggs alone. By this means the chicken are all
certain of coming from the best birds, and a much smaller number of
cocks may be kept with the main stock of hens than would otherwise
be desirable. The practice of allowing the hens to run with several
cocks is calculated to deteriorate the breed materially, should
therefore a larger number of eggs be required for hatching, than
furnished by a cock and four or six hens, another set should be
separated.
In all cases, over crowding must be carefully guarded against,
especially where poultry are kept in a confined situation, for if
the ground becomes tainted, the inevitable result is that disease
breaks out, and that the chicken, being less able to withstand its
influence than older birds, die off rapidly, in spite of good food,
warm housing, and every attention that can possibly be paid to them.
Many persons are in the habit of lifting off the sitting hens in
order to feed them, I believe that all such interference is uncalled
for and injurious; the less a hen is disturbed whilst hatching the
better--when hungry and thirsty she will leave the nest, and should
be then fed most liberally. Whole corn I think the best for hatching
hens, as it remains longer in the crop and so satisfies hunger for a
greater length of time. In addition to food and water the hens should
always be provided with a heap of dry ashes, to roll in, to enable
them to free themselves from vermin.
On the twentieth day some of the chicken usually begin to chip
the shell, and, generally speaking, they are all hatched on the
twenty-first, that is on the same day three weeks that the eggs are
placed under the hen. The practice of removing the first hatched and
placing them in flannel by the fire side, is followed by many, but
I do not see any possible advantage that can arise from so doing;
it is impossible to give the exact temperature of the mother, and a
degree of heat higher or lower must necessarily be disadvantageous;
the only interference that I think desirable, is to remove, if it can
be readily accomplished, the empty shells, otherwise the unhatched
eggs are apt to slip into them, and the chicken, although furnished
with power to break through one shell are unable to force their way
through two. The addled eggs (which are readily distinguished by
giving them the slightest possible shake, when the moving of the
liquid contents is felt) may also be removed so as to give more room
to the live birds.
I am aware that these recommendations to leave natural operations to
nature are contrary to what are frequently found in books, but I am
merely writing the results of my own experience, and I have always
found the more the hatching hens are meddled with, the worse the
result. It is a notorious fact that when a hen steals a nest in some
copse or place where she can remain unmolested, she almost invariably
brings forth a more numerous and stronger brood than when she sits in
the hen-house.
The chicken require neither food nor drink on the day on which they
are hatched; in fact, _both are injurious_, as they interfere with
the natural digestion of the yolk, which is absorbed into the bowels
at the period of hatching, and constitutes the first food. If grits,
oatmeal, &c., are spread before the hen on the twenty-first day, she
is induced to leave the nest, and the last hatched chicken, which
are not perhaps yet dried, are unable to follow, and being weakly,
perish; or unhatched eggs may be left.
If undisturbed, the hen seldom leaves the nest on the twenty-first
day, and on the twenty-second the chicken will be found strong enough
to follow her, and any unhatched eggs may be destroyed, for those
chicken that are not then able to follow her will seldom be found to
repay the trouble that may be taken with them. The plan of cramming
peppercorns and other spices down the throats of chicken is cruel
in the extreme, and moreover, exceedingly injurious. I have found
the best food to be two-thirds sweet coarse oatmeal and one-third
barley meal, mixed into a crumbly paste with water; this is very much
relished, and the chicken make surprising progress upon it, they are
also very fond of a little cold oatmeal porridge, and, by way of
variety, I sometimes give them a few scalded grits dusted over with a
little barley meal to cause them to separate.
Milk is frequently used to mix the barley or oatmeal, but from the
extent to which it is then exposed to the air it soon becomes sour
in summer, and is decidedly injurious if employed in that state; no
more food, therefore, should be mixed with milk than can be eaten in
a couple of hours. Sopped bread is by no means desirable, the chicken
become weakly and affected with diarrhœa from its use, in fact it
has not that degree of solidity which is requisite to afford an
opportunity for the exercise of the natural grinding action of the
gizzard. A little chopped onion, or, still better, some finely shred
green onion tops mixed with the food is highly advantageous, and, in
the opinion of many persons, lessens very much the susceptibility to
roup.
With regard to animal food there is none equal to the natural supply
of worms and insects obtained by the hen; small worms, or a barrow
full of mould, containing an ant’s nest, may be given if the chicken
are in a confined situation, and will be found far superior to boiled
egg, chopped meat, or any more artificial substitute. Curds are
frequently used, and, I believe, furnish the best substitute for the
natural insect food, but I have had no experience in their use, as
I have never kept, nor even think it desirable to keep fowls, or at
all events to rear chicken, in situations where their natural food
is unattainable. It is requisite that chicken should either have a
constant supply of food or be fed at very short intervals--even every
hour is not too often, if practicable.
Cooping, which is so frequently employed to restrain the wandering
of hens with chicken, I regard as exceedingly objectionable. In many
cases I admit it to be a necessary evil, but not the less an evil;
a hen when cooped has no power of scratching for insects and worms
(the best of all possible food), the chicken are therefore confined
strictly to the artificial diet with which they are supplied.
Whatever also may be the difference in the temperature of the day or
change of weather, she cannot alter her position, or seek shelter
from cold, wind, or wet; the ground under the coop becomes foul
unless the latter is moved frequently, and the hen does not so soon
recover the effects of her confinement in sitting as when she is
allowed her liberty and obtains green food to peck at.
It is frequently said that when hens are not cooped they roam so far
that the chicken become fagged, and that oftentimes they are left
behind by the hen. I believe that if the hen and chicken are well
fed, and at short intervals, this will not occur; but should giving
them their entire liberty be objectionable, the plan of enclosing a
small run with laths, wire-work, or netting, may be had recourse to.
These contrivances may be either moveable or fixed; in the latter
case the ground in the run may be turned up with the spade or fork
occasionally, so as to give the hens fresh soil to scratch in. Many
persons say they cannot confine their fowls in this manner, as they
fly over; a little attention to the habits of the birds would enable
them to prevent this inconvenience. Fowls never fly _over_ any
boundary, but always _on to_ it, preparatory to descending on the
other side, and if the top is constructed in such a manner that they
cannot rest upon it, they evince a great disinclination to attempt
the passage. The plan I adopt is to have five or six feet laths of a
greater or less degree of stoutness as required, nailed three inches
apart to two horizontal rails, the lower near the ground, the upper
being eight inches below the tops of the laths, which are pointed.
I have found that this fence is sufficient to confine Dorking,
Spanish, and even Hamburghs, but then the fowls have always an
unlimited supply of every variety of food; and when I receive a bird
I usually lighten one wing by running the scissors down each side
of the ten primary quill feathers, which is a much better plan than
cutting the shafts across, as in the latter case the bird is much
disfigured.
In accordance with my suggestion, Messrs. Greening, of Church Gates,
Manchester, have manufactured some of their patent fencing on the
same plan, namely, spiked at the top and chicken proof below,
as shewn in the cut; from experience I can recommend it as most
efficient, and from its great strength and durability it is much more
economical than the ordinary hexagonal pattern in common use.
[Illustration]
During summer it is not requisite to remove the hen and chicken
from these runs at night, but a little house made of a few boards
nailed together, so as to resemble a dog-kennel, made water-tight, is
necessary for shelter.
Some of the most successful breeders of Cochins have their grounds
thus partitioned out and furnished with rude huts, boarded at the
sides and covered on the top with some of the patent asphalte felt
now so much used for roofing. This, if properly tarred, is perfectly
waterproof, and being a bad conductor of heat, is warm in winter and
cool in summer.
The common open circular wicker coop I regard as an exceedingly
useful article in a poultry-yard, but not for the purpose to which
it is generally applied, of keeping the hens _in_, but, on the
contrary, for keeping them _out_. I have found it very convenient for
feeding chicken under; the oatmeal, grits, and other expensive food
used for the young birds is apt to be devoured by those of advanced
growth, an evil which is readily prevented by placing it under a
large coop which admits the younger chicken, and enables them to feed
undisturbed by the others.
The remark is often made, that chicken reared in the country by
cottagers are more vigorous and healthy than those bred in the most
expensive poultry houses; this I believe to be entirely owing to the
more natural circumstances under which they are brought up. Fresh
air, fresh grass, and fresh ground for the hens to scratch in, far
more than counterbalance the advantage of expensive diet and superior
lodging, if these latter are unaccompanied with the more necessary
circumstances just described.
The plans here recommended I found to be more than ordinarily
successful during the most unfavourable chicken seasons, even on
the cold clay soil in the neighbourhood of London, and I have there
severely tested their perfect efficiency with regard to Cochins,
Dorkings, Spanish, and Hamburghs.
In cases where fowls are bred _in and in_ to preserve peculiar
markings, or where, so to speak, a very artificial variety has been
produced, great delicacy necessarily results; this, for example, is
the case in the Sebright Bantam, and hardiness cannot be expected in
such breeds; as well might the breeder of King Charles’ spaniels or
Italian greyhounds expect similar success to that of the rearer of
the Scotch terrier or sheep dog.
When chicken are hatched in the winter, or early spring months,
either for competition in the chicken classes at the summer
poultry shows, or for table use, some slight modification of these
proceedings is requisite. I have tried enclosed rooms, both heated by
stoves and fire-places and without, but have never found them answer,
and am confident that even in winter chicken do better in an open
shed than in any other situation; the shed, however, must face the
south, and be warmly and closely sheltered from the north and east.
The hens must be placed in coops, where all the sun can reach them;
and there should be a little run of a few feet, enclosed by laths,
wire-work or netting, for the hen and chicken to exercise in. The
common triangular wooden coop is a very useful one for early chicken;
but it should have a false bottom, to keep them off the cold ground,
and this should be made to slide in and out, so as to be readily
removed and cleaned. The coops, at night, should be warmly covered up
with sacking or matting, and plenty of short hay or soft straw placed
in the interior. The most successful breeder of early Cochins in the
year 1853, reared all his birds in a shed thus arranged; but, instead
of coops, he employed snugly built brick boxes, with abundance of
short straw for the hen and chicken to sleep in; and in front of each
box was a little alley or run, enclosed by laths, for an exercise
ground,--the run not extending in front of the shed, so that it was
not subject to be damped by the rain or dew.
Another precaution necessary to be taken with early chicken, even
after they have attained some size, is to avoid letting them run in
the grass whilst it is wet with dew, otherwise they are very apt to
get chilled, and die with cramp. When hens are cooped care must be
taken to supply them with gravel and a little mortar rubbish, or
broken oyster shells,--the first being required for the digestion of
the food, the second to furnish the materials of the bones of the
growing chicken.
As I have elsewhere stated, the rearing of early chicken is always
attended with risk and trouble, and extraordinary success must not
be expected; it should only therefore be attempted under favourable
circumstances; and unless chicken are bred for the summer poultry
shows, or for early table use, for which purpose they fetch a high
price in the market, it is not a desirable proceeding; for the best
and finest birds, that alone should be kept for stock, are those
hatched in April and May, as they attain their full size without
having their growth once checked by cold.
Chicken, on the contrary, which are hatched at a late period of
the year, have their growth checked by the colds of winter, and
consequently never make large birds; hence the practice of hatching
Bantams in autumn to prevent their attaining a large size, an object
which is only accomplished by a sacrifice of constitutional strength
and hardihood.