Poultry : a practical guide to the choice, breeding, rearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea-fowls, ducks and geese for profit and exhibition / by Hugh Piper.

  • Piper, Hugh.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Poultry : a practical guide to the choice, breeding, rearing, and management of all descriptions of fowls, turkeys, guinea-fowls, ducks and geese for profit and exhibition / by Hugh Piper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/208 (page 5)
    Selling Eggs. (Ireland), especially in a gentleman’s fowl yard, there is not an egg to be had in cold weather; but the warmth of the poor man’s cabin insures him an egg even in the most ungenial season.” Such fowls obtain fresh air, fresh grass, and fresh ground to scratch in, and prosper in spite of the most miserable, puny, mongrel stock, deteriorating year after year from breeding in and in, without the introduction of fresh blood even of the same indifferent description. Many an honest cottager might keep himself and family from the parish by the aid of a small stock of poultry, if some kind poultry-keeper would present him with two or three good fowls to begin with, for the cottager has seldom capital even for so small a purchase. Considerable profit may be made by the sale of eggs for hatching and surplus stock, if the breeds kept are good, and the stock known to be pure and vigorous. The “ Hen- wife” says: “ You may reduce your expenses by selling eggs for setting, at a remunerative price. No one should be ashamed to own what he is not ashamed to do ; there- fore, boldly announce your superfluous eggs for sale, at such a price as you think the public will pay for them.” This is now done extensively by breeders of rank and eminence, especially through the London Field and agri- cultural papers. But, beware of sending such eggs to market. Every one would be set, and you might find yourself beaten by your own stock, very likely in your own local show, and at small cost to the exhibitor.” The great secret of success in keeping fowls profitably is to hatch chiefly in March and April; encourage the pullets by proper feeding to lay at the age of six months ; and fatten and dispose of them when about nineteen tnonths old, just before their first adult moult ; and never to allow a cockerel to exceed the age of fourteen weeks before it is fattened and disposed of.