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The Poultry Yard.
GAME HENS FQR SETTING,
An experienced poultry breeder says : —
11 1 Game hens are among the best of mothers ;
fthty will defend their chickens against any
thing, whether dog, cat, or rat, and I lately 5
Witnessed an enoonnter between a hawk and j;
A game hen, whioh fonght in defence cf her j
brood, and resulted, after some "minutes, in
the utter defeat of the hawk. TheBo hens
ett well, bat should not, as a role, have
more than eleven eggs placed under them.
They are rather savage, however, towards
other chickens, and on meeting another , hen
With her brocd, will sometimes fight for
hours Iu ntter disregard for the welfare of
their progeny." j
SHE comparative value op various breeds ;
OF FOWLS. j
A writer in the " Adelaide Observer " I
makes the following remarks on this sub- j
ieot : — " As layers, the handsome Hamburg,
Iieghoro, Minorca, Andalusian, comical-
looking, lively EToudan, Brahma, Spenlsb,
Polish, Dominique, Game, Cochin, and La
Fieche am esteemed the best ; but the Mi-
lloroa, Aodaiurian, and Dominique are
little kn own here. For quality of meat,
Game, L Fieche, Dirkings,; Creve-roeors,
Hondsns, Polish, Br-shtnas. and Dominiqufs
land forwaid ; whilst for hardiness, Leg
horns, Eoodans, Brafcmis, Domluique, Ob-
(shins, Minnrcas. Audalusiaus, and Game are
the most remarkable. Brahmns, Cochins,
Dot klugs, Crevf-iosur, La Fieehe,
ilalas brat ail in e>zs and weight. F?r
lltting purple and rearing chickens Dork-
logs, Game. Dumpie (the jut'a. sborMr-ggad
l5#l rometinicB seen on farm). Silkies' -(of
frfefofc few, if apy, are to be fonfcd here), :
'
| Dominiquen, Brahmas, and CochlitB are
rbser GirtC BrabniSSTorX)
flui-H, andrcmbre'eotiiro, but onVhe other
j they- Joe api. toead-tho young" qnesf-:
| inning ex&uraiorie, and are incessaatly on the
move." V'v T , v.
I# v PROfilTABLRPOULTRY BREEDING. «
I A cor r«s pendent of the' ' Agriouitaral
! Gazatts " gives the following particulars con-
1 cerniug his experience as poultry breeder,
and shows>that with oare fowls" can bv.made
to pay well :— " As you invite disouBslon on
tha subject,! give you my experience with a
mixed lot of fifty farmyard fowls — or perhaps
I should say my wife's experience, which,
after all, comes to .the name thing ib the end,
although, unless the farmer's wife gives her
personal attention to -the matter, and has, in
fact, an inherent love for ponltry, ho great
degree of success or profit is likely to be
achieved,. It may or may not be the common
experience of tnoBfc farmers, or their wives,
that it takes three eggs to prodttoe one
healthy chiok it certainly is hot- ours;
and we should aocount it extraordinary
bad luok if after the chickens were hatched
and feiriy on thlr legs one out pf the three,
or lr chjslxwo? tbdlocr be killed;
ip bearing
itwra rot frala thaveourcbHihat tnb
largest amount or profit is derived, but from
.the sale of. eggs,, whioh. we mast pat at a
much high yprage than sixty, for I find
that from ffftyhens 484 dozen of eggs were
sold daring tie twelve months ending 31st
October, 1S77, averaging 116 eggs to eaoh
hen, but this is inclusive of all eggs used for
the house, which would at the least be
another fifty dozen, making an average of
12S eggs for each hen ; but that our balance-
sheet may be devoid of everything like guess
work and contain nothing but recorded facts,
we will dismiss the eggs used from our calcn-
lalions, merely considering thsm as an
equivalent for the labour of feeding, etc."
$