The Illustrated Book of Domestic Poultry
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BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OP 1891 « jj.fjr.faoo'^ 3j^fga^ Cornell University Library SF 487.H62 1892 The illustrated book of domestic poultry 3 1924 003 143 561 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003143561 o .J Ai' : THE ILLUSTRATED BOOK OB DOMESTIC POULTRY. ,, EDITED BY" ,-y i' MARTIN Bi^E;' THE FIGURES DRAWN FROM NATURE BY C. H. WEIGALL; €tt!jTibtti anb ^rircti)) in ®il €daatH bg M. ^uhte & (Ha. A NEW EDITION. PHILADELPHIA POETEK & COATES, 822 Chestnut Street. •;UNivi:nD'rYi ^. LIBRARY BHEBUAlr Ic CO., F HI LAD B LF H li . CONTENTS ORtoiJT OP DoMESTio POULTRY Page 1 On size and eggs Paaf. 131 Shanqhae, or Coohin-China fowl 4 Fkizzled fowl 132 Tlieir habita 7 Pumpkin, or Tail-less fowl 133 Laying and sitting 11 Game kind 135 The eggs 12 On cock-fighting 136 Their form 14 The Krowsley breed 141 Points required 17 Thaneveral varieties 142 Whites and Greys 19 Their hardy nature 148 Bufis 21 Bantams, origin 152 Browns 22 Turkish and Baatara allied. 153 Duns and Blacks 23 The several varieties 165 Breeding 26 The Speckled 15? On crossing with Cochins 31 The Sebright 158 Table of expenses and produce 33 The Silver-laced and Spangled 160 Profitable result of keeping. ... 34 The Black and White 162 Brahma-Poutras 43 The Silk and Partridge 163 Spanish 64 The Turkish and Cambodje 164 Their varieties 67 Bakbakt fowl 166 Comparative advantages 66 Hambukgh kinds 167 Proper mode of feeding 69 Classification 169 Breeding and crossing 71 Chittaprats 171 Eggs of Spanish 78 Bolton-Bays 172 DOKKINO, their origin 83 Silver Spangled 173 Best kind for the table 86 ' Golden-Spangled 175 Not suited to damp soils 90 Redcap 176 Their eggs 92 Black-Pheasant 177 Crossing advisable 92 Gdinea fowl 178 On the fifth toe 96 Discordantopinionsoi old writers 179 Poland, origin of crested kinds . 97 Crested and Mitred 183 Aldrovandus' figures of Paduans 99 Self-coloured, White, and Pied 184 . Kumerous crested kinds '. 101 Well worth keeping 185 The several varieties 102 Their habits 187 On the colours 106 Pood and diseases 190 Chicks require care , , . 109 Peacock, derivation 192 Malay and Indian kinds 113 The wild kind 194 Their origin 113 TheJavan 195 Observations of different judges 116 Bequired points 197 Kot adapted to cold climates . 121 Japan 198 Marks of Pheasant-Malay .... 124 Piedand White 199 The Silk Cook 124 Habits 200 ChitiagoDgs 125 Eggs of Pea-fowl 202 NegroCock 127 Young ones 203 MalabarCock 128 TuBKEY, early account 205 n CONTENTS. ToRKET, the wild Page 207 Geese, Domestic Page 233 Honduras aud Brush 211 Toulouse and Embden 234 American species 214 Anecdotes 237 Norfolli varieties 216 Habits 240 Pure white kind 218 Duces, Mallard 241 Habits of laying 221 Teal........ 243 Care of young ones 222 Widgeon 244 Geese, Grey-lag 226 Mandarin, and Carolina 245 Bernicle 227 Labrador 246 Canadian.. 229 Aylesbury 247 Bean ^. 230 Kouen 248 China .1. 231 Musk 249 Egyptian 282 Habits 250 MANAa E M E N T. Breeding, proportion of hens.-.Page 253 Fountains, Mr. Bailey's Page 315 " Dorkings the best mothers 254 Mr. Baker's 315 Proper age of cock 256 Poultry-woman's duties 316 Laying, indications 258 Food 317 Warmth recommended 259 Times of feeding 320 Progress of formation of the egg 260 Use of coops 321 Time essential 263 Food for chicks 322 Dr. Bostock on the egg 264 Food for goslings 324 Egos, to preserve 265 Ducklings, early treatment 325 An experienced housekeeper's Guineas must be often fed 326 practice 267 Coops 327 The best layers and sitters 270 Digestive ohgahs 332 Monstrous ones 271 Feeding, cost 337 On varieties of eggs 272 Pure and natural recommended.. 340 Hatching, natural process 275 Indian mode 340 Artificial 276 Geese and goslings 341 Cantelo's mode 281 French mode 343 Rgaumur's method 285 Ducks 344 Fresh eggs necessary 290 Capons , 345 Produce of double eggs 292 The process of oaponizing 346 Ducks' eggs 293 Diseases, classification 350 Number of eggs required 295 Fevers and loss of feathers 351 Hens must be carefully fed 296 Diarrhoea and constipation 352 Nature rarely at fault 298 Gapes 353 General remarks on the care re- Gout, rheumatism and pip 354 quisite 300 Roup 365 Turkey, Goose and Duck 302 Phthisis, megrims and apoplexy 356 Practical observations 303 Vermin 357 PonLTHY-YARD, proper site 306 Cramp 353 Fowl-houses, Mr. Bond's 307 Indigestion and tonics 360 " Mr. Adnam'e 311 ; DOMESTIC POULTEY. OuK Domestic Poultry belong, respectively, to three dis- tinct orders of the class aves ; viz., the rasorial or gallinaceous order, the columbine or gyratorial order, and the natatorial or swimming order. As the term rasores* leads us to infer, the birds included in this class are chiefly, if not exclusively, terrene in theii* habits ; many of them roost, for they can hardly be said to perch, on trees, though they can use their wings ; but some, as the partridge, grouse, and others, remain always on the ground. The generic characters of the ffalius are, — bill moderate, strong, convex above, curved towards the point, naked at the base, and furnished with fleshy protuberances, called wattles head surmounted with a fleshy crest or comb ; legs in the male, armed with a long spur ; wings short and graduated ; tail-feathers fourteen, forming two vertical plains, with the under side of the feathers inclining towards each other, and so making what may be called a folded tailj the middle feathers longest and curving backwards. It would seem that all attempts, beyond a certain point, to trace back the history of some of our most common fowls, have been unsatisfactory ; but it is generally agreed that their ancestors were natives of the warm climates of Asia ; and the observations of travellers would direct us to look to the * From radere (perf. rasi), to scratch. — — 2 DOMESTIC POULTEY.' forests and jun'gles of India for the aboriginals. Although some difference of opinion exists as to the precise race from which any individual tribe has sprung, or the exact original locality, the more common opinion is, that they have all pro- ceeded from one of the following specific types. First.—^The Galltis giganteus, or large Kulm fowl, as it is called by Europeans in the Deccan country, where it is domesticated, as also in the Malay peninsula; and to this parent stock are traced, by some ornithologists, the Malay, the Pheasant Malay, the Shanghae, and others. Second.—The Bankiva or Javan cock occupies, according to Cuvier, the second rank in the production of our domestic fowls and their varieties, having, equally with the first- mentioned type, many points in common with our fowls of all denominations ; and from this source Temminck supposed that the Common, the Crested, the Bantam, Dwarf, and Dorking, have sprung. Third. Gallus Sonneratii, or the Jungle Cock of British sportsmen in Indid. Sonnerat, differing from others, is of opinion that this is the original parent cock. Colonel Sykes relates that this bird is very abundant in the woods of the Western Ghauts, where there are two very strongly marked varieties. In the valleys more than 2000 feet above the level of the sea, this species is found ; and in the belts of the woods, on the sides of the mountains, at 4000 feet elevation, there is a short-legged variety. Colonel Sykes found the eggs of this species to be exactly like those of the domestic fowl in form and colour, though somewhat less in size.* * To those who may wish to know the distinctions of the above supposed types of such numerous and various descendants, we give the particulars with the authorities : Oallai gigamteus.—It often stands considerably more than two fedt from the of crown the head to the ground. The comb extends backwards in a line Witt tlio eyes it is thick, a little ; elevated, rounded upon the top, and has almost the appearance of having been cut off. The wattles of the under mandibles are comparatively small, ana the throat is bare. Pale golden. — — — ; THEIR ORIGIN. 8 Some naturalists have concluded that the parentage of our fowls can be traced to the Capercailzie, or Cock of the Woods, which is now nearly extinct in the British Isles, although still abundant in some of the northern parts of the continent of Europe. That the fowl was domesticated and extensively spread at a very remote period is most evident ; for when the Romans first invaded the shores of Britain, they found both the fowl and the goose in a state of domestication, but not for the purposes of food, for Caesar says, "they deem it not lawful to eat the fowl, the hare, and the goose ; nevertheless, they breed these animals for the sake of fancy and pleasure." Sacred history, in the enumeration of the provisions for the supply of Solomon's household, mentions "fatted fowl." reddish hackles ornament the head, neck, and upper part of the back, and some of these spring before the bare part of the throat ; middle of the back and lesser wing-coverta deep chestnut, the webs of the feathers disunited pale, reddish-yellow, long, drooping hackles cover the rump and base of the tail, which hst is very ample, and entirely of a glossy green, of which colour are the wing-coverts ; the secondaries and quills are pale reddish-yellow on their outer webs.