Period Poultry
by Linda TrenT & Bill Watson
The Shanghai, also called Buff Cochin, were
first written about in 1844, in the London Illustrated News, when it was
announced that Queen Victoria had some of these "rare and curious
birds," and were not imported into the States until 1847. *The American
Poulterer's Companion*, Caleb Bement, 1856
Chickens were divided up into two main
categories: Asiatic and Domestic.
In my personal possession are copies of Ohio
Cultivator, 1850; Domestic and Rural Affairs, Elliot Storke, 1859; The American
Poulterer's Companion, Caleb Bement, 1856; Ohio Agricultural Report, 1857;
USDA, 1862; Sloan's Complete Farmer's Farrier, 1868. Unfortunately the Ohio
Cultivator article isn't really about fowl in Ohio at all; in fact it's about a
poultry exhibition held in Boston
The way I start my research is recording
every variety of fowl I run across in my research and the date that it appeared
in, so... The following is some of what I've been working on, and I added links
to pictures of each of the following breeds, so you can see what they look
like. Some of them are really wild looking
Of Asiatic fowl:
The Shanghai appeared in sources from 1850, 56, 57, 62, and 69. However,
according to Sloan (68), "no attempt is made and no care taken to keep up
the pure bred Shanghai." And it was left to run with the farm-yard fowl.
Sometimes the Cochin-China and the Shanghai were used interchangeably, however,
some argued they were two different species. "There seems to be
considerable difference of opinion as to whether the Cochins and Shanghais are
varieties or distinct breeds. 'There is a doubt
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/detail.asp?SID=105165&SHD=21&ProductID=575
More typical in the States, in the earlier
years, at least, were the following Domestic fowl:
The Dorking appeared in 50, 56, 57, 62, 69
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/detail.asp?SID=105165&SHD=21&ProductID=586
The Game in 50, 57, 62, and 69
I’ve been unable to find the old-fashioned game hen.
The Hamburg in 50, 56, 62, and 69.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/detail.asp?SID=105165&SHD=21&ProductID=587
Black Poland/Crested/Top knot in 50, 57, 62,
69
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/detail.asp?SID=105165&SHD=21&ProductID=564
Black Spanish 50, 57, 62, and 69
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/detail.asp?SID=105165&SHD=21&ProductID=596
The Dominique in 62, and 69
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/detail.asp?SID=105165&SHD=21&ProductID=744
Common Barn-yard
The main problem that you will have is that
unless you want to portray a "poultry fancier" you will want to buy a
mix and let them inter-breed
Another way to find out what was typical for
your own area is to look in newspapers at period Agricultural Fair reports.
These tended to be held around October
There were other breeds as well, but they
were just minor in comparison to the ones mentioned, here.
I tried to
scan some photos for my website that I could link you to, but my scanner (only
2 months old) has decided to go on strike.
Linda Trent
fastterv@zoomnet.net
Chickens have a hierarchy,
and like many reenactors, worry a great deal about where they find themselves in the pecking order
... it's
one of the things I miss now that we decided to be town mice instead of country
mice for awhile.
My interest in chickens predated my
involvement in reenacting, so I'm not up on exactly what breeds are
period-correct. I know some of the most popular breeds commercially didn't
exist in the civil war.
Chickens require dry, draft-free shelter. If
they can run free, they will wipe out the insect pests in your garden. If you
must pen them, they will require a steady source of food and water and possibly
a supplement of oyster shell-- helps build eggs.
If left to themselves on a free range,
they'll shelter in a tree, with the top-ranking birds highest up If you need to
have a roost inside, make sure it has perches at various heights -- something
like a splitrail fence running at a slant from floor to ceiling. Chickens have
a hierarchy and, like many reenactors, worry a great deal about where they find
themselves in the pecking order. They need to have a roost commensurate with
their status, otherwise they get peevish.
Their manure is, when composted, excellent
fertilizer. Chickens will also clean up vegetable scraps. They are like a
supercharger for your garden system.
Another animal much overlooked but correct
for the period is a guinea fowl. They are barnyard sentinels, and shriek out an
alarm at intruders ranging from people to raccoons to hawks. Some of those
intruders are real threats to chickens and you may need to add predator control
to your list of rural skills. Or get a goose. Geese are territorial and pretty
good at running off the lesser vermin.
Chickens are available through the mail. If
you do a web search with "chickens" as the keyword, I'm sure
something will turn up.
Oh, and did I mention eggs? The eggs you get fresh from your own chickens will
bring joy to your eyes and your palate -- firm enough to stand upright in a
two-inch-diameter circle, without running watery across the bottom of the pan;
dark orange in the yolk, rich in taste. About as much like a supermarket egg as
real slab bacon is to a hot dog.
Yup, get some chickens. They are definitely
worth the trouble.
Bill Watson
Chickenless in Stroudsburg, Pa.