_Chickens_ require to be kept warm and dry, for a few days after hatching, and they may be fed with hard-boiled eggs, crumbs of bread or pudding, and milk or water, and allowed to scratch in the gravel in front of the hen, which should be confined in a coop for the first three or four weeks. After this, they may be turned loose, when they will thrive on any thing the older ones eat. Many use them for the table when they are but a few weeks old; but they are unfit for this purpose, till they have attained full maturity. The white-legs are preferred by some, from the whiteness and apparent delicacy of the meat; but the yellow-legged are the richest and most highly-flavored. The color of the feathers does not seem to affect the quality of the flesh or their character for laying. If we consider the chemical principles of the absorption and retention of heat, we should assume the white coat to be best, as it is coolest in summer when exposed to the sun, and warmest in winter. Yet some of the white breeds are delicate, and do not bear rough usage or exposure. [Illustration: Fig. 44. The Dorking] Varieties. These differ materially in their sizes, shapes, and colors. The _Dorking_ is esteemed one of the best, being large, well formed and hardy, good layers and nurses, and yielding an excellent carcass. They are both white and speckled, and generally have five toes. The _Poland_ is both white and black, with a large tuft, generally of white feathers, on the head. They are of good size, and excellent layers, but are seldom inclined to set, which makes them peculiarly desirable for such as wish eggs only. The _Dominique_ is a speckled fowl, of barely medium size, compact, hardy, good layers, and valuable for the table. The _Bucks county fowls_, heretofore principally reared near Philadelphia, possess but moderate pretensions to notice, except in their immense size, a brace of capons having been fattened to 19¼ lbs. when dressed. [Illustration: Fig. 45. The Bantam.] The _Bantam_ is but little larger than a pigeon, and is usually of a pure white, but is sometimes speckled. It is generally feathered to the toes, but may be bred with clean legs. It is very domestic, and a pleasant little bird around the premises, and is not unprofitable. The _Game cock_ is of medium weight, and yields good flesh, but is a poor layer, and an undesirable tenant for the farm-yard. Besides these, there are many fanciful varieties, as the _Creeper_, with excessively short legs; the _Rumpless_, without a tail; the _Frizzled_, with irregular feathers turned towards the head; the _Silky_ or _Merino_ fowl, with brown or buff down, instead of feathers; the _Negro_, with its black crest, wattles, skin, legs, and feathers; the _Java_ and _Cochin China_, of great size; several varieties of the _Top-knot_, and others. The Diseases of Hens.