School: Áth na Coille

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1. Folklore

   

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   We have four dozen hens and eight ducks. These hens are fed on cabbage, potatoes and meal. These are all mixed together. Potatoes are only given to them when they are plentiful but when they are not plentiful we feed them on porridge made from meal and bran. They are fed three times every day. The are fed in the morning about nine o'clock, they are fed again at one o'clock and they are fed again about six o'clock. In winter they are given corn. This corn is heated before it is given to them. Sometimes wheat is given to them. The ducks are fed with porridge and cabbage mixed together. They are seldom at home. The spend the day at the drains swimming. They come home at night. They are then fed and put into the house in which the hens stops at night. When morning comes the hens are let out and fed but the ducks are not let out with the hens. They are fed by themselves in the hen house and their eggs are collected and washed. They lay eight eggs every night. Some of these are of a white colour and some of them are of a blue colour. On some nights they come home late and they are called. They know their call. If they come home at dinner time it is a sign they will not lay many eggs that night. It is said when the ducks come home they bring the hens into the house. Because they go into the house to look for food and hens follow them. The duck is a very greedy bird they gobble up their food very quickly. The hens lay their eggs

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   John Kennedy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Tanderagee, Co. Monaghan