17 



successful nor yet have I seen good flocks of chickens grown on very 

 light sand. Chickens require dry ground at times, yet, at the same 

 time, a rather moist location near by renders a good foraging ground. 



Young chickens require plenty of ground to range over; some con- 

 venient shade, such as fruit trees, or growing corn or artichokes; tender 

 green food and insects. Many growers of large numbers of chickens 

 on limited areas crowd the birds far too much, the result being a large 

 proportion of unthrifty chicks. These last mentioned chickens have 

 been very much in evidence on nearly all the large, intensive poultry 

 plants that I have visited. The chicks frequently outgrow these con- 

 ditions to such an extent that they are very difficult to pick out when 

 mature, but are readily seen when about one-half grown. Many growers 

 appear to believe that as long as a chicken is alive it is a good one, 

 but this is folly. I believe by breeding from such stock the vitality will 

 gradually decrease until we shall reach a point where eggs are practi- 

 cally unhatchable. 



Chickens when taken from the nest or incubator should be placed 

 on ground upon which no other chickens have ranged that season. The 

 range or run for a chick during the first four weeks of its life need 

 not be large, but it should be fresh. 



Many make the mistake of putting late hatched chickens on old 

 tough sod, the green grass (if there is any) being so tough that the 

 chicks cannot break it, and often the grass too thick to admit of a 

 chick catching an insect before it is out of reach. I much prefer a cul- 

 tivated piece of ground. A little tender lettuce, or rape, or even weeds 

 for green food are preferable to summer sod, or grass. But after the 

 middle of May the cultivated land gives better results than grass land. 



A corn field well cultivated appears to be nearly an ideal place 

 for raising late hatched chicks. 



Chickens hatched in an incubator can be reared either with hens 

 or with a brooder. Some people are able to make good hatches with 

 their incubators ; but they are unable to rear the chickens in brooders. 

 In this case I would advise the use of broody hens for mothers ; and 

 the same would apply to those who have an incubator, but do not care 

 to invest in a brooder. 



The best plan I know of to get the broody hens to take the chicks, 

 is to give the hen two or three eggs out of the incubator on the 18th 

 or 19th day and allow her to hatch them. When your incubator hatch 

 is over take a dozen or fifteen chickens and put them under the hen 

 after dark. Even if they happen to differ in color from those she has 

 hatched, she will mother them all the same. If you give them to her 

 in the day time she may not do so. Never neglect to give the hen a 

 thorough dusting before giving her any eggs. If there is one thing 

 more than another that requires careful attention in rearing young 

 chickens, it is to keep them free from lice. If lice get upon them, 

 from the hen or elsewhere, a large proportion of them will be almost 

 sure to die. 



2 Bull. 151. 



