742 Rural School Leaflet 



There are several types of unprofitable chickens that should not be 

 kept: 



1. A chicken of any breed or age that shows signs of sickness or weak- 

 ness. All such should be removed at once and doctored, or killed and 

 burned. Prompt action may prevent further trouble. Delay is almost 

 certain, in the end, to have serious results for the rest of the flock. 



2. Old hens that may still be well and strong. Generally it does not 

 pay to keep hens after they are two or three years old unless they are strong 

 and especially valuable for breeding purposes. Fowls should be marked 

 so as to indicate their age. 



3. Surplus cockerels are unprofitable boarders. It is a common mis- 

 take to keep too many males. This is frequently due to a natiiral desire 

 to avoid killing desirable breeders, and with a hope that if they are retained 

 they may be sold alive for high prices. After they become large enough 

 for market most cockerels do not make enough growth to pay for the food 

 they eat. They also injure themselves or others by fighting. The room 

 they occupy, the food they eat, and the labor they require might better 

 be bestowed on early hatched pullets. They should seldom be allowed 

 to go into winter quarters. They usually fail to grow well in cold weather, 

 and occupy valuable space that should be used by better stock. They 

 are unable to wrestle with larger individuals and generally remain under- 

 sized. 



Careful grading of all stock as to size, age, breed, vigor, and purpose 

 for which it is kept is one of the most important factors in the successful 

 handling of poultry. This is second in importance only to the elimination 

 of the undesirable members of the flock. This policy should be practiced 

 persistently and continuously from shell to maturity. 



viii. feeding the chickens 



Clara M. Nixon 



The food. — The egg yolk is enclosed within the body of the chicken just 

 before hatching, and may supply nourishment to the chicken after it 

 leaves the shell. For this reason chickens should not be fed until they 

 are thirty-six hours old. The first meal may be of equal parts of bread 

 crumbs and rolled oats, moistened with some milk or water to make the 

 food crumbly but not wet. Sprinkle over this food a little fine sand or 

 grit, fine charcoal, and some finely shredded clover, lettuce, or chickweed 

 leaves. Mix with the food a little well-burned bone or some bone meal. 

 After the first few days, hard-boiled egg may be added in the proportion 

 of one part of egg to eight or nine parts of the bread and rolled oats. 

 In addition to the moist food, a grain food should be given. A mixture 



