1 142 Rural School Leaflet 



communities teachers will be able to find young farmers who have had 

 instruction in poultry husbandry at an agricultural school or college, who 

 will be glad to make a contribution of information, eggs, or stock to the 

 school. 



6. After the hen has been brought to school place her on the nest with 

 two or three eggs not taken from the setting. Care for her, and, in two 

 or three days, she will show whether she is going to sit; then the selected 

 eggs can be placed under her. Follow the directions given on page 1156 

 for the care of a sitting hen. 



7. Instructions for placing the eggs under the hen, caring for the hen 

 during incubation, and the care of the hen and chickens at hatching 

 time, will be found on pages 11 55 and 11 56. 



8. Directions for raising the chickens will be found on pages 11 59, 11 60, 

 and 1 162. The boys and girls should protect the chickens from their 

 many enemies: cats, rats, dogs, weasels, skunks, crows, hawks, and owls. 



9. The teacher and children can work out a plan for the care of the flock 

 during the svunmer. The work should be in the hands of one person, 

 an older boy or girl. The flock may be kept at the schoolhouse, which 

 plan has been followed successfully, or it may be taken to the home of 

 the one who is to care for it, provided conditions are right to prevent 

 its mixing wdth other poultry. 



10. The feed for the hen and chickens, both while school is in session 

 and during the sirmmer, should be provided for in one of two ways: 

 (i) The different feeds for the balanced ration should be contributed by 

 the pupils in sufficient quantities to meet the needs, or (2) there should 

 be a school fund to pay for the feed used. The fund may be raised in 

 any way that seems most desirable. 



11. In the fall, selections should be made from the flock to exhibit 

 at local fairs, following the directions on page 11 69, and any premiums 

 should become the property of the school. After the fairs are over, 

 there should be two or three good lessons given on the entire flock of 

 poultry, in order to sum up the experience gained. For this purpose the 

 records that have been kept by the boys and girls should be used. 



12. In disposing of the flock, a certain number of birds should first 

 be given to the boy or the girl who did the simimer work. A pen of four 

 pullets and one cockerel would be a just return for the effort, and would 

 make a good start toward a flock of pure-bred poultry. The remaining 

 pullets and cockerels, more or less in nimiber depending on the success 

 of the enterprise, may be sold to members of the school or to their parents, 

 or marketed; the money obtained for them should be placed in the school 

 fund. Unless there are exceptional facilities at the school, the flock 

 should not be kept over winter. 



