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with them. When they arc. all out, replace, them with the hen, and 

 let her alone for twelve hours, only sprinkling a little dry oatmeal in 

 the nest for the hen to teach the chickens to feed, and to know her 

 call. Never feed till the chickens arc twenty-four hours old at least. 

 Many chicks die through being fed too soon. Then give the hen as 

 much as ever she can eat; first let her fill herself, and also give her 

 water. 



"The first food should be chopped egg, if eggs are plentiful; if 

 not, a little oatmeal, just moistened with milk so it will crumble, will 

 do just as well, and some fine bread-crumbs. Give only this for the 

 first week, then any small grain, canary, hemp, or broken wheat— any 

 will do, hut still give oatmeal as well. It is a mistake to think that 

 the hen mother will run her chickens too much as she knows just as 

 much about her chicks as a human mother. Let her have her freedom, 

 and feed her and her chickens whenever she comes up. She will not 

 bring them up unless they are hungry. 



" Soaked or boiled wheat is an excellent food for growing chickens, 

 particularly if you can boil a piece of meat in with it, an eel, or 

 waste fish. The great secret is to keep the chickens full , never let 

 them be hungry for any length of time ; their future value all depends 

 on the treatment they get while chickens. A poorly-fed chicken will 

 not make a good layer. Never give chicks sloppy food ; even bread 

 should not be soaked for them ; the best way is to grate it if very dry, 

 or put it through a mincing-machine. 



" For fifty chickens the following makes an excellent feed : — 

 Two cups bread crumbs, one cup oatmeal, two cups meal of 

 some sort or bran, one cup wheat or cracked corn ; mix all together 

 and just moisten, so it will crumble easily, with skimmed milk. 

 Twice a week allow one cup of dried or minced meat. The above 

 quantity makes a good meal for fifty chickens from a month to 

 six weeks old. Never leave food about in the tins or troughs for the 

 chickens ; they should clean up at every feed ; and if they do not, 

 reduce the quantity at once. Stale food is apt to collect germs and 

 induce disease in the chickens that eat it. Gapes, worms, and indeed 

 more than half the sickness, and most of the deaths among young 

 stock can be traced to the chickens eating fermented food. The 

 drinking water is another fruitful source of disease ; It should not 

 stand in the sun, and the tins or fountains should be thoroughly 

 scalded every now and then. Look after the young stock, and they 

 will repay you for your trouble. 



" If breeding for the show-pen, it is not safe to kill off the undcr- 

 lized and worst-looking chickens, for it frequently happens that the 

 worst-looking and the worst-feathered chick eventually becomes the 

 best-feathered hen. 



" Ba sure the chickens have fresh water morning and evening. 

 They do not very often drink batwean timas, but they will not thrive 

 unless they have good drinking water from the day they are first fed. 

 Milk is not a substitute for water, though it is very go ol (whan sweet) 

 for the growing stock. It can also ba given when thick, provided it 

 is not stale. You might just as well give young chickens poison as 

 give them old cheesy milk. Directly it gats old — let it ba boiled into 



