EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 235 



sists of a house three feet six inches by four feet two inches. It should be 

 three feet high in front and two feet six inches in the rear. Hinge the 

 front side on as a door which should have a light in it; then board the re- 

 mainder tight and cover with building paper. The hen may be confined in 

 a crate within and the floor covered Avith fine litter. This will prevent the 

 hen covering the chicks with chaff when scratching. As soon as the 

 chicks are a week old the crate can be removed as the chicks will then 

 be active enough to keep out of the way. 



Early chicks can often be kept in an unused stable or building that 

 is well lighted. A fairly constant temperature aids growth and thus 

 gives more satisfactory results. Later in the season, after the cold 

 winds and rains are over, ])lace the hen and chicks in a small coop out 

 of doors. The coops may be used without floors unless rats are trouble- 

 some, in which case they will need perfectly solid floors. The coop 

 should be moved every day or two to prevent killing the grass under it, 

 and secure clean premises. 



Tf hawks and crows are troublesome, a run can be made in front of 

 each coop, using inch mesh wire netting when the danger is great. Tf 

 (he danger of loss from this source is not serious use a two-inch mesh 

 netting to allo\y the chicks to go through and forage outside. The runs 

 should be moved to fresh ground every few days. 



A barrel may be converted into coop for housing a hen and her chicks. 

 Dig a hole in the ground large enough to admit one-third of the barrel. 

 Then place the barrel on its side in the hole and put the earth in it, 

 even with or slightly above that outside. The head should be left intact 

 in one end. Remove the other end and drive stakes in the ground before 

 the opening two inches apart, thus confining the hen and allowing 

 the chicks to i)ass through. Packing boxes may be used in various ways 

 if covered with building paper, but in general it will be found more 

 satisfactory to build good, substantial coops which can be used for sev- 

 eral ye.'irs. 



ARTIFICIAL DROODIXG. 



If chicks are to be reared artificially the brooder should be heated for 

 three or four days before it is to be used. In this way it is dried thor- 

 oughly and put in good working order before the chicks are entrusted to 

 it. Cover the floor of the brooder with fine sand and then with clean 

 chaff or finely chopped straw. Clean, sweet hay chaff is excellent for 

 this iturpose as the little chicks usually find a great many grass and 

 weed seeds which make excellent food for the first few days. 



(.'are should be exercised not to feed the chicks too heavily at first. 

 This is esi)ecially true of brooder chicks, which seem to be lonesome, 

 and M-ill come to meet you every time you go near them. Feel their 

 crops occasionally and if they are not empty withhold food until they 

 are nearly so. Ordinarily young chicks should be fed five times a day, 

 and then only what they will clean up quickly. If any mash food is 

 left at the end of fifteen minutes it should be removed. If too much 

 scratch food is fed at one time be careful to withhold the next feed until 

 the chicks are real hungry. Over feeding or any thing tending to de- 

 range the digestive tract may result in serious losses. Keep a constant 

 supply of clean, fresh water and plenty of grit in the form of sharj) 

 sand, or broken rock. Charcoal also proves very beneficial when added 



