Journal of Agriculture. 



[lo Jan., 1910. 



At first, the feeder will require to put a few yards of wire netting 

 temporarily tacked, either from each side of the house or around the 

 trunk of the tree, until thev become familiar with their surroundings and 

 their night quarters. After a few davs they will grow accustomed to 

 the spot and will keep to themsehes and always return to their roosting 

 house after the day's wandering about. The more liberty chicks have the 

 stronger thev grow as they are getting nature's own food to a large extent — 

 insects and grass seeds in great variety, which all tend to promote frame 

 work. The plan of feeding the four weeks' old chickens need not differ 

 from that of the adult birds except that they require three good meals a 

 day instead of two. 



At about ten weeks old the cockerels should be separated from the 

 pullets, particularly the forward birds, and unless they are to be kept 

 for breeding purposes, they should be put into fattening sheds and forced 

 with an ample supply of barley, maize meal, and bran, one part of each, 



A LIGHT AND SERVICEABLE CRATE. 



giving them plenty of skim milk. At mid-day they should have just 

 si[fficient green food to keep them in a healthy condition. Avoid hard 

 food; they do better without it. Three weeks' fattening will be ample. 

 Always bear in mind that cockerels should be marketed at from thirteen 

 to seventeen weeks old. When hatched in July or August the\ find a very 

 ready sale in November, as before mentioned. 



All poultry shrink more or less, while e?t route to market. Turkeys 

 and large soft chickens usually lose more weight than do the older birds. 

 Prior to putting them in crates, give them a double quantity of food. 

 Crushed or whole grains are preferable while journeying to market ; this 

 Avill keep up the bodv temperature for a longer period than soft food, 

 being more slowly assimilated. 



Winter Quarters. 

 Pullets, when four months old or more, may become mu -h more pro- 

 fitable when housed in winter nu;irters. The viev^'s on pages 17 and 21 



