598 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [15 Oct., 1919. 



should have been previously thoroughly disinfected, and the floor 

 covered with dry sand, oat-hulls, or chaflF. Empty egg-shells should 

 be removed from the drawer of the incubator to give every opportunity 

 for tbe other chicks to hatch. Culling should be practised at once; 

 crippled and weakly chickens should be promptly killed, as the mob will 

 generally thrive better without them. 



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Feeding. 



Prior to hatching, the chicks ab&orb the yolk, which supplies them 

 with their first nourishment, and they should on no account be fed until 

 this yolk has been digested, otherwise indigestion, leading to bowel 

 trouble, is likely to occur. A good plan is to place bagging on the top 

 of the litter, and withhold food until the droppings appear, showing 

 that the chicks are ready for their first food, although water, fine grit, 

 and charcoal may be provided for them when they are first put into the 

 brooder. Where the infertile eggs from incubators are not sold to pastry- 

 cooks they may be boiled hard and mixed with dried bread-crumbs for 

 the first feed, after which rolled oats may be given; but oats are too 

 expensive to use exclusively after the first tAvo days. 



As to the relative merits of rearing on either wet or exclusively dry 

 mash, it should be borne in mind that for the first two or three weeks 

 wet-mash feeding is more likely to cause bowel trouble than the dry-mash 

 system, as a crop full of cold sloppy feed is liable to bring on a chill. 



