118 HATCHING AND REARING 



the hatch is over. On the twenty-second or twenty-third 

 day she will herself bring all the strong chicks off the nest 

 to search for feed. 



Care of the Chicks After Hatching. Immediately after 

 the mother hen brings the hatched chicks off the nest, it 

 should be cleaned and all broken shells and unhatched eggs 

 removed, after which the nest should be dusted with a good 

 lice powder, and clean nesting material put in. The shelter 

 should be inspected to see that it is dry and rain-proof. 



FIG. 66. After the chicks are hatched the hen should be confined near the nest 

 by a slat coop, the chicks being allowed to roam at will. Here we see the youngest 

 member of the family taking interest in the little chicks. 



If the ground immediately in front of the nest is dirty, it 

 should be spaded up and made clean. The chicks need no 

 special feed the first day, but merely access to clean, fresh 

 water and plenty of grit. Dry cracked grain is the best 

 feed for young birds. A common practice, and a good one, 

 is to confine the hen in a small slatted coop in front of the 

 nest shelter. Here she can be fed and watered, and the 

 chicks can be fed outside of this coop, which permits them 

 to pass out through the slats, and thus get away from the 

 mother hen (Fig. 66) . A good ration for the chicks is equal 



