Rearing. . 29 



Never stint clean water; yet, at first, remove it after 

 they have drunk. 



Do not place the coops too close together, unless 

 the hens are very friendly to each other's chicks, or 

 they will kill the young ones. Some hens seem to 

 attract any number of chicks to them ; others kill all 

 strange birds. Select such a situation as will leave 

 the birds little disturbed by visitors, dogs, &c. Should 

 the weather be very hot and dry, water the sack that 

 is thrown over the coop. I take it for granted that 

 the coop is placed on a path, if in the garden, or at 

 the side of a lawn ; it certainly is better there than 

 on grass. The footpaths must, each year, be well 

 cleaned, dug up, and lime and fresh gravel added, 

 so that the birds are really on fresh ground. The 

 borders being also dug, the whole gives variety to 

 birds reared year after year on exactly the same spot. 



Feeding. The next matter is the food ; and this 

 is most important. Never use hard-boiled eggs ; they 

 are the most indigestible - stuff possible, and dry in 

 the sun like flints. Custard is the food at first ; 

 make it of eggs and milk, nice and dry ; to it add 

 a few crushed hemp seeds, and chopped lettuce and 

 onion tops ; the little fellows will soon peck at the 

 onion tops. Place a turf in the middle of the run 

 about the second day, and put a little food on it; 

 the chicks delight in searching for it. About the 

 third or fourth day, quietly draw back the run about 

 2in. ; presently, one of the little birds will slip out, 

 and soon run in again ; then they will go longer 



