PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 369 



vide the candidates for show honors with as near natural con- 

 ditions as the usual severe winter weather and sometimes sev- 

 eral feet of snow will permit. The greatest benefits that a 

 bird can receive are, of course, derived from range conditions, 

 but under the conditions mentioned, range is out of the ques- 

 tion. How, then, can we supply a substitute? By affording 

 the bird a chance for exercise and by compelling it to exercise 

 if it is not so inclined, and by supplying those things that con- 

 finement and the season of the year rob it of. Added to these, 

 there are some artificial methods that are simple and harmless 

 which we shall speak of later. 



Food and Exercise. Take the case of a young male bird 

 that is to be conditioned for winter shows under the usual 

 conditions when protection from the weather is necessary and 

 confinement unavoidable. Growth must be promoted and health 

 of the most vigorous kind maintained. The quarters are the 

 first essential. He should be penned by himself, with one 

 female, or some younger cockerels. In general the larger the 

 pen, the better, but one eight feet by nine, and even smaller, 

 will answer in most instances. 



The floor should be of dry, clean sand if possible to obtain 

 it at a reasonable amount of expense or trouble, covered with 

 a litter of dry straw. The straw need not be cut, as the birds, 

 if properly trained, will break it up in a short while. This 

 litter should be from two to four inches deep, varying with 

 the size of the birds; the larger the birds the deeper the litter. 



The Feeding Method. In the morning throw in a small 

 handful of scratch feed, scattering it well. After an hour of 

 brisk exercise, give some warm mash but do not allow them 

 too much, because if not hungry, the birds will not exercise. 

 A heaping teaspoonful or two is about all that the average 

 bird will consume without becoming inactive, and unless he 

 eats this eagerly and rapidly, it is too much. An hour or two 

 later scatter more scratch feed and set them to work again. 

 If the birds are immature and you wish to force them a little, 

 feed another small amount of mash at noon. An hour later 

 a few kernels of small grains will induce more exercise, while 

 for the evening meal, a generous supply of good grain should 

 be allowed. 



It should be kept constantly in mind that rapid growth de- 

 pends upon the amount of food the bird can consume and 

 assimilate, and that exercise stimulates the appetite, aids diges- 

 tion and increases assimilation of the foods consumed, hardens 



