sand, and here they take their baths in the warm sun and as they 

 must always run "up" to eat and drink, they never forget their 

 true home. 



I keep plenty of good, sharp sand by them all the time, with char- 

 coal and oyster shell. A well-bred chick, well incubated and brooded, 

 and the feeding question is very simple. Give them all they will eat 

 of any good, clean, wholesome feed and they will thrive. I do not feed 

 wet mash at all. I have tried it off and on for years, and have at last 

 decided that a wet mash creates too many bacteria. 



As the chicks grow older they need less and less heat and the hover 

 board is raised accordingly. They soon have enough animal heat to 

 almost keep them warm. By thus gradually raising the hover board 

 as they require less and less artificial heat, they become accustomed to 

 rely on their own body heat, and it is only a simple thing to move them 

 into another pen exactly the same except it is without heating pipes. 

 I have a little coop that I drive them into, all at one time, and they are 

 carried around to their new quarters and hardly know the change. 

 They are changed to these quarters without heat at between three and 

 four weeks old, depending upon the weather. Here the cockerels are 

 placed in one pen, and the pullets in another, thus making about fifty 

 chicks to the pen. Between eight and twelve weeks the cockerels are 

 sent to market and the pullets again are divided, making about 

 twenty-five to the pen. This is their last move and their permanent 

 quarters for the first laying year. As they have had the "going up" 

 habit from their first day, they naturally take to the perches which 

 they have played on so many days. 



One of the greatest problems of the poultryman has been to get the 

 chick from the brooder to the perches. Many a promising lot of 

 chicks have been ruined at this particular stage. By dividing them up 

 into lots of fifty at this stage there is no loss whatever and they grow 

 into vigorous birds that show stamina. 



It must not be forgotten that cleanliness is next to godliness in 

 brooding chicks as in all other things, and with the help of fresh air and 

 sunshine these pens are kept clean enough for a man to sleep in. 



The gravest danger in brooding in large flocks comes when they 

 must be taken from this close, hot room to which they have so long 

 been accustomed to their perching quarters. Here they are at a loss to 

 know what to do because all is so strange, and consequently they 

 huddle and crowd to death at night in the corners, and the chickens, 

 the boss and all, sweat, and the man himself sweats blood, too, before 

 he gets them all to perch. 



Sooner or lateryou must divide them into small flocks to get many 

 raised, so why not do it on the start and teach the baby chicks while 

 they are at the learning age? You cannot tell an old hen anything. 



To sum up the brooder proposition: 



Chicks must be from vigorous, well-mated breeding stock of mature 

 age. Eggs must be incubated correctly, to make strong chicks. 

 Brooder must have plenty of heat with fresh air conditions. Do not 

 run too many chicks in one flock. Feed good, wholesome dry feeds in 

 large variety as possible. A good variety of succulent green feed is 

 imperatively necessary. If all these conditions, along with cleanliness, 

 are adhered to, there should be no trouble in raising almost all the 



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