POULTRY KEEPING 187 



The trouble is dryness. Try making the nest on the ground with 

 a covering of straw or hay to lay the eggs on. If the ground itself 

 is dry, moisten all around with plenty of water. The moisture from 

 the surrounding earth will penetrate to the nest, but if it does not 

 you need not be afraid to take the eggs out of the nest and pour 

 warm water on the ground, then put the hay or straw back again 

 and replace the eggs. The shells are too hard and tough. They 

 need artificial moisture under hens just as with incubators, only not 

 so much. 



Handling Runt Chickens. 



I have two-month chicks and four-fifths of the whole flock are as small 

 as one month old. They simply stop growing while the rest are nice 

 big chickens. 



The most probable cause is overcrowding in quarters at night. 

 Remove the small ones to a pen and yard by themselves and feed 

 them well, they will catch up, but if you leave them with the others 

 they will not grow at all but will eventually sicken and die. Get 

 them separated as soon as possible and they will pay for the trouble. 



Leghorn Standard Weights. 



What are standard weights for White Leghorns; also how much 

 should a White Leghorn weigh at one month, two months, and three 

 months? 



The standard weights for Leghorns are: Cock, 5 pounds; hen, 

 4 pounds; cockerel, 4 pounds, and pullet, 3 pounds. There are no 

 standard weights for young chicks and growing fowls, but the follow- 

 ing are approximate: Chick one month old, 5 ounces; two months, 

 11 ounces, and three months, 24 ounces. These weights are subject 

 to great varieties for several reasons. Some strains of Leghorns will 

 grow more rapidly than others; the weight will be influenced by 

 the quantity and nature of the feed, and a number of other factors 

 might affect the weight of the chick at the various ages. 



Air and Exercise for Chicks. 



/ have a Hock of 250 chickens in an 8x8 house, and I keep the tempera- 

 ture at about 85 degrees. When they are a week to over two weeks old 

 they don't eat, and get down and are too weak to get up again. 



Fresh air and mother earth are what those chicks need. Get 

 them out on the ground and induce them to run and scratch. If you 

 can't get them to exercise any other way, boil a piece of liver tender, 

 then cut it in very small shreds and throw down a few at a time until 

 you get them interested. Keep your house warm so that when the 

 chicks need to get warm they can do so, but get them out on the 

 ground and in fresh air. 



