REARING PRIZE STOCK. 151 



mixing this small green chaff with the meal. This may be 

 scalded, or mixed with milk in very cold weather, crumbly. 

 Enough for the day can be mixed dry, if kept in a^cool 

 place, and moistened as required. After a fortnight biscuit- 

 meal instead of crumb may be mixed with the oatmeal, or 

 biscuit-meal mixed with the fine ground oats of Sussex, 

 and a little later biscuit-meal and barleymeal do well ; and 

 the grass can be omitted if there is a grass run, but not 

 else. When grass cannot be had, minced lettuce or dande- 

 lion will do if obtainable, or mustard and cress can at least 

 be grown, and must if nothing else can be done. 



In cold weather a little sulphate of iron, or " Douglas 

 mixture," should always be added to the water, and a little 

 bread soaked in ale may be found beneficial. Warm milk 

 to drink in the morning is excellent. For weakly chickens 

 it is most strengthening to mix up a raw egg with their 

 oatmeal. Above all, unless they have a good run on grass, 

 the supply of green food must be unlimited. 



Feed often every two hours, if possible, from daybreak, 

 and let the food be always fresh, nothing being ever allowed 

 to remain. Do not omit a feed at ten o'clock p.m., until 

 daylight feeding lasts till at least seven o'clock, or later. 

 When a month old, gradually reduce the number of meals 

 till it comes down at three months to four times a day. If 

 this is neglected, appetite will fall off. Also, leave off milk 

 with the warm weather. 



If a good field or other grass-run be at command, the 

 chickens will of course have it, and it will go a long way in 

 supplying all other defective arrangements. But to our 

 own knowledge some of the finest and largest fowls we have 

 ever seen have been reared in a gravelled yard not incur 

 than eighteen feet square. In such circumstances, besides 

 the most scrupulous cleanliness and good feeding in other 

 respects, there must be green food ad libitum really fino 



