WITH 4200 HENS 77 



foot and with your foot pushing aside any that happen 

 to be in your way. You will learn this trick quickly. 

 While in the ring-, and later when you have turned them 

 loose in the house, make it a practice to keep your feet 

 as close to the floor as you can. 



If you are just starting in the business you will very 

 likely have someone coming in to see your new chicks. 

 Put a sign on the outside of the door reading "Be quiet;" 

 and if you take anyone into the brooder house, caution 

 them to be quiet. When the chicks are just hatched noises 

 will not bother them so much but when they are a few 

 days old and thereafter it will be a very harmful influence 

 to have someone come up to the house (or into it) and 

 clap their hands and shout for joy at the sight. The little 

 chaps will drop in their tracks or dash wildly for cover; 

 and anything of the sort will cost you money because 

 a sudden nervous shock hurts any tender, nervous organi- 

 zation. The more vigorous they are the more nervous 

 they will be. This is not so noticeable when they are 

 segregated into small lots, but where they are kept in 

 swarms as we keep them it stands out boldly. You will 

 learn it for yourself but guard against it if you can. 



The 4 o'clock feed is the last for the first day. Leave 

 them until 5 (if early in the season), until 6 if later, but 

 not until dark. The curtains should be raised before the 4 

 o'clock feed if the day is short, so they will have plenty 

 of light for the final feed. If the day is longer the cur- 

 tains remain down. An hour after the last feed the water 

 pots are removed ; set them outside the circle. Then pick 

 up the tar paper. Brush off any chicks standing on it 

 and put the paper outside the circle. Pile up the differ- 



