632 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK vn. 



feeding chickens, and there is no doubt whatever that the newer systems 

 are a great improvement upon the old. These systems are the direct 

 result of increased production. Where only a few chickens are bred 

 every year the old methods served their purpose excellently. These 

 were that during the first few days the birds are fed upon hard-boiled 

 eggs, chopped fine and mixed with stale bread crumbs, slightly moistened 

 with milk; at the end of, say, a week, for this food is substituted a 

 variety, such as simmered rice, a good biscuit meal, like that made by 

 Spratt's Patent, of London, and oatmeal, the two latter, of course, prepared 

 by steeping, and these are given in alternation ; when the chickens are 

 about three weeks old they are given grain, broken wheat, buckwheat, 

 dari, &c., and gradually the other foods, named above, are replaced by 

 cheaper materials, such as ground oats or barley-meal, until the birds come 

 to ten or twelve weeks old, when they are brought on to the foods which 

 are given to the adult stock. For many years this system has proved 

 excellent, but with rearing upon a much larger scale, in many cases it 

 broke down, and both in this country and America other methods have 

 had to be adopted, more especially where artificial raising is carried out 

 extensively. It would take too long to go into the entire history of this 

 question, and to explain all the steps which led to what is known as the 

 " dry feeding system " being adopted, but briefly it may be stated that 

 where birds are reared on a large scale they are fed highly, and there is 

 no incentive to exercise. The food is placed before them at tunes 

 selected by the poultry-keeper; it is prepared in a manner which is 

 attractive, and thus they feed without having to seek for food. Under 

 such circumstances the tendency is, of course, to make the muscles of the 

 body soft, and also to reduce that power of resistance to changes of 

 temperature which is absolutely necessary. At one time it appeared as 

 if the system of rearing artificially on a large scale would hopelessly 

 break down, and we came to the conclusion that it was entirely a 

 question of want of exercise. Hence some other method had to be 

 adopted, and this is arrived at by abandoning all soft foods and giving 

 from the first dry grain only. This consists of a mixture of various 

 seeds and grains, and in experiments carried out over several years at 

 the College Poultry Farm, Theale, the advantage of the dry feeding 

 system was abundantly justified, for instead of a large percentage of 

 deaths this was reduced almost to nothing. Various dry feeding 

 mixtures are now sold, many of which are excellent, or poultry-keepers 

 can prepare their own. During the first four weeks no soft food 

 whatever is given. The seeds are scattered in cut chaff placed either on 

 the floor of the coop or the brooder, and the birds have to work for every 

 grain they obtain. At the end of four weeks one or two meals of soft 

 food are given daily, consisting of Spratt's meal, oatmeal or boiled rice, 

 and these are continued for a few weeks, as it is found that feeding upon 

 dry grain alone is not sufficient. With increase in age, wheat and other 

 cheaper grains are substituted for the seeds. This system is one which 

 reduces labour to a minimum, but it may be fairly explained that it is 

 not so imperative where hens are brooding the chickens as if they are 



