DEVELOPMENT OF CHICKS 79 



head of lettuce or cabbage and make them jump 

 up for their green food. They will also enjoy jump- 

 ing at a peeled apple suspended by a cord. A little 

 fine chopped up raw meat thrown in the run, a little 

 at a time, will make them scamper about like a bunch 

 of football players in full action. 



When the weather is pleasant and chicks are a 

 few weeks old they should be given outdoor exer- 

 cise on dry ground runs, and later in the season 

 on grass runs if such a thing is possible. Chicks 

 can be reared up to nine and ten weeks on board 

 runs, and many are raised every year without 

 being put upon the ground at all, but experiments 

 along this line have shown that chicks given ground 

 runs are hardier and healthier than those denied 

 nature's earth to run on. Their special delight 

 seems to be to dig into freshly turned soil. For 

 hours they will scratch in this fresh earth, and no 

 doubt they find many things which are beneficial 

 to them and which are not supplied in their regular 

 rations of feed and grits. The fresh air and the 

 sunshine they get out in the open are also very es- 

 sential to their growth and development. Of course 

 it is understood that the chicks should be kept in 

 during rainy and damp days, or when the dew is 

 heavy on the grass in the morning. Dampness is 

 liable to cause leg weakness or bowel trouble, two 

 very much dreaded diseases among poultry breeders. 



Lice on growing chicks will also retard their 



