LEG-WEAKNESS 179 



of scratching material, are seldom affected with this 

 malady. If the stock from which the chicks have 

 been bred is vigorous, Leghorn chicks will keep 

 active under almost any conditions. It is a natural 

 born instinct for them to keep scratching; they 

 are bound to keep busy some way or another from 

 morning until evening. What is true of the Leg- 

 horns in this respect is also true of the other 

 smaller breeds. 



Chicks of the larger breeds should be given more 

 of an opportunity for exercise. The runway 

 should be larger, the feeding should be done more 

 carefully, and every opportunity offered them to 

 keep them busy. Feed the grain feeds in litter, or 

 scatter it amongst the loose earth so that they are 

 bound to keep digging for it. Where the chicks 

 are kept in rather close quarters, it is advisable to 

 dig up the soil, scatter the grains over this freshly 

 dug up soil and then run a rake over it. This is 

 bound to cause activity, in other words, the chicks 

 must work for every particle of grain they get. 

 Chicks put on range, on the colony house plan will, 

 as a rule, get plenty of exercise running around 

 hunting bugs and grasses, but the city man has not 

 the space to afford his growing stock such an oppor- 

 tunity to forage for themselves, hence he must, to 

 a certain extent resort to the artificial. 



Another cause for leg-weakness is the feeding of 

 too little bone and muscle forming foods. Chicks 



