CHICKENS 237 
ration should consist of food which they like, there should be 
a good variety, it should be bulky enough, and should not all 
of it be highly concentrated. It should consist partly of 
whole grain and partly of ground feed; it should include 
some green food or vegetables, as cabbage, beets, or mangels, 
and some fresh meat scraps or other form of animal food. 
Fine gravel and sand or other form of grit should always be 
available, and they should have plenty of pure water. 
Hatching. — The natural way to hatch all kinds of birds 
is to have the parent sit upon the eggs and keep them warm 
the necessary period of time. For the ordinary, small flock 
of poultry this is the simplest and best method. But wher- 
ever chickens are raised on a large scale, the incubator has 
become more and more popular, and is now employed almost 
universally. Having an incubator, if we want early spring 
chickens we are not dependent upon the pleasure of the hens, 
who have their own notions regarding the proper time to 
brood, and refuse to give up those notions just to accom- 
modate us. In this machine the eggs are kept at the right 
temperature by artificial heat supplied by a lamp. After 
the chicks are hatched, they are put into another device, 
called a brooder, which serves as a substitute for the mother 
until they are well grown. A first-class incubator can easily 
be operated by any one willing to give it the necessary daily 
attention, if he follows the directions sent out with the ma- 
chine. 
Types of Breeds. — There are, of course, many breeds of 
chickens, and in choosing the one that we wish to keep, we are 
governed by the chief purpose that we have in mind. If we 
wish to specialize in egg production, not caring so much to 
realize large returns in the form of meat, we select an egg 
breed. If, on the other hand, we wish to give special attention 
