A GUIDE FOR KEEPERS OF POULTRY 275 
come from the north and west, but in limited areas they 
come from other points of the compass. 
PROTECTING CHICKS FROM OLDER ONES.— 
Frequently it is desirable to allow young and old fowls 
to run together. This creates trouble, as the young 
chicks require more frequent feeding than the older ones. 
To avoid this trouble a “creep” is used, similar to an 
arrangement used by shepherds to feed lambs and keep 
away older sheep. A creep is made by making a pen 
about 6’ square and covered with wire netting. This pen 
should be made on a framework so it can be easily 
moved. Feed for the chicks is scattered in the pen far 
enough from the edge so the older fowls cannot reach 
it from the outside. Then the pen is raised on blocks 
just high enough to allow the chicks to pass under but 
prevent the older fowls from getting inside. As the 
chicks grow the creep is raised enough to easily admit 
them. This saves watching the chicks while they are 
eating and allows them to get feed at any time, or to 
escape from the persecutions of the older fowls. It is 
not recommended that chicks and older fowls should run 
together, but sometimes this is necessary and then the 
creep comes in very good play. 
PROTECTED TROUGH.—The protected trough is 
designed to prevent fowls from wasting ground feed 
when fed dry. It is simply a trough protected by upright 
slats, roofed over. The fowls can eat from between the 
slats but are prevented from throwing the feed on the 
ground. They may be made of any size suitable for any 
breed of fowls. For mature fowls the slats are usually 
2” wide and spaced the same distance apart. Very often 
a V-shaped trough is made and the slats nailed across 
the top. This form of protected troughs is not as satis- 
