248 POULTHY Ph'ODVCriON 



the rest, should he nidved to an older ,i,'rou]i, after having' heeii 

 marked as possihle hreeders. The stra^^lers, however, 

 should not he moved to youni;er groujts, hut disposed of as 

 unht to surAdve. The skilled hreeder hepns Ids work of 

 selection in the hrootler. 



For hest results the sexes should he sei)arated as soon as 

 they are certainly distinguishahle. It is the only method 

 hy which normal sf'^^dh and satisfactory develoi)ment of 

 the ])ullcts can he secured. 



Karly roostiut;- should always be encouraged. Perches 

 should he placed near the hover when the chicks are four or 

 hve weeks old. A few will start to roost hefore the heat is 

 discontinued in the hover. " Early roosting helps materially 

 in carrying the chicks over the critical period hetween arti- 

 ficial heat and full feather, when they are most likely to ci-nwd 

 at night and l)econie heated or smothered."' 



Brooder Vices.— The most common hrooder vices, aside 

 from crowding, are " toe-ijicking," and the develoi)ment of a 

 "depraved appetite." 



Toe-picking with the youngsters appears to develop for 

 much the same reasons as feather-pulling with old stock. 

 It is likely to develop when the cjuarters are crowded or 

 wdien there is insufficient animal feed in tlie ration. The 

 constant picking at the toes finally causes blood to flow. 

 This, proving palatable, leads to cannibalism, which is 

 difficult to check, and wdiich may cause qiute serious loss. 



Wlien toe-picking is discovered, roomier quarters or more 

 animal feed or both should be provided. The chicks witli 

 bleeding toes should be removed and kept separate until 

 they are well healed. 



Tlie dejiraved appetite is frequently difficult to assign 

 a cause or cure for. It may consist in eating the felt fringe 

 curtains of tlie hover, filling up on sand or earth, or other 

 unnutritious materials. The cause usually ascribed is the 

 lack of some necessary ingredient in the ration. 



Unless impaction occurs the vice usually does the chick 

 little harm. If the object of their interest is the hover 

 curtain, it may be necessary to substitute oilcloth for the 

 felt or flannel. 



' Card and Kirk|.:i(rirk, St(jrrs (f'.mn.) Bullctiii, No. 9(). 



