CHAPTER XI 
REARING CHICKS AFTER BROODING AGE 
P \HE best time to wean the chicks from the 
mother hen depends a great deal more 
upon the hen than upon the chicks; some 
hens will leave their chicks and commence laying 
again before the chicks can safely be left to look 
Weaning out for themselves, while others will 
the Chicks = stay with the chicks for weeks—some- 
times until after they have returned to laying. 
As a general thing it is a good plan to allow the 
chicks to have as much of the time and attention of 
the old hen as she is willing to give them, unless 
she is exceptionally persistent in remaining with 
them for a long time, preventing them from get- 
ting hardened off properly. 
With brooder chicks, the proper time for chang- 
ing them from the brooders to the more inde- 
pendent colony life depends largely upon the 
breed, the weather, the location, and the shelter 
and care that will be provided for them. The 
little ones should be sufficiently well feathered to 
insure protection from sudden climatic changes and 
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