SUCCESSFUL CHICK REARING-NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL 



SIMPLE, PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR THE BEGINNER— HOW TO HATCH AND 

 RAISE CHICKS UNDER HENS OR WITH INCUBATORS AND BROODERS 



P. T. WOODS, M. D. 



VERY one who keeps poultry is interested in 

 the best way to grow little chicks whether they 

 are to be reared by natural or the artificial 

 method. Unfortunately there is no "one and 

 only" best way. Many methods of raising 

 chicks which seem almost directly opposed to 

 one another are equally successful in the hands 

 of skillful men, and it is also true that chick rais- 

 ing like raising of all new-born animals is often largely a matter 

 experiment, that is, what will do for one brood may not do for 

 another under what are apparently the same conditions and the 

 poultryman must always be guided by his own good judgment, 

 observing carefully each flock and endeavoring to give all good, 

 sound, common sense treatment. 



There are a number a good rations for feeding small chicks 

 and in artificial rearing it frequently happens that some broods 

 of chicks require more heat than do others. For this reason 

 we frequently see in books on poultry raising a compilation of 

 the advice of many different poultrymen, some of which seems 

 conflicting and all of which is very confusing to the beginner 

 who does not know what method to employ or how to use it. 

 This article is intended for beginners with poultry and 

 wiU be conflned to one plan of chick rearing and one which can 

 be depended upon, with slight modifications, to fit almost every 

 case. We believe that if the beginner will follow the advice 

 here given he will meet with reasonably good success, and it is 

 certain that he cannot stray far from the right path. 



As there are still many who keep fowls only in a small 

 way and do not use incubators and brooders, the natural hen 

 method will be considered first. 



i.iTTING HENS 



A broody hen that will not sit where you want her to is 

 probably one of the most exasperating creatures in existence, 

 and no doubt has sorely tried the temper and patience of many 

 who will read this article. 



To begin with the mere fact that a hen is broody is not 

 an indication that she is fit to set. You should use just as 

 great care in selecting sitters as you would choose fowls to breed 

 from. Take a hen that has a quiet mild disposition, that hugs 

 the nest tightly and is not liable to fly off into a hysterical cackle 

 at the least provocation. Pullets may often be set and give 

 satisfactory results, but as a rule the most reliable sitters are 

 yearlings or two-year-olds that have lived long enough to get 

 over their flighty youthful dispositions. Select for sitters 

 quiet, good-sized, healthy hens that show a disposition to hug 

 tight to your hand or snuggle down on to the nest after you 

 have removed and then replaced them. Let them stay for two 

 or three days on a nest of their own selection before you attempt 

 to move them to new quarters, and when you do move them 

 to the new nest, move tliem at night. 



Provide comfortable nest boxes with a reasonable amount 

 of head room for the hens. Boxes 12 to 14 inches square with 

 about 14 inches head room make very comfortable nests for 

 sitters. Fill in a little moist earth or a sod turned upside down 

 into the bottom of the box, dishing the earth slightly in the 

 center so as to have it shghtly concave with the corners elevated, 

 thus preventing the eggs from rolling away from the hen and 

 at the same time not having so great a depression that the eggs 



will roll into a heap in the center of the nest. On top of the 

 earth place a little soft straw or soft hay, only a very thin layer, 

 and dust this well with a good insect powder. 



Place three or four nest eggs or infertile eggs in the nest, 

 give the hen a good thorough dusting with insect powder, and 

 place her in her new quarters, shutting her on the nest by means 

 of a burlap bran sack and leave her alone until late the following 

 afternoon. At this time she may be let off for a feed of whole 

 corn, water, grit, shell and given an opportunity to dust herself 

 and clean out. While she is off the nest remove the nest eggs 

 and place the eggs you intend to set carefuly in the nest. Give 

 the hen an opportunity to return to the nest of her own accord. 

 If she will not return to her nest remove the sitting and replace 

 the nest eggs, and put her on again for another 24 hours; then 

 try her again. 



As a rule if she is a good sitter she wiU get right down to 

 business. Let her off at regular intervals once each day to feed 

 and exercise. If the weather is cold cover the eggs with a piece 

 of flannel blanket while the hen is off. Test the eggs on the 

 seventh day and remove all infertile ones and dead germs. 

 It is a good plan to set two or three hens at the same time and 

 when the eggs are tested out give one or two hens a full comple- 

 ment of fertile eggs and reset the other one on a fresh lot. Num- 

 ber all your sitting hens and keep a careful record of therd, 

 seeing that they return each to her own nest. Never give a 

 hen more eggs than she can cover comfortably. Some hens 

 will take care of but eleven, others will well cover fifteen, but it 

 is seldom wise to exceed this number. 



The room in which the birds are set should not be too 

 light but should be well ventilated and must be kept clean. 

 Three days before the chicks are due give the hen another dust- 

 ing with Persian insect powder and at hatching time let her 

 alone. The little chicks will not require any food until 24 to 36 

 hours after they have hatched. 



RAISING HEN-HATCHED CHICKS 



When the hen is to leave the nest with her brood provide 

 her with a . comfortable brood-coop having a dry wood floor. 

 Keep the Uttle chicks confined close to the hen for the first 

 day or two, then give them a little rim outside the brood-coop, 

 keeping the hen confined. It is well to always keep the hen 

 confined and let the chicks run. Keep a plentiful supply of 

 pure water, small grit, chick-size charcoal and good sweet pure 

 beef scrap always before the hen, and feed her on cracked corn 

 and small red wheat. Give the little chicks a good dry grain 

 chick food scattered at first near the hen so that she can call 

 them to it, after this scatter it just a little out of her reach. 

 Give an occasional feeding of thoroughly boiled rice (so that 

 each kernel is separate and almost dry). Good clean broken 

 rice can usually be had cheaply. Change the hen and chicks 

 to new ground frequently. Give an occasional apple or apple 

 parings, potato parings and beets fed raw. 



As soon as possible get the chicks where they can have a 

 green run on good grass but be careful about letting them out 

 on the grass until the sun is well up. Provide a good chick 

 shelter where the chicks can run to it to get out of the storm, 

 and see that they have plenty of shade. 



In winter time the hens should have comfortable quarters 

 in small colony houses having a board or cement floor, plenti- 



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