SUCCESSFUL POULTRY KEEPING 



them and they are also watered, care being taken to take the 

 chill off the' water. Very cold water is fatal to young chickens, 

 causing diarrhoea, and it should always be tempered before it 

 is given them. 



The floor of the brooder should be covered with dry sand 

 to the depth of about an inch, over which is scattered cut clover 

 or chaff to make a scratching Utter about an inch deep. 



Two hours after they are put in the brooder they have their 

 first meal, consisting of a prepared dry grain ration known as 

 "chick feed." This can be purchased from any dealer in poultry 

 BuppUes, or it can be made at home according to the following 

 formula: 



AN EASILY PREPARED CHICK FOOD 



Six pounds cracked wheat; two ppunds cracked corn (fine); 

 one pound rolled oats, or pin-head oatmeal; one pound millet 

 seed; half pound broken rice; two pounds fine granulated beef 

 scrap; half pound granulated bone; six pounds pearl grit. 



FEEDING THE CHICKENS 



This should be fed every two hours during the first three 

 days giving three handfuls scattered in the htter, to every 

 hundred chicks. From the third to the 10th day the same 

 amount should be fed from six a. m. to six p. m. every three 

 hours. Fresh water and ground charcoal should be kept 

 before them at all times. From ten days to four weeks the feed 

 should be increased to four handfuls given four times a day. 

 Begin at this time to keep scrap meat before them. After four 

 weeks increase again, giving five handfuls three times daily. 

 From six weeks up to eight weeks add about three handfuls of 

 cracked corn and whole wheat to the ration. When feeding 

 if these quantities do not seem sufiicient, or if at the next meal 

 it is found that the last meal was not entirely consumed, increase 

 or decrease from these directions. The object is to give enough 

 to make them thrive, yet at the same time regulating the amount 

 so they will keep hungry enough to scratch. It is. necessary that 

 they get exercise if they are to make progress. 



SITTING A HEN 



SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS 

 ON NATURAL INCUBATION 



ALEX. CLEGG, East Amherst, N. S. 



A fairly successful method of mine has been with a closed 

 box divided into six nests. In the bottom of each nest is placed 

 a thin clover or grass sod turned grass side down. This sod 

 nicely hollowed oirt and with very little straw on the earth and 

 the roots of the grass, makes an ideal nest and gives the right 

 moisture required by the eggs. How often have we noticed 

 that the hen that stole her nest away in the hedge row where 

 she would get drenched by the rain, invariably brought off the 

 full complement of chicks. There were no infertile eggs nor any 

 chicks too weak to break the shell. 



After the hen has sat two nights on the nest, she may be 

 well sulphured and placed on the eggs (after dark invariably) 

 and the Ud closed down. About midday is a good time to feed. 

 When the lid is opened, any hens not coming off are hfted from 

 the nest and placed near the food. In from 15 minutes to an 

 hour the hens that have not found their way back to their eggs 

 are caught and placed on the nest and the"hd is closed down 

 until the same time the next day. 



The first time or two off to feed the hen should be watched 

 and quietly worked, if possible, toward the new nest. She will 



rarely go astray after twice finding her way to her eggs though 

 the nest may be quite strange to her. 



By sitting three hens the same day the chicks may be given 

 to two hens and the third reset. 



MODERN INCUBATOR HOUSE 



NOVEL AND PRACTICAL METHOD OF VENTILA- 

 TION—DARK ROOM EQUIPMENT FOR EGG TESTING 



While many illustrations of incubator cellars or houses 

 have been published from time to time, we do not recall that 

 many plans have been offered which showed a dark room for 

 testing eggs. The incubator house, shown in accompanying 

 plans, was designed by Dr. P. T. Woods, several houses of this 

 pattern are now in successful operation. 



On all plants where a considerable number of machines are 

 run, the testing of eggs becomes an item of considerable labor 

 and consumes a large amount of time. If this testing has to be 

 done at night, it lengthens the hours for the poultryman so 

 much that during the hatching season he loses a great deal of 

 much needed rest, whereas if some means are provided for testing 

 the eggs during the day, there are usually odd moments when 

 the work can be done without interference with the regular 

 routine of the plant. It was for this purpose in saving night 

 work on the poultry farm that the incubator house with dark 

 room was devised. 



This house, or more properly, half-cellar, is a frame build- 

 ing built above a brick foundation, a slight excavation being 

 made and a 2 feet 6 inch or 3 foot brick wall built, against which 

 the earth is banked up on the outside and on which the siUs of 

 the frame building are laid. The siUs are laid in cement to make 

 a tight joint. The sides of the building are sheathed with rab- 

 beted pine boards laid lengthwise on both sides of the studs. 

 The lower board reaches below the sill and laps over brick work 

 to avoid drafts. The roof is of rough boards laid on rafters 

 which are placed 2 feet apart and is covered with a good quality 

 of shingles. The rafters and frame are afforded additional sup- 

 port by tie beams, as indicated in plan. 



The nine windows of the building are aU double windows, 

 the outer windows being hinged at the top, the inner ones hinged 

 at the bottom, so that they may be opened as shown in the 

 sectional view (Fig. 2). The space beneath the roof is not 

 ceiled in, the portion between the rafters and tie-beams being 

 left open so that the air from the windows may be deflected up 

 against the roof. In such a building, the windows may be left 

 open on both sides of the building, affording excellent ventila- 

 tion and at the same time not permitting any direct draft to 

 blow upon the machines. The large door in the end of the build- 

 ing is provided with double doors, the inner one having ven- 

 tilating holes as shown in (Fig. 2). The house is 59 feet long 

 by 21 feet wide and 7 feet 6 inches from floor to eaves, inside 

 measurement. The floor is made of cement or hard packed 

 gravel. This house will accommodate twenty-one 360-egg size 

 machines, rights and lefts, as indicated in Fig. 1. 



The dark room is 6 by 8 feet and is ceiled up with matched 

 boards to the rafters. It is provided with a wide door, which 

 for purposes of ventilation is best made of a stout frame covered 

 with burlap or bran sacking. In one end of the room there 

 should be two shelves, one just high enough to place the egg 

 tester on, and have the egg come in direct line with the eye 

 when the operator is seated on an ordinary high stool, and he 

 wiU be able to pass the eggs before the light very rapidly. The 

 second shelf should be beneath this and should be of sufficient 

 size to accommodate two incubator trays, one full and one 

 empty, and a basket having two compartments, one for infer- 



122 



