180 COMMON SENSE 
large soup plates, in which I-placed an inverted bowl filled with 
water. The bowl was first filled with water, the plate placed on 
the top, and the whole quickly turned. over. The water was now 
retained in the bowl by atmospheric pressure, and gradually de- 
scended as the chickens consumed it. ‘To get sufficient depth of 
water in the plates I chipped a piece out of the edge of each bowl. 
When milk was used, and we had not a wire protector for 
the saucer, we simply inverted a small bowl and placed it mouth 
down in the latter. 
The food that we used during cola weather, was plain, but 
nutritious. For the first day or two, cracked wheat given dry (see 
page 14 ), and milk to drink. Then, in the mornings, they had a 
mixture of bran, corn meal and ground oil-cake. The oil meal 
was thoroughly scalded with boiling water, and allowed to stand 
some time, when it formed a thickish soup. This was then worked 
into a stiff dough with a mixture of equal parts of bran and corn 
meal, and fed to the chickens in small Jumps. This mixture we 
found to be exceedingly nutritious. As the chickens had no access 
to gravel, I had a small quantity washed and sifted, and we kept a 
little wooden tray full of this material constantly before them. 
‘They seemed to enjoy picking it. 
Every day we gave them a very little meat and some finely 
chopped cabbage. For both they were very greedy. Cracked 
wheat we kept before them all the time. We preferred it to corn, 
though it cost a little more. On this feed they kept in good 
health and grew rapidly. 
' One of the greatest difficulties in the care of chickens is the 
watching of individuals. It is impossible to give attention to each 
single bird; they are attended to in small flocks, and an individual 
of this flock may get quite sick before even a very faithful atten- 
dant notices it. Still, by watchfulness, a good deal was accom- 
plished, in this direction, and we kept two or three old and very 
motherly hens for the express purpose of taking care of weak and 
sickly chickens. About half of those that we transferred to these 
hens came through all right. When a chicken is very sick, the 
most profitable and merciful course is to kill it at once. 
