Hubbard's poultry secrets. 69 



chickens hatched from such stock will be small and will give 

 you lots of trouble to raise them. 



I will now tell you the best method I know of for putting a 

 flock of chickens into breeding condition after being returned 

 from the Show Room, where they have been fed too much, 

 and have taken on too much fat. All birds should be dusted 

 with lice powder after their return from the Show Room. Use 

 second crop clover hay for litter in your breeding coop. You 

 will be surprised to see how much they will eat of it, and it 

 helps a great deal to balance their grain rations, as breeding 

 birds should be fed on a light, bulky ration, rather than on a 

 solid, grain ration. The heavy solid grain ration will put 

 too much fat on the intestines, which is not wanted in a breed- 

 er. The light, bulky food will not cause the intestines to take 

 on too much fat, and will keep them in a better breeding 

 condition. 



After you have dusted your birds, and have your coops well 

 littered, you are ready to mate them. If you are breeding Or- 

 pingtons, never breed over five females to one male. For the 

 first three days they should not be fed on anj'thing but crack- 

 ers. In the morning and evening, take five milk crackers, 

 break them up in your hand, and throw them in the litter, so 

 they will have to scratch and work to find them. Follow this 

 method of feeding for three days, and you will not have a lazy 

 bird in the bunch. Good judgment must be used to give them 

 just enough to eat to satisfy their wants, but be sure to keep 

 them lively. This can be done by feeding three times a day. 

 The morning and noon feeds should be a little light, and their 

 night feed should be the heaviest. Do not let them go to roost 

 hungry. Handle your breeders in this way, and the chickens 

 you hatch will not give you any trouble to raise, and they will 

 grow like weeds. 



After they have been fed on crackers for three days, they 



