CHAPTER V 



JUNE HATCHED CHICKS 



MR. SEWELL RECALLS PROMINENT WINNERS THAT WERE HATCHED IN JUNE— TO PRODUCE 

 THEM ONE MUST STUDY NATURE'S WHIMS AND PREPARE ALIKE FOR RAIN AND SHINE 



F. L. SEWELL 



"NX J\. 1/"^ BELIEVE chicks come into 



"* * " the world with the best con- 



ditions for rapid growth at 

 the time of fruit blossoming. 

 That is about the middle of 

 May in this latitude — but in 

 seasons as backward as some are, June 

 is not a bad month in which to start. 

 Rearers of pheasants look to this 

 month as their best season for hatch- 

 ing — when the season is well settled 

 and rains are not too frequent. The 

 haj-ing season is the time when the 

 qu,ail hatches her first broods. The 

 June hatched Mediterraneans, Games, 

 Hamburgs and some others will require no special urging to 

 bring theto into fine form and feather for the early winter 

 shows. Our ambitious fanciers who are not content with 

 any but the very large breeds, weighing eight to twelve 

 pounds, must remember that they are handling races develop- 

 ed through artful selection and most advantageous environ- 

 ment. 



The fancier who sets out to win in the present day com- 

 petition at our best shows and reaps the high prices that are 

 paid for the prize-takers will keep in mind that every day 

 must bring gain in growth to his June chicks; he will see 

 "that they have everything that adds to their comfort and 

 are well protected from all that retards their growth or 

 spoils their general condition and plumage. 



No doubt at the winter show you have stood admiring 

 some splendid specimen in the American classes or even of 

 "the grand Asiatics and a proud owner assured you that the 

 tird was "only a baby — a June hatched chick,'' and you 

 wondered how he produced such freshness of feather — such 

 perfection of bloom; and a question brought the reply, "Why 

 lie has not had time to lose it — he just seemed to grow every 

 •day from the time he was hatched until now." Therein 

 lies success — not an hour's neglect when natural, healthful 

 ■development could lag. Many of the finest show birds we 

 have seen at the great eastern shows of New York and Bos- 

 "ton we have known to be June hatched. It is an old saying 

 among the fanciers that pullets appear at their finest just 

 the few weeks prior to laying their first egg, and if the show 

 birds can just reach maturity on show week they will ap- 

 pear in the pink of condition — with vigor at its height and 

 "the plumage at its finest. 



We mentioned the settled condition of June weather as 

 being favorable; however, a protracted dry season may be 

 far from beneficial, when a liberal supply of green and insect 

 food cannot be obtained. No birds can grow well without 

 them. Between a season of continued droughts and exces- 

 sive rains we would choose a season whefe the birds had 

 proper protection — dry coops and covered runs attached for 

 wet days. Between showers the birds will find abundance 

 of green food, insects and worms, while in the season of 

 drought they are apt to lack for both these. It is always 

 a safe provision to have a patch of young clover or some 

 good crop for green food. We know of nothing better than 

 a small field of white clover that can be watered and kept 



green (a part to be cut for winter use) for th6 birds to for- 

 age over. During continued dry weather when the surface 

 of the soil seems to present no insects or worms a strip can 

 be occasionally plowed up, giving a fair supply of worms 

 and bugs. A pile of small chips and partially decayed leaves 

 will afford excellent scratching, especially if partially in the 

 shade. Insects are constantly gathering in such a place. 

 The perfectly clean swept poultry yard may look to some 

 eyes most tidy, but to the chic(ks that hanker for a hunting 

 ground where they may stir up bugs or worms such a place 

 without its rubbish pile is a mockery to their nature. A 

 few wagonloads of old rotten wood and leaves from the 

 forest present a constant picnic to the chicks in summer. 

 Place the pile partly in the shade. The frequent visits to 

 it by the chicks will prove their appreciation of it. 



The exercise taken in scratching for the insects will in- 

 duce thrift and add to the strength of the birds. Have you 

 not frequently received among your purchases, birds seem- 

 ingly lacking in all thrifty habits actually spoiled in their 

 bringing up? Some breeds, notably those nearest the orig- 

 inal type of the wild Bankiva fowl, hunt all day, turning 

 over the leaves as they search about, while others seem to 

 care for nothing beyond the dooryard and the granary. This 

 disposition and habit can be largely due to the methods em- 

 ployed in feeding while the chicks are growing up. A cer- 

 tain amount of range, encouraging the chicks to hunt and 

 scratch for at least a part of their food, will add value to 

 the birds in healthy and thrifty foraging habits. These last 

 remarks apply especially to chicks leaving the brooder or 

 hen in a dry season when the natural food may be scarce 

 and the temptation strongest to depend entirely upon the 

 feed bucket. 



We learned through sad experience not to allow chicks 

 to nestle or roost upon the bare ground. There ' should 

 always .be a board platform raised a, few inches above the 

 earth, keeping the birds dry under foot at all seasons. 



We note that small, movable coops for weaned chicks 

 are rapidly growing popular, a number of very practical 

 patterns now being made to take down and ship in a small 

 space. We know that the value of these movable coops can 

 hardly be estimated. With such well planned and conven- 

 ient coops the chicks can be constantly on clean, fresh 

 ground and with the movable covered runs attached the 

 long rainy days are not nearly as much to be dreaded by 

 those ambitious to see their birds growing every day. Much 

 of the failure to succeed with young turkeys and pheasants 

 during the last two seasons is due to the lack of this kind 

 of protection. The fine young chicks can be weathered 

 through many a wet week to our entire satisfaction and the 

 coops made to pay their way many tina.es over in the saving 

 they will be to young stock, among which we look for our 

 next winter's prize winners. 



With vigorous parent stock we always expect to pro- 

 duce rapid growing chicks, and with constant attention to 

 securing for them the best foods and giving them protection 

 from vermin and ill weather we look for many of the most 

 perfectly conditioned show birds to come out of these June 

 hatched broods. 



