198 MY POULTRY DAY BY DAY 
inches square. The floor should be thickly covered with cut chaff, 
among which may be scattered some coarse oatmeal, dari, and 
canary seed, and the sides, more especially the corners, lined with 
soft hay. The lid is better if lined either with cotton wool or with 
coarse flannel tacked at the edges, but loose enough to hang down 
in the centre. The box should be well made, and tied down, not 
nailed. There is much greater risk during very severe weather, 
more especially in cross-country journeys, when there is danger of 
exposure at open stations, and care should be taken to dispatch 
the chicks by fast trains making good connections, and if possible 
at night. The sale of these birds takes place generally in the 
milder spring months, when the risk is not so great as it would be 
earlier in the season. Boxes should be prominently marked 
“Live chickens—this side up.” 
TREATMENT AT DESTINATION 
Not the least important point is the treatment of the chickens 
on arrival at their destination. It is to the vendor’s interest to 
satisfy his customers by sending them hardy birds, but he has no 
means of controlling them when once they have left his charge, 
and the responsibility rests with the purchaser. There is nothing 
better than placing the chickens for an hour or two in a brooder 
heated to as near 100° F. as possible, and in the absence of such 
an appliance, excellent results have been obtained by putting 
them, in a flannel-lined basket, into an oven (leaving the door 
open) at a temperature not higher than that named ; or it will be 
enough if the basket is placed near the kitchen fire. They should 
then be given a good feed of warm steeped oatmeal or biscuit meal, 
and have a little warm milk to drink. If broody hens are avail- 
able, the best results will be obtained by rearing the chickens 
under them, if they have travelled a considerable distance. One 
or two only should be given to a hen at first, and if she takes kindly 
to these the remainder may be slipped under her wings. Where 
rearers are to be employed (and small, inexpensive appliances are 
now sold), these must be well warmed up, say to 100° F., and the 
