ON TAKING PAINS 277 
as to the moisture. Never serve it in a sloppy state, but see that 
it is crumbly, so that if you roll it into a ball it will break up if 
you drop it on the ground. 
And see that the birds eat it up. If they do not, remove it, and 
give them a little less next time. If they eat it all quickly, try 
them with a little more, and you will soon arrive at the exact 
quantity. Feed soft food in troughs; do not throw it on the 
ground which the birds have been manuring. Never leave food 
lying about. Never waste food. Tons of good food are wasted 
every year because people will not take pains. 
KeErrEp your Eves OPEN 
Watch your birds well. Run your eye over them every day 
when feeding and see that nothing is amiss. If a bird is off its 
feed something is wrong. See what it is, and if you are not sure, 
isolate it, and pay special attention to its food. It may need a 
tonic. If a bird is troubled with diarrhoea take it away and place 
it by itself until it recovers. If a hen is moping with its wings on 
the floor it is in serious trouble—perhaps egg-bound. If it be egg- 
bound, hold it over the steam of boiling water and try it on a 
specially soft nest. Keep it under observation until the passage 
is working smoothly. A little olive oil poured down the vent will 
often give relief. If it be discovered that the egg cushion has 
slipped down, give the bird a chance to recover without interference. 
If in two days the bird does not recover, kill it and eat it. Watch 
your birds. One killed in time may save nine, or ninety and nine. 
Take infinite pains in incubating and rearing. Try and test 
your incubator for a couple of days before you consign the eggs 
to its depths. And once the eggs are in, watch the thermometer 
and the lamp with unceasing vigilance. A single hour may 
destroy your eggs and weeks of labour. Take infinite pains 
also with rearing. When your chicks are hatched take care they 
do not catch a chill while being transferred to the brooder. See 
that they get neither food nor water for forty-eight hours. See 
that the temperature is always right day and night. Visit them 
