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 tor Rain and Shine. 



By P. L. Sewell. 



w 



'B BELIEVE chicks come into the world with the 

 best conditions for rapid growth at the time of 

 fruit blossoming. That is about the middle of 

 May in this latitude — but in seasons so backward 

 as some are, June is not a bad month in whlich tb start. 



Rearers of pheasants look to this month as their best 

 season for hatching — when the season is well settled and 

 rains are not too frequent. The haying season is the time 

 when the quail hatches her first broods. The June hatched 

 Mediterraneans, Games, Hamburgs and some others will re- 

 quire no special urging to bring them into fine form and 

 feather for the early winter shows. Our ambitious fanciers 



June Hatched and Vloorous. 



who are not content with any but the very large breeds, 

 weighing eight to twelve pounds, must remember that they 

 are handling races developed through artful selection and 

 most advantageous environments. 



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

 petition at our best shows and reap 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 

 bird 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 

 he 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 se«n at the great eastern shows of New York and Bos- 

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

 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 where 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 the 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 chicks 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 wagon) cads 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 for 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 health and thrifty foraging habits. These last 

 remarks apply especially to chicks leaving the brooder or 

 heu 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 



