R. I. REDS AS EXHIBITION FOWLS 



say confidently, that his pen or pens are going to produce 

 good results. We have taken particular notice of some pens 

 that were mated this year by a man supposed to be a first 

 class breeder of Reds and as we had an opportunity to 

 handle all the birds in those pens, we could see that they 

 were mated on what might be called the "hit or miss" plan. 

 They all had different markings; one hen would have a good 

 wing without any ticking in hackle; another would have no 

 black at all in wing and no ticking; some with good wings, 

 hackles and tails; some with pepper and some with clean 

 under-color; some with smut, and of different sizes, but in 

 most oases they were all of a good, even surface color. Now 

 do you think that this breeder had these pens mated as they 

 should be? If you do, we will say frankly that we do not 

 and we consider that he had no definite object in view other 

 than if he happened to get a few good ones it was all right 

 or if he missed it, it was all right. 



He did not use trap nests and was unable to tell the 

 dam of any of the chicks. Such methods will never pro- 

 duce the desired success and such a breeder will have to 

 keep buying his winners as this breeder has done in the past. 



Last season (1909) was a very trying one for poultry- 

 Aen owing to the long spell of damp, rainy, cool weather we 

 had in the spring. But, if the youngsters are bred right, 

 and fed right, have plenty of clean water and clean quarters, 

 are not crowded, and kept free from vermin, one's troubles 

 are few. 



Hatching and Feeding 



Most of our chicks are hatched with hens and we have 

 to watch closely for our dreaded enemy, the louse, especially 

 the head louse. 



The hens, when set, are put in pens by themselves away 

 from the lajdng stock so that there is no danger of other 

 hens laying in the nest with them, causing eggs to get broken, 

 etc. They are well dusted when set and the treatment re- 

 peated every week. The chicks are left in the nest until 

 36 hours old when they are taken to coops which have been 

 previously arranged for them. These coops are well cleaned 

 having had a spraying of kerosene oil, then placed in the 

 sun to dry, after which they are placed where desired, de- 

 pending a great deal upon the prevailing weather. The 

 floor is covered with chaff for the chicks to scratch in and 

 it also makes the floor easier to clean. Before putting the 

 chicks in their new home they are greased with a little lard, 

 which is used sparingly, on their heads and under the wings. 

 The hen also is given another good dusting. Now that they 

 are in the coop a little chick grit is thrown in the chaff. 

 Their first feed consists of the yolk of hard boiled eggs, then 

 they are fed rolled oats for the first few days, every three or 

 four hours. They are then put on chick feed, much care 

 being taken not to overfeed. The chicks are kept confined 

 to their coops for three or four days when they are allowed 

 to run in a small yard in front of their coop for the next week. 

 After that, the yard is taken away and they can run where 

 they please, but the hen is kept confined in the coop until 

 the chicks are large enough to do without her. At this time 

 we begin to feed cracked corn and wheat. We also keep a 

 dry mash composed of 200 lbs. bran, 100 lbs. middlings. 



31 



100 lbs. corn chop, 50 lbs. sifted ground oats, 50 lbs. beef 

 scrap, 25 lbs. linseed meal. This is thoroughly mixed to- 

 gether and kept before them in troughs made for the pur- 

 pose. After they are two months old we feed scalded oats 

 once or twice a week. We keep them separated in lots of 



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about forty or fifty and we also separate the sexes as soon 

 as discernible. 



The breeders are fed twice a day, morning and night. 

 In the morning we first water all the stock, then they are 

 fed what we call a good scratch food. Their evening meal, 

 which they get about 4 o'clock, consists of equal parts oats, 

 and cracked corn and about once a week we »dd to this one 

 part wheat. They have free access to beef scrap, grit, char- 

 coal and dry mash at all times. This mash is composed of 

 the following: Two parts bran, 1 part middlings, IJ part 

 corn chop and 1 part hulled oats. Green food of some kind 

 is also fed quite frequently. We do not feed for a heavy 

 egg yield as it is hard to receive a good percentage of fertile 

 eggs when this is practiced. 



