30 The Truth About the Poultry Business 



in the oak grove, out of the draught, they soon got well 

 without the aid of any roup cures, and I have never had any 

 faith in roup cures since. 



These hens were fed S 's Method, but as there was no 



beef-scrap in California at that time, the editor of the poultry 

 paper advised using "Beef, Blood and Bone," which I did. 

 At first I fed wheat, oats, and corn for grain, but I soon 

 found that the hens did not care for the oats and corn, and 

 I stopped feeding these two grains, but they were crazy for 

 wheat. They would eat wheat and not touch the other 

 grain, and twice a day I would feed two and one-half quarts 

 of wheat to them about 8 A. M. and again about an hour 

 before sundown. These hens knew feeding time as well as 

 I did, and it was a beautiful sight to look out and see the 

 hens running up and down along the wire fence in their 

 separate yards when feeding time approached. 



Make them work? Why, there was no such thing as mak- 

 ing them work; you could not stop them from working, 

 scratching, and playing in the straw and litter, in which I 

 scattered the wheat. I do not know whether I used any 

 particular kind of wheat or bran, as I just bought it from 

 the grocery store and the hens were in fine condition, but 

 they did not lay. They would work (I call it play) until 

 dark and they could no longer see, and bright and early in 

 the morning you could look out and see them scratching in 

 the litter. When I say provide a place for your hens to play, 

 you know what I mean, for it is only play for the hens 

 to scratch if the conditions are right, the feed is right, and 

 when the hens are in good health. You do not have to make 

 A A& nen wor k an y more than you have to make a healthy boy 

 pla-y. It is fun for the boy and it is fun for the hen, but if 

 the boy is not feeling well it is work for him, and if the 

 hen is out of condition from wrong feeding or improper 



