NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BROODING 95 



Identifying chickens. All the 

 chicks should be toe punched or 

 marked before they are transferred 



o 



to the brooder or brood coop. Such 



identification will enable one to tell 

 their age and breeding after they "^' 

 are mature. 



There has recently come into 

 practice a system of permanently 

 identifying chickens, that is known ^• 

 as wing banding. When this method 

 is employed a small numbered " 

 band is placed on the leg of the chick 

 soon after it is hatched. When ^ 

 about 4 weeks old, a slit is made 

 with a knife in the web of the wing 8. 

 as shown in Figure 96. The band 

 is then removed from the leg and 9- 

 inserted in this slit and closed, 

 care being taken not to close the ^O- 

 band so tight as to pinch the skin. 

 Bands properly placed in the wings // 

 of chickens will in most cases re- 

 main there throughout the life of <?. 

 the birds. By keeping a record of 

 the numbers of these bands a com- /s. 

 plete history, including time of 

 hatching and breeding of the birds /<f 

 may be kept. 



Brood coops. Brood coops for /S. 

 the hen and chicks should be made 

 so that they can be closed at night /ff. 



to keep out cats, rats, and other Figure 95.— Different combin'a- 



animals. Such coops should be ^IpJe^e^ShUclia^^^^ 



