REARING WITH HENS 77 



away with from ten to fifty in one night, ,and he is not in 

 the least careful to take just the poorer specimens, but takes 

 the most promising ones as well. Thoroughbred chicks 

 are rather expensive feed for rats or lice, and the best plan 

 is to keep the chick premises rid of both. A good cat, 

 that has not developed a taste for young chick meat, makes 

 about the most satisfactory rat trap that we have ever used. 

 We have one that makes it her business to inspect every chick 

 coop on the place at least once a day and rats and mice are 

 scarce indeed; yet, with such a good protection against rats we 

 still make our chick quarters rat-proof. It is best to be on 

 the safe side and take all possible precautions. 



When the chicks reach broiler age and from that time on 

 they should be looked over carefully and those specimens that 

 have disqualifying defects, or show that they will never be 

 of more than ordinary quality, should be culled out. The 

 ordinary specimens may be given longer time to show quality 

 if the fancier is doubtful, but the culling process should be 

 thorough, gradually weeding out all specimens that do not 

 show a reasonable degree of quality. Most fanciers are 

 not blessed with an abundance of room and are inclined to 

 hatch more chicks than they have space to raise to maturity. 

 The only thing to do is to 'cull out the poor specimens as 

 soon as their age is sufficient to indicate their probable qual- 

 ity at maturity; by close culling room is made for those speci- 

 mens that indicate good quality and the fancier is able to 

 go into winter quarters with a well balanced flock in a well- 

 matured condition. 



Discard the Weak Chicks. 



In the American varieties, where size cuts some figure, it 

 does not pay to bother with those chicks that do not seem to 

 grow, that is, do not keep pace with those of average size 

 in the flock. They have the same chance as the others, but 

 seem stunted, and generally are so. The best thing is to 

 put them out of the way as soon as it is seen that they are 

 lacking in vitality and very likely will always be under size. 



The mother hen should receive good care as well as the 

 chicks so that she may be in good health and condition 

 while with chicks; a hen that is somewhat out of condition 



