CARE OF GROWING STOCK 85 



ing fountains, coops and brooders, and I am sure you wilt 

 vote with me that the chiclten business is profitable and 

 pleasant. Success to you all is my wish. 



Keep the Growing Chicks in Small Flocks and Give Them 



Plenty of Room and Food. 



By E. C. Willard. 



We have noticed that many who succeed in bringing- 

 chickens through the first few weeks of their lives do not get 

 them to grow fast and develop quickly afterwards, and we 

 think an outline of the methods which have proved quite 

 successful here may be helpful to others. 



When the chickens are taken from the brooders, or as 

 soon after as is convenient, the sexes should be separated. 

 We put those intended for market in small yards and feed 

 fine cracked wheat, fine cracked corn, sifted, and beef scraps. 

 Chickens intended for breeders and layers are put in lots 

 of twenty in small houses located in large yards, where there 

 is plenty of shade and grass, clover, oats or rye. 



We feed in hoppers, a mixture of two-thirds cracked corn 

 and one-half wheat in one hopper, or compartment, and grit, 

 charcoal, bran and, beef scraps, mixed in equal measures, 

 or beef scraps alone in another. As soon as the chicks 

 will eat them we mix oats with the wheat and corn. We use 

 galvanized drinking fountains of the inverted flower pot 

 pattern. We fill them when necessary, rinsing each time 

 and washing with hot water often. 



We prefer to keep our flocks in small houses and large 

 yards with ample range rather than confined in small yards. 

 The small houses are easily removed and the chickens do 

 not crowd when only twenty are in a coop. Our small 

 houses are made of box lumber and are about three feet by 

 six feet on the ground, three feet high in front and two feet 

 behind. The ends, back, roof, floor and two feet of the front 

 are made of matched boards; a space one foot wide at the 

 top of the front is covered with one-inch mesh netting. A 

 door two feet wide is placed in the center of the front. Along 

 the top of the front is a one-inch board, twelve inches wide, 

 hinged to the roof. This is supported by a wire and pre- 



