PROPAGATION 
has been properly done, success is 
almost sure to follow. 
The mother hen should 
not be allowed to run at 
large in the early morn- 
ing when the dew is on the grass. Most 
hens, if allowed to do so, will trail the 
chicks through the wet grass and weeds, 
getting them wet and cold, which weakens 
them very much, checks their growth, and 
leaves them an easy prey to all the dis- 
eases that attack and destroy them. Such 
treatment will cause the loss of a good 
per cent. of the brood, and turn into a 
serious loss what would otherwise have 
been a good profit. 
My experience teaches me that the best 
plan to follow when chickens are brooded 
with hens is to confine the hen in a coop. 
The coop should be one that can be easily 
closed at night for protection against cats, 
rats, and other enemies that prey upon 
them; but the coop should not be closed 
so tight that the brood can not get plenty 
of fresh air at all times. It should be 
provided with a small covered run that 
will be dry in all kinds of weather; and 
whenever the weather is warm and the 
57 
Care of the Baby 
Chicks 
