EXERCISE — Exercise is as necessary as food, and fowls cannot thrive 

 without it. Make them work for their living. Unless the fowls have free 

 range, it is wise to feed all grain hy scattering it in a six inch litter of 

 straw, cut alfalfa, leaves, or anything that will make them work by 

 scratching. 



Remember that their food will do them little good if they are troubled 

 with lice. Lice will take away their vitality and their flesh faster than food 

 can put them back. Watch out for lice, and fight them at all times with the 

 best lice killers that you can procure. A general idea of what should be 

 done, mixed with a Httle good, common sense, is the best rule known. 



Conkey's Lice Preparations, will soon put the parasites out of business 

 and a little of Conkey's Roup Cure, occasionally placed in the drinking 

 water, will tone up the birds and prevent colds and other troubles. 



FEEDING THE CHICKS 



Young chicks should be given no food whatever, for the first 48 hours 

 after hatching. The very last process of incubation is the absorption of the 

 remaining portion of the yolk of the egg. This absorption is Nature's way 

 of feeding the chick at the start, and it should not be interfered with by 

 giving them other food. A little fine grit, or coarse sand, should be within 

 their reach when they are first placed in the brooder and this should be 

 kept constantly before them. They should also have plenty of cool fresh 

 water. This should be given them in founts made for the purpose, which will 

 not allow the chicks to become wet and chilled. 



The chicks should never be fed sloppy food, even if you have to con- 

 fine yourself to the feeding of dry maxed grains. Chicks are usually fond 

 of a mash feed and are inclined to stuff themselves with it if allowed to do 

 so. Where this is given avoid feeding too much at a time and never give 

 more than they will clean up, as it sours and sickens them. There can be 

 no objection to the use of a light masb feed once a day, but it should not 

 be given oftener unless you are forcing chicks for broilers. Chicks that are 

 to be raised to a useful maturity should be fed principally on dry grains, 

 such as any good "chick feed." Many successful poultry raisers keep dry 

 wheat bran before the chicks from the time they are hatched and this largely 

 takes the place of a mash feed. 



Under natural conditions, the hen will lead her brood, scratching a little 

 here and there, and the chicks, in turn, picking up a grain at a time, will ob- 

 tain a balanced ration of all dry feed. If we follow the mother hen as to 

 method of feeding we are not likely to make much of a mistake. Ex- 

 haustive experiment has been made along this line and different people hold 

 different views, but the majority of opinion is greatly in favor of the dry 

 method as a means of preserving the chicks against diseases of the digestive 

 organs, most often termed Cholera. The dry feed should be made up of dry 

 grains, properly proportioned, and ground or crushed to the right size. 

 I'eed the little chicks four or five times a day, but give them only such a 

 quantity as will keep them active. The brooder floor should be covered 

 with a light litter of cut clover, hay, or straw or scratching material. Exer- 

 cise is just as necessary for chicks as it is for fowls and unless they have 

 free range all grains given them should be scattered in the litter or raked 

 into the earth in the run, so the chicks will be kept busy scratching fot most 

 ot the day 



When the chicks are one week old, begin to give them a little green 

 food and increase gradually as they grow older. Onion tops, clover leaves; 



20 



