Pet Poultry 49 
the young chicks in the shell, “pipping” of the egg, 
the bursting of the shell and appearance of the active 
fluffy little chicks are constant sources of wonder and 
expectation. The care of the mother-hen and her 
brood is perhaps the most interesting to children. The 
motherly solicitude of the hen for her chicks and the 
care and protection she gives her brood appeal to 
childish sympathies. 
When it is desirable to make pets of chickens so that 
they can be readily handled, young chicks should be 
selected and the child be allowed to train them by care- 
ful handling. Chickens are easily taught simple lessons. 
To do this a little attractive food is the best means of 
training them to respond to simple demands. Care is 
required in handling chickens in order to avoid hurting 
them, as pain soon makes them timid. The proper 
method of handling is to catch the chicken either by 
the legs or between the outspread hands. The chicken 
can be carried by tucking it under the right arm, in the 
upright position with the head forward. Avoid injur- 
ing the chicken by carrying with the head downward 
or holding by the wings. 
Chickens are so easily and quickly reared that the 
children may easily be set to experimenting with differ- 
ent kinds. For efficiency, however, one kind is prefer- 
able to many. See that the quarters are light, warm 
and airy, and do not confine the food to grain alone. 
