58 Money in Broilers and Squahs. 



George H. Northup, Raceville, N. Y. : "Feed often and regu- 

 larly on nourishing food, not more than the chicks will eat readily. 

 Accustom them to a variety of foods as early as possible. When 

 chicks get weak I have found clear cornmeal, moistened with raw 

 egg (just enough egg to make it crumbly) excellent to revive them, 

 but think it would not be good for a steady food. I do not have 

 any trouble with chicks getting weak if they are well fed, regularly. 

 They grow rapidly, but are so hardy that they do not weaken. I 

 think that when the wings of chicks outgrow some other parts of 

 the body, it indicates a state of partial starvation. Small chicks need 

 more carbonaceous food to keep up warmth and vitality, than mature 

 fowls, proportionally. Therefore, one need not feed sparingly of 

 cornmeal or cracked corn, but as I said before a mixed diet is 

 needed." 



An anonymous writer makes a number of good points, as fol- 

 lows : "Is it the rapid growth of the wing feathers which cause the 

 chick to droop? Is it not that the body fails to develop as it should? 

 Don't you think there is something wrong in the management that 

 produces such forlorn specimens of chickhood? Some people clip 

 their wings. Why. I cannot imagine. If they are too heavy for 

 their owners to carry around in their normal position, the best plan 

 in my opinion is to dispose of the chickens ; they won't amount to 

 much if they do live to maturity. Compare that chick whose wings 

 hang loosely at its side, with one who carries them folded close to 

 its body Take them in your hands, notice the difference in the 

 weight, feel how sharp and boney is the breast of one, and how 

 plump the other. Look at their legs — it will take both of the one 

 to equal in size the strong, thick shank of the other. How weak 

 the bird is; it scarcely moves when you grasp it. And the other: 

 Why you can feel every muscle struggling in your hands. It is 

 full of life and strength. Give them their liberty: The droopy one 

 goes a little way and stands exhausted. Those dreadful wings seem 

 to bear him down to the ground. The other chick darts from your 

 hands the moment you relax }rour hold, and flies from the restraint 

 which was so hateful to his vigorous little body. Don't you think 

 it would be cruel to prolong the existence of a chick so puny that it 

 cannot sustain the weight of its own feathers? It certainly will not 

 pay to raise it." 



A\'. A. Penfield, Waterville, N. Y. : "Prevent by proper ration 

 of animal food." 



M. A. Summers, Lewisburg, Ky. : "When wing feathers grow 

 too fast I trim them with a pair of scissors." 



W. H. Card, Bristol, Conn. : "I out-breed, and have no trouble 

 that way." 



J. A. Ainge, Dover, N. J. : "When three weeks old I cut off the 

 wing feathers and find it successful." 



"B. a. R. Stocker, Wyoma, W. Va. : "Trim off the long feathers; 

 give bone meal." 



C. A. Young, Prescott, Wis.: "It has seemed to me that this 

 <:ondition occurs most frequently, if not altogether, with those chicks 



