THE GAME BREEI)ER 



141 



the coops, throwing inside of each a 

 handful of whole corn and placing within 

 reach of the opening in the coop door a 

 shallow dish of water. About sundown 

 he returns and inspects the coops to see 

 that all is well. 



The next morning about eight he 

 comes again, and issuing from the feed 

 house is seen to be carrying a stack of 

 board trays, one for each coop. Each 

 contains about two teaspoonfuls of finely 

 chopped boiled egg and dandelion or let- 

 tuce in about equal amount. He places 

 one inside of each coop, but no sooner 

 has he put in the last than he returns and 

 collects them all in the order of presenta- 

 tion. They have been before the poults 

 perhaps five to seven minutes. At the 

 same time, if the day is sunny, he draws 

 away the frame a few inches, or opens 

 the door slightly, so that the young 

 poults can enter the run but while the 

 mother hen is still confined. About 

 eleven o'clock the same feeding is re- 

 peated, and after it a handful of whole 

 corn is thrown into each coop for the 

 mothers. At two he comes again and 

 this time the trays contain stale bread 

 thoroughly soaked up in sweet milk. 

 Within from five to seven minutes the 

 trays are again removed. At five o'clock 

 the trays each carry about two teaspoon- 

 fuls of egg and onion top or lettuce 

 chopped finely together. After they are 

 collected the frames are pushed in place 

 or the doors are shut and the flocks are 

 left for the night. 



The next morning when the poultry- 

 man comes, he first opens the coop door 

 and places in the runs the trays with 

 about two teaspoonfuls of hard boiled 

 egg freshly chopped with rolled oats and 

 lettuce or dandelion. The old hen eats 

 some of it, but the poults get as much as 

 is good for them and later the mother 

 has her whole corn. At eleven o'clock 

 they are fed with about two teaspoon- 

 fuls of chick grain, at two with bread 

 and milk and at five with egg mixture. 

 The young poults imitating the hen now 

 peck actively at the board tray and now 

 and then pick a mouthful from the beak 

 of the mother hen. Not much is left 

 when the trays are collected. The third 

 day of feeding passes much like the 



second; the poults now run about their 

 enclosure and begin to -scratch in the 

 grass and gravel. 



On the fourth day of feeding the care- 

 taker comes in the morning as usual, but 

 does not come at eleven. He is there at 

 noon, however, and again at about four- 

 thirty in the afternoon when more bread 

 and milk is given and all the poults put. 

 into the coop for the night. 



Apparently on this day the young birds 

 have had only three feedings, one of 

 chopped egg and greens, one of chick 

 grain and one of bread and milk. After 

 this the poultryman never comes more 

 than three time a day to feed the poults. 

 Sometimes he feeds them bread and milk, 

 sometimes egg, oats and green food finely 

 chopped, sometimes grain and sometimes 

 nothing but a handful of rolled oats. 

 But at about the end of the first week, 

 he may frequently be seen to stand, 

 watch in hand, while the young birds 

 eat; and the wooden trays are seldom 

 before them for more than three minutes 

 at each feeding. Now and then he 

 throws into the tray with the grain, or 

 into the grass, a small amount of fine 

 grit. Fresh water in shallow dishes is 

 always before them. 



When the birds are about seven or 

 eight days old, if the day is pleasant the 

 door of the brooder run is opened and 

 with the old hen, they are given their 

 liberty. They do not wander far, and 

 return to their supper tray in the late 

 afternoon. They are then shut up for, 

 the night. After this, on each pleasant 

 day, when the dew is ofif the grass, they 

 are allowed to run and the hen gradually 

 takes them,, further and further afield, 

 but always comes back to the same coop 

 at evening. The young ones, however, 

 sometimes lose their mother, or suddenly 

 find themselves in the midst of another 

 family. Sometimes these changes are 

 accepted philosophically by the poults, 

 but at other times a lost poult will peep 

 vociferously until his proper mother is 

 found or until he is taken to his own' 

 house. 



After the first ten or twelve days of 

 feeding, the chopped egg may be left 

 out of their diet which is now limited to 

 chick grain, rolled oats, green food and 



