Feeding-, Rearing-, and Management of Chickens. 
53 
should not exceed 84 or 85 degrees Fahr. The chickens have ingress and egress through a small door 
placed in front of the nestling-chamber, and leading out into a wired-in run provided ; they quickly 
learn where the requisite warmth may be obtained. The lamp is situated at one end, and enclosed in a 
wind and rain-proof covering, which allows the mother to be used in the open air. The ventilation to 
the lamp is perfectly secured, so that no smoke or flicker can possibly take place. The outlet for the 
surplus heat of the lamp is provided by a cap over the top, which conducts the hot air up through the 
roof, over which is also provided a cap, to prevent the wind blowing down and extinguishing the lamp. 
This Foster-mother can be easily and quickly moved about, and the chickens are kept under quite as 
healthy conditions as if reared by hens. 
A well-known and highly successful Fancier, with many years' experience, supplies the following notes 
on chicken-rearing and feeding. He states : " Young chickens require systematic and careful feeding ; 
until they are at least five weeks old they should be fed not less than five times per day. The first meal 
should be given at daybreak. Young chickens require no food for twenty-four hours after they are 
hatched. Their first food can be dry, stale bread crumbs ; if the bread is very stale it may be moistened 
with milk, but all surplus moisture must be squeezed out. An excellent feed is made of equal quantities 
of cornmeal and ground oats, to which one-third of good pollard has been added. Mix them thoroughly 
together while dry, then add a little lard, a little salt and soda, a fresh egg, and milk enough to make a 
dough the right consistency for making bread. Bake this in a slow oven until thoroughly done, letting 
it become well browned on the top before taking it out. The centre of such a loaf will be just right to 
crumble for ceding the young chicks ; the top crust will be too hard to crumble, but can be moistened 
with milk, as recommended with stale bread. Variety is needed in feeding the young chickens, and 
food of a nature that will give proper nourishment should be selected. The youngsters are compelled to 
grow flesh, bone, muscle, and feathers all at the same time. This is a great strain on the system, and 
when you see a lot of scrawny young chickens in a brood you may safely conclude that their diet has 
been an improper one, and has lacked some of the essentials. Table scraps may be utilised for the 
chicks, and they contain much variety that is needed ; when the chickens are fed a variety diet there 
need be no fear of getting them too fat. It is a matter of astonishment what an amount of food growing 
chickens will consume. They need a little at a time, but require that little often if they are expected to 
go ahead and grow. It pays to feed them with good food at first, as stunted chickens will eat more food 
than the others in the same brood of the same age, and they will never do as well if neglected in their 
earlier stages. The first food that the young chicks are given should be placed on a board, over which 
clean sand has been scattered ; many chickens are lost from not having grit to properly grind their food 
with. Boiled lean meat is a good ration once each day, but do not feed them as much of the meat as 
of other foods at one time. Boiled wheat may be given as soon as they will eat it ; whole wheat, 
cracked corn, rolled oats, and all grains can be given them to partake of. If the hen is confined in a 
coop, feed the chickens outside. Do not leave food about after they have had all they require. Green 
food should be given the chickens, when the hen is cooped, at least once a day ; in the spring, or where 
the hen is allowed liberty each day to take the chickens out on the grass, no green food, beyond that 
which they can procure, will be needed. Sloppy food, such as pollard or cornmeal mixed up into a 
pasty mass is apt to produce scours ; this should be mixed with boiling water, not cold, as if they are 
fed with the latter method of mixing they will eat so much that the meal will commence to swell and 
sour in the crop, and scours will likely ensue. Never give any damaged food or grain to chicks, as in 
the end it will prove an expensive experiment. Most chicken ailments can be traced to bad or impure 
food. Slipshod or indifferent methods of feeding will invariably cause unsatisfactory results. Rest 
assured, neglect in feeding regularly and poor food will inevitably bring along in its train " poor luck," 
and if you are not successful in rearing chickens you will have yourself to blame alone." 
It is a melancholy fact that a great proportion of the chickens annually hatched never live to a 
marketable age, and this in a great measure may be distinctly traced to improper feeding, which 
