POULTRY RAISING. 
125 
sists of a house three feet six inches by four feet two inches. It should be 
three feet high in front and two feet six inches in the rear. Hinge the 
front side on as a door which should have a light in it; then board the re¬ 
mainder tight and cover with building paper. The hen ma} r be confined in 
a crate within and the floor covered with fine litter. This will prevent the 
hen covering the chicks with chaff when scratching. As soon as the 
chicks are a week old the crate can be removed as the chicks will then 
be active enough to keep out of the way. 
Early chicks can often be kept in an unused stable or building that 
is well lighted. A fairly constant temperature aids growth and thus 
gives more satisfactory results. Later in the season, after the cold 
winds and rains are over, place the hen and chicks in a small coop out 
of doors. The coops may be used without floors unless rats are trouble¬ 
some, in which case they will need perfectly solid floors. The coop 
should be moved every day or two to prevent killing the grass under it, 
and secure clean premises. 
If hawks and crows are troublesome, a run can be made in front of 
each coop, using inch mesh wire netting when the danger is great. If 
the danger of loss from this source is not serious use a two-inch mesh 
netting to allow the chicks to go through and forage outside. The runs 
should be moved to fresh ground every few days. 
A barrel may be converted into coop for housing a hen and her chicks. 
Dig a hole in the ground large enough to admit one-third of the barrel. 
Then place the barrel on its side in the hole and put the earth in it, 
even with or slightly above that outside. The head should be left intact 
in one end. Remove the other end and drive stakes in the ground before 
the opening two inches apart, thus confining the hen and allowing 
the chicks to pass through. Packing boxes may be used in various ways 
if covered with building paper, but in general it will be found more 
satisfactory to build good, substantial coops which can be used for sev¬ 
eral years. 
ARTIFICIAL BROODING. 
If chicks are to be reared artificially the brooder should be heated for 
three or four days before it is to be used. In this way it is dried thor¬ 
oughly and put in good working order before the chicks are entrusted to 
it. Cover the floor of the brooder with fine sand and then with clean 
chaff or finely chopped straw. Clean, sweet hay chaff is excellent for 
this purpose as the little chicks usually find a great many grass and 
weed seeds which make excellent food for the first few days. 
Care should be exercised not to feed the chicks too heavily at first. 
This is especially true of brooder chicks, which seem to be lonesome, 
and will come to meet you every time you go near them. Feel their 
crops occasionally and if they are not empty withhold food until they 
are nearly so. Ordinarily young chicks should be fed five times a day, 
and then only what they will clean up quickly. If any mash food is 
left at the end of fifteen minutes it should be removed. If too much 
scratch food is fed at one time be careful to withhold the next feed until 
the chicks are real hungry. Over feeding or any thing tending to de¬ 
range the digestive tract may result in serious losses. Keep a constant 
supply of clean, fresh water and plenty of grit in the form of sharp 
sand, or broken rock. Charcoal also proves very beneficial when added 
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