124 
EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN. 
away a lot of eggs unless certain that they have been spoiled. Test 
about the 7th and again the 12th day to remove the infertile eggs and 
the dead germs. With a little practice one will soon learn to test 
rapidly. Cool the eggs once a day after the second day and until the 
18th. Turn twice a day during the same period. It is a matter of con¬ 
siderable interest to know that the hen turns the eggs frequently and 
moves them about in the nest. After the 18th day do not open the 
incubator until the hatch is over, then remove the shells and eggs that 
have not hatched. 
BROODING. 
FOOD FOR CHICKS. 
Neither naturally nor artificially incubated chicks should be fed 
until forty-eight hours old, when they may be given a mixture of two 
parts rolled oats and one part hard boiled eggs, chopped fine, including 
the shells. Or they may be fed two parts dry or stale bread and one 
part hard boiled egg. "if the bread is not perfectly sweet it may be 
toasted, in fact, it is a good plan to toast the bread anyway. A little 
burnt or scorched bread is often found beneficial in cases of bowel trou¬ 
ble. Another ration could be made of one part granulated milk, two 
parts bran and one part corn meal. If sweet skim milk is obtainable 
they may be fed the bran and meal dry and given milk to drink. A great 
many different mixtures are used in starting chicks, but hard boiled 
eggs, mixed with some meal or ground food is usually considered the 
best ration for the first few meal’s. 
Some do not use the dry mash just described, but prefer a scratch 
food instead. The scratch food, for the first few days, may consist of 
the following mixture, viz. : one part millet seed, one part kaffir corn, 
two parts finely cracked wheat, two parts finely cracked corn, and two 
parts pin head oats. A number of somewhat similar foods are on the 
market and generally give satisfaction. The scratch food is fed in a 
thin litter at first, which is gradually increased as the chicks are en¬ 
abled to secure the food, until it is about four or five inches deep. 
NATURAL BROODING. 
If the chicks are to be raised with hens a supply of small coops will 
be needed. The common inverted V-shaped coop is quite satisfactory 
in warm weather, or even in cold weather, if it is placed in a sheltered 
location, or in a shed. The sides forming the roof of this coop should 
be two feet in length at the peak and three feet long from the peak 
to the ground on the slope and the angle where the two meet should 
be about 75°. The back should be boarded up tight. The front should 
be boarded down about one-third of the way from the top and the re¬ 
mainder slatted. This is probably the most common coop in use in 
this country. 
Another very good coop for hens with chicks in cool weather, con- 
