200 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ave., 1901. _ 
daily supply of food and water. As the hen leaves her nest at least once a day 
to search for food, to take exercise, &c., care is taken to put her food and 
water within reach of the nest, in order that the time that she is off the eggs 
may be materially shortened. 
RAISING AND FEEDING. 
When the young bird is hatched it retains in its body part of the yolk of 
the egg from which it was produced, which suffices to nourish it for the first 
twenty-four hours, during which period only warmth is required, which is 
furnished either by the mother hen or must be afforded by a warm cloth, in 
ease of the necessity of awaiting the hatching of the rest of the brood. 
The food first given can be varied, but must be made up of ingredients 
containing large quantities of nitrogen, as this is required for the formation of 
the tissues. It is necessary, in fact, that the food should be composed of 
matter resembling in character an egg, together with milk. It is customary to 
mix the food with eggs, milk, and the blood of earth worms, field worms, and that 
of a’commoner variety of fish ; also to introduce, for the formation of bone, 
certain quantities of phosphate of lime found in grain and flour. In the 
early days flour should be given, on account of the facility of its digestion, 
grain being substituted therefor as the birds begin to gather strength. Wheat 
flour is generally used. The grain given is wheat, rice, millet, buckwheat, and | 
corn, raw or cooked. Cooked potatoes are also often given as a change of 
diet. It is customary to vary the grain diet as much as possible, and to 
frequently administer it mixed. The food ordinarily employed is made up as 
follows :—Hard-boiled eggs and wheat flour are mixed in milk, a little water 
being added. To this paste is added a small onion finely cut up, together with 
lettuce when green food is scarce. The mixture is ordinarily quite stiff, as too 
moist food is considered harmful for the young brood. After the first few days 
a small quantity of whole grain is mixed into the paste, but if rapid develop- 
ment is desired the simple paste should be continued alone. 
Great care is taken to keep the young brood ina dry, warm locality, 
which precaution, together with the proper food, prevents inflammation of the 
intestines and like troubles. As a rule the birds are confined on wet days, and 
allowed to run about as much as possible only in fine, sunny weather. In 
winter a more generous diet is given to enable them to withstand the cold. 
The daily ration of grain for the fowls is from 24 oz. to 38 oz. \@ 
_ RATS IN THE POULTRY YARD. 
The systematic raid upon rats which has been made in Brisbane by the 
municipal authorities has proved a boon to those who rear poultry in the city 
and suburbs. Still, there is occasionally trouble with these ubiquitous rodents 
when young chickens are plentiful. From an English exchange we take some 
notes which may be of value to poultry-owners :— 
-It is next to impossible to entirely escape loss, and when a rat manages to 
get at the chickens he does considerable damage, owing to his habit of kullin 
all he can, though one or two victims content his appetite. It is this lust of 
killing, and his amazing cleverness in avoiding trapping or capture, that render 
him so formidable an enemy to the poultry yard. Elaborate traps are useless, 
but the ordinary iron spring trap often used to catch rabbits are sometimes 
successful. 
Suppose rats’ footprints are discovered round a chicken coop when visited 
in the morning, the trap should be set the same evening after the coop is shut 
up for the night. It should be sunk in the ground on the path the rat has 
traversed, lightly covered with earth, and a little chicken food sprinkled over. 
The trap should be handled with gloved hands, as the rats’ scent is abnormally 
keen; and, if set with skill and its presence concealed effectually, the rat not 
infrequently walks in the same night. 
