Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-29
Care Of Chicks.

of these vermin will not and cannot
rest well and often leaves the nest af-
ter sitting a week or ten days. The
hen should be we'll busted with some
before setting, and again when you set
her. making it double sure all vermin
are destroyed.
l always aim to set at least two hens
| on one day so l can give both cluchs
to Ole hen when they hatch. From
ten to twelve eggs are enough for hens
of the American class. When fro.n
fifteen to twenty are put under one hen.
unless she is very large, they will all
be chilled at one time or other. Whcr
she is first put Oh the nest. only one
side of two or three eggs will be un
covered but as she turns the eags
these few will go toward the centre,
crOwding others to the outside. These
| in there turn are chilled and so on up-
| til all have been chilled and the re-
suit is 4 poor hatch and Il disappointed
poultryman.
A bushel basket will make Il cheap
| and substantial nest. Scatter d few
handfuls OF lime in the bottom to keep
| disease and vermin away. Then ill
with chaff and haysecd. if possible, as
| this makes a more compact and easier
shaped nest than either hay or straw.
| The nest is now ready for the hen and
| eggs.
| After it is dark place the eggs in the
nest. Then catch the hen and put her
on the nest. BE careful and do not
frighten her or carry her with head
| down. Place her carefully on the nest
and invert all empty bushel basket over
| her.
| When there is danger from rats keep
the basket over her until the hatch
comes off. Set the nest in warm vhed
| or outhouse where the hen can be kept
| comfortable. A stable or barn where
| stock is left is not suitable place for
| the nests, as the horses or cattle will
tramp around, jarring the eggs and
often spelling them.
The hens should be fed regularly on
easily digested food. Wheat and buck
wheat. corn meal and oat meal are
| suitable, as these are strength forming
foods. Oat meal or rolled oats are
| especially good. You will find that the
1
for their breeding and young stock.
Every other day mash composed of
boiled vegetables. such as mangles, pO-
tatoes, turnips and carrots should be
| fed. If whole milk is mixed in the
| mash no meat meal or green bone need
| be given but where this is not possible
| green bone, blood meal or meat meal
| should be added to the ration.
| Clover and alfalfa, cut fine and
| steamed. will be relished.
| Have a dust bath composed of road
| dust or sftcd coal ashes handy where
the hens will find it. This will help to
| keep the vermin off the hen and give
her much needed exercise.
The hens should be allowed off from
the nest about twenty minutes each
day When hen has set for twenty
four hours it is about time for exer-
| else.
| I have known people to keep hens on
the nest ali the time feeding and
watering them at intervals of two or
three days, but this is downright
cruelty, and any person with common
sense will agree with me- After a hen
has sat three weeks and brought out a
hatch of chicks either allow her to
raise the brood or put here in strange
coop and she will soon forget about
sitting and go to laying. If the hen
does not go back to the nest after be-
ing off twenty or twenty-five minutes
| you will have to catch her and replace
her on the nest.
| At il tervais of one week dust the hen
well with good insect powder.
| Having described my methods of set
ting and caring for the hen | will now
describe the style Of coop which have
found desirable.
a cncap substantial coop can be made
out of d packing box. Dimensions two
by two by four feet. These boxes can
be bought at grocery or clothing stores
for from five to ten cents a piece.
Cover the bottom, two ends and one
side with single ply tar pa CT, using
| either lath or the round tins which are
made especially for this work, to bat
ten it down. Place the box on the
ground with the uncovered side un-
derneath. leaving the open top for the
front of the coop Put q board par
tition crosswiSe through the center Of
the COOP making two compartments.
one for the hen and chicks at night and
the other for the chicks alone on rainy
days or wet cold mornings. Make a
frame Of Stats one by two inches. to
fit the front of the coop. Fill this
frame with one inch poultry mesh,
tightly stretched. Hinge this frame to
: the top of the box with strips of shoe
leather or small hinges. Where the
nights are inclined to be cold a curtain
of canvas or bagging can be dropped
over the entire front. Nail a lath to
the bottom of the curtain so it will not
blow up on windy nights. Now cut a
, hole through the center partition for
the chicks to pass from. one side to the
Iother and you have coop large enough
for a hen and as many chicks as she
: can cover. This coop can he carried
easily by one man. from place to place.
: Another coop which can be used for
the chickens until put into permanent
uuarters can be made out of an old
riano box. You can obtain one of
these from any furniture or piano
dealer for from seventy-fvc cents to
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