The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-28

SO she would stay contented on the nest
The second morning after the Matching,
when the sun was we'll up, each hen was
taken with her chicks and put in a
sanitary coop made of galvanized iron.
This little home was made safe every
night against the rats (Which are the
robbers and assassins of the chick worldl
by closing a slide door made of wire
screening. In the daytime a Slated door
let the chicks run out and in at will.
For two or three days the hen was fed
whole grain, and the chicks got only
fresh water to drink and little pieces of
dry bone for grit to put in their grist
mills, or "gizzards,' as these are called
Then came the feeding of the Bantams
half a dozen times a day. because the
birds breadbaslet is so tiny and needs
filling often. Oatmeal, cracked wheat,
broken rice and bread crumbs disappeared
very quickly when placed where the
chicks could get them, on the third and
fourth and following days. Hard-boiled
eggs, chopped up shells and all, bits
of meat and sl1im-millx curds helped to
balance the ration. Some fresh, tender,
crisp lettuce leaves tasted all right and
gave the babies something to do to tear
the bits off so they could be sent down
their gullets.
The yards for the chicks to run and
scratch in were very small ones, only
about six feet long and two feet wide,
but they served very well.
The growing Bantams soon shed their
downy coats and put on suits of real
feathers. In about six weeks the foster
hens weaned their broods, and the chicks
had to depend ON the boys to give them
fatherly care. The Bantams didn't grow
very large, but were fine little fellows
and as sprightly as kittens.
After the Bantam hens had laid many,
| ms nv l,rRr a h.,
boys gave them the last of their eggs to
sit on. They brought forth the best
hroods of all. You see Bantam eggs are
small and so are the chicks, and big hens
are often too large and clumsy to hatch
and brood Bantam chicks nicely.
All through the summer months the
young Bantams thrived and grew until in
the fall the cockerels and pullets were
nearly as large as the old birds.
Several chicks were lost by rats, cats
or some other enemies. but when Sep
tember was partly spend and school time
had come again. Archie had 20 little black
beauties and Mike had 33 buff elfins to
cheer them in their poultry business
The boys had made up their minds to
exhibit their feethered pets at the county
fair to be held in the town near them
They commenced to Gull out the poorer
birds and tried to select the very best
ones to show. These they began to fit
and train for the coming exhibition. They
had taken lessons in carpentry at school
and were quite handy with hammer and
saw. They made several coops like
those used in poultry shows, and in these
the best Of the Bantams were put through
their training stunts daily. These Ban
tam breeders and boosters studied the
STANDARD of Perfection" for the Bluffs
and Blacks, and culled their birds yet
more closely fast as they found any
faults in them.
Preparing for the Fair
After selecting the very best birds in
their fiocks they began 20 feed them right
10 get them of just the correct weight.
very little oil meal was fed them to
make their plummage bright and glossy.
They also fed each bird a few suniower
seeds every other day to help fit them
to win the first prize. Each boy whit
tied out a training stick about one-half
inch in thickness and IS inches long,
With the wands the trainers made the
bantams stand up like soldiers on parade
and show off their fine points to advan-
tage. The cockerels especially soon
learned to pose whenever any one came
near the training coops
The day before they were to be taken
to the show the old bantams and such of
the youngsters as weer chosen received
their finishing touches. Their feathers
We're cleaned with a sponge and damp
ened in soft, soapy water and dried with
smooth towel Their legs and toes were
scrubbed and then came a funny opera
tion--each boy took wood toothpick and
cleaned out the dirt under each scale of
the legs and toes. Next the clean, yellow
legs We're rubbed with soft flannel on
which was just little olive OIL The
combs and wattles We're touched up with
diluted vinegar. Clean, fry, chopped
straw was put in the coops and the BAN
tams were told that they must keep nice
and clean and be on their best behavior
to win the coveted ribbons.
On the opening day of he fair the
boys might have been seen driving their
Shetland pony hitched TO tiny cart con-
lining their coops of bantams bound for
the show.
The birds were duly entered recorded
and placed in the bantam row" of exhi-
bition coops. The cock birds and cock
erels couldn't contain themselves, every
thing was so new and exciting. They
al. bega nto crow Justify, ard the hens
and pullets had considerable cackling to
do at first. The boys bantams showed
th cir training. however, ir comparison
with the other birds in their class. When
the judge came along they Strengthened
up, raised their heads and seemed to say,
.'Sir, we are. ready for those blue rib
oons." Well, they got them, and sweep
stakes prizes for the flock, too. The
prizes came to three times the amount
of entry fees, and the boys were very