ROBERT FEEDS THE POULTRY

On his way back to the house Robert met Mrs. Spencer carrying a large tin dish full of something which looked like hasty pudding.  She turned as she saw Robert, and said pleasantly, “Do you want to help me feed the chickens?”

“I should like it very much, thank you,” said Robert, and he followed Mrs. Spencer down behind the barn, where he saw several little houses opening into small hen-yards enclosed with wire netting.

“Why do you have all these little houses besides your large hen-house?” asked Robert.

“These little yards give the hens a chance to move about and scratch for their chickens.  The old slat-coops were not half so comfortable as these.  It is better, too, that the little chickens should be kept by themselves.  They need to be fed often, and they cannot eat what the older ones like.  In this way each brood is kept with its mother.”

“Will you let me feed them?” asked Robert.

[Illustration:  Hen and chickens.]

“Yes,” said Mrs. Spencer.  “You may put a large spoonful into every yard.  It is better to give them a little at a time; then the food does not stay on the ground and get dirty and sour.”

“What is this I am giving them?” asked Robert as the chickens ran and clustered round the food.  “They seem to like it.”

“It is Indian meal, thoroughly scalded,” said Mrs. Spencer.  “Raw or slightly scalded meal is likely to do them harm.”

“Isn’t it fun to watch them!” said Robert.  “What else do chickens eat?”

“They eat a variety of things.  The first food I gave these little chicks was stale bread-crumbs wet in warm water, and I mixed with that the yolk of one hard-boiled egg.  Oatmeal would have been just as good as the bread-crumbs.  I always keep a dish of fresh water, too, in their yard.”

“What nice little houses you have for them!”

“They are good little houses, tight enough to keep out the rain and draughts, for hens and chickens must be kept warm and dry.  It is important, too, that their houses and yards and nests should be very clean.”

“My uncle said it was too much trouble to keep hens, and he sold his because they did not lay many eggs,” said Robert.

“It is a great mistake to think that we can keep animals of any kind without some trouble.  The horse, the cow, the dog, the cat, the pigs and hens, all need patient, thoughtful attention.

“If they are to be well and happy, and do the work for us that we demand of them, we must feed them well and wisely, keep them clean, give them fresh water every day, and a comfortable place to sleep in.

“Unless we are willing to do this, we have no right to keep for our pleasure any living creature.  It is selfish to expect them to do all they can for us, when we give them as little as we can in return.”