"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!"