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"S?srw-. Jipujpjifmivmii. N"-
IIOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
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Profitable Business of Poultry Raising in Amer
Proper breeding, hatching and
brooding of chicles nro most im
portant, but tho bost flock over
produced may bo ruined by un
intelligent feeding during tho
first month. Wlint, how and
when to feed baby chicks Is the
(hemo of tho following timely and
pr.icllcul coiitributioti.
WJ1I3N a chick emerges from tho
shell it is an Insignificant lit
mmm llo creature, weak and help
less, of llttlo value. Hut when wo
remember that tho llttlo chicks aro
our future laying or market birds,
that their futuro usefulness is large
ly determined by tho caro they rc
eolvo In early life, wo rcallzo how
Important it is that they bo properly
fed and managed to tho end that they
may bo ablo to do their best work for
us at maturity.
It pays to "fuss" with tho chicks.
The old ndago "as tho twig Is bent
the trco Is Inclined" applies with
great forco hero. Wo can glvo tho
joungstcrs a husky start which
means profltablo maturity, or wo can
stunt them and thus prevent them
from ever boing of much account.
Tho feeds and feeding methods
used during the brooding period aro
most Important. It is not necessary
for tho chlck-growor to porscss a pro
found knowledge of chemistry In or
der to successfully mix his chick ra
tion, but ho should uso u reasonable
amount of common sense, study tho
problem and adopt thoso tested meth
ods which best fit into his general
plan of poultry plant management.
The Old-Timc l'luii.
Some ono may say that it is pos
hible to raise mighty good chicks on
absurdly simple rations and point to
tho mlxturo of cornmcal and wntor
which Is so commonly used as tho
staple chick food in tho country dis
tricts. But circumstances alter cases. On
the general farm whero such feeding
Methods aro most in vogue, tho
chicks are usually hatched rather
late la the Spring after Insect llfo
baa become abundant and thcro Is
plenty of fresh, tender green stuff.
Ai a rule tho chicks aro cared for by
hens and are given their liberty, wan
dering at will about tho farm build
ings and grounds, finding n great
amount of food of many kinds. Un
der such conditions It is posslblo to
raise very good chicks on cornmcal
"dough." Tho writer has dono this.
Dut when chicks nro reared In
largo numbers, especially whero tho
yarding system is used, they aro pro-
vonteu from rinding much rood and
tho nttondant must sunnlv virtually
everything thoy need. If there is any
failure here, if tho ration Is incom
plete or ono-sldod, proper growth
nnd even development will hardly
follow.
Growing chicks need plenty of
iooii, sinco scanty reeding is respon
sible for Blow growth. Their ration
should Includo grains In variety,
mineral mnttor, anlmnl food nnd suc
culent greens. Duo regard should bo
given tho proper proportions of ench
class of ingredients, tho Idea being
to supply materials for building mus-
eio, bono nnd feathers. Further, tho
ration should bo palatablo nnd In
such physical form that tho young
ntcrs can cat it readily and digest it
nulckly nnd thoroughly. Each of
theso points has a decided bearing
upon results.
Among tho grains, tho most vain
nhlo aro corn, whont and oats, to
gether with their by-products, as
nran, middlings, gluten, etc. Millet.
peas, rice, knflr corn nnd other
grnlns nro also useful to a certain
ctxent.
llono In somo form, grcon cut,
granulated or flnolv ground., fur
nishes tho material for building the
bKoirton. rinciy crushed oyster shell
Is also commonly used, and grit lu a
necessity.
Hoof scrap, fish scrap, meat meal,
blood meal, granulated milk and
skim mill: nro till useful nulnml
foods. In somo sections whero hearts
nnd livers of meat nnlmals aro avail
able at low prices, theso nro oxten
hlvoly used, being thoroughly boiled
and chopped beforo feeding.
Tho greens nro fed primarily for
their tonic offect upon'tho dlgcatlvo
system, as thoy contain but compara
tively small amounts of nutrients.
KiTsh green grass or clover, let
twp, rape, sprouted wheat or oatH
nro nil excellent. Theso should bo
cut Into short lengths and fed beforo
becoming wilted or heated.
Cracked mid Ground Grains.
Somo few poultrymen feed tho
grain portion of tho ration in the
whole nnd cracked forms exclusively,
but tho accepted practice Is to sup
ply a purt of It in a mixture of meals
and by-products. This mash mix
ture may bo given either dry or
moist. In many cases It is baked in
"Johnny cakes," which nro crumbled
and fed dry or dampened with water
or milk,
It is an acknowledged fact that
more rapid growth can bo secured
through tho uso of tho moist mash,
but there Is greater danger of bring
ing on dlgcstlvo disturbances than
whon the dry mash syBtom of feed
ing Is used. Broiler growers who
forco their chicks anU soil them nt
an early age, uso tho moist mash
quite generally, but in tho caso of
thoso who carry their birds to ma
turity tho dry mash system is gener
ally preferred. Elthor will provo on-
tlrcly satisfactory If properly used.
Fortunately, for tho convonlcnco
of poultry producers, thcro aro a
number of very satisfactory proprie
tary chick feeds on tho markot.
Theso Includo cracked grain mix
tures, mnsh mixtures nnd growing
feeds. Tho former may bo had for
both baby chicks and thoso which
aro partially grown, tho dlftcronco
being in 1110 degrco 01 fineness.
In ninny cases theso feeds can bo
purchased at a lower cost than sim
ilar homo-mixed feeds of tho samo
kind can bo made, especially whoro
small quantities aro used. When
buying tho poultryman should not
bo influenced solely by price. Baby
chicks cat bo llttlo that a fow cents'
dlfferenco on each bag of feed is of
trifling moment. Quality should be
tho first consideration at all times.
Avoid thoso feeds which contain
heated or moldy grain, weed seeds
and other trnsh, or nro loaded with
grit. Uso such as nro proporly
screened and contain a variety of
clean, Bound, sweet grains.
Satisfactory Chick Nations.
To thoso who wish to preparo their
chick feeds tho following mixtures
may bo recommended. Theso havo all
been thoroughly tested nnd havo
given very general satisfaction:
Itntion Xo. J.
Scratch crnln (finely cracked and
sifted)
Pounds.
Cracked wheat 15
Cracked corn 15
Plnhcad oats 10
Cracked peas 3
Hrokcn rlco 3
Millet seed 3
Mash mixture (finely ground, thor
oughly mixed)
PoundB.
Cornmcal -. 10
Wheat bran 20
Wheat middlings 10
round oats, allied 10
Qluton feed G
Flno beef or fish scrap 10
Itntion No. 8.
Scratch grain Pounds.
Cracked wheat 25
Cracked corn 20
Plnhcad oats 20
Cracked peas C
Millet cod C
Moderately flno beef or fish scrap.. 'C
MaBh mixture
Wheat bran 10
Cornmeal 5
Qround oatn, sifted 5
Gluten feed 2
Wheat middlings 3
Flno beet or fish scrap C
Obviously it is Important thnt tho
grains bo cracked flno so tho bnby
chicks may eat them readily. After
a fow weeks wholo wheat and ordi
nary cracked corn may bo used and
something of a paving Hum effected.
Thcro aro ns many dlfforcnt
methods of feeding ns thcro aro feed
mixtures. Tho writer has had oxcol
lcnt success through following tho
plan outlined below: t
Supply no feed of nny kind until
tho chicks nro nt least 3C to 4 8 hours
old. Too early feeding may bring on
a train of evils.
Shortly beforo tho chick biunks
ica
tho shell and tnmi,i. -J
world it absorbs into h TV 'Sto tti
portion of the yolk JfM0 thi
nrnvlnnow i.".. ,01K. Which I,.. .
given.' v" UUioro her tm I
Thn tirct ..i ...
small amount of tho cirW 0l
mixture, oatmeal orr oEflw
bread crumbs mixed Ah l,,it
amount of hard-boiled il a ,ttH
this glvo a llttlo nnocnfff- J
oyster sholl. chlck Grit ct
.tXf Wffi.lrit.w
Borous in tho case 0 Thlck."?
aro permitted to become uL
foro feeding. Under snrt, . g,'r
thoy frequently fUtK fC?Uots
Intestines with the st nJ rw
and considerable mffigf fe
chSrin'tffk&'LSo
tunlty to partako of tWrM
two. It often happens tS If
stronger Individuals w 11 hult !
nnd cat and then If the food taS
moved tho more backward onViin
no opportunity to secure food 8
tho next meal is served. m
Feed Chicks Itcgularlr
Affnt n .loir n- I .. .
may occur nt regular Interval, if
quantity sufficient to glvo cart Teh!
a reasonable amount, always ml
ing tho danger of overfeeding. Few
'L1!'" m
. :: ', ",v,. "" . ?.r ". . a?.m
,a i.iuuuuij auiiviiur io sweet mills
its effect upon tho chicks. It i$ Mi.
lor to bo sure that tho milk It ii.
WnVB DAtIM MlMH tti-t II .
nu,a quui mini mill II 1 aiKltl
sweet, and tho lactic acid In the tow
milk is a great aid In ovcrcomltt
tho dreaded whlto diarrhea which i
tho causo of tho untimely death cl
such a vast number of chicks under
threo wcokB of ago.
It thcro Is a sufficient supply c
(Concluded on I'art i
9 - -- m -4
COMMON PHYSICAL IJLEMISHES OF POULTRY.
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jro mo rowj ror ewicuy utility use as tho "aqulrrel-tall" hut all aro objcctlonal
mens of most breeds and would eauao the faulty specimen to bo disqualified In
jioiiUrymen, particularly fanciers, refrain from using In their brcedlnjr pens all blr
foots, since In moat caies theso aro inheritable. Tho defects which debar from si
i..JiV ii" ff'iS1 cr'ully br "ocks of fowls occasional tpoclmens will be found which aro pl'jileillr
iuiprieci. ootno or tne tnoro common hlrmluli nm imicn nhu p.hj. . ,. ,in . .mi.ri!v in.
Juro the fowl for strictly utility use as tho "aqulrrel-tall" hut all aro objcctlonablo In exhibition pd-
In tho showroom, carom
birds which show such if
ahnn'HAnhi fAllin 1 1 ( Ifltl tft
,... . MU.... " -"" .... .....vi. v UUHl liiuniuvm VV....
1. S'lppc.d,T'ln.';T"Tv,n.K not 'oldod closely or held In correct position. Indicates weakness or Injury
.1 ". r,y.i . . f0.wl" .may ,nrow th"r tnl1 t0 on" side occasionally, but when It remains In tills pod
tlon at nil times It la due to malformation of the body.
3. Squirrel tall Tall held eo high that it Inclines toward head, projecting beyond n perpendicular
lift Commit S?nHnlutmtr flock" ' A "" aiS(lullfIcatl" ' "r " ,h8 Us""L'
oh.erV,d'K! ftnJ Ut,Uty f0W,S- Mr Mn,BW,r
a innr0?imW.inL,Jd top. which should extend hack of tho "foot, carried forward. , .
mi; ?iPv.,i.h.. !SI? c?i"k lPPlnS over Instead of standing uprljfht. A show ilUquallflcntloa la
"tSu, uM.ei' ehi,5;v!,,n ij. c o'Jfedlterranoan and Dorklnt; fonalei. This condition often occur.
iticngth a?o Restored. condlllon' the comb rottirnlnB to lis normal position when health ana
?M'fii,iiB!inM,'sn,iii0,lL!.i!'.Vnl,mar.!J ,n comb- wrlnklrd earlobcs nnd-wattles. Exhibition Ueferti.
ii CroiEllMm'ait"..0,?- Siltt 0t COmb- Khow disqualification In nil slnglccomb varlctlc.
Cross bill A most atrlous himu.
offSr.XWSKi V.dAt?5if.7rMe! ca'.'t h Illustrated
,. ...., uu uvicGieu uy nananng tlio birds,
cnioHed breasts.
Among thorn aro crooked backs wd
n"leead1'?arrie?lJUd1?e?h2 rM,CU,aI t0 Iook for Btu,' r "mall feathers on tho legs and toes of
llfle-f. ar,etle8- he aro found, or evidence that they havo been removed, tho specimen Is dl-
fou'7nSstnrknowVVheQnra,h!C.a!.nS;Vnr,ylnP ,VUh ,,,e blJ and "" T" "'!or r
ion is must Know all these or hi. chance of wlnnlnc prlxew will be very email.
view
qualified
fsner
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