The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-07-16
Timely Points About Chickens.

For the first month they should be vel.
fed, every day, and their allowance should
have been mostly thoroughly cooked food
Stale bread crumbs, pounded crackers,
broken rice, and hard boiled eggs, are
the best articles that can be given then
during this early period-for the reason
that all these things are easily digestlble.
They eat but very little, while at this ten
der age, anyway-and the best is the
least costly in the end Thus, so far as
true economy is to be considered, these
articles will prove the most desirable, and
the most profitable to the young stock.
At from one to four months old, chicks
grow rapidly, if we'll attended to. We
have found the better plan to be, at least
until the young birds are two months old
past, to continue the above style of feed
ing half the time, and alternate their dali
~ allowance with good dry mash of
boiled potatoes and corn meal in the
morning, mixed in equal parts Twice
a week, until they can get to the ground
and forage for insect food, we give the
young birds a meal Of finely chopped
cooked coarse meat-which helps their
growth, wonderously. In no case do we
feed raw meat. And we have found this
rule a good one, in our own experience.
By April or May, the chicks will have
come to be from two, to two and half
months old. If they are of the larger va
rleties, such as the Cochins or Brahmas,
they will not have begun to feather we'll,
but they will be Of goodly size. If in
tended for ''spring brothers, now is the
time to feed them generously in order
that at three to four mouths of age thew
may put on sufficient flesh to render them
presentable for the market. If designed
tor breeders of "fancy stock" in the future,
range should be provided for them and
they will quickly commence to forage for
portion OF their daily living, to good ad-
vantage, IN any pasture ground that they
can have access to.
Green food is in order, as soon as the
tender young grass and heritage starts.
A substitute for this is found in lettuce
or cabbage leaves finely chopped, and fed
to the chickens before the former is avail
able. Not too much of the latter, how
ever, lest it scour the young birds. And
we believe they are better off without any
''chandlers' scraps or other fatty sub
stances, until they are four to six months
old. Ground bone or little fine bone
meal mixed with their cooked corn meal
feed is very nourishlng.
At all times we should avoid giving
young chicks wet, sloppy mush, made up
OF raw meal and cold water. Nothing
that can be served to them will so quick
ly or more certainly bring on diarrhea
among them. And once this disease gets
hold Of your little flock, they will die like
rotten sheep; and you cannot prevent
this fatality, Never give them food, in
their. young days, that is not cooked Cor
scalded, thoroughly and so far as it is
convenient, supply them with milk at first
instead of water
Thus you may rear good chickens,
healthily and successfully-and at a
given age they will be harder in consti-
tuition, heavier in weight, larger in size,
and thriftier in every way, than by any
method we have ever tried.-Toaon and
Country.