The banner-enterprise., 1883-05-17
Proper Feed for Chickens.

"A DutShCSo Nouhey I've a fS"NNs
raiser sends the following excellent
and practical article to the Countr!
Gentleman: For young chicks just
Matched use a custard made of equa
parts of eggs and milk. The young
things eat very little, and that must
be wholesome and satisfying. To
have strong, sturdy chicks, they
should remain on the nest ut least
forty-eight hours after Matching.
AS soon as all the eggs which will are
Matched, clear the nest of shells and
unmatched eggs, throw the hen off the
nest (having previously placed food
and drink within her reach), and al
low her to remain until her wants are
relieved, after which she will return
and be quitt for the forty-eight hours,
or until time to remove her, with her
brood, to the coop or building where
they are to remain until weaned. If
a steady sitter, and the eggs are all
right, the hen will hatch them out
uniformly. Long before the chicks
begin to hatch all unfertilized eggs
should have been removed from the
nest. At the end of the first twenty-four
hours | place some of the custard on
shingle in front of the nest, and the
hen, if a good mother. will call her
brood and feed them. This food is
the very best they can take, being
soft. digestible and nutritious. 1t is
nearly the same nourishment that
heretofore has supplied the growth of
the chicks. l generally arrange to
have several broods hatch at the same
time, when there is little trouble. |
feed the chicks sometimes half dozen
times day when small They do not
run at large, except in the very
warmest portion of the day, until
after several days, and if the weather
is bad, not before a week old. ! con
tinue this custard, beginning when
two or three days old, to introduce
with it cracked corn, wheat or buck
wheat, so that they may become ac-
customed to it by degrees until capable
of subsisting on it entirely. When
fed whole grain, or even meal, the
chicks must be allowed plenty of fresh
drink (water is the best and run on
the ground or where they can have
free access to gravel or coal ashes.
For green food | use chopped onion
tops if can get them. If not, l give
finely cut lettuce, fresh tender grass
OF running mallows, of which they are
very fond when in confinement. My
chicks always thrive; seldom lose
any. TO make the custard l take one
egg, well beaten, and add three table
spOonfuls of new milk and bake in
small shallow pan. This preparation
makes a custard so stiff that it will
break into humps and none is wasted, as
would be the case with softer food. 1t
is better than hard-boiled eggs. | have
used bread and milk, but it is not 50
good. One egg makes sufficient food
per day for eight or ten chicks at first,
of the small breeds. The larger breeds
of chickens can sooner be weaned off.
The expense is not great, taking into
account the nice, thrifty condition of
the fowls. They keep ahead of all dis
eases, and there is no loss if careful to
prevent accidents. They make fine
birds when grown up, and splendid
hens for egg production. With the
closest calculation it takes about a
bushel of corn per year for hen. If
other grain is used with it of course
less will be required, but all fowls for
thrift and profit must be given one
feed of corn daily. Without it they
just stop short of the desired result,
whether 1t be flesh or eggs. | feed
adult or laying fowls a soft, warm feed
in the morning, and find the quantity
of eggs increased by doing so.