The record-union., 1891-02-09
FARM AND ORCHARD.
Forty-Two Important Points in
Chicken Raising.
Cleanliness In Butter Making-wood
and Coal Ashes-straight Talk
Changing Eggs-wheat Roots-Farm
Notes

SnangluS GSSS w no<'e ANoe
Notes.
P. ii. Jacobs, well-known editor and
poultry writer, condenses in forty-tWo
points an epitome of chicken lore, which
will be interesting. These are as follows:
If the chicks do not come out of the eggs
until the twenty-second day, or longer, 1t
indicates that the temperature OF the egg
drawer was too low. They should begin
to pip on the twentieth day.
If they begin to come out on the eight
eenth day it indicates that the average
temperature was too high.
If chicks come out weak it indicates
either too high or too low temperature, or
that the eggs were from immature pullets
or overfat hens.
Give no food for thirty-six hours after
the chicks are hatched.
They should then be fed every two
hours until one week old. After that
time feed them four times day until
month old; then three times day will
suffice.
Keep little box of ground charcoal,
one of clean, ground bone, and one of
small, sharp flint before them, and plenty
OF coarse, sharp sand on the floor; also
box of ground oyster shells, as grit. But
in recommending these substances it may
be stated that any kind of sharp, small
grit will do.
The first feeding may be of rolled oats
(dried slightly on the stove if the weather
is damp rubbed between the hands to
crumble it. The rolled Tor fake oats are
ready prepared, cooked, and can be had
OF any. grocer, being the prepared oat-
meal for instantaneous preparation of
oatmeal cruel. Feed this TO the chicks
dry. Stale bread moistened with milk
may also be given.
On the third day after beginning to feed,
vary the food by giving the rolled oats
one meal and prepared cake the next.
The prepared cake is made by using equal
parts of bran, ground corn and oats (corn
and oats are usually ground together) and
middlingS (shipStu1f) J, which should be
salted to season it, Intimately mixed, and
cooked in pan in the stove oven. Sift
the corn and oats first, and feed the
coarse parts to the fowls. II fresh milk
can be had, the food may be mixed with
1t before cooking; if not, use water.
Crumble the cake fine when feeding. 1t
should be fed dry.
Ground meat is sometimes used for
chicks, but results show that too much of
1t causes bowel disease. If piece of lean
meat be cooked to pieces Tor chopped fine
after cooking) and fed twice week, it
will be sufficient. A gill of linseed meal
to every quart of the dry mixture (for
making the prepared cake) given once a
week, will be sufficient.
Alter the hrst week any Kind OF food,
such as mashed potatoes, cooked turnips,
crumbled bread of any kind, or any
wholesome food, will be of advantage.
When ten days old the rolled oats may
be omitted, and wheat one day and
cracked corn the next may be used. Be
gin to teach chicks to eat wheat and
cracked corn early by sprinkling little
on the floor about tablespoonful daily
after they are week old.
Young chicks do not eat much at
time, but they eat often. Do not omit
meal. Feed at regular hours.
After the chicks are three weeks old the
cake may be omitted, the food being
scalded instead, but the quantity of bran
should be reduced one-half.
Bran is indigestible if fed raw, and
sometimes causes bowel disease; but if
cooked or well scalded, so as to soften it,
the bran makes good food, as it largely
abounds in the phosphates, being the best
bone-torming element that can be given.
chick must not be even dampened.
Water should be given in a manner that
only the beak OF the chick can become
wet The chicks must not be allowed to
tread in the water. Dampness is fatal.
Get some fresh stone lime. slack it with
boiling water, then make a quantity of
lime water. Keep it in a jug, corked.
To every quart OF drinking water add a
gill of lime water.
If the chicks appear weak or have weak
legs, from rapid growth, put teaspoon
full of citrate of iron and ammonia Ia
solid in each quart of water.
young chick is naked like babe just
born, the down being no protection,
hence everything depends on plenty of
heat. Better have the brooder too hot
than too cold. If the chicks are with hens
mn ICf how a xx-ar fferhf rAlo
hen cannot raise chicks in winter any
better than can be done artifcially, as it
is not her natural period of the year for so
doing.
No thermometer is needed in the
brooder, or under the hen. If the chicks
need more warmth. When they shove
their heads out of the sides of the brooder,
or from under the hen, the heat is just
right Whenever the chicks do not sleep
near the edges of the brooder, but get as
close to each other as possible, give more
heat.
When the chicks show signs of leg
weakness, have clogging of the vent, and
bowel disease results, there is a lack of
warmth in the brooder, especially at
night. The night is when the chicks
meet with the greater number of diff
culties.
When chicks have leg weakness, and
the floor of the brooder is very warm, the
cause is too much bottom heat. Bottom
heat is excellent for chicks until they are
week old, but after that time there
should be only warmth enough on the
hoor not to have the floor cold All
warmth should come over the chicks.
They feel the warmth on the back with
more satisfaction than on any other Dor
ton of the body.
When the chicks have good appetites.
but have leg weakness, the chicks moving
on their knees, but otherwise appearing
lively, 1t denotes rapid growth and is not
necessarily fatal
Feed the chicks on clean surfaces or in
little troughs; never leave food to ferment
Clean off the brooders and floors daily
Keep dry earth in the corner of the brood
house for the chicks to dust in.
When you see the chicks busy and
scratching 1t is sign of thrift.
single night may ruin all. Never let
the brooder become cold for an hour.
Once the chicks get chilled they never
fully recover.
When the chicks seem to be continually
crying. 1t means more warmth needed
The warmth is more important than the
food.
If the chicks are stupid, drowsy, con-
tlnually cry, or have fits, look on the
heads and neckS and under the wings for
the large lice. Also examine for the little
red mites.
Never feed raw cornmeal to very younp
chicks. Crumbled stale bread is always
good for them
Clover hay, cut very fine and stepped in
bol!lng water over night, and sprinkled
with cornmeal slightly, fed three times a
week, is excellent, but unless it is ex-
-