The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-06-28
The Little Chicks.
IF. J.. Marshall in Ohio Farmer.l

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There is great mortality among little
chicks caused by different things and
4 combination Of circumstances. Many
of these causes can be avoided when
one knows what they are, but that is
where the trouble often lies, in not
being able to find out what the cause
is. Much trouble is caused by igno-
rance on the part of attendants and
still more through carelessness. And
then there are others who cause much
loss Of their flock by being too careful,
or in other words, they keep their
chicks too closely cooped. 1 know of
some farmers who are SO afraid of their
chicks getting the gapes that they keep
them in coops on the barn floor until
they get leg weakness and lousy and
die off by the dozen before they can
tell what the trouble is. Others 90 to
the other extreme and let their chicks
run at liberty at all times, and as
consequence lose many if not a majority
of all they hatch, from the gapes. A
kind of happy medium is what we
would advise. Have good roomy coops
for your hens and chickens and every
night close the front Of the coop, and
keep them in an hour or two in the
morning, or until the dew is off the
grass, when | would let the smallest
chicks out and keep the mother in
until the chicks are at least a week
old those older let out, hen and all,
and try to encourage them in hunting
for their living as much as possible.
If you have yard with very little if
any grass in it, you can let your chicks
out much earlier in the morning than
in great grassy plats. Nothing will
develop the gapes in young chicks
quicker than to let them run out in
the deep, wet, cold grass in the morn
ing trying to keep up with the mother
hen, who seems bent on giving them
good airing. With these conditions
and a plentiful supply of sloppy raw
corn meal scattered all over foul and
tainted grounds they will, as a rule,
naturally cape out before you know
it.
Another source Of much trouble is
in crowdng too many into one coop
with a single hen. Twenty-Five to
thirty are often thus crowded together
and cause sickness, sometimes in one
form and sometimes in another. Often,
if everything happens to 90 just right,
they pass through without trouble but
it does not pay to run the risk. Many
brooder is the greatest ofdeath traps,
causing diarrhoea, and often when this
sets in it can not be stopped until the
last chick is dead. l believe that fifty
is enough to put in any brooder, how
ever large, and twenty the limit for
single hen. l usually try to set two
hens at one time and if they hatch
from 8 to 10, which is about an aver
age, put them with one hen and
either break up the other hen or reset
her.
AS precaution against lice on the
little chicks, grease the mother slightly
with fresh lard on the keel bone and
under the wings, but do not mix coal
oil with it. It is unnecessary and
sometimes Injuries the chicks eyes, as
sulphur will also. Use no grease of
any kind on the hen while sitting. Use
sulphur, or what is better, get dimes
worth of insect powder of your drug
gist and make a sitter by taking an
empty baking powder can and punch
ing the lid full of small nail holes.
Sift the nest we'll and the hen in feath-
ers OF the back and fluff +; or what is
still better where it is at hand, a few
stems of tobacco in the bottom of the
nest is project protection. Ofcourse
fresh ones must be provided when re-
setting hens, as they will finally lose
their strength. Sometimes they are
taken when very dry and pounded up
fine, witch makes it convenient for
use. A handful is then sprinkled into
the straw as we make up the nest.
The egg tester is quite convenience,
find. For example, you set four
hens at one time. When they have
passed the eighth day test them, and
quite frequently all the fertile eggs can
be put under three hens and the fourth
one receive fresh eggs. Those tested
out as not fertile can be cooked and
fed to little chicks, mixed with bread
crumbs.
am confident l am not telling any,
thing new this time to many of you,
but if put some on the right road,
who have not had the experience YOU
have had and cause others to wake up
to the knowledge that is within them.
shall be we'll repaid.