Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-05-03
srooder and Regular" Chicks.


hold the heat at the temperature adj
vised by the marker. Do not imagine
that you or a neighbor or a casual Wis
itor know more Of this than the manu-
facturer of the machine. 1t is usually
quite safe to follow the directions pre-
scribed by the makers; when they say
to cover the floor of the runway with
chaff, fne-cut clover or bran, do not
imagine that damp or dirty sawdust
will do as well. Encourage the chicks
to come out into the runaway and ex-
ercise. Feed just a little every hour
or oftener to encourage action; exer-
else is of untold value to them.
Never feed them In or under the
heated hover, says the country gentle
man. Teach them to come out for
feed and drink; let them come out and
hunt for both; don't push 1t at them
in the hot box, but encourage them to
hunt for both, for in so doing. they
have the double advantage of exer-
else and air-both of first Importance.
An overheated brooder debilitates
the chicks, makes them indolent and
retards activity, causes thirst, leads to
feverish conditions and death. Proper
heat and plenty of exercise hunting
for their food in the chaif out In the
runway of the brooder makes them
thrive. Being nearer to natural ways
causes quicker growth; on the other
hand, too much heat, no exercise and
unnatural methods dry them up or
end their days. There Is little danger
of their not having food enough. Usu-
ally there Is as much wasted as eaten.
Too much heat and too little exercise
are the great causes of failure; add to
these unsanitary conditions and you
have a complete chapter on why sue
cess Is impossible On the other
hand, not enough warmth may injure
them. This is not apt to happen, how
ever. unless the lamp goes not during
a cold stormy night. or the attendant
neglects to visit the brooder for con.
siderable time during the day. A
thorough chilling, causes crowding;
several may be smothered in this way; ;
the rest injured through an effort to
warm them up too quickly. When
chilled In this way, warm up the
hover gradually to the natural heat;
encourage the chicks to run about and
hunt for little feed In the warm
room In this way they will more
quickly recover than they will by over
heating. AS soon as the chicks are
old enough to run about, teach them to
run out on the ground. During bad
weather, the brooder must be kept
under shelter, so that the chicks may
run out and about under this pro
lection from damp and cold.
Under the care of the mother hen,
no danger of overheating need be
feared. Cold. damp and unsanitary
conditions are the dangers to guard
against. The hen gathers her brood
to the warmth of her body to protect
them from cold. She encourages ex-
her cbirp leads them further. AS
soon as they are able to shift little
for themselves, she coaxes them from
the coop to the earth, although she
may be a prisoner within. All this
should be studied by those who use
the brooder and applied to their care
of the chicks
For both hen and brooder, nothing is
so helpful as the cover shelter for their
protection during ,.old, inclement or
unreasonable weather. The colony
house shelter coop gives the idea of a
cheap construction for these shelters
Any kind of a low -roof shelter that
opens to the south, filled in with
above the danger line for dampness
will do. II should have glass front
to the south that can be opened from
The top during warm or sunshiny days
and closed during cold or wet weather
Within these may be placed the
brooder or the mother hen and brood
Always keep the hen in a coop within
the shed. With such shelter eithel
the brooder chicks or the hen ant
brood prosper and grow during winte
weather. or during the long-continueC
chilly dampness of early spring Sucl
shelters are of value the whole yea
through
The natural food of the chick i
small seeds, small broken grain, SOM
animal and vegetable matter, waite
and grit. Nature never intended tina
the young chick should be fed oil
ground meal mixed with water. o
Stops OF any kind, nor is it proper 4
feed thom all of any one kind of grain
Oatmeal is good; all oatmeal very bad
Broken wheat and corn make the bes
constant diet for them. A little mi
let will do; all millet, or even one
fourth millet, is bad. Fine broke
wheat small particles of corn. som
oatmeal. very little millet, wit
some broken peas, is a fine mixtur,
The chickens feeds you buy are exec
lent. IL properly made. with no grit
them II is best TO provide the gr
separately. but they must have grit {