Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1906-04-10
Care Of Little Chicks.


day, automatically controlled and
regulated as they are, it is a com
paratively easy matter for anyone
of ordinary intelligence to hatch per-
fectly healthy little chicks in large
quantities; but to successfully care
for them it is necessary that the es-
sential points for their natural de-
velopment be carefully studied.
Just what these points are is best
told in the words of the old lady who
when asked the secret of her mar
velous success replied: Il keep 'em
warm and dry and clean; | feed 'em
and | watch EN-" These are simple
rules which every poultryman should
follow, because to follow them i'm
plicitly means success.
The point upon which most stress
should be laid is housing. If the old
hen is to mother the brood, then the
question of housing is very simple
All that is needed is protection from
the wind and rain. The old hen will
supply the necessary warmth. A
coop should be so constructed that
the interior will remain dry even in
the severest rain storms. The floor
space should be so ample that the
coop may be closed up tight in bad
weather and the hen and brood still
have room enough for exercise.
If brooder is to be used, then
the best is none too good. Cheaply
constructed brooders, with improper
ventilation and uneven temperature
are veritable death traps for the
little chicks, No person should at
tempt to make their own brooders
without previous experience in the
management of one. 1t is much
better to buy a good, reliable brood
er, and then if more are needed, try
and improve on the one purchased.
For the first week the temperature
of the brooder should run from 90
degrees in the coolest part to SO or
90 in the warmest part. The tenn
perature should be lowered 5 de-
.grees the second week and 5 degrees
the third week, and thenceforth
should be maintained at rs or 80 de-
grees until the little chicks are able
to do without artificial heat. 1t is
just as necessary to regulate the
temperature Of the brooder as it is
to regulate the temperature of the
incubator. If the little chicks are
scattered all over the floor of the
brooder it is a sign they are warm
and comfortable, and the heat should
be maintained at that degree. If
they crowd into one corner and pile
on top Of one another. it is a sure
sign they are too cold, and bowel
trouble is an inevitable result. If
the brooder cannot be regulated to
maintain an even temperature, it is
worse than useless to try and raise
young chicks in it. Avoid crowding
in the brooders. Twenty-Five little
chicks in one compartment can be
handled very nicely, and with exper-
ience so and rs can be handled safe
ly, but more than rs in one compart-
ment is a foolish risk.
If proper attention has been paid
to keeping the little chicks warm and
dry, the question of feeding them
becomes a very easy one. During
the first week they should be fed
four times daily at regular intervals;
after the first week three times daily
will be sufficient. Each meal should
consist of just as much feed as they
will eat up clean. Feeding grounds
should be covered with fine litter
making them scratch for it, thereby
insuring exercise. Avoid all soft
mashes. The best feed is made by
mixing three parts fine cracked
wheat, two parts fine cracked corn,
one part millet seed, one part stale
bread crumbs, one part fine chopped
meat, one part ground shells or grit,
one part broken charcoal. These
various ingredients should be kept
in separate boxes and mixed as re-
quired. The coops or brooders, drink
ing vessels and everything about the
place should be kept scrupulously
clean. Extraordinary precautions
should be taken to guard against
mites and rats. Eternal vigilance and