Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-05-14
FEEDING THE CHICKS,

A young quacll's sister made this
comment on his proficiency: BILLY
Isn't much for old folks yet, but he's
awful good at doctorlng sick babies."
If Billy had reached Il point of thera-
peutical skill where he could solve
these little pink perfection puzzles
| that battle so many of our big Drained,
big hearted, fatherly physicians, he
had whole lot to quack over.
It's one thing to bring little fluffy
rutlle chicks into the world and an
Dther to keep them,
One of the big chick growers, who says
he raised $4,000 last year, declares we
do we'll to raise 80 per cent. If that's
NIL he raised, the undertaken must have
been doing stunts. We thought we
were crying enough when we took 200
from 1850 and put them in the ground,
but we We're glad enough to save that
proportion, and, If you want our know
how, here it is, but remember we are
not instructing the hen cluck She
uses her own think, and it's Il good
one il you don't butt in: For thirty
| hours feed not. This is the chick 5
sleepy period. 1t is assimilating the
yolk that was absorbed before leaving
the shell. In thirty hours comes the
appetite. Cuddle them In a basket and
pear to the warm brooder. Bed them
on dry sandy loan, for, like other ba-
bies, everything goes to mouth" and
they'll fill up on straw and other indi-
gestibles. Dip each little bill into cool
water, and they know where and how
to drink. Put them under hover, and
they at once know their mamma. You
are pop" Put in n louseless ten-day-
old chick as kindergarten director.
They'll follow his lead. Now scatter
two tablespoonfuls of crystal grit for
milk teeth. Ring breakfast bell. Spread
fine dry breadcrumbs sparingly. See
that all have a chance. Keep them a
little hungry Feed as often as they
ueed-their crops half full in the day,
two-thirds at night If crops aren't
empty in the morning overfed. Starve
them empty. DO we feed hard boiled
eggs? No. They cost too much-too
many little lives. Don't you know
chicks are two legged eggs and right
before they kick out absorb the yolk?
Egg diets as stale as feeding egg
shells over and over again to hens.
Eggshells are wornout lime. Hens
like them because they taste of egg.
They are good egg eater hatchers.
Do we feed johnnycake? No; we do
no cakewalk stunts. Johnnycake be-
longs to the tallow candle era. Do we
feed rolled oats? No-pastes up be-
hind. Do we feed wet cornmeal, bran
and mid mash, boiled rice? No-noth-
ing wet, nothing that gets sour. If
you wish TO moisten bread with milk
it's good, but feed little, as it sours
soon. The second day we give taste
of beef scrap and sieve before them
wheat and corn ground finely in our
mill Caution: Allow no feed to lie
around to sour or be fouled. Do not
follow the advice Feed all they will
eat up clean" On the fourth or fifth
day we put in charcoal ana give green
lettuce or tender clover on the sod.
If they now know enough not TO eat
cut straw. we give them straw litter
with a spriukling of good chick scratch
ing food to work for. We now bed
them with cut wheat straw. Raw
fresh meat QIamburg steak may be
fed sparingly or milk as substitute
for beef scrap. When you give milk
put in a shielded vessel, as it is deadly
If their feathers are soiled in it. They
should now be growing rapidly, and
feed must be increased. Their appe-
tites being normal, the tenth day hang
up hoppers of charcoal, beef scrap and
grit. Keep green food before them.
Start finely cut fresh green bone now.
Throw in a little whole wheat and
cracked corn. In thirty days, when
danger point is passed, change TO
wheat, barley, oats, cracked corn and
KatIir corn. While on range you must
allow for what Mother Nature and
Mother Hen furnish in seeds, greens,
bugs. worms, snails and other delicate
1ainties.