The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-03-22
POULTRY POINTERS.
Care Of Chicks.

1t Is comparatively easy matter to
hatch almost any number of chicks,
but an entirely different matte to
raise the large per cent of them to
maturity. There arc almost number
less causes for the great mortality
among the chicks each season, among
which may be mentioned lack of in
herited vitality, improper feeding,
bowel trouble, lice, exposure, white
diarrhoea, etc, and occasionally the
little fellows die off from causes that
are not explainable.
In majority Of cases the trouble is
due to either carelessness or igno-
rance on the part of the caretaker,
and the lives Of the chicks are simply
sacrificed, while in other cases they
die in spite of the fact that they re-
ceive the very best of care and atten-
ton. Even those who have made a
scientific study of the matter, cover
ing a period Of years, tell us that &C.
casionally their chicks die from
causes that are inexplainable.
How many of our readers cas- tell
us the cause Of white diarrhoea in lit
tie chicks? | venture to say that not
one poultryman in a thousand can tell
with any degree of certainty what
causes it, though there are hundreds
who will make guess at it. Numer-
Gus theories have been advanced, and
numerous remedies recommended, but
we have yet to hear of sure cure for
the disease when once it gets a foot
hold in a flock of chicks.
While there are some causes of NOR
tality among the chicks that battle
even the experts, there are other
causes that are easily overcome if a
| little care and common sense will be
exercised. or instance, there is nc
good reason why chicks should be
| lacking in inherited vitality if the an
| cestral stock has been properly bred
and nourished; but some people are
foolish enough to imagine that they
can get strong chicks from weak, ema
ciated, anaemic inbred stock, and are
surprised when they get only half q
hatch (or less) of young, weak, under
sized chicks, with barely enough life
and strength to get clear of the shell
Within "a hours they begin to die off
and it's dollars to doughnuts that no
one of them will be alive fortnight
after Matching 1t takes rich, COCO
blood in the parent stock to produce
strong offspring, and without this in
heritance the chicks are bound to b.
weaklings, totally unfit to successful!
wage the battle for existence anC
growth and development.
When it comes to the proper feed
ing of chicks, there is no need for an!
one to remain ignorant on this sub
| iect as it has practically been reduced
to science, and the oultry and farm
papers are full of it. Not all poultr!
/ farmers and writer's agree in ever,
/ detail, but the methods employed b,
/ the successful, up-to-date poultry mel
and women are essentially the same
The dry feeding method is the prope
one to-day-and the successful one
although occasionally we find thpos
who still stick t. the old methods o
our grandfathers and feed mushes ant
mashes and other soft food.
Getting back to nature" / adyis
the rearing of the chicks along tn
lines and under conditions similar t
those surrounding the young of tn
wild birds of the prairie and forest
have said-and still believe-that W
coddle and pamper the chicks alto
gether too much. Our very treatmen
of them oftentimes has tendency t