The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-03-01
eiuina the Chicks a RIGHT Start.

GIVING the Chicks Right Start.
Practically all poultry keepers agree
that when the chick comes into the
world he comes with full stomach
and consequently does not need to be
enticed with tempting tid-bits until
he is at least thirty-six hours old.
After that most of US disagree as TO
the best food. 1t doesn't so much
matter so long as we can hatch them
to grow" 1 give them a good grade
of chick food. made of finely ground
grains; hard boiled infertile eggs.
boiled rice, chopped potato. chopped
onions and, when l can get them IN
plenty. boiled fresh fish. In addition
to this ! keep dry bran before them
always, just as water, grit and char
coal are kept always on tap.
At first l feed them about five times
daily and gradually decrease this to
three and then twice daily. If the FISH
supply is short l give beef scrap or
milk, If it can be spared. The water
is changed frequently, as little chicks
get it in bad shape in a very short
space of time While they are small |
use a glass turned upside down in an
oatmeal dish as drinking fountain,
and like it better than other kinds, as
| it is easily cleaned and 1t is easy TO
see just how much water is left in the
| fountain.
Most of the poultry in the world is
lousy The greater part Of it is swarm
ing with lice, not to mention mites OF
numerous kinds. 1t is a most marvel
Gus wonder how a hen in this condi-
ton can be induced to take time or
from fighting the enemy by which she
| is overrun to lay an egg every rev
days. Chicks have not the same per-
sistency of purpose, at least not Wen
enough developed. and consequently
when an army of pestiferous lice strike
camp on the dome of a downy chick.
unless some stringent orders for his
protection are issued and well carried
out, the downy chick will droop and
die. And picking lice from one or two
or five hundrey downy heads Is not
mere recreation. Neither is it child's
play to keep a flock of poultry free
from lice. Not when the flock gets to
number hundreds OF thousands. l be-
lieve in high ideals, but have not aim
ed in establishing a millennium such
as that My idea has been to keep the
poultry vitality UP to standard so that
the energy and INABILITY Of the birds
are far in advance OF the enemy that
invades them In other words, keep
them as free from lice as 7 can and
not spend too great per cent OF my
time in doing so. The incubator chicks
are free from lice until they get TO as
sociating with the others. and If the
others are busted occasionally with a
good lice powder and their mothers
freed from lice before and after brood
ing the eggs, there will be no serious
trouble.
After the chicks have been given the
right start, what then? Food prlnci-
pally. Fresh air quarters and plenty
of food of good quality, letting them
have the foods they most ike. and
whether intended for breeding stock,
layers. or market, they will ten TO one
live up to the start you give them
BY Eunice Read Wright in American
Poultry Journal
Raising Chicks by Artificial Means.
The incubator has been improved so
rapidly in the last few years that it is
now about as good a representation of
the broody hen as ! ever expect to see.
Nearly every incubator that is on the
market at the present time will hatch
very fair percentage of the eggs
placed therein. IL properly handled. Ny
experience with the brooders has not
been as satisfactory. have used
breeders that were good, bad and in
different, and though have yet TO md
one that eXcels the mother hen in eff
cheney, there are some good ones on
the market want TO place myself
on record here as not taking any stock
in the oft-repeated statement that
chicks can be raised in q flreless
brooder, without protection. out Of
doors in mid-winter when the Their
mometer is below zero. ! have not
been successful with this method. and
do not know OF anybody else who has.
do believe that fireless brooder can
be successfully ozerated SyeAin doors
where the tempefxRure does nSS drop
below say IS degrees. but I prsls2 to-