The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-04-11
CHICK FEEDING
BY w. F. Schoppe, Assistant Professor of
Animal Industry at the U. of NJ.

Animal Industry at the U. OF NJ.
The feeding of chicks should be car,
ried on very carefully and systematical-
ly, since the future health and produc-
hveness of the birds depend to great
extent on the handling which they receive |
during this period of their life. The
large death rate in chicks during the
first six weeks of growth can be traced
in majority of cases directly to i'm
proper incubation, brooding, or feeding,
or to some combination of these.
In order to have strong, healthy, Wig
orous birds at the end of the broodlng |
season, the chicks must be strong, |
healthy, brlght-eyed, plump and alert at
the time of Matching. Such chicks can
be obtained only when conditions during
the incubation period have been right,
and the chicks brought out at the proper
time and not allowed to make slow, |
difficult hatch.
At Matching time the chick contains
within the body wall natural supply of
food which is sufficient to last it for at
least thrty-six hours, or until it is
thoroughly dried out and has strength
enough to run about and hunt for food:
For this reason the small chicks should
be very sparingly fed until this natural
1OOu kluG yOlk VI luc SSSJ 10 tIOl OuSHIy
absorbed. If the chicks are over-fed
and the yolk is not properly absorbed,
fermentation takes place, bacterial ac-
ton is set up and a great many of the
chicks die in consequence. The only
abnormal, external indication of this
condition is more or less pronounced
diarrhea of varying color, but usually
grayish white.
A post mortem examination will show
the yolk to be nearly normal size and
filled with the watery yolk mass. In Or
der to successfully overcome this and to
reduce the death rate during the early
life of the chick, it is necessary to make
a study of each lot of chicks and to
make such slight variation in the feed
as may be necessary to meet their de-
mands. The following system has been
used very successfully in feeding young
chicks at the University of Maine. but
it may be necessary at times to make
changes which will meet the demands of
the birds.
After the chicks are thoroughly dried
off and are able to run about they are
put in the brooder; rarely is this change
made before they are thirty to thirty-slx
change the last thing at night or as soon
eho ~ 10 eiolh SilO0Sh ~ eAieS WIN NAiAS-AS
will not run from under the hover. In
this way they become accustomed to the
brooder and learn where to find the heat
and are less trouble than when the
change is made early in the day. Also
when the change is made in this way the
first feed comes early in the morning
and is made up as follows: 2 parts of
bran to l part of rolled oats. This ration
is fed in shallow tin pans, in the bottom
of which is sprinkled some chick grit.
The chicks are allowed to pick at this for
about ten minutes and then it is remov-
ed. For the first few days they are fed
five times a day, very sparingly, as has
been stated above. During the first week
the mash is gradually changed until it
contains equal parts of bran and rolled
oats. On the second day a little fine
cracked chick grain is sprinkled into the
litter for them to scratch for. There are
several good chick grain mixtures sold
on the market that are very satisfactory
and that are valuable to persons raising
the college is home mixed and is made
up as follows:
Parts by
Weight.
.Fine cracked wheat......................1 Is
Pinhead oats (granulated oat meaD.. 10
FINE screened cracked cOfn.........-...l0
Fine cracked peas........................... 3
Broken NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Chick grit (limestone) Observation-Disclosures.
Fine charcoal (chick =ize)...............
During the second week the chicks are
fed about four times per day. The mash
contains a little cornmeal, which IS
gradually increased and later animal
meal and Daisy flour are added, so that
at the end Of the second week it con-
talnS:
Parts by
Weight.
Bran.......
Cofnmeal
Rolled Oats. ..............................1
"-DalSy hour-...... ..-....-.................a
Beef scrap Zine )..........-................a
During the third week this mash is
gradually changed by dropping out the
rolled oats and adding gluten meal and
increasing the other ingredients until it
contains:
Parts by
Weight.
Bran
Cornmeal............... ................. ......3
Gluten. ..............................1
FsDalSy Hour ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. .............l
Beef
This mash is fed until the chicks are six
to eight weeks old. 1t is kept in the
hopper before the birds all the time and
they also have access to ground oats fed
from the hopper or flats.
During the fourth week the grain is
gradually changed to contain:
Parts by
Weight.
Cracked corn ....................4
Cracked wheat.
Plnhead oats.
These grains Eare cracked somewhat
coarser than for the chick feed. This
grain mixture is fed for the remainder
of the summer.
After the eighth week the composition
of the mash is varied to suit the needs of
the birds as indicated by their stage of
development. This change is generally
made by increasing the amount of bran.
cornmeal, beef scrap, etc.
Parts by
Weight.
Bran ..............................1O
Cornmeal Observation-Disclosures. ...............15
DalSy hour. D
Hluten q