Norwich bulletin., 1914-03-26
GIVES RIGHT RATION
 FOR BABY CHICKS.
Storrs Station lnstructs PouItrymen-
 Gain of 264 Eggs in Contest.

It may seem a far cry from baby
 chicks to laying contests. Inasmuch.
 however, as breeders from Connecticut.
 Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey,
 New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
 Michigan and Washington have all
 ready indicated their desire to send
 competing pens for the next laying
 competition, it appears that these
 breeders are interested early because
 this is the season for matching and
 rearing G1e bullets that are to lay eggs
 next autumn. It may be remarked
 incidentally that the pouItryman who
 is Tn perhaps all cases the successful
 breeder, because this Is the most diffi-
 cult phase of poultry keeping. It is
 not only necessary that we have good
 breeding stock which will produce
 good hatchable eggs and that they be
 matched in a good incubator which
 will give strong vigorous chicks, and
 that they be we'll brooded, but they
 must be so fed as to grow continu
 ously from matching time to maturity
 These are the formulas used by the
 Storrs experiment station:
 Grain Ration-Cracked wheat, 15
 parts by weight; cracked corn, 15 parts
 by weight; pinhead oats, 10 parts by weight; broken rice, 3 parts by weight Dry Mash RatIon-Wheat bran, 2 parts by weight; corn meal, part by weight; Eifted ground oats, 1 part by weight; low grade flour, part by weight; beet or nsn scrap. part py weight.
 This scheme of feeding is virtually what was used by the station last year and by which was produced all of the Leghorns in the experimental pens in the contest, one of which, it will be re- membered, now holds third place and which pen during the past week laid heavier than any other pen in the competition, viz.,- 56 eggs for 10 birds, or a yield of so per cent,
 In using these formulas 1t has seem ed best to the workers at the Storrs , station to give only the grain ration during the first week, scattering it in the litter, Before this, however, each chick has it's beak dipped into thick sour skim milk as they are removed from the incubator. No water is given to the chicks for the first three or four days in order to make sure that they use the milk. At the end of the first week the dry mash is put before the
 chicks So that they can help them- selves at all times. In beginning the dry mash, however, it is believed to be better to use only ene-half the DOT ton of beer or fish scrap as indicated above It should also be understood that this dry mash ration was de- l If an abundance of milk can be used, as it should be at all times, then tha 1 beef or fish scrap can be reduced by 1 half. Grit, shell and charcoal are | uSeQ as WlIn OIh6T 1OThuldS. Net Gain in Egg Production. The goth week of the laying compe- l tition developed a net gain of 264 eggs, i or a total of 3437 eggs for the week. l Fifteen individuals, including Barred White and. Buff Rocks, White and Co., | lumbian Wyandottes, Rhode Island l Reds, White Leghorns, White Laced 1 eggs each during the week, or a yield 1 of 100 per cent.
 l Since the experimental pen of Leg | horns alluded to above Is not in com- 1 petition, first honors for the week go l to Daniel Hfne of Eastford Conn, 1 eggs. These birds are denominated as l m0ngrels barnyard hens, dunghills and 1 by various other unenviable names, ! Nevertheless at this, the natural 1 breeding season, they are yielding we'll l The debatable question of course is l can these birds keep the pace with pure strains that have been bred and 1 trained to lay from one years end to 1 another? The second best pen was 10 1 Rhode Island Reds that laid 51 eggs 1 owned by Colonial Farm of Temple 1 N. H. There was a. scramble for third l place at 50 eggs for the 10 birds, the l first claimant being Frank L. Futile $ i pen of Barred Rocks from Ashland 1 Mass. pen of White Leghorns from | Tomoka Poultry Farm. Ellington | Conn, tied this score, and Tom Bar | ron's pen of White Wyandottes ano 1 also his pen of Leghorns tied with 1 each other and with the two pens just | mentioned.
 Pens That Lead.
 l The 10 leading pens to date are as 1 follows: Tom Barron, Catforth. Eng. l White Wyandottes. 7s5; Francis F 1 Lincoln, Mt. Carmel Conn, White
 Leghorns. 659; Neale Bros, Apponaug R. l., White wyandottes, 6o6; Merry 1 thought Farm, Columbia, Conn, White Wyandottes, 59s; Dr. J. A Fritchey Harrisburg, Pa, S. c. Rhode Island i Reds B79; Cecil Guernsey, East Coble. l skill. N. Y, White Leghorns, 53si 1 George P. Dearborn, Lake Como, Fla. 1 s. c, Rhode Island Reds, 501; Jules F 1 Franeais. West Hampton. l.. l.. N. Y. Barred Plymouth Rocks, 4sS; Ton i Barron, Catferth, Eng. White Leg i horns, All; PinEcrest Orchards, Gro- l ton, Mass, S c. Rhode Island Reds i 4s0,
 First Connecticut Pens.
 The following Is list Of the 10 lead i ing Connecticut pens: Francis 7. Lin | coin, Mt. Carmel. White Leghcrns, s69 i rrythought Farm, Columbia, White