Evening star., 1915-06-20
CARE Of YOUNG STOCK
NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS
Next Winters Egg Yields Depend
Largely Upon the Proper Rails
ing of the Pullets.
Weaklings Should Be Eliminated
From the Breeding Flock, Which
Should Be Selected Now.
BYTHoMAs J. CLEMENS.
Copyright, 1881

Constant care Is necessary IN caring Ior
chicks during the growing season in Or
der to secure strong. productive stock.
Proper feeding is only one of the factors
concerned in the successful rearing Of
chicks Proper Matching and proper
brooding are also of great Importance
if strong, healthy f1ocks are to be
raised.
Grains that have heated. though they
may not show any trace of mold, are
often Injurious and should not be fed.
Soft foods which have been mixed with
water or milk sour quickly, especially
if exposed to the sun, and should not be
used if there is the slightest trace of
fermentation.
Throw Away Tainted Food.
1t is better in the long run to throw
away tainted food than to take the
young chicks by it's use. Great care
should be taken in the use of foods
which, while neither moldy nor sour.
are soiled by being trampled by the chicks
or mixed with soil or droppings. The
danger of infection is such that it is
never safe to use foods that are in this
condition. Remember that only the
cleenest foods should be placed before
young chicks.
A large proportion of the diseases
which affect young chicks is due to i'm
proper feeding or to injurious foods.
Frozen vegetable tainted meat or any
foodstuffs which are not in perfect
condition are liable to cause sour crop,
Inflammation of the crop or stomach
and intestinal and liver disorders, in
cluding some forms of so-called white
diarrhea."
When chicks are out of condition,
slight notifications in rations or meth
DDS may result in correcting the tend
ency to disease. 1t is much better to
protect the health of the chicks by
careful feeding than to resort to drugs
after diseased conditions have devel-
oped.
Boiled Milk and Rice Desirable.
During early stages of the chicks
life. when intestinal troubles are most
common. the use of boiled milk and
boiled rice will be of great assistance
in correcting any tendency toward
diarrhea or Inflammation. Boiled milk
should be given to drink. and boiled
rice should be supplied twice day in
place of the regular feed. Rice should
be boiled in double boiler until it is
thoroughly cooked and as dry as pos
ture should be taken up by mixing 1t
with fine bran, secured by sitting ordi-
nary bran through a flour sieve and
discarding the coarser grade Bran it
self has decided tonic effect. and the
ombination of bran and boiled rice
will often check what might otherwise
become a serious epidemic of diarrhea.
Charcoal also will be found of great
value in preventing this trouble.
Eliminate the Weaklings.
Every effort should be made to elm
mate from the flock all birds that have
at any time been infected with dis
ease. Perhaps the easiest way to do
this is to mark plainly and permanent
ly every chick which makes unsatisfac-
tory development or that has ever suf-
fered from disease. This is the only
means to prevent the breeding flock
from receiving recruits which are un-
satisfactory. If this system is rigid
ly followed it probably will eliminate
nearly all of the infected specimens.
Such marking should be done at the
time when the weakling is observed,
and not be delayed until later. when
the chick may seem to have recovered.
Chicks of this kind may easily be
marked by punching the webs between
the toes. If all. the webs are used for
keeping records the lower joint. of one
of the smaller toes may be removed.
Such an operation seems to cause lit
tie pain or inconvenience to the chick
and the mark is one that cannot be
overlooked when the time comes for
selecting the breeding stock
Select Breeding Stock Now.
Good matches of strong, vigorous
chicks must come from breeding stock
having strong and vigorous constitu-
tions. Breeding stock for next season
let's which have shown their ability to
produce large numbers of eggs during
the past six months and nave contin-
ued to develop into strong, vigorous
hens should be set aside for breeders
Careful selection should be made of
the pullets which have best withstood
the effects of close confinement and
heavy feeding of highly concentrated
rations. These are the pullets which
as the parents of the future flock
They should be given special attention.
The regular egg-producinS ration
should not be cut off too suddenly, but
the feeding should be arranged so that
there will be a gradual reduction of
concentrated, stimulating feeds with
the substitution of complete diet of
green foods.
The prospective breeding flock should
be removed to quarters where the birds
have access to free range, absolute
quiet. plenty of grass and clover and
above all ample shade and an abund-
ance of pure, cold water.
If the change of environment and
diet has been gradual there is little
danger of forcing the moult, which is
to the fowl.