Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-02-26
FEEDING.
The WET" and "Dry" Controversy

A"o wei anu Dry controversy.
During the next two months there
Will be hundreds of thousands of
young chicks Matched and the many
problems of raising them will occupy
the attention of poultry raisers,
writer's and lecturers. One poultry
man of wide experience and "head
for figures" claims that the chickens
that die from impoper care, disease
and "varmints" each year would pay
off the national debt if matured and
sold in the open market. And he
isn't so very far wrong either. No
wonder then that the problem of
raising the chicks after they are
Matched is of so much interest to
those who are putting their time and
their capital into the poultry indus.
try.
II you talk to your neighbors, read
journals or even read adver.
tisements of poultry foods you will
learn that ''to feed wet food is muir.
der" that to feed hard boiled eggs
to young chicks will surely kill
them" that dry food stunts the
growth" that "wet food ENSURES
rapid development" ana so to the
end of the chapter. Now why thi.
difference of opinion among men who
are practical and successful poultry
men? Truth is they are all more OF
less right. The man who makes pos.
tive and sweeping statements is
about the only one who is entirel,
foolish. Different conditions, differ
ent surroundings and different treat
ment Of parent stock makes it i'm.
possible to make hard and fast
rule as to what should and should
not be fed. How would you like tc
conform to the diet of some dyspep.
tic friend? Or how would he like tc
conform to yours? A little reason
and good common sense applied to
this matter of feeding would reduce
the morality of chicks wonderfully
Let us illustrates:
A few years ago two friends OF
ours Matched out about hundred
Buff Orpington chicks from the same
flock and in the same incubator and
divided the flock between them. The
one was one of the most ardent "dry
food cranks it has ever been ouI
pleasure to meet. He lived on cit!
lot. The other was equally strong ir
his conviction that wet food" and
plenty of it was the last word in the
successful growing of chicks. He
lived on a small farm. Each was
cock sure that the other would make
q complete failure and looked ahead
to the time when he would have
choice flock and his friend none.
This was an interesting situation
Here was a chance to settle this
whole bitter controversy. Mr.. Wei
fed stale bread soaked in milk anc
out, hard boiled eggs
cooked vegetables, cooked meat.
curd, bran and meal mash--in fact
most any kind of mash or mixture
that took his fancy. And those chicks
grew like weeds. Mr.. Dry fed stee'
cut oats, millet seed, dry bread, DIR!
mash and just about every combina
ton OF grain and dry food that he
could conjure up. And those chicks
grew like weeds. Both men were
because the other didn'
fail And there is the lesson.
Feeding should be adapted to con.
ditions. Had the man on the cit!
lot fed as much wet food as his
country friend his chicks would have
had bowel trouble ano
it's attendant ailments. for they die
not have the chance to exercise. to
chase bugs, to pick seeds and green
in the open and thus balance theii
ration. The same idea applies in the
other case. After all, it is variety
and wholesomcncss that make sue
cessful feeding. Little chicks should
never gorge. We know what the re-
suit is with ourselves. Why not
with chicks? Chicks should never
be compelled to make long fasts or
have to do without water or drink
foul water or do without fresh air
any more than human beings should
be compelled to do SO.
Some of the largest commercial
plants in this country use dry food
exclusively and they are success,
too Just about four-fifths OF the
poultry raised in this country is
raised on the farms by the farmers
wives and just about nine-tenths OF
them feed a good deal of wet food.
There you have it. Personally we
have fed just about everything and
raised some mighty fine chickens