Milford chronicle., 1915-05-07

problem OF feeding. 1t Is not by any
r means an easy matter to select the cor
- rect rstions, and while this applies to
! the raising Of young chicks, 1t al,o
means much toward the health and pro-
4 ductiveness of the old or matured birds.
), 1t is especially true, however, with
I young chicks, or until they have reached
+ the age OF ten or twelve weeks, during
4 which period so many OF the little downy
r fellows are cut down by the Tavsges of dis.
ease and gathered into the land beyond.
1t will be found that, while a great
,, many persons who indulge in raising
chickens, either for fancy or utility pu
poses, make grave mistakes in the feed
/ ing of them, yet this is more often the
case with the farmer. As a rule, on
most farms the chick is allowed to roam
over the farm, thus being raised on free
range in which it is allowed to forage
for Its living, or at least the greater part
OF it. The balance of the rations, which
the chick fails TO pick up in its foraging,
Is supplied by the farmer, and genera
consists of whole corn. In other word
the farmer makes little or no effort tU
supply the chicks with the kind of food
they both need and require. Whole
corn feeding is both the easiest and most
economical for the farmer, and as these
are the two things he is looking for. he
falls into the habit without stopping to
consider the after effects.
l do not wish to be considered as being
opposed to free range. This is good for
the chicks, but | would impress upon
your mind that free range is not all that
is needed for the proper and successful
raising of chickens. While It is true
1 that the chicks on range will find and
| pick up many seeds, to say nothing Of
| the worm food they will get, nevertbe.
/ less, the seeds thus found are far insult
/ icient to furnish the necessary fat
forming elements needed for the
development of the Youngsters.
The result OF free range diet alone, ,
with the supplying of a corn ration to
comp etc the job, is generally slow
growth and spring laying What the
0utyman desires is a quick growth, {
more rapid maturity, heavier fowls, and
stock that will lay during the fall az d [
winter, In order to get this it is neces- |
sary to supply the fowls a balanced a
ration Of fat forming foods, in addition 4
to that that is picked up on free range. Q
This applies both to old and young fowls y
Scraggy fowls. suffering more or less I
with bowel trouble, are generally the
result of youngsters which are reared p
corn allowance which is tue method of Il
the average farmer. This is brought
about by too much insect food, with
nothing to counteract its effects upon
the fowls system h
For the proper development of the II
chick it must be kept growing contin II
uousy from its infancy until it has II
matured, and to accomplish this. it is v,
necessary to supply some sort of food al
that contains the Necessary elements for
the proper development of the chick fir
organs and at the same time to er " cs
bone and muscle and put on fat For al
this purpose growing ration has been W
provided which prevents the necessity of tr
free range. The free range need not ac
be taken away from the "a
chicks, out it should be limited and the re
growing ration supplied, as 1t will be
iound to produce better birds N
There are, OF course, many kinds Of d
growing foods that may be used, rang
Dg from baked" cakes to the many
kinds of prepared mixtures As a grow tn
ny food, however, offering but few com wi
1lications, the following mixture will be pr
Ound an excellent one and NAV be used sw
With good success: Bran, two parts; an
orn meal, one part; middlings, one be
'arti ground oats, one part; alfalfa meal We
ne fourth part; beef scrap, one fourth crC
'aft; and bOnemeal, one fourth part an
Don't make the mistake of supplying thi
he growing ration and eliminating all
ther foods This would be most inl
sastrous. In addition to the abov, fey
Ou should supply a good balanced otl
rain ration consisting OF cracked corn, pas
lheat, and hulled oals in equal parts, to Wis
Ihich should be added about one. rec
)urth part each of cracked sunhower all
eed, millet, and kaffir corn While tail
1ese last named are not of great deal
benefit to the fowls, they are well reli
ked and are generally fed for their
ltractiveness. Coz
The necessary green food required for tain
le growing chicks may be obtained bot
om the free range, but where the birds IL
lnnot eiloy this, they must be sup. in
lied with It. wae
In eonverslng upon the question of esp
lpplylng a growing ration, the most ard
ltural question to arise is, "How long
nst this ration be continued?" 1t has
really been stated that the above
rmula is offered as a growing ration. r
ow let Us consider it as such, and this soar
ould teach us that its feeding should be iero
until the birds are grown or II
atured, when we may change the food chic
a permanent laying ration which in the
any respects is similar to the growing Con
ton. ~,
The above suggestions relative to the one,
oper rations for young chicks, if car yisii
ID out, will result in success; but these m
)ne will not insnre the successful rails he
Z of the little fellows. There are other h,n,
d important things to be considered mi
M yie raising ol the Dlros to maturity. loss
While, of course, it is highly important his
give the chicks proper foods to nourish was
? body and to keep them growing con. him
uouslv from their babyhood until and
~ have reached the age Of maturity frier
order to produce birds that NAV be M
d with safety as breeders, and which at q
the same time will yield a profit in II
ys at a time when this product is Patr
y to be had at premium, or during took
fall and winter months-yet another Nav