The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-02
Care in the Shipment is Essential in the Grow
 ing Industry
Brooder Problems and How to Feed Young to Secure
 the Best Results
By PROF. HARRY R. LEWIS

poultry business, namely, the raising of day-old chicks. It grew out of the inex- perience of amateurs in operating incuba- tors. But the purchaser of day-old chicks Is not entirely relieved of responsibility. He must be careful to buy good stock and to do so should deal only with re- putable concerns. Then there are brooder and feeding problems incidental to all artificial methods of chick raising.
 These can be easily taken care of by observing certain fundamental principles Some of these are laid down in the fol- lowing article:
 The commercial day-old chick business. that is the matching and selling of chicks at one day of age. is comparatively a new and rapidly growing industry The great growth has doubtless been largely due to the trouble which amateurs ex- perience in the operation of incubators. Most beginners do not understand the construction or operation of incubators and many prefer to start with young chicks. thus eliminating any possibility of loss due to the faulty handling of same.
 The person contemplating the purchase of day-old chicks should look carefully into the reputation and reliability of the one from whom they purchase. Be sure that the youngsters are matched from eggs laid by strong, vigorous, well mated breeding. stock. This is the first essen- tial to satisfactory rearing. Well bred and properly matched chicks are full and fluffy, having bright eyes. prominent and
 full of lustre, resembling very much a
 shoe button.
 If possible, the chicks should be pur- chased near at hand so that they will not be subjected to too long a journey by express. It is possible to ship chicks properly crated. long distances with sue cess. but the shorter the haul the better. If they can be gotten so near that they
 can be delivered by auto or wagon that Is an advantage. The chicks must be shipped immediately after hatching for during the first day or so, they need very little to eat, as they are nourished by the
 absorbed yollS but at later dates they re
 quire regular and systematic feeding and correct temperature.
 The necessary heat during shipment Is | maintained by their own bodies; for that reason they are shipped in specially con structed boxes so made as to withstand rough usage, and especially to retain the 1 heat and to provide sufficient ventilation. | One hundred chicks are generally shipped | in each package the lot being divided into
 
 walls or partitions. This prevents crowd | ing and injury due to smothering should the package be left on end. Baby CHICKS are always shipped by expSess, and must | be conspcuously labeled. Should a ship ment be received in bad order it should | immediately be reported to the express company and the bill should be marked fin bad order by the receiver If this l is done each time, any injury due to care- | less handling can be held up to the trans portation company.
 Placed in Brooder
 Upon receipt of the chicks they should be put in previously prepared | brooder. If large quantities of baby | chicks are bought, the large brooder stoves placed in properly built houses, about 1Ox12 feet on the floor. will give excellent results. Not over 500 chicks should ever be put under one hover and generally 300 will give even better TO- suits Smaller lots of chicks can be handled in portable hovcrs placed In rooms where the temperature can be maintained under the hover at the proper degree.
 From 50 to 100 chicks are generally placed under these small hovers The | temperature under the hover should be | regulated to about 95 degree before l the chicks are placed in same The | floor should be covered with fine dry sand and over this fine chaff. clover or alfalfa being preferred Plenty of grit should be scattered about the floor and
 fresh water supplied. The chicks should | be taken from the shipping boxes im- | medsately upon arrival and carefully
 placed under this specially prepared | hover or hovers as the case may be- | distributing them and seeing that they | learn where the heat is and that they | dp In building. It is always we'll to write to the one from whom they were pur- chased notifying him of the arrival and l their condition.
 There are two factors which enter | into the handling of brooder chicks and
 which make for success or failure | These are temperature and feed. If is
 essential that the chicks be kept warm
 but not too hot. Failure to provide
 sufficient heat means crowding and 1 its attendant death rate due to suf- | foce ton and weakening of vitality. It
 is also generally responsible for muuh of the diarrhea which is very common
 In brooder chicks. Too high tem- perature will mean "hot house chicks which are very susceptible to colds
 and drafts and which will not grow we'll and make husky, sturdy cocker l els and outlets The best temperatura
 is 95 degrees the first two days under | the hover; 90 to 95 the newt rive day s. with gradual drop of five degrees each week until the hover is the same as the normal room temperature, which
 should be from 50 to 70 degrees. From this time on the youngsters should be l accustomed to no heat and no hover protection, the hover being gradually | raised until 1t can be entirely removed. This weaning, or hardening off, as it 1 Is termed is very essential to future 1 success on the range.
 Feeding Chicks
 The feeding of the day-old chick during the breeding period Is a sim | ple matter if the first principles of nutrition are known Early feeding in large quantities should be avoided.
 The youngsters need plenty of ash, I wheat bran being very desirable. Ere, ouent feeding during early stages is l made necessary on account of the small
 size of the digestive organs and the rapid growth which the young chick | makes Wet feeds should be avoided. l Clean feeding is of the utmost import ance The feeding of sour skim milk,
 if 1t can be secured fresh each day, l Is very desirable, as 1t provides much nutriment and acts as an internal dis infectant. The following feeding prac- tice is recommended to be followed from the time the youngsters arc | placed under the hover until they leave | their artificial mother and can take care of themselves on the range.
 The object is not to force for grea and rapid growth. but to get the chicA' through a delicate period of their devel opment with a strong. vigorous growtl and a sturdy skeleton which can late stand the strain of forced feeding fo