The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1915-05-07
Feeding Young Chicks

Now that the young chicks are
beginning to break through the
shells and cry for food, the ques-
tion of what In the best food for
young chicks and how much they
should be fed becomes an import
ant one.
The most difficult period in the
feeding. Of a young chick is the
first two weeks after :. Matching.
This is especially true with brooder
chicks that are raised. in small
quarters and which do not get the
free run that chicks following q
hen are able to secure.
Three principles must be observ-
,, ed if young chicks are to be sue
cessfully raised. First, they must
not be fed for approximately. 48
hours after Matching. - Second,
they must be fed some form of
grit as their first feed ,1-or, at least,
! along with the first feed. Third,
they must be fed small amounts of
feed and this must be fed often.
Many different formulas have
j been proposed by different poultry
men 1ctting forth feeds for young
chicks. One that has given good
satisfaction at the North Dakota
Experiment Station is as follows
For the first IL hours the chicks
are in the brooder and small
amount Of finely crushed oyster
shell is put before them as well.
Water, of course, is put before the
chicks as soon as they are put IN
the breeder. Tie first feeding of
the young chicks or the feeding for
the first day is three feeds of oat-
meal, fed by sprinkling it on the
floor of the brooder. The second
day mixture composed of twenty
parts finely cracked corn, twenty
parts cracked wheat and five parts
oatmeal is used This is practical
ly what most of the commercial
chick feeds are composed of,
though the commercial feeds usually
have some grass seeds, principally
millet, mixed with the corn and
wheat This grain mixture should
be fed, at least, four times, prefer
ably five times a day for the first
week, feeding only what feed the
young chicks will clean up COM
Epletely between each feeding per
iod. -. -..'
If the eggs have been candled at
the close OF seven days and the
non-fertile eggs have been boiled,
they can be fed quite satisfactorily
to the young chicks, feeding one
small feed of boiled eggs per day
! for the first week or ten days.
? Ist#EAt; the end ssGfss the first week is
la good time to Begin feeding dry
bran in a hopper Chicks can best
be started to feed from the hopper
by putting the hopper containing
feed in the brooder and omitting
the noon feeding of grain.
BY the time the chicks are three
! weeks old they can usually be re-
moved to the colony house without
heat in the building and from this
time on, can be quite successfully
fed by using q hopper in which a
/ mixture of about 10 parts bran, s.
parts corn meal, parts finely
ground oats and one part meat meal
/ is contained. This mixture should
be before the chicks in the hopper
at all times. ~..
In addition to this grain mix
! ture composed cf twenty parts
cracked corn, twenty parts cracked
wheat and if available parts low
grade oatmeal may be fed in litter
or on the ground. -e.-. 81.
It will De highly beneficial to
growing chicks from the time they
are 3 weeks old if they have the
run of grass pasture or for chicks
that are Matched early in the spring,
oats should be sprouted for them
and I: a small am cunt Of this fed
each day so that they get some
green feed. Green feed Is as
fbenefcial to growing chicks as II
/ is to larger .rarm animals. sssi
| The system of feeding outlined
labove is especially suited to the
prod uction Of chicks that are to be
used as breeders. Where It Is
profitable to cater to a broiler or
roaster market. the use Of wet
|mashes and the use Of sour milk
or. buttermi1k will ne found advis-
able and profitable. ~ 2 Exp. lz' ,.
Station. u,