Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-05-01

during the first day or so, they need
very little TO eat, as they are nour-
isned by the absorbed yolk, but at
later dates they require regular and
systematic feeding and correct tenn
perature
The necessary heat during ship
ment is maintained by their own bod
les; Tor that reason they are shipped
| IN specially constructed boxes so made
as TO Withstand rough usage, and
especially TO retain the heat and to
provide sufficient ventilation. One
| hundred chicks are generally shipped
In each package the lot being divided
| into four groups of TWENTY-FIVE each
by pasteboard walls or partitions.
! This prevents crowding and injury due
to smothering should the package be
/ LETT on end. Baby chicks are always
shlpped by express, and must be con-
spicuously labeled. Should a ship
ment be received in bad order il
should Immediately be reported to the
express company and the bill should
be marked ''in bad order" by the re-
| cetver. II this is done each time. any
injury due to careless handling can
be held up TO the transportation COM
pany.
| Placed in Brooder
Upon receipt of the chicks they
I should be put in previously pre-
pared hrooder. If large quantities of
| baby chicks are bought, the large
| hAuOucT STOVES plaCSu III properly
| built houses. about ten by twelve feet
on the floor, will give excellent results.
Not over five hundred chicks should
ever be- put under one hover and gen.
orally three hundred will give even
| better results. Smaller lots of chicks
| can be handled in porta BILE hovers
placed in rooms where the tempera-
ture can be maintained under the
hover at the proper degree.
From fifty to one hundred chicks
are generally placed under these small
hovers. The temperature under the
hover should be regulated to about 90
degrees before the chicks are placed
in same. The floor should be covered
with fine dry sand, and over this fine
chan, clover or alfalfa being pre-
ferred. Plenty of grit should be scat
! tered about the floor and fresh water
supplied. The chicks should be taken
from the shipping boxes Immediately
upon arrival and carefully placed un-
der this specially prepared hover or
movers as the case may be. distrihut-
ing them and seeing that they learn
where the heat is and that they do not
crowd in the corners of the building.
II Is always we'll to write TO the one
from whom they were purchased noti-
Tying him of the arrival and their
condition.
There are two factors which enter
into the handling of brooder chicks
and which make for success or fail
ure. These are temperature and feed. |
1t is essential that the chicks be kept
warm, but not too hot. Failure to
provide sufficient heat means crowd |
ing and its attendant death rate, due |
TO sunocation and Weakening of vital |
ity. II Is also generally responsible |
for much of the diarrhea which is |
very common in brooder chicks. Too |
high temperature will mean "hot |
house chicks" which are very suscep-
ubie TO colds and drafts and which |
will not grow we'll and make husky, |
sturdy cockerels and pullets. The |
best temperature is 95 degrees the |
first two days under the hover; ninety |
10 ninety-tive the next five days, with |
a gradual drop of five degrees each |
week until the hover is the same as
the normal room temperature, which |
should be from 90 to 40 degrees. From
this time on the youngsters should be
accustomed to no heat and no hover
protection. the hover being gradually |
raised until it can he entirely removed.
This weaving, or hardening off. as Il
is termed, is very essential to future
success on the range.
Feeding Chicks
The feeding of the day-old chick
during the brooding period is a sim
pie matter. if the first principles of
nutrition are known. Early feeding
in large quantities should be avoided
The youngsters need plenty of ash
wheat bran being very desirable FIRE.
quent feeding during early stages is
made necessary on account of the
small size of the digestive organs and
the rapid growth which the young I
chick makes. Wet feeds should be
avoided. Clean feeding is of the ut
most Importance. The feeding of sour
skim milk, IL it can be secured fresh
each day. is very desirable. as il pro-
ri mo nj |
disinfectant. The following
feeding practice is recommended to
sters are placed under the hover un-
til they leave their artificial mother
and can take care of themselves on
the range.
and rapid growth, but to get the
chicks through a delicate period of
their development with a strong. Wig
orous growth and a sturdy skeleton
which can later stand the strain of
forced feeding for either meat or eggs.
The Feeding Practice
First day. No solid feed other than
grit and plenty of clean, fresh water /
and sour skim milk. If available. the
milk to be fed continuously.
Second day. Pin-head oats or oat-
meal. three feelings. scattering very
small amounts on brooder floor Ia
Next five days. Feed the following {
cracked grain ration five times daily, :
giving only what will be eaten up :
quickly: !
CHICK GRAIN RATION
Fine cracked corn ... 40 lbs. :
Fine cracked wheat .... 40 lbs.
Oatmeal ................2 20 lbs. 9
Total .....a..........1 100 lbs. .
This ration may he supplemented :
oy hard-boiled eggs. once day. and +
'prouted oat tops or other green feed a
vice daily. II
Seventh to fourteenth day. Keep :
wheat bran in small hoppers before :
he chicks all of the time. and feed
he above cracked grain ration four =
ines daily.
Third to eighth week. Keep the
ollowing dry mash before them all of
he time in hoppers and feed the