The sun., 1915-05-30
CHICKS PAY WELL IF
HATCHED IN SUMMER
Eggs Cheaper at That Time,
hut Greater Care Is Needed
in Raising Youngsters.
SHADE rs ESSENTIAL
ny PROr. N. X. BOYER.

There is proit In summer Matched
chicks II they are carefully and eco
nomically raised. But there arc OBJ
stacles in rearing chicks during ho
weather that do not present Themselves
In tho cooler months Of early spring
n these drawbacks are met at tht
right time and In the right way 1t IL
surprising what good stock can be se'
cured. and that, TOO, at q season wher
eggs are cheap.
Where one has a large old orchard
he has an ideal spot for raising summer
chicks. and an excellent way is TO SCI
hens right out under these trees, In bar
rels laid on their sides. with lath run
in front. After tho hatch In over the
barrels can be cleaned out. new soil
thrown in, and the hen and her brood
can make this their home until large
enough to be moved to other quarters
on this shady range the youngsters will
not mind the heat. and they will secure
grass and insects galore. Everything
/ else being equal. chicks are bound to
! grow rapidly under such circumstances,
| Where the old orchard Is not available
a cornfeld will serve tho purpose. After
the corn is about three feet high the
coops can be scattered about tho field,
I same as In the orchard.
Now where the land Is more limited,
where the old orchard does not exist
! and the corniield would be out OF aues-
To-, f.D ~, ha tar
/ limited and where natural shade IL not
/ extensive, canopies can be erected. prac-
! tically only roof supported BY four
/ strong posts, one In each corner. This
! contrivance should be not more than
! two feet high, and since there are no
/ sides. the cool air will come through
/ IL there Is any air at all. Shade IL one
Of the greatest factors In raising sum
mer chicks. Without II failure IL sure
! 10 come.
Next In importance to shade comes
| fresh air Begin right. Grow the chicks
out in the open. Housing In close-fit-
ting coops AZ night will not successfully
: raise summer chicks. Where there IL
danger OF night prowling animals II Is
best to have tho fronts OF these sheds
composed OF one inch wire netting. This
( will keep out the enemy. but allow plenty
of fresh air. don't believe In rails
'
to endure all sorts of weather. l never
vet heard sensible argument In favor
of such a practice.
A mistake so many beginners make is
in overcrowding the fiocks. Over
crowdlng is the direct cause OF many
vices. such as zoe pulling, feather eating
&c. Leghorn raisers have much trouble
with this toe pulling habit, and hun
dreds of chicks are lost In consequence
H.. sAI ~
same can be said of Wyandotte raisers
when they have too many chicks In a
coop-only IL is feather pulling instead
OF toe pulling that the latter must con-
tend with. Dvercrowding produces sick
hess and makes weak chicks.
But the greatest drawback to summer
chick culture is vermn-unless proper
precautions are taken from the start I
believe that one of the greatest !nsecti-
, cides Is ;oblcco stems. j use them
freely. They are used exclusively in the
nests " laying hens, as well as in the
nests of the broody hens. The heat OF
the bodies Of these hens sends the to-
bacco fumes up through the feathers
choking to death all insect llfe Con-
trary to the opinion of some people. the
tobacco fumes do not in the least hurt
The egg or the chick But I do not rely
entirely upon tobacco stems. once a
month use a disinfectant, which spray
into every crack and crevice, including
the roosts and the nest boxes, OF every
house on the place. II destroys vermin
not reached by the fumes OF tobacco
and. besides. II kills such germs OF dis
ease as may he lurking about the prem
ises. I might here state that in this
spraying the floor should not be forgot
ten. Fumigation among the litter on the
floor Is dealing destruction right In tho
cnemy's camp, for IL is there that the
bulk of the trouble lies.
For years | have used the above
method for destroying insect and germ
life, and in consequence my chicks are
not only free from vermin, hut they are
strong and active Stamina Is "A great
tonic for chick growth. and In no
season ~ IL moro desirable than during
the hot months
The old time practice Of setting hens
in the regular laying houses had the re-
suit OF infesting the houses with thou
sands OF vcrmin. These killed or old
fowls and harried the young hut the
more experienced among amateur poul-
trymen have learned their lesson, and
Gens are now set outdoors in a barrel
nest placed In a shady spot. The war
against "crrnin should begin with the
old stock in January and continue
throughout tho entire year 1T IN
mistake To wait until the grand army
arrives-kill the scntirels. the spies
that are in hiding during the winter
and early spring months.
The next important point to be CON
sidered is the feeding.
The diet OF summer chicks is practi-
cally the same as that for winter chicks
excepting that less corn "a heating food)
should be allowed in the ration. There
must be some corn, however. Put in
Just enough to balance the ration. Tie
three grains important for chick growth
are wheat, oats and corn--ln the pro-
portion Gin sunmer) OF two parts cracked
wheat, two parts oats (either cracked
hulled oats or oatmeaD and one part
iinely cracked corn. all by measurement,
These are mixed and placed in boxes
within easy access. After the chicks are
a few weeks old give them a mash COM
posed of two parts bran (by weighD to
one part each of middliugs. oatmeal,
Cornmeal and meat scrap. or this only
enough Is given each morning that the
chicks will eat up clean. one of the
greatest dangers Is to allow mash TO
stand around TO sour. Sour food kills
hundreds of chicks annually, and too
much caro- cannot be given to prevent
this loss.
Fresh water must be constantly he
fore them, 1t Is wonderful how fire.
quently these little youngsters run to
the drinking vessels. They have habit
ual thrsts. and TO deprive them OF water,
II even for only an hour, gives them
great distress.