Evening star., 1916-04-16
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POULTRY YARD NOTES.

The moment a chick comes from the
incubator the farmer must exercise
great care in feeding. 1t is important
to feed baby chicks carefully and to
continue feeding the pullets attentive
ly through the summer. A good food
for baby chicks when between twenty
four and thirty hours old is a mixture
Of two hard boiled eggs cut up fine,
two broken crackers and a small hand
full of oatmeal. The mixture is rolled
with the hand. mixed thoroughly and
scattered a little at time on a clean
cardboard.
The first food is not thrown in the
brooder litter because it is necessary
first to teach the baby chicks what to
eat. Otherwise they will eat any small
substance. This applies to feeding q
mixture of small grains as we'll The
egg mixture is fed six times the first
day and four times daily thereafter.
A shallow box is placed before the
chicks containing equal parts of wheat,
bran and oatmeal. This box is kept
full for at least two weeks allowing
the chicks to eat all the bran-oatmeal
mash they desire.
On the second day the scattering of
one-1nch litter Goats straw, shredded or
cut fodder. broken pine straw or cut
alfalfa) to make the chicks exercise
Inc Following Is an excellent mixture
OF scratching grains for baby chicks:
Equal parts cracked wheat. cracked
rice and cracked corn and millet seed
to lend variety to the food The OBJ
1ect OF feeding small grain is to make
the chicks scratch. work and keep
healthy. Dry mash is to supply the
best growing foods. The more mash
the chicks eat the faster they will
grow. provided they exercise by
scratching for grain and run over a
good range.
Some people cover the floor of their
brooders with sawdust, but it Is not a
good plan. for the young chicks pick up
quite a quantity Of 1t, and it clogs the
crop and is liable to prove fatal il they
eat too much of it. Others cover the
floor with bran, and this is good thing
We're 1t not for its cost. The chicks eat
a lot of bran. and 1t is good for them,
which must be taken out every few
DAYS and thrown away. This, of course.
Is serious loss, especially where large
quantities of chicks are raised. The
ldeai covering for the brooder floor is
alfalfa leaves or the refuse from the
barn loft 1t benefits them to eat the
alfalfa leaves. and they can be re-
moved as soon as soiled and fresh
leaves provided. 1t pays to be on the
safe side and renew whatever YOU have
on the floor Of the brooder quite often.
rather than have the chicks exposed to
severe sickness by eating filthy food.
If coarse oatmeal can be procured at
a reasonable price-say not over cents
a pound-it makes one of the very best
foods that can be given to young chicks,
and we would feed more OF it than any
other kind of feed. Rolled oats are also
good ho
cured. Broken rice is also very good
chick feed, though too much of it might
lnJure them, as it sWellS considerably
after being taken into the crop. Rice
Is best fed the last thing at night as
considerable time is required for 1t to
digest.
The necessity of plenty of pure drink
ing water for the laying hens should
be apparent to everybody. but we are
enough water for their necessities dur
ing cold weather. In many poultry
houses the water freezes before the hens
can get enough to drink. and they go
without water for most of the day
When We consider that the contents of
an egg are about 80 per cent water it
should be plain to everybody that with.
out plenty of water hen cannot man
ufacture eggs. There are water foiin-
tains with lamp attachment that will
keep the water from freezing in the
coolest weather. but We do not urge
these. but that fresh water should be
given the hens two or three times a
day. All poultry houses should be made
warm enough so that water should not
freeze in them
Those who are having their first ex-
DerI- ce in raising chicks by artificial
brooding should remember that the lit
tie chicks must be taught to get under
10 q w ct
biltty of their getting outside and
punching in some corner. By gently
pushing them under the hover they soon
learn where the warmth is Little
chickens like to scratch and should al
ways have supply of chaff or alfalfa
leaves in the brooder when they are
first put out.
When everything goes along SWIM