Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-04-19

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cred basket or receptacle in cool or
cold weather
The capacity of broOders and hOvers
is often overestimated, and one-half
to two-thirds of the number of chicks
commonly advised will do much bet
ter than a larger number. The dan
ger from fire, due frequently to care
Iessness and lack of attention, is con-
siderable in cheap broOders and how
erS while there is some risk in the
best grades, although proper care will
reduce this to a minimum. Individual
hovers in colony houses or several in
one large house are giving quiet gen
eral satisfaction on small poultry
farms, while the pipe system of brood
ing is commonly used in large COM
mercial poultry plants and where ex-
tensive winter broOding is done. Gas
oline brooders, brooder stoves burn
ing engine-distillate oil, and separate
individual hovers heated by coal fire
are coming into more general use,
each with a capacity varying from
200 to $500 chickens. These large in
dividual brooders are used in colony
houses, and when the chickens are
weaned the colony house is used as
growing coop, which requires a
smaller investment than the long,
piped brooder house and allows one
to rear the chicks on a range to good
advantage.
The best temperature at which to
keep a brooder or hover depends up
on the position of the thermometer
the style of the hover, and the age OF
the chickens, and the weather cOndi-
lions. Aim to keep the chickens COM
Portable. AS the operator learns by
the actions of the chickens the amount
of heat they require, he can discard
the thermometer if he desires. When
too cold they will crowd together and
try to get nearer the heat. 1t is i'm
possible to state for each case at what
the broOders should be
kept to raise young chickens; hOwev-
er, it will run from 80 degrees up to
100 degrees in some cases, as some
brOods of chickens seem to require
more heat than others, an average be
ing SO degrees to 95 degrees for the
first week or ten days, when the tenn
perature is gradually reduced to 50
for the following 10 days and
then lowered to 70 degrees or rs de-
grees for as long as the chickens need
heat.
Young chicks should be fed from
to times daily, depending upon ones
experience in feeding. The young
chicks may be fed any time after they
are Sc to 4S hours old, whether they
are with a hen or in a broOder. The
first feed may contain either hardbOil-
ed eggs, johnnycake, stale bread, pin
head oatmeal or rolled oats, which
feeds or combinations may be used
with good results. Feed the bread
crumbs, rolled oats or johnnycake
mixture moistened with water, five
times daily for the first week, then
gradually substitute for one or two
feeds of the mixture finely cracked
grains of equal parts by weight OF
cracked wheat, finely cracked corn,
and pinhead oatmeal or hulled oats,
to which about per cent of cracked
peas or broken rice and 2 per cent of
charcoal, millet, or rape seed may be
added. A commercial chick feed may
be substituted if desired. The above
ration can be fed until the chicks are
two weeks old, when they should be
fed on grain and dry or wet mash
mixture.
After the chicks are ten days old a
good growing mash, composed of two
parts by weight of bran, two parts
middlings, one part cornmeal, one
part low grade wheat -four or red-dog
flour, and 10 per cent sifted beef
scrap, may be placed in a hopper and
left before them at all times. AS soon
as the chickens will eat the whole
wheat, cracked corn, and other grains,
the smalI-sized chick feed can be
eliminated.
Fine charcoal, grit, oyster shells,
and clean water should be kept before
the chickens, and the weather cOndi-
or ground bone may be fed where the
chickens are kept in small bare yards,
but the latter feed is not necessary for
chickens that have a good range
Government Bulletin.