Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-13

/ II depends on how you feed the chicks.
/ II they run with the grown chickens
you will have to use twice as much nux
vomica- II you have a feeding coop for
partridge size down. a teaspoon level
] full will be plenty for twenty or thirty.
I For twenty chicks up to a month old
half a spoonful will be enough. Be care
/ full to mix II in oornmesl moistened just
enough TO hold IL together, and have just
enough dough for them to clean IL up
right then. Put IL on a long board II you
can. 80 that they will get the dough
without much dirt. AZ the hens are in
clined TO scratch IL, I feed nux vomica
to the chicks without letting the hen
eat II you know what time the hawk
will cOme-and they are rather method
ical-it is a good plan to feed the chick
ems Just before that time, for the hawk
will get full strength II he eats the little
chicken while the medicine and dough Is
in the crop undigested. For one chicken,
as much as you can get on the end OF a
pocket knife's small blade IS enough, but
YOU have to allow for some getting more
than others. 1 usually pinch up three
small amounts for cen or a dozen little
fellows. I have never known a chicken
TO be even stunted by an over dose, and
IL certainly makes them grow. For the
older fiocks I put in two or three tea
spOOnfuls as a tonic for twenty-five hens.
After the first day, with baby chicks and
all. you may use half as much; and after
the third time use IL three times a week
Anything Matched or born with its eyes
closed-dOgs, opossums and that class
will also be poisoned by the nux vomica.
But II will have no effect on eggs nor on
chickens for the table. A grown hen
is not supposed to get as much at one
feed as would make a lump larger than
q grain Of popcorn. The price has gone
up so much that you are likely to want
to underfeed instead OF overfeed. But
dimes worth killed the two hawks
that came here, as 1 fed IT only to the
flock that they were after.
Now let me tell you my experience
with eggs under hens. The eggs in my
incubator showed only two infertile.
Some pipped but did not hatch. So let
me tell you what TO do. Unless you keep
that lining to the shell moist you need
not expect a chick from the egg. Three
days before you expect the hens TO hatch,
remember 1 am not telling you about
incubatOrs for every one has its own set
OF instructiOns) the eggs under hen are
just as liable to get too dry; have a deep
pan or bucket of water. as hot as you
would wash your little child's hands in.
See that the pan is absolutely free from
grease and have the water deep enough
OF the nest. but put the eggs, all of them
in the warm water. Let every one get
wet all over. Try to keep an eye on
the first put in and as soon as all ha re
been under the water begin to put them,
wet as they will be- right under the hen.
They will dampen her feathers. but the
warmth Of her body will create a steam
that will be fine for that inner skin
that gets tough and keeps the chick in
the egg Then the dag the chicks be-
gin TO hatch I dip all but the pipped ones.
Then if any seem slow TO get out, after
they have pipped the shell l put them in,
but / am careful TO keep that hole out
OF the water. A fertile egg is often In
shell too thick for the little chick. I
/ know that people say ir the chick is not
strong enough to break the shell it is
too weak to live long But that has
not been my experience.
II have this week received three In
quries for baby chicks from neighbors
OF ladies who got twenty from me last
year and none lost more than two out
Of the twenty. Fifteen eggs ought TO
give fourteen chicks unless they are
/ shipped. and I've known it to happen
then. But much depends on the express
man handling them.
/ I am in receipt OF a letter from a lady
expecting one hundred from Ohio next
week. and she asks me to tell her how
/ 10 care for them when they arrive.
shall quote from letter that l am send
ing with some that go this afternoon:
When you get them from the express
office put them in a box that is high
enough 10 KEEP any draft off of them.
Don't let them cool of too fast, for you
I take them out of a warm nest. If pos
sible let their first food be fresh but
! termilk.
Have commercial baby chick food or
raw hominy grits or oat meal to feed
them on. Three boxes Of the grits ami
enc OF oatmeal fed to them five times
q day. dry not cooked. will last them
I three weeks. plenty OF sand to scratch
| in and sunshine when they can get *,
with tu;Sermilk and plenty of clean wa
I ter will almost guarantee all living. At
night nut them in a smaller box. Use
cloth on the bottom as it is warmer
I and fix the cover so that they will
/ touch IT. Don't let the box be alright
AMI at bed time throw a crocus sack
over It for it's gets cooler towards morn
| ing"
1 cut onion tops fine and feed to them
I after they are q week old, just one or
two little pieces TO a chick at first
then as much as they can clean up at
/ one. meal later. Assafoedita Is fine for
them, but as II is expensive now I use
J onion tops. The Farmers sets were
hardly out OF the ground before 1 be-
gan TO pinch them. He laughed and said
I'd stunt his onions. told him II would
be better 20 stunt a few onions than
these baby chickens.
II After reading these directions there
\ will be some people who will say that
it is too much trouble to do all this
Nothing worth while can be accomplish
ed without care and attention.
i I remember right here that many
Il chickens will be Matched miles away
n from town. and will suggest TO the own
4 ers OF such that they make eggbread
let IL be in deep pan and let there be
I plenty of crumbs. Put IL I'm the air and
n let IL dry out Feed that to the baby
chicks Don't feed moist food for two
| or three weeks. Don't put them i'm a
coop with no floor and expect the her
! 10 keep them warm, as fast as she
4 warns them the earth draws II from
them. I have some planks nailed so as
| TO make separate floors. l set coops
! on or over them and see that the hens
I are In the warm dry corner at night
l In pua coon Of vyirN I turn down a hOV