The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-11
ny MRS. JOHN c. MOSES.

/ Hy Mis-. JOHN ~ MUSES.
Day after day am asked how to
start off newborn chicks. My sys-
tenn, as actually practiced by myself,
and with which have had the best of
success, is as follows:
After 4S hours old the chicks get
their first nieaL and not before. Many
give their chicks bowel trouble by
Misunderstanding too soon. For their
first meal ] give dry oatmeal rolled in
the hands, hard-bciled eggs rolled fine
with rolling pin, with a slight pinch of
pepper and Il little fine charcoal mixed
in. On TIE brooder floor may be placed
some bran and fine Nhoniny gri,s. This
is all feed for 10 days. when a little
baby chick feed may he given and a
little we'll cooked meat scraps cut up
and fed.
There are some prepared chick start
ing foods on the market, but l prefer
my own way, as nothing moldy gets
in their feed. A chick once started
wrong r.ever gets right again. The
incubator may have run up too high
or down too low just once, but that
once may PUT a damper on the hatch
one way or the OTHER The trouble with
most people in running a machine is
that they trust 100 much to the safety
devices These are all tight, but like
| the human body, they will go wrong.
! Stay at home end watch your thermom-
eter, and also get up a couple of times
at night. 1t pays well.
FEED OFTEN
| Young chickens should be fed from
| three to five times daily, depending
upon ones experience in feeding. I'm
doubtedly chickens can be grown raster
| by feeding five times daily than by reed
| ing three times daily, but 1T should pc
borne in mind that more harm can be
done to the young chickens by overfeed-
ling than by undertaking, and at no time
should they be fed more than barely TO
\ satisfy their appetites and to keep them
exercising, except at the evening or last
meal, when they should be given all they
will eat Young chicks that are confined
need more attention to avoid overfeed-
ling than those that have free range, as
leg weakness is likely to result in those
confined Never give water until after
1.-THE chicks have eaten their meal.
! After the chicks are 10 days old good
| growing mash, composed of parts by
weight Of bran, parts middlings. parts
corn meal, part rolled oats, and 10 pei
4 cent sifted beef scrap, may be placed in
a hopper and left before them at all
times The mash may be fed either wet
or dry; if wet, only enough moisture
l(either milk or water) should be added
to make the feed crumbly, but in nc
sense sloppy. When this growing mash
or mixture is not used a hopper contain
i ing bran should be accessible to the
lkhickens at all times.
DEPENDS ON NUMBER
When one has only few chickens il
is less trouble to purchase the prepared
chick feeds, but where a considerable
number are reared it is sometimes cheap
err to buy the finely cracked grains ano
mix them together. Many chick feeds
lcontain a large quantity of grit and may
contain grains of poor quality. SO tina
they should be carefully examined ape
the quality guaranteed before they are
purchased.
AS soon as the chickens will eat the
whole wheat. cracked corn and othel
grains-usually in about eight weeks
the smal1-sized chick feed can be elimi
mated. In addition to the above feeds
the chickens growth can be- fastened il
they are given sour milk, skim milk, OF
buttermilk to drink.
AS TO BEEF SCRAPS
The beef scrap may be left out of thu
dry mush and fed in a separate hopper
so that the chickens can eat all of thi
feed they desire. If the beef scrap i
to be fed separately it is advisable, ~
, wait until the chicks are 10 days old
although many poultrymen put the bee