The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-25

By WILLIAM A LIPPINCOTT, Pro-
fessor of Poultry ITusbandry, Kansas |
State Agricultural Collegel
GreennesS, grit, grubs and gumption |
are essentials for thrifty chicks. Gump-
ton NAV have to be bred into the |
chicks 10 Il large extent, but the green |
ness, grit and gruhs can be easily and
economically furnished il the chicks
are range-raised. And the fact that
the heaviest egg production OF the
year comes in the spring, which is the
most attractive time for ranging, is
no mere coincidence.
The reasons why ranging is attrac-
tive in the spring are that everywhere
tender green shoots are available,
which chickens, young and old, love.
And there is an abundance of insects.
worms and grubs which the birds not
only greatly enjoy. but which furnish
material out of which blood, muscle
and feathers may be made by growing
chicks, and egg-whites by laying hens,
So eagerly are these things sought
after that it keeps the youngsters hust-
ling from sunrise to shutdown, and get
ting a world Of good exercise which is
so necessary for young stock. ii keeps
the layers hustling too which is very
essential in keeping the system of the
heavy layer in good working order.
Greatest OF Faults.
One of the greatest faults Of poul-
try feeding is over-feeding. The art
of feeding laying stock or young chicks
lies in SO stimulating the appetite that
they will consume large amounts Of
feed without clogging the system.
| There is no surer way TO defeat this
than TO overfeed, and nothing in the
method Of feeding short Of starvation,
| Will do more damage to growing chicks
/ or cut down egg production quicker
| than oyer-fecding. on free range the
! chance of over-feeding is almost neg
/ hgible One may put out hoppers Of
| feed for the growing young stock, con-
! tanning the grains both ground and
whole, which arc not available on the
range. without fear of the chicks over
eating. The reason is the the young
{ sterS lind the bugs and worms and sue
culent green shoots so much more pal
atable than they do the grains that
they spend most of their time rustling
for the latter, and only consuming
enough of the grain to meet their ac-
tual necessities. With all the hus-
Ting they do their appetites are never
quite satisfied, which is the approved
state for young chicks, and it is q
poor range that does not furnish an
abundance of one sort of hard sub.
stance or another that viii serve as
grinders in the gizzard.
Hard on Town Letter.
Now this is all very fine for the poul
try man or woman who lives in Tho
country or suburbs and has plenty OF
range at his disposal on which tC
| raise his birds, though even with him
! 81 he lives in the North or Contra
| states, there wifi be three months il
| the year when the range is not attrac
| five. But what about the town lottel
| who is trying to rear few in hi:
own back yard? What is he going tt
: do for free range? The answer is a
in the case Of everything else that il
/ scarce-get substitute. And thert
| are substitutes, and good ones. too
| Aside from the fact that, because o
/ its attractiveness, the range helps t,
1 make the fowls happy and contented
/ and happiness and contentment ad,
Il thrift to chicks and help hens to lay
Il the range does not furnish anythin,
L that cannot be secured independently
II OF course, every poultryman know
II that he can get commercial grit, o
sizes suitable for either chicks 0
II hens, which is even more efficient 70
grinding than the ordinary stones o
II pebbles picked up about the farm. A
! most every poultrymln knows, too
= that he can easily furnish tender
!, green succulence to his chicks by tn
II use of the oat sprouter, though it i
surprising to find how comparativel
/ few are doing it. Commercial oa
sprouters are to be had from poultr
supply houses at reasonable prices, c
/ if one has the least knack with tool
II he can easily make one that will
| equally efficient. 1t is surprising whs
II a difference a bunch of well-sproute
II oats each day will make in the COZ
II tentment and thrift of either layin
II hens or young chicks, whether it be o
II the town lot or with the farm flock
II winter. With young chicks slice
! onion is well relished, and by slicir'
them so that one may cut the ring
and make long strings he may find
way to start rough-and-tumble scra
among the little fellows any time the
appear BIT listless and dumpish. Il,
the older stock, however, there is not
ing better than sprouted oats, and IL
ee poultryman who tries to get alor
without them when the fowls are M
If on free range, is in all probability n,
= getting the egg production or the thri
10 that his flock is capable of.
Furnish Some Green Feed.
&c If for any reason it is not possib