Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-04-03
FOODS -.
FOR CHICKS CARE
Feed Little but Often and Ge%
Brood on Mother Earth
Breaking to Hover-Encour.
age Observation-Disclosures Leads
to Bad Habits, Cannibalism
(By II. ARMSTRONG ROBERTS,


and troublesome. Matching is compar-
atively simple. But. from the time the
chick leaves the shelter of the incuba-
tor until they are 10 days old. the respon-
sibility is squarely up to the person in
charge of the brooder. In fact. until the
chicks are weaned from the brooder, at
four to six weeks old, the experienced
poultry keeper is apt to regard life as
serious proposition.
The novice may draw from this that
bringing up a brood of chicks is q diff
cult job, requiring much training and
experience. Not so. On the contrary.
the work is quite simple and almost GER
tain of success, providing a few ele-
mentary facts are borne in mind, No
mystery attaches to the work no pecu-
liar knowledge is required; no fears
need be entertained Young chicks re-
quire watchful attendant, which Is to.
say regular attention. and common sense
treatment. that is all. Frequently, the,
beginner has better luck than the. vet
eran poultry raiser, simply because of
the formers willingness to pay close at
tention to details.
In Its fullest sense, broodng means to
provide shelter. warmth and comfort,
quiet retreat for the chicks. a resting
place and a place to sleep, suitable nour-
ishment, exercise and protection against
bad habits, all under the most healthful
conditions, such as sanitation and ven-'
tilation. which will promote rapid de-
velopment and a strong constitution.
In natural broodng the hen takes care
of these conditions, though not always
as ably as she might. therefore natural
brooding may be said to represent the
easiest way. Many poultry keepers still
cling to this old-fashioned method. if
| they raise but few chickens. because
Fit is largely free from personal respon-
siblity.
Where large numbers Of chickens are
| raised, especially II early pullets are de-
sired for fall layers, it Is neither feas-
ible nor profitable to rear chicks by hens.
| Artificial means-machine power, as it
| were-are necessary, consequently these
| artificial processes need supervision
| control.
COMBINE THE CHICKS AT FIRST
! There is no better place for chicks
during the first "a hours after they have
| been Matched than the nursery compart-
ment of the incubator. Remove all I'M
| Matched eggs from the machine, also
empty shells and other matter which
/ "
the machine by opening the door. slight :
| ly; maintain temperature of about 9S
| degrees; -darken the interior of the ma
chine, so that the chicks will not scram-
BILE toward the light from the glass door,
and let them rest quietly .--
| This Is in imitation of the hens ways
| She remains close to the nest for the
| first day or two, until the chicks have
| gained the use of their legs Sometimes
| it is necessary to confine the hen for the
| first week, to keep her from running
afield too much and thereby eXhausting
the brood.
| Late afternoon or early evening is the
b1st time to remove the chicks from the
incubator. BY giving. them into the care
of the brooder when it is dark the
chicks are easier to handle and less like
ly to stray from the heated area. This
also helps to break them to the hover
or other means Of artificial heat, and re-
duces the risk Of budding together ir
cold corners.
Chicks must be "hover broken at the
very beginning. That is they must b'
taught to realize the source Of heat ant
how to reach it when they feel chilly OF
want to sleep. This training is the brood
err operators first and foremost respon
sibility, and it must not be overlooked.
1t is advisable to confine the brood
within a short distance OF the hove
! for the first two days in the brooder
If necessary. erect temporary barrie
: of wire netting. Always use such
barrier at night for the first four o.
five days. If the chicks are not so con
fined some of them may stray from thu
= warmth and be unable to find their wa!
hnn
chilled and die. Or something may fright
: en- the chicks and cause them to STAN
pede to the far corners of the broode
room, where it is cold There they vii
remain, and in their efforts to keep warn
; they will huddle ogether and tramp
d and suffocate one another.
!. Two days are usually enough to breal
the brood to the hover in the daytime
n Not until the chicks congregate roun
i the hover or stove of their own accorC
however, and settle there as though the
meant business. can the operator as
sumo that they are 'hover broken" an
. therefore discontinue precautionary meas
u ures at night, such as the wire barrel
WHEN AND WHAT TO FEED
s. Oddly enough, perhaps, more chick
It die from overlooking than from under
n by feeding the brood too soon after
It has left the incubator.
d The last development in ncubatio
J. prior to breaking the shell is the chick
d absorption of the yolk of the egg. TIL
highly nutritive material Is capable c
sustaining life for two or three day
or until the chick Is strong enough
: walk about freely and pick up food.
d is a wise provision of nature, with whic
o 1t Is folly to interfere. There is no nee
s for additional nourishment at this tim
It and to encourage the chick to eat
e tempting it with food Is likely to wor
s more harm than good, in that extra foe
u Is apt to hamper the proper assimlls
r ton of the recently absorbed yolk w
= might say that the chicks system Is M
e ready for food until the second or THU
o day after incubation.
= The first "a hours in the incubator al
q counted as one day; therefore the chicl
IS need not be fed until the morning of Il
o second day i'm the hrooder., Chicks WI
n peck at things as soon as they are hatcl
II ed and before they are even dry. The
do this mostly out of curiosity: 1t ms
be that they are even hungry, becau'
chicks have voracious appetites; yet tn
ID does not prove that food Is best for the
J. any more than 1t is always wise to ely
l. small boy as much food as he won
Is sometimes like to eat.
ic IL a brood Is particularly sturdy al
n, active by the afternoon of the first df
8. In the brooder the first feeding can