The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1921-07-21
Chicks In Warm Weather
Proper Care and Management of
Growing Chicks Important
in Summer.

The care of growing chicks, es.
pecially during warm weather, is
most important, say specialists OF
the United States department of
agriculture. Every boy or girl
member of a poultry club should
give them the best of attention if
success is to be had. The baby
chicks may be smart little fellows
from strong, vigorous parent stock,
and they may have been brooded
carefully for the first two or three
weeks, but unless they receive
proper care and management dur
ing their later growing period they
will not develop properly, and many
of them will be lost through dis
ease or sickness. The chief essen
tials to proper growth are good
coops or houses, cleanliness, prop
er feed and water, shade, and free
range.
Every coop and poultry house
used for growing chicks should be
kept clean at all times. Sickness or
disease starts usually in unclean
quarters, and in such places lice
and mites are always more plenti-
full. Coops and houses should be
cleaned and sprayed once week,
and clean shavings, chaff, or sand
put On the floor. Examine the
chicks and houses often for lice
and mites, and if found they should
be got rid of at once by following
the directions in Department Cir
cular Is, Lice, Mites and Cleanli-
ness" which may be had, free upon
application to the division of pub
lications. United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.
A variety of feeds, with fresh,
clean water, is necessary If chick
ems are to grow properly. Perhaps
the three most necessary for rapid
growth are grain feed, green feed
and dry mash. Poultry specialists
of the department say that in addi-
ton to the green feed and dry
mash, which should be provided
regularly. a grain mixture should
be fed night and morning, giving as
large a quantity as the chicks will
eat clean, but no more. A good
grain mixture for growing chicks
consists of three parts of cracked
corn, two parts wheat and two
parts of hulled oats. When avail
able, kafir or rolled or hulled bar
ley may be substituted for hulled
oats. In localities where hulled
oats, kafir or rolled barley can not
be obtained, or is too expensive, a
mixture of cracked corn and wheat
only may be fed until the chicks are
old enough to eat whole oats, when
two parts oats may be added to
the corn and wheat mixture.
A reasonable supply of fresh
green feed is almost as necessary
as grain for growing chicks. If al
lowed liberty they will get much OF
it for themselves, but if confined
or if in quarters where green feed
is not abundant, it should be sup
piled regularly. Lawn grass, beet
tops, cabbage and lettuce are ex
cellent feeds. When chicks are
confined to brood coops with runs
they should be placed on ground
where the grass is green and ten
der, and as fast as it is eaten off
the coop and run should be moved
to place where the grass is plenti
full
In addition to green feeds ant
grain, dry mash should be kept be
fore growing chicks at all time:
after they are three or four week:
old. 1t is best to feed it in a hop
per inside the building, or where i
will not be exposed to rain or wet
Here is a good dry mash mixture
Two pounds of corn meal, twt
pounds middlings, / pound oatmeal
two pounds wheat bran, one pount
beef scrap, and one-fourth pount
charcoal. Grit and oyster shell al
SO should be provided