The Washington times., 1922-04-09
Farm, Garden and Poultry News
Tiny Chickens Thrive
Best On Choicest Food

"weIl begun is half done" IL q
tims-wori adage which applies with
special force to the growing of
chickens. II pays to fuss with
chicks during the critical first few
weeks after Matching. Time devoted
to extra care and attention usutlly
means a better flock and that In
turn. means less trouble and big.
ger income during the whole pro
ductive life of the flock.
Give the youngsters strong
start. manage and feed them prop
erly during the brooding period. and
they will be able TO give good ac-
count of themselves. But permit
them to become chilled or over
heated. give them food of the wrong
character, allow the food or water
supply to become contaminated. and
you may expect plenty OF trouble.
The effects of such faulty manage
ment will be noted In heavy loss
during the growing period and in
the weakness and generally poor
performance of such individuals as
manage TO come through to ma
turity.
1t is of primary. importance that
baby chicks be given the right food
and In the right way. This is par
ticularly true when chicks are
grown In considerable numbers or
on restricted areas.
One must admit that a hen turned
loose In a garden or orchard In May
or June win raise Der little brood on
a cornmeai diet She will find 30
much natural food for her babies that
the ration viii be reasonably com.
plete. But a flock of 100 youngsters
win fare poorly unless the interested
owner supplies the food elements re-
quired to build feather, bone and
flesh. Any deficiency in the neces-
sary materials will cause slow growth
or even development.
E,gh in Quality.
The amount of food consumed by
chicks during the critical first four to
six weeks of life is 80 small, as meas.
ured In pounds, that one is fully JUS
titled In paying a comparatively high
price per pound TO secure a ration
which is high I'm quality and correct
In balance. The saving of few
chicks that would otherwise be lost,
the superior quality of all the chicks
reared, viii make the slight added
cost a mighty profitable investment.
II makes little difference whether
one prepares the chick ration at home
or buys one which Is ready mixed,
provided, of course, II includes in
gradients of the right kind. in the
proper form and correct proportions.
Personally, believe that the ayUr-
age poultry raiser will do well to rely
upon one Of the successful COM
mercial baby chick foods, thereby
being sure of having a satisfactory
ration and avoiding the trouble and
expense of securing small quantities
of various food stuffs which are NOT
usually obtainable from local dealers
In feeds.
During recent years there has
been a marked increase in the per-
centsge OF chicks carried safely to
weaving age and in no small degree
this Improvement is due to the fact,
that dependable commercial chick
foods, complete ready-mixed rations.
are available everywhere. They
have largely supplanted the halfway
home rations, to the benefit of all
concerned. Unquestionabiy the high
grade baby chick foods put out by
reliable manufacturers are vastly
superior to those commonly prepared
by poultry growers In former years,
Having secured a supply OF suit
able food, provision should be made
to feed II in such manner that II
cannot become contaminated. This
vital point is too often disregarded
and frequently we see nocks OF baby
chicks eating out of boxes which
contain a ,,,tyfttra ~ food and filth
Baby chicks are highly susceptible
to bowel disorders as well as many
other diseases. In the majority of
cases the intestinal disorders-in-
cluding the dreaded white diarrhoea
ARE due to intestinal bacteria, and
these are present in large numbers
In the droppings. Consequently,
II the droppings OF a single SICK
chick are permitted to get into TN
food or water supply the disease
may thus be spread throughout the
flock. / have seen this happen In a
multitude of cases. No one should
risk the danger OF such loss when II
can be 80 easily avoided by using
water founts and feed troughs or
hoppers which protect their contents
against contamination.
There :s always a chance, too,
that chicks will pick up infected
material with the scratch grains
which are scattered in the litter.
This indicates the wisdom OF keep
ing floors and litter reasonably
clean I'm order to avoid this danger.
Do not feed chicks too soon after
hstching. Nature provides enough
food to keep the youngsters well
nourisbed for at least tht8e days
"a lyn nal N