The Little River news., 1923-02-28
CARE OF BABY CHICKS

4 large number of chicks die each year due to improper care. Not only
 is it necessary to feed properly, but the general care of the chick should
 be of the very best to insure success. Just before the eggs are due to hatch, the brooder house should be thor oughly cleaned and disinfected. The brCOdor should be lighted and regu- lated so that everything is in readiness for the baby chicks as soon as they are ready to leave the incubator.
 Many times bowel trouble is ascrib- ed to improper feeding when the real trouble is that the chicks have be- come chilled Keep the temperature of the brooder house between 70 de- gl ees and 80 degrees and this will insure sufficient heat. 95 to 9S degrees, around the hover for the baby chicks Do not let the chicks crowd i1to corner, for in so doing they will eith- CT die of suffocation, or their vitality will be so weakened that they will never amount to much.
 The first feed, which should be given AS hours after matching, should be a coarse sand or fine commercial chick grit. A few hours after this. feed some feed that is light and flaky. Rolled oats have given us the best re- suits. They are light, flaky, and easi- ly seen. In place of the rolled oats, finely ground bread crumbs or wheat bran can be used as a starter. Where buttermilk or sour skim milk is at hand, it should be given instead of water, as the acid keeps down bowel trouble. Feed at least five times day but in limited quantities.
 After two of three days of feeding on these starter feeds, a grain mixture consisting of equal parts of finely cracked corn and wheat can be fed a. long with the starter feed Commer cial chick feed can be used instead of the above, but We advise the use of dhe former because only the best of feeds should be used for baby chicks and often the commercial feed is found to be mouldy. Besides the grain ra- tion, the chicks should have before them at all times equal parts of wheat bran and sifted beef scraps. This system of feeding can be continued until the chicks are two weeks old.
 From the third week to the sixth, the following grain ration will give give good results. For the grain mix ture, use two parts of cracked corn, or a good commercial chick feed, pr0- viding it is absolutely free from mould. Feed the above in the litter twice a day. For the dry mash, that should always be available in the hop per, feed equal parts of bran, wheat middlings, and beef scraps. Up until this time, the chicks should have nothing but buttermilk or sour milk, but now it is advisable to give both milk and water.
 From the seventh week on to ma turity, feed equal parts whole wheat and hulled oats for short time, and then use wheat and cracked corn Feed this in deep litter once or twice a day Keep the following mixture in la hopper before them at all times: equal parts of bran, wheat middlings, corn meal, and half-part of linseed meal. Beef scraps, plenty of fresh water and sour milk in a shady place. Green feed should be supplied from the time the chicks are few days old. Sprouted oats are one of the best green feeds. Lettuce is also relished by the chicks-Agricultura Experi- ment Station, Fayetteville, Ark.