Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-04-10
m)PoultryNotes



than by feeding three times daily,
but it should be borne in mind that
more harm can be done to the, Young
chickens by overlooking. than by
undertaking, and at no time should
they be fed more than barely
enough to satisfy their appetites
and to keep them exercising ex-
cept at the evening or last meal,
when they should be given all they
will eat. Greater care must be taken
not to overfeed young chicks that
are confined than those that have
free range, as leg weakness Is likely
to result in those confined.
The young chickens should not be
fed until they are about 48 hours old,
whether they are with the hen or in
brooder. If home mixing of feed is
to be allowed, the first feed should
consist of baked johnnycake broken
up into small pieces, or hard boiled
eggs mixed with stale bread crumbs
Or rolled oats. using a sufficient
quantity of the latter to make a dry.
crumbly mixture. or mash of two
quarts rolled oats, one part bran and
one part middlings by weight, mixed
with milk or with boiled eggs. These
feeds or combinations of feeds may
be used with good results for the
first three or four days. Then
gradually substitute daily. for two
weeks, a mixture of equal parts of
finely cracked wheat, cracked corn,
and pinhead oatmeal Or hulled oats,
to which may be added a small
quantity of broken rice.s millet. or
rape seed. or all combined, and char
coal, if obtainable. If corn can not
be had. cracked kafir or rolled or
hulled barley may be substituted.
Commercial baby chick scratch
and chick mash may be fed to adj
vantage in place Of the homemixed
feeds and can be bought from almost
any feed dealer. Buying these
ready mixed feeds for small chickens
is much simpler than. procuring the
separate grains, and is no more eX
pensive unless good sized quantities
of feed are to be bought.
Milk in some form is very bene-
fetal for small chickens and may be
kept before them as a drink and also
used in mixing this moist mash.
Giving the chicks drink of milk for
the first feed is an excellent practice.
Commercial milk products, such as
semi solid buttermills or dried milk,
make excellent additions TO the feed
for chicks and are well worth while
for that purpose. Two per cent, Of
dried buttermilk may be added to the
mash for little chicks, if liquid but
termllk is not used, reducing the
amount of meat scrap accordingly.
Johnnycake is made as follows:
Take corn meal, five pounds: infer
tile eggs (tested out from settings or
from an incubator). six baking soda,
one tablespoon. Mix with milk to
make stiff batter. and bake thor
;,,r1
available use a double quantity of
baking soda and add one-half pound
of sifted meat scrap.
, When the chicks are about ten
. days or two weeks old, use a grow
| ing mash composed of the following
/ to take the place of the johnnycake
! or bread; Rolled oats, one part by
| weight; bran, two parts; corn meal,
one part; middlings. one part; sift-
| ed meat scrap. one-half part.
Where only few chicks are rails
| ed the laying mash (used for laying
hens) may be used for little chicks
! and one pound of bran to two pounds
! of the laying mash.
i The mash may be placed in a hop
t per where it will not be wasted, and
| left before the chicks at all times, or
; 1t may be fed as a moist. crumbly
mash once daily, feeding suitable
| chick grains three times a day.
| When the chickens are eight or
! ten weeks old, add one part of ground
oats and increase the meat scrap to
{ one part, the corn meal to two parts,
and decrease the bran to one part in
! the mash. AS soon as the chickens
will eat the whole meat, cracked
corn, and other grains, the small
ci1nd n1 he nj; ,;v,o =
and the chicks be fed only three
! times a day.
+ The chickens growth can be has
tened if they are given sour milk.
| Skim milk, or buttermilk to drink in
addition to the feeds. Milk is excel
| lent to mix with the mash.
| Growing chickens kept on a good
| range may be given all their feed in
| a hopper, mixing two parts by
| weight of cracked corn with one
part of wheat, or equal parts of
! cracked corn. wheat and oats in one
| hopper and the dry mash in another.
The beef scrap may be left out of
! the dry mash and fed in a separate
| hopper, so that the chickens can eat
| all of this feed that they desire. If
( the beef scrap is to be fed separate
/ ly it is advisable to wait until the
| chicks are 10 days DID, although
many poultrymen put the beef scrap
| before the young chickens from the
! first without bad results.
! Chickens confined, to small yards
! should always be supplied with green
| feed, such as lettuce. sprouted oats,
| alfalfa, or clover: but the best place
! to raise chickens successfully is on
/ a good range where no extra green
! feed is required. Fine charcoal, grit,
| and oyster shell should be kept be-
! fore the chickens at all times, and
! cracked or ground bone may be fed
where the chickens are kept in small,
! bare yards. but the latter feed is not
/ necessary for chickens that have a
! good range.