Feedixc; Young Chickens 



1947 



that the grain used for sprouting be treated with formalin. To do this, a large quantity 

 of grain should be treated at one time in order to save expense. One pint of formalin 

 added to thirty gallons of water will treat thirty bushels of oats. The liquid should 

 be sprinkled over the grain, and thoroughly mixed with it. Success will depend largely 

 on the thoroughness of the mixing. The pile of wet grain should then be covered with 

 blankets and allowed to remain for twelve hours. The blankets should be removed 

 and the grain stirred twice a day, until dry, recjuiring usually about two days. It 

 should then be bagged in sacks, which have been sprayed with a formalin mixture of 

 the same strength as used in treating the oats. The grain can then be used as desired 

 for sprouting. The trays should be sprayed thoroughly with the formalin mixture 

 each time they are used. 



For sprouting, soak in warm water one ten-quart pailful of oats for twenty-four 

 hours. Pour this grain on a tray. It will fill the tray level full. Sprinkle each trayful 

 of grain with warm water each morning. The grain must be kept damp all the way 

 through the mass if it is to sprout uniformly. The time required for the grain to sprout 

 and grow will depend largely upon the temperature of the room, which, ordinarily, 

 should be kept at sixty to seventy degrees Fahrenheit, or warmer. In a room not 

 artificially heated, during the spring of the year, in this State, about seven to ten days 

 are required to sprout the grain and grow the leaf about three inches high. 



For young chickens it is best to feed the grain when the sprouts have 

 reached a length of t^^•o inches ; if allowed 

 to grow longer, they are likely to be- 

 come tough. Chicks will eat both 

 sprouts and roots, and they will eat 

 the grain also as soon as they are large 

 enough to swallow it. For the first 

 week it is better to shred some 'of the 

 material and scatter it over the food, 

 so that all the chicks will learn to eat 

 the green food. The sprouted grain 

 may be cut in squares from the trays 

 and placed in the pens for the chicks 

 to peck at. Care should be taken to 

 give not more than will be eaten. 



The grain may be sprouted in 

 shallow boxes or in well-drained flats 

 kept in a living room, if needed for 

 only a few chickens. In case a larger 

 quantity is desired, a rack similar to 

 that shown in figure 138 may be used. 

 This was adapted from a device used 

 at the Maine Agricultural Experiment 

 Station. . 



Ash, grit, and charcoal. — Growing chicks need a certain amount of 

 mineral matter for use in bones, muscles, and feathers, consisting in large 

 part of lime in some form. Ash is not supplied in sufficient quantity by 

 the grains and the green foods; in the natural environment the birds 



Fig. 138. — A rack for sprouting oats 



