210 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OfE. Doc. 



day and for the next five days feed five times daily the following 

 cracked grain ration on the floor of the brooder: 



20 lbs. fine cracked corn. 



25 lbs. fine cracked wheat. 



5 lbs, pin-head oatmeal. 



10 lbs. granulated milk. (fine). 



3 lbs. fine charcoal. 



As supplemental to this ration, feed: 



Hard boiled eggs, once, daily. 



Sprouted oat tops, twice, daily. (Small amounts). 



On the seventh day start feeding wheat bran in hoppers, leaving 

 it before them for about two hours and omit the noon feeding of 

 grains. For the eighth to the fourteenth days: 



Wheat bran constantly in hoppers and cracked grains four times 

 daily. 



After the fourteenth day keep the following dry mash always be- 

 fore them, and feed grains three times daily: 



10 lbs. wheat bran. 

 5 lbs. cornmeal. 

 5 lbs. sifted ground oats. 



Meat scrap 5 per cent, to be gradually increased during the next 

 two weeks to about 8 per cent. 



The above outline is especially valuable for feeding the first 

 eight weeks by which time the chicks will be large enough to eat 

 whole grains and a cheaper ration should then be used. 



It is very desirable during the brooding period to allow the chicks 

 to get outdoors on the ground as often as possible, provided the 

 ground is free from snow or water, as they will do much better and 

 will be much hardier and more vigorous. As soon as they can get 

 along without artificial heat, without crowding, the same should be 

 removed. 



SELECTION 



From the time chicks are hatched until maturity, the flock should 

 be watched with the purpose of removing any birds which show 

 signs of weakness or lack of inherited vitality. It has been proved 

 by experiments that chicks which are naturally weak at birth will 

 never make profitable birds to raise to maturity, either for egg pro- 

 duction or for meat purposes. Therefore, it is a good practice to 

 examine the young chicks when they are about a week old and to 

 separate those which show lack of vigor. They should be kept by 

 themselves and developed for rapid flesh growth, and disposed of at 

 the squab broiler age. Another sorting out of the flock is made as 

 soon as sex can be accurately determined, or about the tenth week. 

 All of the males should be separated and those which are not to 

 be kept for breeders should be fed especially for meat growth. If 

 Leghorns are kept they should be sold as soon as the market will 

 take them for light broilers; for after that time, even if they are 

 strong and full of vitality, every pound of meat they take on, will 

 cost as much or more than may be realized for in the fall. 



