84 PROGRESSIVE POULTRY CULTURE 



and placed in front of the hen sitting on the nest or 

 upon the floor of the incubator nursery soon after the 

 chicks are hatched. Drinking water in a shallow dish 

 may also be placed where they can get to it. The dish 

 may be partly covered or have a stone or piece of clean 

 brick placed in it to prevent the chicks getting into the 

 water or spilling it. As has already been stated no food 

 need be given the chicks for the first three days of their 

 lives because they have the egg-yolk enclosed within 

 the abdomen and should draw from that all the nourish 

 men" they need for several days. 



On the fourth day regular rations may begin. For 

 the first two weeks feed frequently but not enough at one 

 time to cram their crops except at the last feeding each 

 day before they are hovered for the night. 



The Foods: The rations should surely include 

 grains, green food, meat or other protein food and min- 

 eral food. The grain food may be wheat, Indian corn, 

 oats, barley, millet, kafir corn, rice or such products as 

 bread, crackers, corn cake and shredded wheat biscuit 

 remnants. For green food there is nothing better than 

 fresh growing grass, clover, alfalfa or young growing 

 grain. Lettuce and cabbage leaves are excellent. Chop- 

 ped onion tops and bulbs are good. In winter cured 

 clover or alfalfa leaves are especially good substitutes 

 for fresh grass. Protein or muscle-making food may be 

 supplied in the form of hard-boiled eggs (tested out of 

 the incubator), granulated beef scraps, animal meal, 

 evaporated granulated butter milk, skim milk curds 

 (cottage cheese) or finely cut fresh bone. 



Mineral food is supplied to some extent by the ash 

 constituents of the grains and green foods but large 

 amounts of phosphate of lime are needed In forming 

 the skeletons of the growing chicks and this is amply 

 supplied by providing grit in the form of granulated bone 

 or by feeding fresh cut bone. 



Balancing the Ration: In order to promote the best 

 growth of the chicks they should be supplied with ra- 

 tions which furnish the nutrients for growing flesh, 

 bone, nerves, brains, etc., in the right proportions. If 



