PROGRESSIVE POULTRY RAISING 



"Practical considerations may prevent feeding the milk 

 in this ideal condition. In the first place thick milk 

 does not readily feed down in a drinking fountain and 

 fountains are often preferred to open drinking pans. 

 Furthermore, it may not always be possible to get milk 

 in just the same condition every day so that uniform 

 souring can be allowed to take place before feeding. In 

 avoiding these difficulties it is better to feed the milk 

 before it has thickened than to wait until it has separated. 

 Chicks apparently do not relish the clear whey which 

 always remains at the top, but if one follows the natural 

 inclination to pour it off, a lot of valuable food will be lost. 



" In many cases, especially where milk is produced on 

 the farm, it may be more desirable to feed sweet milk 

 than to wait for it to sour. In deciding this, as with many 

 other problems, the poultryman must be governed by 

 his own particular conditions. In all our experiments 

 we have obtained substantially equal results with sweet 

 and sour milk. The only reason for advocating sour 

 milk is that the chicks seem to prefer it. The lactic acid 

 in sour milk is not at all a necessary factor in milk feeding. 



"Part of the beneficial effect of the milk seems to come 

 from the fact that it induces the chicks to consume larger 

 quantities of grain and mash than will chicks of the same 

 age when not given milk. For this reason, if for no 

 other, a supply of milk should be kept constantly available 

 from the time the chicks are placed in the brooder and 

 for just as long as it can be obtained at a reasonable price. 



"The first day's rations should con- 

 Feeding sist of fine chick feed in which has 



Practice been mixed a large percentage of fine 



grit. It may even be well to give 

 clear grit for the first feed. If coarse sand is used on the 

 floor it will take the place of commercial grit. The chicks 

 will learn to eat grit just as readily as they will pick up 

 grain. Under no circumstances should the early feeding 



Page Twenty-Four 



