36 MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



Ration for Chicks Intended for Breeders 



First meal, when chieks are 36 hours old : Rolled or flake break- 

 fast oats, dry ; give scattered on sand every three hours, then feed 

 chick food. This is a number of small or broken dry grains which 

 can be bought at the poultry supply houses. The use of hard grain 

 diet like chick feed, develops the digestive organs and keeps them 

 healthy. The chick feed prepared by reliable firms is excellent. 

 For those who prefer to mix their own chick feed, the following 

 is a good recipe : Cracked wheat, 30 pounds ; steel-cut or rolled 

 breakfast oats, 30 pounds; finely cracked corn, 15 pounds; millet, 

 rice, pearl barley, rape seed, finely ground beef scraps or granulated 

 milk, dried granulated bone, chick grit, 10 pounds ; granulated char- 

 coal, 5 pounds. In the chick feeds wheat, oats and corn are the 

 staples, the most necessary part of the ration. Feed at 6 a.m. 

 chick feed scattered in chaff; 9 a.m. rolled or steel-cut oats; 11 

 a.m. green lettuce; 1 p.m. chick feed; 3 p.m. green feed, lettuce, 

 clover or potatoes chopped fine ; 4 :30 p.m. hard boiled eggs (4 for 

 100 chicks), chopped shell and all, with the same amount of onions 

 and twice the amount of bread crumbs or rolled oats or Johnny- 

 cake. One fountain of skim milk and one of clean water always 

 before them and renewed three times a day. Very coarse sand and 

 granulated charcoal should be always before them. 



Toward the end of the second week mix a little whole wheat, 

 hulled oats and kaffir corn with the chick food, gradually increasing 

 it, until at the end of the sixth week they will be eating this entirely. 



Ration for Broilers 



For the first two weeks use the same feed as given for the breed- 

 ers. Third week, 6 a.m. chick feed; 9 a.m. mash, 1 part each of 

 bran, cornmeal and rolled oats, and a little salt ; mix with skim 

 milk, making a crumbly dry feed in a small dish or trough, taking 

 away all there is left in fifteen minutes; 11 a.m. lettuce or clover; 

 1 p.m. rolled oats; 3 p.m. chopped raw potatoes; 4:30 p.m. mash 

 same as in the morning. Fourth week, 6 a.m. chick feed; 9 a.m. 

 mash, adding 5 per cent beef scraps or cracklings; 1 p.m. chopped 

 potatoes; 4:30 p.m. mash, same as in the morning. Keep grit and 

 charcoal always before them, with skim milk and pure water. Fin- 

 ish off at six to eight weeks by gradually adding from five to ten 

 per cent of cotton-seed meal and a little molasses with the mash. 



Ration for Laying Hens 



In order to keep up the strength of the hen and have her produce 

 the largest amount of eggs, it has been found that for every pound 

 of protein in the food she must have four pounds of carbo-hydrates. 

 Many instances may be cited in which the rations fed to laying hens 

 differed greatly, but have been productive of excellent results, pro- 

 vided they contain a sufficient quantity of digestible protein. The 

 following rations have proven successful : 



I will^give a formula that I have used for many years after ex- 

 perimenting with others, and will give some that are being used 



