360 ARTIFICIAL BROODING 



ash which is very readily assimilated. Wheat bran alone may be 

 kept in small hoppers, and will furnish nearly a balanced ration 

 for the first few weeks. 



7. Ash Very Essential. — The young chick should not only 

 gain flesh, but must also rapidlj^ make bone; and, in order to do 

 this, a large amount of ash must be supplied in the form of lime 

 and phosphates. A certain amount of this is consumed in the 

 form of vegetable juices, but it must also be furnished from a 

 mineral and animal source. Shell and limestone grit are the two 

 most common mineral sources, and meat scrap and crushed bone 

 the two most common animal sources. Experiments show that 

 of these products bone is the most efficient, producing greater 

 gain in weight more quickly and with lower mortality and less cost. 



8. Feed Little and Often. — Owing to the small size of the 

 digestive sj^stem of the young chick, and its heavy feed require- 

 ments in proportion to its size, it is wise to give only small amounts 

 of feed at a time and to feed often. The practice should be to 

 feed four or five times a day during the first week, gradually 

 diminishing the number of feedings until the end of the second 

 week. Cracked grains may be fed three times a day, and dry 

 mash kept before them all the time after the second week. 



9. Avoid Sloppy Wet Feed. — The young chick's digestive 

 system is not well adapted to the assimilation of wet mashes, 

 even after it is possible to feed them. Moreover, they make it 

 impossible to keep the floor of the brooder in a clean, sanitary 

 condition, and to prepare and feed them involves a great deal of 

 labor, so that their use during the early growing period should 

 be discouraged, except in the case of broiler raising. 



10. Animal Protein. — When mixing a ration it is well to use some 

 protein from an animal source, experiments showing that the best 

 gain in weight follows the feeding of a ration from two to ten per 

 cent of w^hich is animal substance, the common sources being meat 

 scrap and bone. It is not advisable, however, to feed more than 

 about two per cent of this material for the first week, since it is 

 rather hard to digest; after that time the amount can be increased 

 until, at the end of the fourth week, it reaches about ten per cent. 



11. Keep Chicks Busy and Hungry. — The practice should be 

 to feed only what the chicks will eat up quickly, so that at the 

 next feeding they are anxious and ready for feed. This prevents 

 the loss of feed by its becoming dirty, in which case they will not 

 eat it, and also gives them an appetite and a chance to exercise. 



