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 rapidly 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 system 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 Protetn.—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 which 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. 
