6^ 



SUCCESS WITH POULTRY 



er, whi&h has been brought up to the temperature of the in- 

 cubator. Of course we have placed our board in slides about 

 a foot away from and in front of the hover, so that the 

 babies can not get out in the long pen and not be able to find 

 the way back and thus get chilled. Just bear in mind for the 

 first week that to k^ep them warm is more essential than 

 the kind of food. 



The firsD day of their lives in a brooder, has almost 

 passed and they have not eaten anything. Night has begun 

 to come on and it is time to feed the hens, but, let us tirst 

 scatter down for the chickens a liberal supply oil: rolled oats, 

 the white flakes of wniah will instantly attract them, and 

 they are left to themselves. In the evening, as we fix the 

 fire preparatory to locking up for the night, we look at them 

 and are pleased to find ihem scattered au over the hover 

 ■bottom and their contented little ' ' peep ' ' is, the last sound 

 to fill our ears as we go out, and our mind is already filled 

 with visions of juicy broilers and big breasted roasters and 

 the perquisites thereunto attached. 



The next morning as we turn out at daylight to see our 

 orphans we find them calling for breakfast. We touch up 

 the fire and then a feed of rolled oats is given them iwith a 

 dish of warmed skimmed- milk. We use an old fruit can for 

 this purpose with a notch cut in the edge. Partially filled 

 with the milk and inverted into a saucer, this makes an ele- 

 gant fountain for small chicks. A saucer not muoh larger 

 than the can is best, then the chicks will not get "stuck 

 up." Tlie milk on the down will stick them together as 

 bad as paste would. Some of the little fellows that would 

 eat will drink, so you save them along until they will eat. 



That you will save more chicks by giving them warmed 

 Rimmed milk than by any system of ueding grain, is my 

 way of thinking. 



We next powder some charcoal in a dry bone or shell 

 mill and this is put into a dish and set in for the chicks to 

 eat. We have found this an excellent regulator for very 

 young chicks, as well as older birds. 



We are now going to feed every two hours until our 

 young charges are turned over to the butcher. Let it be 

 done by the clock; you will then be more regular and can 

 more easily even up the day. 



For the first week you are limited to rolled oats, millet 

 seed (which is a semi-green food) and cracked corn, run 

 through a mill to make it fine enough, then sifted to save 

 the meal, which, of course, is wasted by throwing it on 

 the ground. We have kept our milk before them all the 

 time and have carefully washed the dishes twice a day, noon 

 and night, as nothing gets any more filthy, than do ' these 

 dishes if left uneleaned, the fat of the milk, dirt and drop- 

 pings all adding their mite to make it so, more especially as 

 the chicks get older. Some thipk skimmed milk expensive 

 to feed, but after trying it you will be convinced that the in- 

 creased growth that comes from feeding it, gives you a good 

 profit on it, ,and this is' what we should always think of when 

 weighing the cost, of food. The real question is, can I get 

 enough quicker growth by using it and give me a profit on 

 it? For feeding choice "fancy" chicks I have heard it con- ■ 

 tended that whole milk was cheap to feed. I have been able 

 to buy all the skimmed milk I want for five cents a can, 

 eight and one-half quarts to a can, and I have used as high 

 as twenty-six cans a day for broilers and roasters. 



As we have put into each hover about one hundred 

 chicks, we must see that the sand is carefully scraped off the 

 top as often as necessary, probably twice the first ' week, 

 which will be increased each week until about the third, 

 then we begin to clean them regularly every morning. We 



run the wheelbarrow into the walk and lift the hover, which 

 is hinged against the partition so it is easy to get at. We 

 take a small dust pan, or, if you prefer, make a scraper, by 

 driving nails through a stick, something like a rake, only 

 closer together. Then scrape or rake off the top, going 

 quickly from one to another. 



For the first week w'e keep the board in the slides just 

 forward of the hover, as stated before. Now the second 

 week we will remove it and keep an eye on the chicks to see 

 that they do not get lost or get chilled by staying away from 

 the fire too long. 



For this week we will feed about the same, only perhaps 

 it will be well to try them on a little mash made up of one- 

 third corn meal and two-thirds wheat bran, seasoned with 

 salt and pepper, just the same as though we were to ©at 

 it ourselves. Mix well and add boiling water. Don't put in 

 enough to make it sloppy. Allow it to stand -a short time, 

 then feed. Not much will be eaten, but they will get so be- 

 fore the end of the week that they will look for it, as you 

 feed your soft and hard grains alternately. 



The third week we always settle down to our regular 

 routine, to be continued until about ready to market. Dur- 

 ing the second week we have cracked some wheat in our 

 mill, so havd had that for an extra dish and a change, giving 

 corn as a last feed generally. A" good many feed cut or pin- 

 head oat meal to little chicks. This we have found to be a 

 trifle pasty or gummy, and have dropped it, as more will get 

 stuck up around the vent when this is fed than when not. 



There is one thing that ia absolutely imperative — that 

 is, to get your chicks out on the ground. If it is bright and 

 ■warm put them out for a few minutes when a week old. Do 

 not let them stand ' ' humped ' ' up and shiver, but make them 

 hustle around, by driving or by feeding a handful of millet 

 iseed. After the second week they must go out every day un-' 

 Hess it storms, no matter if it is zero weather. After you 

 have tried it you will see how essential it ia, for you can not 

 keep them on their legs under such high feed in any other 

 way. 



DUTIES OF THE THIRD WEEK. 

 As we enter upon the duties of the third week we wUI 

 now get our routine started and will see the chicks push 

 along for the next five weeks, at which time we hope to see ■ 

 two-pound birds ready for the market, and get sight of the 

 returns for our labor. The first' thing in the morning is a 

 feed of hard grain; then comes a feed. of chopped raw pota- 

 toes. As the chopping knife and tray were too slow, we got 

 a mince meat chopper, had a new disc made with larger 

 holes, about three-eighths of an inah in diameter, and ran^ 

 the potatoes through that, catching in a pan the first and 

 last to come out as it is nothing bvit water. The other 

 is the pulp. Now take their feed dish and give oach pen all 

 they wall eat. A little later we throw in a little cabbage, cut 

 in strips, which they will seize and chase each other around 

 f 6r until it is all eaten. 



This constitutes all the green food they have, except 

 once in awhile we may substitute onions in place of cabbage. 

 We have gotten our mash made for the day, and as 9 o 'clock 

 has come we will feed our first feed of it for the day, only 

 feeding what they will eat quickly. We feed on tin plates, 

 about fourteen inches in diameter and a quarter of an inch 

 deep, with a wide fold at the top. Theae can be readily 

 cleaned preparatory to another feed by scraping with the 

 feeding shovel, which is a small shovel about four inches 

 aeroaa, made of heavy sheet iren and a white iron handle. 

 We have a pan to put the leavings in, if any. They go into 

 the swill for the pigs. At 11 o 'clock another mash, then the 



