BROODING 



31 



one or two chicks under hover. 



After the chicks are started in brooder, maintain a 

 hover temperature that will keep chicks comfortable. Be 

 guided more by the comfort of the chicks than by the tem- 

 perature indicated by the thermometer. As long as the 

 ■chicks seem active and happy you can be certain that they 

 are plenty warm enough. At night maintain sufficient heat 

 under the hover so that chicks will be found ranged around 

 the outer edge with their heads peeping out from beneath 

 the table of felt. If the chicks huddle, or crowd and keep 

 in out of sight, the brooder is not warm enough. At night 

 there should always be a sufficient surplus of heat to allow 

 for sudden weather changes. With ample space outside the 

 hover freely accessible, there is no danger of overheating. 

 In cold weather we have frequently run the temperature as 

 high as 110 and found this necessary to drive the chicks out 

 from under the hover. 



As the chicks increase in size, the heat may be lessened 

 gradually until by the time they are well feathered out they 

 are getting along without any artificial heat whatever. 



In the matter of temperature broods will vary, some 

 requiring more heat than others. In March, 1908, we had 

 a brood, in an outdoor brooder, that required ncC lamp heat 

 whatever after the first week although they started with a 

 hover temperature of 110 degrees. Place the comfort of the 

 ■chicks above everything else in the matter of temperature 

 and you cannot go far wrong; 



For the first two or three days, the chicks should be 

 ■confined to the hover chamber, then they should be given 

 an opportunity to use the cooler exercising apartment of the 

 brooder. Let them out for a little while each time and drive 

 them back again before they have an opportunity to become 

 •chilled. Handled in this manner they will quickly learn the 

 way in and out and may soon be trusted to take care of 

 themselves when in need of hovering. y 



Do not let them huddle in sunny places or anywhere 

 in the corners of the brooder or run. If they show any 

 disposition to crowd or huddle drive them under the hover 

 to warm up. 



After they are a week or ten days old they should be 

 provided with an outdoor run, preferably on grass land, but, 

 if too early in the season for this let them run on bare ground 

 which has been cleared of snow. A good chick shelter is a 

 •d^sirable addition to the brooder equipment. 



Rations for Small Chicks 



In addition to commercial chick food we like to feed a 

 dry mash as supplementary food. A very satisfactory one 

 can be made by mixing equal parts, by measure, of best 

 wheat bran, corn meal, leaves sifted from cut clover, and 

 fancy wheat middlings. To each ten pounds of this mixture, 

 add one-half pound fine ground best quality beef scrap. Be 

 sure that scrap is pure and sweet. Cheap or poor scrap is 

 dangerous to feed and may cause losses. If you cannot be 

 sure of the quality of the scrap, omit it from the ration and 

 feed instead, two or three times a week, a little fresh beef 

 scraped from sweet, clean shin or chuck. 



Keep a. supply of grit, fine granulated raw bone (kiln 

 dried), granulated charcoal and fresh water where the cmcks 

 can always have access to them. Keep dry mash always 

 before them. In addition, feed chick food in litter of cut 

 clover, feeding enough so that they will always be able to ■ 

 find a little by scratching for it. 



For the first three weeks, in addition to the chick food 

 and dry mash, give supplenientary feedings of boiled cracked 

 rice and wheat. These should be thoroughly cooked until 

 soft, and almost dry, and should be lightly seasoned with 

 salt. Allow the cooked food to cool before feeding and 

 sprinkle with a little fine ground raw bone. Also give chunks 

 of raw potato for the Uttle birds to pick at and furnish green 

 food like grass, grain sprouts, cut cabbage, etc., giving them 

 a daily supply, all they will elean up readily from the time 

 they are a few days old until they are grown. 



Plenty of green food is necessary and heavy grain feed- 

 ing cannot be successfully conducted without it. Unless 

 chicks have free range on a grass run, an abundance of fresh, 

 succulent green food must be supplied. 



We like to keep food before young" chicks all the time. 

 After they are three weeks old, they may be given the same 

 rations used for laying fowls. 



Keep the brooders and brood coops in clean and sani- 

 tary condition. Renew the litter material frequently. 

 Either move the coops to new ground often or keep the 

 ground sweet by frequent stirring or occasional planting of 

 wheat or oats. 



Chicks can be successfully grown in limited quarters, 

 but under such conditions require more care. For best re- 

 sults in growing birds for laying or breeding stock, liberal 

 range on grass land should be provided. 



A promising brood of White "Wyandotte Chicks. Not many brooding 

 hens are so plucky as to tackle a full grown rat. Occasionally this occurs. 

 — F. L. Se-well. 



