50 



CHICK BOOK 



mother hen can do well with the food that would not be 

 adapted to the needs of the brooder chick. Remember in 

 the latter case the breeder must assume the care usually 

 given by the hen. We have reared brooder chicks success- 

 fully, but for the past two years have rather fallen back on 

 biddy. 



After the Fourth of July all our chicks are fed but twice 

 a day, night and morning, because as the weather is warm 

 they do not require food so often. Brooder chicks require 



food four or five times a day when small, a little at a time, 

 and some dry food should be thrown in the scratching litter 

 to keep them busy. The chick that is out with its mother 

 gets enough exercise running after her. 



In the case of young or old stock one must use his good 

 judgment as there is no cut and dried rule for raising birds, 

 because they have different environment. There is one 

 general rule that everyone should follow and that is to keep 

 the birds free from lice. If you do not, they cannot thrive. 



MORE ABOUT THE FEEDING PROBLEM 



SUCCESSFUL HOPPER RATION HALF A CENTURY OLD— SOME CRITICISMS ANSWERED— OPINIONS 

 BASED ON NEARLY THIRTY YEARS OF OBSERVATION, INVESTIGATION AND EXPERIMENTS IN 

 THE FIELD OF POULTRY WORK— MUCH ABUSED CORN THE LEADING STAPLE GRAIN FOOD 

 AND ONE THAT POULTRYMEN COULD LEAST AFFORD TO DO WITHOUT IN THE RATION 



p. T. WOODS, M. D. 



FROM time to time during the past twenty years we 

 have written many articles concerning the feeding 

 of poultry, giving the result of our observation of 

 the experience of others as well as our own practical experi- 

 ments along this line. In a recent issue of a poultry journal 

 we find an article on "The Feeding Problem" by Mr. Alvin 

 L. Dudley of South Lincoln, Mass. Apparently Mr. Dudley 

 has been reading one of our numerous articles on poultry 

 feeding, we haven't the slightest idea which one; and he finds 

 our suggestions "so singular" and "out of the ordinary" that 

 he feels compelled to discuss the matter at length. We are 

 glad to find that he has discovered a, difference of opinion 

 existing between us, particularly as it has resulted in inspir- 

 ing his excellent and interesting article. His chief objection 

 to recommendations made by us appears to be that he does 

 not believe that a hopper-fed ration consisting largely of 



Dia^fattt:^ View Fot» 

 FEED HOPPER 



Erso VIEW 



MR. 



ALVIN L. DUDLEY'S, FOOD HOOPER 



corn, either cracked or whole, is either safe or satisfactory in 

 feeding fowls of the American and Asiatic varieties. Well, 

 that is an honest difference of opinion at most. It isn't 

 serious and if he will view a larger and broader field of poultry 

 work throughout the country we feel sure that he will find 

 that Indian corn (maize) is a good, safe, honest food, the 

 first and foremost staple poultry food, and the grain that 

 poultrymen all over this broad land could least afford to do 

 without. 



He says in part that: "Throughout the section wherein 

 the writer lives and among the poultry keepers of his ac- 

 quaintance, a diet of two-thirds corn and one-third wheat or 

 oats fed ad libitum from a hopper has not given satisfactory 

 results." We cannot agree with him here either for we find 

 corn freely and heavily fed both by hopper and in litter on 

 a great number of successful practical poultry plants in 

 eastern Massachusetts. These plants 

 carry American and Asiatic breeds 

 almost exclusively. Of all varieties the 

 Barred Plymouth Rock is the most 

 susceptible to laying on internal fat or 

 fat about the viscera. In many cases 

 they will not stand naore than one 

 season of heavy feeding or forcing on 

 any ration. Notwithstanding this, many 

 Barred Rocks, and grade flocks of the 

 variety, are to be found that are doing 

 good work on a heavy corn ration, box 

 or hopper fed. 



Further, if Mr. Dudley is correct 

 in his statement that poultrymen of 

 his acquaintance in his section have 

 not found this hopper-fed diet satis- 

 factory, we do not see how it is that 

 he finds our recommendation of this 

 ration "so "singular" and "out of the 

 ordinary." The two statements con- 

 flict. If the ration as recommended 

 is "out of the ordinary," then cer- 

 tainly he and his friends, being un- 

 familiar with it, can scarcely have 

 tested the ration. 



Mr. Dudley also says: "Another 

 thing the Doctor seems to consider that 

 wheat and oats each fills a similar place 

 in the ration and if one is left out and 

 the other substituted the average 

 results would be the same. Now, 

 we haven't found it so, and don't 



