16 



THE CHICK BOOK 



varied with cracked wheat. The cake is made of ground 

 oats (hulls sifted out), cornmeal and best coarse wheat bran, 

 about equal parts by bulk, with a very little high grade beef 

 scraps mixed in while dry. The mixture Is then moistened 

 with some milk or buttermilk, salted as for the table, leav- 

 ened with soda, and baked. 



The baking tins should not be quite full, as when the 

 bread is done we turn it upside down on a board so the crust 

 will be softened by the steam. As the chicks grow older 

 the amount of beef scraps is gradually increased. This 

 feeding goes on until the chicks are five to six weeks old, 

 when a warm mash of about the same material as the cake 

 is fed once a day, and whole wheat and cracked corn twice. 

 This mash is moistened with warm water with a little salt 

 dissolved. 



Just as soon as we can get fresh clover or grass it is fed 

 daily, cut in one-eighth-inch lengths. Chard, lettuce, beet 

 tops or any such green stuff is also good. The hard grains 

 are fed in the litter to induce exercise after the chicks are 

 older and strong enough to work it out. 



When the chicks are ten days to two weeks old and the 

 weather is suitable they are let out in yards about fifty by 

 two hundred feet in size, care being taken that they can 

 find their way to the house when stormy. When they are 

 about eight weeks ,oid the yards are opened and the birds 

 given free range. 



When the ,chicks show a disposition to roost on top in- 

 stead of inside the brooder, roosts are placed back of the 

 brooder and the chicks encouraged to occupy them, when in 

 a short time the brooder can be removed. 



.Tust as soon as grass starts in spring, we begin putting 

 chicks in the outdoor brooders, and when they are four to 

 six days old we let them out on the ground in small yards 

 in front of the brooder. As soon as they get familiar with 

 going in and out and learn to go inside when the weather 

 is stormy we give larger yards, running entirely around the 

 brooder, and finally when the chicks are three or four weeks 

 old w.e allow them free range. These chicks are fed same 

 as in the indoor brooders, except that cut grass is omitted, 

 as they help thernselves to the fresh, growing article, and 

 the exercise they get in pulling it off and running around 

 the yards is a wonderful aid to growth. 



In my opinion an outdoor brooder should have a light, 

 cool chamber attached, where the chicks can feed and exer- 

 cise when very young, or when the weather is bad, and into 

 which they can retreat in case the brooder chamber should 

 become overheated. Outdoor brooders have some advan- 

 tages over those indoor, but they require more watchful 

 carp. Their greatest point of superiority is that the chicks 

 can be got out on the ground at a much earlier age, and in 

 running about their yard, picking the fresh grass, etc., get 

 much healthful exercise. When the weather gets very hot 

 the outdoor brooder should be placed in the shade, and a 

 shady run provided for the chicks when very young, as the 

 intense heat of the sun kills a great many. When running 

 at large the chicks will seek shade of their own accord. 



We like both kinds of brooders, use both, and would not 

 wish to be deprived of either. H. J. BLANCHARD. 



THE BROODEB, CHICK PKOM: EGG TO MATURITY. 



Early In our experience of artificial brooding we became 

 convinced of the fact that the foundation of successful 

 brooding was laid months before the chick was hatched. By 

 this we mean that unless the breeding stock is in the best 

 of physical health we cannot hope for the best results in 

 raising our young slock. Too many of the reasons assigned 

 for the large mortality among chicks are, to say the least, 

 of very uncertain signification, and not enough attention 

 is paid to the poor condition of the breeding stock, which 



is, to our way of thinking, the main reason why a larger 

 percentage of chicks do not reach maturity. 



Our first attempt at brooding chickens artificially re- 

 sulted in disastrous failure, but by close observation and 

 many costly experiments, we finally adopted a methott 

 which is giving us gratifying results, and we feel sure that 

 those who will try it will be pleased with it. 



It goes without saying that the eggs must be well incu- 

 bated, and every attention given them while under process 

 of incubation. We leave the chicks in the incubator forty- 

 eight hours after they come out of the shell. The morning 

 of the third day we take them out of the incubator and carry 

 them to the brooders, which have been previously warmed 

 for their reception. We then give them their first feed, 

 which consists of whole wheat bread, moistened with milk. 

 We never place more than fifty chicks in each brooder, 

 sometimes only forty. The temperature of the brooders is 

 regulated by the disposition of the chicks on the brooder 

 floor; if well spread out, we know they have sufficient heat, 

 if all crowded in a corner we know they need more heat.i , 

 That is our thermometer, and a reliable one. 



We wish here to relate an experiment we made in order, 

 to determine the length of time chicks can be left in the in- 

 cubator without food. Five chicks were left in the machine, 

 the ventilators wide open, and the heat regulated to IQO de-; 

 grees. At first it was ojir intention to leave them In until 

 they showed signs of weakness, but on the fourth day. our 

 courage weakened, and we fed them. They -had up to this 

 time showed no other signs but that of being very hungry,,, 

 running to the glass front of the machine upon hearing the, 

 least noise. We marked these chicks and let them run with 

 the rest. At maturity two of the cockerels weighed eight 

 and three-quarter pounds each; three of the pullets Six 

 pounds, six and one-quarter pounds, and six and one-halt; 

 pounds respectively. All of them lived to maturity .and- 

 were always bright. Since then we always left our chicks 

 forty-eight hours without food and believe this to be the 

 very best way to start chickens growing. 



Our brooders are placed inside of a house eight by ten, 

 feet, with yards eight by twenty-five feet, each brooder oc- 

 cupying a separate house. The fioor of the brooder is car- 

 peted with cut clover, but the brooder house is filled in to 

 above the sills with clean, sharp sand. The chicks are left 

 in the brooder for two days, then let out into the houie for 

 three or four days, then the slide door to the yard Is left 

 open and they are given the run of their yards. When the 

 chicks are six weeks old we take away the fence to the yarda 

 and give them the free run of the farm. 



For the first ten days of their lives our chicks are fed 

 only whole wheat bread moistened in milk every four hours. 

 Water (warmed in cold weather) is always before them from 

 the start, and is renewed twice or four times a day accord- 

 ing to the weather. When the chicks are ten days old we 

 still continue the wheat bread morning and night, the other 

 two feeds are made up of the following mixed grains: 

 Cracked wheat, 50 pounds; coarse oatmeal, 25 pounds; 

 cracked corn, 10 pounds; millet seed, 5 pounds; fine meat 

 scraps, 10 pounds. When fine meat scraps are not procur- 

 able, boll some liver, chop it up Into fine pieces, and use 

 that instead. Some heresy hunters will prick up their ears 

 upon reading this and criticise us for giving meat to our 

 young chicks, especially when given free range, but w© 

 know that it is impossible to grow the finest chicks without 

 the free use of meat, but it must be used with judgment 

 and be of good quality. 



At six weeks old we make the mixture of whole grains 

 instead of cracked, still feeding it twice a day, but at this 

 age the bread is replaced by a mash fed morning and night, 

 composed as follows: Wheat, 50 pounds; shelled oats, 25 



