244 FEEDING 



incentive to a good appetite and good digestion. Dry feeds 

 are the safest, and the best rations are dry, finely cracked 

 chick grains. After the birds are a few days old, they can 

 be given a simple dry mash consisting largely of wheat bran. 

 Wet, < sloppy feeds, especially if allowed to become sour, 

 seriously impair digestion. 



Plenty of grit should be given the little chicks. As they 

 have no teeth, grit grinds their feed, and is a material aid to 

 digestion. The feed is also acted upon and made more 

 digestible by the digestive fluids. A liberal amount of ash 

 is good for the young chicks, as it goes largely into the for- 

 mation of the frame. Ash assists materially, too, in the 

 digestion of feed. Wheat bran and dry, granulated bone are 

 the two best sources. 



When two weeks old, the chicks have passed the danger 

 point. From this time on they should be given all they will 

 eat, provided they are hungry at feeding time. They should 

 not be allowed to lose their appetite, as this will check their 

 growth for the time being. 



Rations for Brooder Chicks and Methods of Feeding. — 

 The following rations for chicks have been formulated after 

 careful tests and a study of the results obtained. They are 

 recommended for use with brooder chicks. 



Mixture No. 1 . Scratching Ration 



Kind of Feed Amount 



Finely cracked corn 40 pounds 



Finely cracked wheat 40 pounds 



Rolled oats 20 pounds 



Total 100 pounds 



This scratch ration should be fed in the litter on the floor 

 of the hover, and should be given the chicks for the first 

 time on the second day they are in the brooder. For the 

 first two weeks it is well to give the mixture four times a day, 

 but only a small quantity at a time, and this will keep the 

 chicks hungry and active. Wheat bran should be kept before 



