142 



THE GAME BREEDER 



bread and milk. But in all the meals, 

 there is a time-limit for eating and what 

 remains unconsumed at the end of three 

 minutes is lost for that meal at least. 



By the end of the second week the 

 young poults are ranging still more 

 widely and with the help of the mother 

 hen are each day obtaining insect food 

 such as small crickets and bugs in in- 

 creasing amounts. The poultryman may 

 now be observed gradually to reduce the 

 time limit of each of the three feedings 

 from three to about two and a half min- 

 utes. By the end of the third week 

 their midday meal has been dropped, 

 and after they have reached the age of 

 one month the poults are no longer shut 

 up at night unless the weather is stormy. 

 On such days they are confined to the 

 coop and adjoining run, are fed lightly 

 three or four times and with a slightly 

 greater time allowed at each meal to 

 make up for the loss of their natural 

 supply of insect food. 



About this time, or sometimes earlier, 

 a new but very important food is intro- 

 duced to them. In the shady side of the 

 feed house one may observe, half a dozen 

 large milk cans, which are from time to 

 time filled wth skimmed milk. If sour- 

 ing takes place properly, such milk will 

 keep for months. Pasteurized milk 

 should not be employed. Each morning 

 the poultryman may be seen after 

 actively stirring the can with a paddle, 

 to dip out of one of these cans a quantity 

 of well clabbered milk, which is dis- 

 tributed among shallow dishes or long 

 wooden troughs scattered over the range. 

 At first he allows about one quart for 

 every thirty-five to forty poults (includ- 

 ing the mother hens) each morning and 

 each night. This amount should grad- 

 ually be increased. The poults soon come 

 to like it and drink the dish clean, both 

 curd and whey. The addition of the 

 milk ration makes up to a considerable 

 extent for the midday meal which has 

 already been dropped out. 



The food of the young poults for the 

 second month is not materially different 

 from what is was during the latter part 

 of the first month. Rolled oats may be 

 continued to advantage, profitably fed 



with a large amount (at lea.st one-half 

 by volume) of chopped green food such 

 as onion tops, carrot tops, dandelion, 

 lettuce, etc. Green food must always be 

 given liberally. Chick grain of any of 

 the standard commercial mixtures is con- 

 tinued and bread and milk (sour or 

 sweet) complete the ration. 



It is during the second month that 

 blackhead begins to be most troublesome 

 and from this time on it is necessary to 

 feed even more carefully than during the 

 first few weeks; and "carefully" in this 

 case refers more to the amounts of food 

 given than to the kinds of food. Young 

 poults can probably be raised success- 

 fully on many different rations taken in 

 addition to their normal insect diet. They 

 may do well on corn meal alone; they 

 may thrive on no other additional food 

 than bread and milk until they are three 

 to four months old. The main idea is 

 to prevent overeating of whatever they 

 do have, and during this period of their 

 lives "feeding by time" has its greatest 

 value. To allow the poults to come in 

 contact with the wooden tray, bearing 

 whatever it may, for two to three min- 

 utes twice each day, is ordinarily ample 

 for all their actual requirements. The 

 balance of their food must be picked 

 up in the field. Sometimes this insect 

 food is more plentiful than at others, 

 and the poultryman must always bear in 

 mind that the feeding which he gives is 

 only supplementary, and must gauge the- 

 amount accordingly, — just as he does on 

 rainy days when insect food is practically 

 denied. He must expect to find the young 

 poults clamoring for their wooden tray 

 at every meal. He must expect to see 

 them take wing and fly to him from the 

 far corners of the field as soon as he 

 appears to give breakfast or supper. If 

 this is not the case; if the poults do not 

 seem to be on the watch for him and 

 what he brings and devour it ravenously ; 

 if they walk unconcernedly about the dish 

 or tray, eating little, something is wrong 

 with the feeding method, and the best 

 thing to do is to stop feeding altogether 

 until he finds out what error has been 

 made. In the majority of cases it will 

 have been overfeeding. 



i,To be continued.) 



