•toe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
467 
Brooding,  Chicks  for  Profit 
an  immediate  food  supply.  It  takes  from  48  to  72 
hours  for  a  chick  to  recover  from  the  exertion  of 
picking  its  way  out  of  the  shell,  dry  oft',  use  up  a 
part  of  the  egg  yolk,  harden  up  its  body  and  really 
get  into  fit  condition  for  the  brooder.  If  time  is  a 
factor,  and  the  incubator  should  be  reset,  place  the 
chicks  in  a  chick  box  and  hold  them  for  a  day  or 
two.  They  are  as  well  off  in  a  chick  box  as  in  the 
incubator,  and  better  off  there  than  in  a  brooder 
before  they  are  ready.  Place  the  chicks  in  the 
brooder  late  in  the  afternoon.  They  will  then  have 
time  to  eat  only  a  little  and  will  have  another  night’s 
sleep  before  a  full  day  of  activity. 
FEEDING — The  first  feed  should  be  thick  sour 
milk.  If  the  chicks  are  properly  hardened  up  before 
brooding  they  will  be  thirsty,  and  it  will  be  neces¬ 
sary  to  dips  the  beaks  of 
only  a  few  to  set  the  ex¬ 
ample  for  all.  Many  fol¬ 
low  the  practice  of  dip¬ 
ping  the  beaks  of  all  of 
the  chicks  in  milk  to  in¬ 
sure  their  getting  milk 
for  their  first  feed.  Semi¬ 
solid  buttermilk  or  pow¬ 
dered  milk  diluted  to 
skim  -  milk  consistency 
with  water  may  be  used 
to  replace  sour  milk, 
but  really  the  amount 
of  milk  consumed  dur¬ 
ing  the  first  few  days  is 
so  small  that  it  is  worth 
the  price,  whatever  that 
may  be,  to  obtain  skim- 
milk.  A  few  handfuls 
of  chick  feed  should  be 
scattered  in  the  litter 
around  the  hover.  If 
there  is  not  a  supply 
of  grit  in  the  sand  used 
on  the  floor  grit  should 
be  provided.  Chick  feed 
should  be  fed  regularly 
five  times  a  day  for 
about  the  first  three 
weeks,  then  three  times 
per  day  thereafter.  The 
amount  given  should  be 
such  that  the  chicks 
will  have  all  they 
want  at  the  time  <ff 
feeding,  but  will  clean 
the  floor  in  about  15 
minutes,  and  be  hungry 
for  more  by  the  next 
feeding  time.  It  is  bet¬ 
ter  to  underfeed  than  to 
overfeed.  The  method 
of  grain  feeding  very 
largely  controls  the  life 
and  activity  of  the  flock 
by  keeping  the  chicks 
right  up  on  their  toes 
looking  for  more.  Chick 
feed  may  be  replaced 
by  intermediate  grain 
in  three  or  four  weeks 
or  by  scratch  grain  in 
five  or  six  weeks.  The  change  should  be  made 
gradual  by  mixing  the  grains.  Dry  mash  should 
be  kept  before  the  chicks  after  the  first  week. 
It  is  best  to  feed  little  and  often,  so  that  the  chicks 
will  form  the  habit  of  cleaning  out  the  boxes  and 
not  waste  the  mash.  With  i  reasonably  large  flock 
of  chickens  it  is  advisable  to  mix  the  chick  feed 
and  dry  mash  at  home.  The  following  rations  have 
proved  very  satisf  Atory  in  Connecticut : 
CHICK  FEED 
Fine  cracked  corn .  100  lbs. 
Fine  cracked  wheat . .  .  . .  100  lbs. 
Cut  oatmeal  . . . . . . .  100  lbs. 
CHICK  DRY  MASH 
Wheat,  bran  .  200  lbs. 
Wheat  middlings  .  100  lbs. 
Cornmeal  .  100  lbs. 
Ground  oats  .  100  lbs. 
Beef  scrap  .  100  lbs. 
BONEMEAL  AND  MILK.— Early  in  the  season, 
when  it  is  difficult  to  get  the  chicks  out  on  the 
ground,  30  lbs.  of  bonemeal  may  be  added  to  the 
above  dry  mash  to  avoid  leg  weakness.  Increasing 
the  bran  and  decreasing  the  milk  will  also  help. 
ABLY  HATCHING.— With  an  ex¬ 
tremely  heavy  snow  fall  and  con¬ 
tinued  cold  weather  the  most  ardent 
advocates  of  early  hatching  begin 
to  modify  their  statements.  The 
advantage  for  early  hatching  re¬ 
mains  the  same,  or  perhaps  increases,  due  to  the 
general  delay  in  all  hatching  and  brooding  activities. 
The  obstacles  to  be  overcome — deep  snow,  cold 
weather,  coal  shortage,  limited  quarters  and  leg 
weakness— all  loom  up  like  mountains  when  com¬ 
pared  with  warm  weather  brooding.  In  a  way  it  is 
folly  to  hatch  chickens  early,  that  is.  February  or 
early  March,  unless  satisfactory  cold  weather  brood¬ 
ing  equipment  is  available,  unless  broilers  can  be 
rushed  along  to  obtain  the  high  prices,  unless  the 
pullets  can  be  grown 
fast  and  be  grown  large 
for  early  laying,  and 
unless  laying  houses 
will  be  available  in  July 
and  August,  with  lights 
'  ready  for  use  in  Octo¬ 
ber  or  November,  so 
that  the  pullets  may  be 
carried  through  with 
maximum  Fall  and 
Winter  production.  In 
fact,  why  aim  at  the 
ideal  if  you  have 
not  planned,  to  the  fin¬ 
ish  and  do  not  ex¬ 
pect  to  carry  things 
through  and  reap  the 
benefit? 
EQUIPMENT.  —  The 
portable  colony  brooder- 
house  is  most  desirable 
from  several  stand¬ 
points,  economical,  easy 
to  move,  allows  provid¬ 
ing  clear  range  and  dis¬ 
ease  control  measures. 
Three  or  four  chick 
ranges  to  be  used  one 
year  each  in  rotation 
a  r  e  desirable.  The 
chicks  should  at  least 
have  a  clean  sod  di¬ 
rectly  in  front  of  the 
house  for  their  first 
range.  The  size  of  such 
a  house  may  be  8x12, 
10x12,  or  12x12  ft.,  with 
a  shed  or  uneven  span 
roof.  There  should  be 
both  glass  and  cloth  in 
the  front,  with  windows 
up  high  in  the  back  for 
Summer  ventilation. 
Such  houses  built  on 
skids  with  a  board  floor 
are  most  convenient.  It 
is  worth  while  to  paper 
the  entire  outside  wall 
of  the  house  to  prevent 
draughts. 
HEATING.  —  Today 
the  coal-burning  brooder 
stove  is  the  generally  accepted  source  of  heat. 
Choose  a  stove  with  a  reasonably  good-sized  firebox, 
a  good  grate  and  sensitive  draught  regulation 
equipment.  The  52-in.  hover  size  is  small  enough 
to  hold  a  good  fire  in  cold  weather,  and  large 
enough  to  brood  350  or  400  chickens.  Although 
larger  flocks  of  chickens  are  being  brooded  together 
successfully,  if  you  brood  more  than  400  chickens 
together  it  should  be  because  you  have .  had  exper¬ 
ience  and  know  your  business.  The  oil-burning 
brooder  stove  promises  to  be  a  valuable  addition  to 
poultry  equipment  when  it  is  perfected,  but  the 
different  makes  tried  and  reported  in  this  State  to 
date  do  not  stand  up  very  well  with  the  c-oal  stove. 
They  do  not  give  enough  heat  for  early  brooding, 
and  the  fire  risk  is  greater  than  anyone  can  afford 
to  take. 
FOUNTAINS  AND  FEEDING  BOXES.— For 
drinking  equipment  earthern  crocks  holding  two  or 
four  quarts  are  very  satisfactory  for  milk.  By 
placing  a  small  stone  under  the  side  of  the  bowl 
opposite  the  air  vent  thick  milk  will  feed  down 
satisfactorily.  Small  pans  covered  with  1-in.  mesh 
wire  are  good  milk  dishes,  but  have  to  be  filled  too 
often.  Large  open  pans  are  most  satisfactory  for 
milk  feeding  later  in  the  season.  Earthen  crocks  or 
metal  fountains  of  the  same  type  are  most  satisfactory 
for  water.  Dry  mash  hoppers  may  be  only  shallow 
boxes  1  ft.  wide.  24  ft.  long  and  not  over  2  in.  high 
for  young  chicks.  Larger  boxes  with  higher  sides 
may  be  used  as  the  chicks  require.  Some  may  object 
to  the  open  box  method  of  mash  feeding,  but  it  is 
being  very  successfully  practiced  by  many  of  our 
largest  poultrymen.  One  thing  is  certain,  when  the 
chickens  get  right  in  witlf  both  feet  they  do  eat 
more.  Keeping  the  box  clean  is  simply  a  question 
of  feeding  a  little  at  a  time  and  often. 
STARTING  THE  BROODER. — The  fire  should  be 
started  in  the  brooder  at  least  two  days  before  the 
Uneven  Span  Roof  Brooder  House.  Fig.  110 
Shed  Roof  Brooder  House.  Fig.  lit 
chickens  arrive,  in  order  to  become  familiar  with 
the  stove  regulation,  and  thoroughly  dry  out  the 
house.  After  the  house  is  thoroughly  cleaned, 
washed,  disinfected  and  dried,  spread  a  thin  layer 
of  clean,  coarse  sand  on  the  floor,  and  cover  it  with 
a  thin  layer  of  clover  chaff,  cut  straw  or  something 
of  the  kind.  A  guard  1  ft.  high  should  be  placed 
around  the  stove  out  a  foot  or  more  from  the  edge 
of  the  hover.  Early  in  the  season  the  guard  should 
be  of  solid  material,  such  as  wood,  cardboard  or 
heavy  cloth.  Later  in  the  season,  when  the  chicks 
do  not  need  protection  from  floor  draughts,  inch 
mesh  wire  or.  hardware  cloth  may  be  used.  Two 
pieces  of  board  30  in.  long  and  10  in.  wide  hinged 
together  on  the  end  like  a  book  are  convenient  for 
a  guard,  and  can  also  be  used  to  protect  the  house 
corners.  Four  such  sections  will  go  around  a  hover. 
The  temperature  under  the  edge  of  the  hover  should 
bo  100  degrees  1  in.  up  from  the  floor. 
TRANSFERRING  THE  CHICKS.— Very  often  tin* 
chicks  are  moved  from  the  incubator  to  the  brooder 
before  they  are  ready.  A  chick  is  hatched  with  a 
supply  of  egg  yolk  in  its  body  cavity,  to  be  used  as 
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