| Show FIRST FEED FOR THE BABY CHICK about one halt half the yolk of the original egg from which the chick was hatched is still unabsorbed at hatching time this yolk material is a complete tood food in itself and no additional food should be given tor for at least 48 hours after hatching to wait 72 hours will do no harm barm the first feed should be sour milk or buttermilk it i either of these feeds is available it is possible to raise chicks without milk but not so well ir so easily sour milk or buttermilk should be ba fed in enamel ware or earthenware rather than la in galvanized metals since the acid of the milk acts on unprotected metals and li harmful armful poisons may be produced little but often Is the best rule to follow in starting the chicks on grain feeds during the first week they should be fed scratch feed five times dally daily with the heaviest teed feed about four thirty in the afternoon they can be started slowly on dry dri mash about the fourth day equal parts of finely cracked corn and wheat makes a good scratch feed the following la is a satisfactory dry mash formulas 30 per cent corn meal 18 per cent shorts 18 per cent bran IS 18 iper cent pulverized oats or barley 15 per cent meat scraps 1 per cent tine fine salt all taken by weight when milk is fed the meat scraps may be left out and 4 1 per cent of bone meal added the mash is fed in shallow pans covered with halt half inch mesh hardware cloth placed over the feed so thit that the chicks will not waste it by s scratching cratch inz it ft out of the pans the feeding of dry mash saves labor insures against underfeeding under feeding and gives all chicks an equal chance to obtain the elements necessary for rapid growth about equal quantities of 0 scratch fed and mash should be fed when a satisfactory mixture Is offered and when plenty of succulent green teed feed Is given we have never experienced di difficulty from consumption over of 0 mash it if chicks seem to have extraordinary app appetite etite for the mash however it may I 1 I 1 be advis abo to close the masil mash box for part of day university of nebraska t 6 I 1 |
