Show MAKING BIG CHICKS OPT OUT OF LITTLE ONES proper feeding of vital during the early das s of a bittle little chicks existence business toot ook t me into a small country court room recently As I 1 entered a convicted chicken thief was just receiving sentence thir ty days on the rock pile henry drawled the judge and continued and when you get home again henry get yourself some little chic ens honestly and try making ones out of the little ones instead ct cf always having to make little ones on the county rock pile the way you ve been deolal lately the soundness of this homely ad I 1 vice struck me very forcibly I 1 coulden couldn t help thinking how much more profitable the poultry business would be if it every one engaged in it could realize how many thousands of dollars are lost every year because poultry raisers generally are not do ing all they should do in the way of making big ones out of little ones over 20 years ago I 1 adopted a plan of feeding young chicks which brov ed so successful that I 1 have contin aed it without change ever since many have adopted it tried all sorts of variations to it and have revolved all around it in various ways la in variably however they return again to my original system I 1 know that many can profit by adopting my method so I 1 shall describe it fully I 1 don t claim this Is the best meth od for there is no best one it your present method gives the desired re suits do not change A great many are now successfully feeding an all mash ration from the start to the maturity and not feeding any whole or cracked grain at all many others successfully start their baby chicks on a masu mash starter teed feed and after two weeks supplement it with commercial chick grain etc my method is quite different when my chicks are about 48 hours old I 1 take them out of the incubator and put them into the brooder room that is warm thoroughly cleaned and the temperature under the hover should be close to degrees and the room should not be too cold I 1 give them at this time fresh buttermilk or fresh dab clab bermick in clean vessels that are pro so that they cannot get in into to the milk with their feet I 1 also pro vide them with water with chich tablets dissolved in it in clean ves sela sels protected in the same vay I 1 also give them baby chick grit and charcoal and keep this before them at t all times 7 A few hours later I 1 give them their first feed which is pinhead steel cut oat meal thia this is the same kind of oatmeal our mothers used to make mush I 1 out of when we the older of us were young it can still be secured in all the larger cities rolled oats are too large to fed at this time unless broken up 1 I spread papers ion the floor the hovers and put the oatmeal the papers I 1 see that all chicks on the paper and they are soon eating I 1 leave this before them about fifteen minutes the second feed may consist either commercial chick grain or oatmeal after the first day and the first ten days I 1 mix one part oat meal and two parts chick and feed what they will clean up about fifteen minutes every hours at 6 9 12 3 and 6 0 clock milk as well as water should be before them all the time also ten der grass or other green food be provided every day it if milk not available one haid boiled should be ground up fine and fed to each 25 chicks each day I 1 keep clean chaff or short straw on the floor of the room and after the chicks are 4 5 days old I 1 scatter all their feed in the litter and make scratch for it during the week I 1 start feeding a dry made by mixing equal parts bran yellow corn meal wheat mid clings oatmeal and if no milk Is being fed I 1 add 10 per cent of grade sifted meat scraps to mash cpr about a week I 1 them in hoppers at 9 and 3 0 each day what they will eat of mah mach in halt half an hour this of Is fed dry when the chicks are about weeks old this dry mash can kept before them all the time in hop pers when I 1 begin feeding above mash I 1 discontinue the 9 3 0 clock grain teed feed and teed feed but three times a day also when begin giving the dry mash I 1 the oatmeal out ot the fhe grain give chick grain only prom from the third to the sixth week I 1 continue feeding baby scratch grain in litter morning end nd night gradually I 1 increase amount but I 1 never give them more than can be cleaned up in 15 minutes at all times keep them mash grit and charcoal six weeks old a crumbly wet can be fed in troughs at noon what they will clean up in minutes made by wetting the mash with milk and leave off the noonday grain teed feed beginning with the he sixth week tart feeding whole wheat cracked corn or and mito milo maize instead of chick grain or mix them together chicks now may eat whole sprouted oats and can also handle medium size grit and charcoal and system feeding remains as be tore fore gradually increasing ration un til the birds approach maturity then they must have the rations intended tor for laying pullets and tor for males it Is 1 most important to keep chicks growing every minute that la Is what this schedule Is intended to do and it will succeed it if given a lair fair chance you cannot raise chicks successfully however without constant attention to detail neglect will never do it copyright 1929 by dr L D le egar V S st louis mo |