Thk Principles of Broodixg. 305 



the hover it is warm but not super-heated. The chick, therefore, is kept 

 warm, not by breathing super-heated air, but by radiated heat from 

 the drum. The air space within the house as well as under the hover 

 is large. The house contains 270 cu. ft. of air space, or 1.3 cu. ft. per 

 chicken. Moreover, the provision for constant change of air by means 

 of the cloth window in the front, or the opening in the rear of the house, 

 or both, as may be preferred, insures fresh air at all times. Most out- 

 door brooders contain about 28 cu. ft. air space, which allows .28 cu. 

 ft. of air space per chick with 100 chicks in a brooder, or .56 cu. ft. 

 with 50 chicks, which necessitates rapid change of air, a condition 

 hard to accomplish without draughts. 



3. Providing an opportunity to get away from the heat and to exercise in 



cool air 



It is not sufficient simply to supply heat and pure warm air in a 

 brooder. It is quite as important that chickens have an opportunity 

 to enjoy the invigorating effect of pure cold air. Chickens that are 

 not given this opportunity are likely to become languid and weak from 

 the hot-house treatment. The brooding system here described provides 

 for three different areas of temperature within the house: a high tem- 

 perature under the heater drum, a moderate living-room temperature 

 between the drum area and the outside edge of the hover, and a cool- 

 house temperature outside the hover, where the chickens have an 

 abundance of room to exercise in the cool air. In favorable weather a 

 fourth area is provided out of doors by a cloth fence enclosure, where 

 the chickens can get to the ground early in a sheltered, sunny spot. 



4. Providing for exercise 



The chick is naturally active. It cannot continue in perfect health 

 and develop a vigorous body under close confinement. A young, active 

 animal kept under restraint fails to develop naturally. Opportunity 

 to scratch and run is essential even from the very first. The larger 

 the floor space per chick, the easier it is to keep the brooder clean. 

 The system here described provides 64 sq. ft. floor space, which is .32 

 sq. ft. floor space per chick when 200 chicks are kept in a house. In 

 many of the modem outdoor brooders there is about 20 sq. ft. floor 

 space, equal to .2 sq. ft. floor space per chick with 100 chicks or .4 sq. 

 ft. floor space with 50 chicks in a brooder. The larger brooder gives 

 greater liberty of action to chickens than does a smaller one having 

 the same number of square feet floor space per chicken. 



