FARM ANIMALS 331 



about five per cent., during the second week about 

 six per cent, of their weight and during the third 

 week about seven per cent. This loss in weight 

 is of course due to evaporation of moisture through 

 the egg shell. Most manufacturers of incubators 

 recommend that the eggs be moistened daily with 

 tepid water. It may be advisable for the beginner 

 to adopt this practice. Many poultrymen of long 

 experience have found that this is not necessary 

 wnen all the conditions are thoroughly understood. 



Brooders are a source of great loss and dis- 

 appointment unless properly managed. These 

 troubles, however, may be combated in a com- 

 paratively simple way. In the first place the 

 brooder should be thoroughly cleaned between 

 each brood of chickens which are kept in it. Other- 

 wise it will sooner or later become infected and 

 spread tuberculosis, diarrhea and death among the 

 chickens which are placed in it. One of the most 

 important matters in connection with the manage- 

 ment of the brooder is to keep the temperature as 

 uniform as possible and avoid the heating of one 

 point around which the chicks will congregate 

 and smother one another. If poultry is managed 

 on a large scale the best results are obtained from 

 the construction of large brooder houses in which 

 the proper temperature for chickens can be secured 

 with creeps surrounded with thick curtains in 

 which a slightly higher temperature is maintained. 



The Care of Young Chic teens. With chickens as 

 with other animals if an early maturity is to be 

 obtained it is necessary to start in the right way, and 

 keep the animals growing uniformly and in good 

 condition. As every one Knows who has had even 

 a short experience with chickens, if they are stunted 

 during their early life it is impossible to get a 



