354 



BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



there the cloth is slit so that the chicks may freely pass 

 through and find a warm protection among the strips ot 

 cloth, comparable to being under the mother's wings. This 

 special arrangement within the brooder is called a hover. 



Fig. 193. A cheap brooder house, with brood. 

 Poultry Herald. 



Photograph by courtesy the 



The small brooder house usually has one hover, but large 

 brooder houses have series of them, each of which is heated 

 by a hot water pipe system. 



Eggs for incubation should be from vigorous, well-mated 

 fowls, and not from what might be called mongrel stock. 

 These eggs should be kept in a dry, cool atmosphere until 

 placed under the hen or in the incubator. A place having 

 a temperature of from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit is con- 

 sidered best. The eggs should be carefully handled, not 

 being severely shaken or cracked. It is a good plan to mark 

 on each egg the date laid, and no eggs over 21 days old should 

 be set. In making up settings, it is desirable to use those of 



