down of the hen retain the greater part of the 

 heat from the body. The brooding chicks can put 

 their heads out for fresh air, instead of being 

 crammed into a bunch and surrounded by from 

 fifty to a hundred other chicks. If they are too 

 warm they can get out, if not pinned down under 

 the breast bone or foot of the hen. 



The heat from the hen certainly cannot te 

 termed "bottom heat," nor yet "top heat." It 

 is as she squats down and her body is surrounded 

 by the chicks principally "side heat," with some 

 top heat retained by her feathers. Nature pro- 

 vides a covering for the chicks to nestle under, 

 and a brooder should have something soft and 

 heat retaining for them to huddle under ; not 

 simply a top, compelling them to squat down on 

 the floor, but something to take the place of the 

 feathers of the hen. 



For the first week the temperature of the brooder 

 should between 80 and 90 at about two inches 

 above the floor. After a few days' practice one 

 easily learns to test the heat under the hover of 

 brooder by the feel of the hand, and the ther- 

 mometer is then unnecessary. When we say that 

 the temperature should be between 80 and 90, 

 we mean that it should be that warm under the hover 

 without any chicks under it. As the chicks grow 

 older they require less artificial heat, because they 

 furnish more animal heat as they increase in size, 

 so you should gradually decrease the heat ; but 

 never have it lower than 70 with chicks under the 

 hover, as long as they require brooding. This 



