Brooders 215 



BROODERS 



If artificial incubation is employed, some pro- 

 vision must be made for the care of the little chickens 

 as soon as they leave the incubator. Various kinds 

 of machines have been devised for this purpose, 

 which vary considerably in regard to efficiency, but 

 some kind of an artificial brooder must be provided. 

 From the great variety of brooders on the market 

 the farmer or poultryman has an opportunity to 

 make a selection according to his wants and best 

 judgment. Brooders vary greatly in size, as some of 

 the smaller ones accommodate no more than fifty 

 chickens, while the larger ones are devised to furnish 

 accommodations for many hundreds of young 

 fowls. For convenience, we may separate the various 

 kinds of brooders into two classes. These classes 

 represent two entirely different systems of furnish- 

 ing heat and providing for the comforts of the 

 little chickens. One class supplies heat by means 

 of hot-water pipes. (See Fig. 72.) Brooders of this 

 kind are capable of extension and of providing heat 

 for many hundreds of young chickens. The other 

 system is represented fairly well by small portable 

 brooders, which supply heat by radiation from hot 

 air or from hot-water tanks. These are usually 

 heated by small oil lamps or by gas jets. The pipe 

 system is most extensively used by poultrymen 

 who rear fowls on a somewhat extensive scale. One 



