326 POULTRY BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT 



less brooders of this kind will rear chicks successfully, but 

 a fireless brooder without heat of any kind is not practicable. 

 If the weather is not too cold and the chicks have close at- 

 tention the heatless brooder may raise chicks successfully, 

 but the labor cost is great. 



Long Hot- Water Pipe Brooders. Where large num- 

 bers of chicks are hatched at one time this is probably the 

 most convenient way of brooding them. A heater is located 

 at one end of the house, and from this hot-water pipes run 



CONTINUOUS BROODING SYSTEM 

 (Courtesy Kansas Experiment Station.) 



the length of the house under hover but over the chicks. 

 A brooder house a hundred feet in length or more may be 

 heated in this way. This method has been largely used in 

 the production of broilers. The main objection to this 

 system is the cost of equipment. Where the purpose is to 

 raise pullets for fall laying, the chickens have to be trans- 

 ferred to other houses later. 



Experience has shown that it is not practicable to use 

 this type of brooder house as a growing house for pullets. 

 Pullets do better when put in open-air houses and given 

 free range. With a brooder house of this kind it will pay 



