74 POULTRY FOR PROFIT 



as such a colony house should be, may be moved out 

 into a field and used for pullets or breeding stock. 



With a house of this style chicks may be given as 

 much range as is convenient. A small side door 

 allows them to come and go as they will, and there 

 is no limit to the ground they may range over. 



CARING FOR BROODER CHICKS 



The trick of caring for brooder chicks consists 

 largely in finding out what the fault of your par- 

 ticular make of brooder is, and then overcoming it. 



In Fireless Brooders 



All things considered, there is probably no more 

 risk in raising chicks in fireless brooders than in 

 other artificial brooders, and it is much cheaper. 

 The brooder should be kept indoors the first week 

 and should be under shelter at night for several 

 weeks, depending on the weather. If one is going 

 to raise a considerable number of chicks in this way 

 it is best to have a brooder house and to arrange 

 for some kind of heat. 



Breaking the chicks to the brooder is no more 

 difficult with fireless brooders than with others. The 

 chicks, when first taken from the incubator, should 

 be covered up warmly and left to sleep till they are 

 at least forty-eight hours old. Then let them out 

 into the run with which every fireless brooder must 

 be provided, and let them peck at the sand and take 

 a drink of water. After half an hour, or less if they 

 seem cold, shut them up for another rest, and after 

 an hour or so let them out again and scatter rolled 

 oats or steel cut oats on the sand. This program 

 must be kept up till the chicks have learned to go 

 in when they are cold and out when they are hungry, 

 but the caretaker must remember that one chick 



