102 



BROODING 



well grown, they can care for themselves at a younger 

 age. Regardless of age, the chicks should remain 

 with the hen until they are fit to care for themselves, 

 this fitness depending on size and a sufficiency of 

 feathers to keep the chicks warm at night; 



ARTIFICIAL BROODING 



Brooders. A mechanical device for aiding in raising 

 chicks without the care of hens is called a brooder. 

 The essential parts of a brooder are the hover and the 

 nursery. The hover supplies the heat necessary to keep 

 the chicks warm; the nursery is the exercising room for 



the chicks. A brooder 

 should be so arranged 

 that the chicks will 

 have plenty of room, 

 sunshine, warmth, 

 and fresh air; a 

 brooder that supplies 

 all these necessities 

 forms a comfortable 

 home for the chicks. 

 If any of the fore- 

 going requisites are 

 lacking, the strain 

 of artificial brooding 

 will be most trying 

 on the vitality of the 

 > chicks and injurious 

 >to their health. The 

 best brooders are 

 those that have all 

 the requirements nec- 

 essary for growing the chicks to a healthy maturity. 

 Hovers are heated in several ways, but those that 

 are heated with lamps have the advantage of uniform 

 heat and good ventilation. Lamps give the most 

 satisfactory heat for small brooders, and they are 



FIG. 3 



