72 ARTIFICIAL BROODING 



sideration is the growing of the chicks. A brooder 

 may be sufficiently large to take proper care of, say, 

 100 chicks during the first week of their existence, 

 but in a few more weeks this same lot of youngsters 

 would be of such a size that the capacity of the 

 aforesaid brooder would be inadequate to hover 

 such a number properly without being very much 

 overcrowded. A little common sense used on such 

 subjects will overcome lots of disappointments and 

 losses, and although it is best to follow the manufac- 

 turer's directions as much as possible in the opera- 

 tion of a brooder, it nevertheless is advisable to use 

 your own judgment as well. 



Most any one, no matter how inexperienced, 

 should be able to note when the brooder is over- 

 crowded, and when the little fellows seem to be 

 uncomfortable. At the first appearance of crowd- 

 ing the flock should be divided, and some of them 

 put into another brooder. To endeavor to save on 

 equipment, space, and labor at the expense of the 

 health of the chicks is indeed poor economy, and 

 will prove costly in the end. If you cannot afford 

 to purchase the necessary brooders to take the 

 proper care of your incubator capacity, it would be 

 to your interest to set less eggs and thus eliminate 

 the possibilities of heavy losses in the chicks, and 

 impairing the health of the entire flock of young- 

 sters. Many a novice has made this mistake, and in 

 almost every case has paid dearly for it. 



