ARTIFICIAL BROODING 



SUCCESSFUL BROODER OPERATION 



INDIVIDUAL BROODERS— THE WAY TO MANAGE THEM— HOW AND WHERE TO 

 LOCATE THEM— THE NUMBER OF CHICKS TO THE BROODER— PROPER BROODING 

 TEMPERATURE AT DIFFERENT AGES— GETTING READY FOR THE CHICKS, ETC. 



P. T. WOODS, M. D. 



S soon as the hatching season has well begun, 

 attention is naturally turned toward the proper 

 means of brooding the newly hatched chicks. 

 For the beginner brooding by the individual 

 brooder method, will undoubtedly give the most 

 satisfactory results. Nearly all of the leading 

 makes of brooding devices give satisfactory 

 results when operated under favorable condi- 

 tions. In most oases the outdoor style of brooder will 

 prove the most satisfactory since it may be used under a greater 

 variety of conditions. Where indoor brooders are used they 

 must necessarily be run in a house or rogm of some sort through- 

 out the entire season while outdoor brooders may be run under 

 shelter or in a house during the early part of the season and 

 then removed to the orchard or field after the weather has be- 

 come warmer and more settled, and the houses or shelters may 

 then be devoted to growing stock or to other uses. 



In buying a brooder be sure to obtain one of standard make 

 from a reUable manufacturer. The best is none too good. As 

 a rule, it will not be wise for an amateur to attempt raising 

 chicks with a home-made brooding device, as such are seldom 

 properly constructed and often cost more than the well-made, 

 properly built machines sold by reputable manufacturers. Do 

 not buy a brooder simply because it is cheap. Remember that 

 the best is the cheapest in the end and that the little extra 

 money expended at the start will be more than offset by the sav- 

 ing in losses and the ease in caring for the chicks. The best 

 individual brooding devices are those which supply a consider- 

 able volume of top heat combined with just enough bottom 

 heat to give a warm floor in the hover apartment. A properly 

 constructed brooder wiU be so made that it is entirely self- 

 ventilating, drawing pure fresh air from outside of the machine, 

 carrying it up and distributing it beneath the hover and around 



the chicks so that they are always suppKed with pure fresh 

 warm air while the brooding apartment is maintained at the 

 proper temperature. 



LOCATING THE BROODER 



During March and April it is best to run the individual 

 brooder of outdoor pattern in a small house or at least under 

 a shed or shelter. Personally I prefer to use a house having 

 a floor space 6 by 8 or 8 by 10 feet according to the size of the 

 brooder. Such a house should have a door and a glass or can- 

 vas window in its south front. It should be so arranged that 

 the door and window can be kept open throughout the day 

 and a wire screen should be provided to keep the chicks inside 

 if the weather is not favorable for their having an outdoor 

 run. When so placed the chicks have a good sheltered exercise 

 room outside of the brooder on the floor of the house where 

 they are protected from wind and storm. The operator will 

 also find such a location for his brooder much more convenient 

 for attending the lamp and caring for the chicks. Here in 

 New England many such brooding houses are in use and they 

 are particularly desirable because of the sudden and extreme 

 weather changes occurring during the early spring. A house 

 of this sort if placed in a well-drained, dry location may have 

 an earth or sand floor; as a rule a tight board floor is best since 

 it affords protection against dampness and also keeps out rats 

 and other marauding vermin. If a board floor is used, cover 

 it with an inch or two of sand. 



After the weather has become settled in May and June 

 the brooders may be run beneath a tree in the orchard or may 

 be located in the open field. Later in the season when run in 

 the open field it is a wise plan to provide a sun shelter for both 

 a portion of the chick run and the brooder itself, since it is al- 

 most impossible to rim any brooder at anything like an even 



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