BROODER HOUSE 289 



After the third week the grain food is reduced to three 

 times a day, and coarser grains are added to it until at the 

 end of the fifth week they are receiving about equal parts 

 of chick feed and the whole grain, such as whole wheat, 

 kaffir corn, and small cracked corn. The amount of fine 

 grain or chick feed is then reduced until they are receiving 

 all coarse grains. 



The chicks should be allowed to stay in the brooder house 

 until they are thoroughly feathered and the sexes sepa- 

 rated. In this way every possibility of their becoming 

 chilled while of tender age is avoided. By having the in- 

 door runs roomy and by suppl)dng fresh untrampled green 

 feed in the form of lawn or rye clippings, sturdier and more 

 rapid growth is obtained, and the mortaHty is also much 

 less than if the chicks are allowed to run where they choose 

 and are compelled to search for a part of their food. 



A Good Brooder House. — A good type of brooder 

 house is one built 24 feet wide. It has a sunken passage 

 4 feet wide throughout its entire length. It is heated 

 with two hot-water brooding systems. The hover rooms 

 are 3 feet square and open into runways 3 by 7 feet. 



All floors are of concrete. All screens, doors, and parti- 

 tions have removable frames, which are interchangeable, so 

 that any one set of frames can be used for any of the brood- 

 ers throughout the house. 



The watering is done in galvanized iron troughs, located 

 outside the hover rooms and placed in such a way that the 

 chicks drink through openings in the back wall. By this 

 arrangement the water is kept pure and clean. 



Near the center of the building is a kitchenette in which 

 the food is prepared for the chicks during the first few 

 weeks of their lives. 



T. AND L. ANIMAL HUSB. — -19 



