60 



CHICK BOOK 



that if the breeders of the Little Compton district by- 

 trap nesting or any other method increased the proUfioacy 

 of their hens by fifty per cent, they would be compelled to 

 adopt artificial methods of hatching and rearing. So long 

 as they do not interfere with things as they are they will 

 probably have no need to purchase incubators and brooders. 



Natural Methods Not SuflBcient 



So much can be admitted, but we have now to face the 

 question whether the system which is so successful in Rhode 

 Island would meet the requirements for the supply of eggs 

 and chickens. I venture to say that it would be an utter 

 failure if we had to depend upon it entirely, in fact modern 

 development in poultry keeping would have been impossible 

 had we been restricted to natural methods. In the first place 

 we should have been compelled to maintain breeds of fowls 

 which would be unsuitable under many circumstances, and 

 could not attempt to meet the requirements of the market 

 at several seasons of the year. Whether we like it or not, 

 here is the fact that artificial systems have come to stay, and 

 our object is not to go back to the natural methods, but to 

 make the artificial as perfect as possible, even thought supple- 

 mentary to the other. 



When incubators were first introduced into Britain there 

 was a very common saying, namely, "Yes, -you can hatch 

 artificially, but can you rear?" and it is an undoubted fact 

 that the artificial rearing of both chickens and ducklings was 

 where the whole thing broke down in the early days. My 

 own experience was that of many others. We might hatch 

 a batch of chickens, but the number reared would be com- 

 paratively small. At one time it seemed as if this could not 

 be overcome, and it took many years before it was accomp- 

 lished. 



The first brooder I worked was known as the old Ches- 

 hire, and that is now thirty years ago. I give here an illus- 

 tration of it. It consisted of a low box sloping from front 

 to back, about 3 ft. long and 21 in, wide. In this was in- 

 serted a tank 1 in, in thickness, in which was placed, 9 in. 

 from each side — the tank being 18 in. wide — a strip of tin 

 the full length with perforations at each end to allow a 

 proper circulation of water. At the back the tank was 

 dropped to 3 in. in thickness, and in this a tunnel was made 



FRENCH FOSTER MOTHER AND PARK 

 A — Park for chickens. _B — Tap for emptying cistern. C — Tap for 

 supplying water. D — Curtain to mother. F — Air hole. 



with two chimneys, 12 and 24 in, from the end. The tank 

 itself was built into a cover of woodwork, and embedded with 

 non-conducting material to conserve the heat. To prevent 

 the backs of the chickens going against the metal a wooden 

 frame was made to slide under, on which was tacked strong 

 canvas to which were stitched pieces of flannel cut to repre- 

 sent the feathers of a hen. The heat was obtained from a 

 benzoline lamp which had a tube about 20 in. long, and this 

 was inserted in the tunnel referred to above. 



Such an appliance was only suitable for use under cover, 

 and the trouble involved in preventing the lamp being blown 

 out, in avoiding smoking, was very great indeed. Still it 

 was a beginning, and in the first season when I used it I 

 reared something Hke 90 per cent of chickens in it, but then 

 I should hardly like to say how much trouble was involved. 

 To the majority of poultry-keepers it was useless, as the 

 labor was excessive for the results obtained. 



After that a brooder was introduced in France which 

 consisted of a large tank of water placed in a wooden box. 



CHESHIRE FOSTER MOTHER 



and the birds nestled in the compartment below. This was 

 certainly better, but this again was only suitable for use 

 under cover, and on a limited scale. The heat was main- 

 tained by drawing off a portion of the cooled water and re- 

 placing it by hot water afterwards. That was very interest- 

 ing to those who only wanted to rear a few chickens, but 

 useless for larger operations. 



The next step was when what is called the "Westmeria" 

 brooder was introduced. This consisted of what was prac- 

 tically a small house with wheels at one end and handles at 

 the other. It was well built, had a sleeping compartment 

 heated by a hurricane lamp, and a covered run, and it is not 

 too much to say that the introduction of this machine solved 

 the problem. The heat could be well maintained, and in 

 spite of the fact that there was a certain amount of danger 

 from fumes in the sleeping compartment, yet this was small 

 when care was taken, and as it could be used in the open 

 we then saw the possibilities of greater developments. 



From this last described type there have evolved most 

 of the different forms of brooders now in use of English make, 

 notably the "Hearson" and others, which, whilst they may 

 be an improvement in details are practically upon the same 

 lines as the original "Westmeria." Until the American ma- 

 chine became known to us we had practically nothing new 

 after the introduction of the "Hearson," but the "Cyphers" 

 Style A brooders at once opened the way to a further develop- 

 ment. Not that I think they were any better or in some 

 cases as good as some of our English brooders, so far as the 

 sleeping compartment was concerned, but there was a great 

 advantage in the provision of a scratching section. 



My object is not, however, to give a history of this ques- 

 tion, but to indicate briefly the steps of evolution. It must 

 be remembered that success in rearing at once placed artifi- 

 cial hatching upon a different plane. Until brooders could 

 be made practical the demand for incubators was necessarily 

 small. The moment the former proved a success, then the 

 other followed as a matter of course. A further point is 

 that the bringing of these appliances to a measure of per- 

 fection led to a demand in America for bigger things, and 

 one of the points which I looked forward to with great in- 

 terest was the opportunity of inspecting some of the plants 

 upon which continuous brooders are in operation. 



Individual Brooders a Success 



Both in America and England individual brooders have 

 proved a great success, but this was not accomplished with- 

 out overcoming many difficulties. Below I say something 

 as to comparisons between the two systems, but it must be 

 realized that at any rate in Europe we had to face a very 



