340 Animal Husbandry 
one-hundred-egg machine. The expense for oil and labor in the 
operation of a large machine is comparatively much less than for 
a small one, and the results obtained from the former are surpris- 
ingly better, as the temperature, moisture, and other vital factors 
are more easily controlled. 
545. Brooders. — When chicks are hatched artificially a brooder: 
must be provided to take care of the little ones as they leave the 
incubator. There are many types of brooders and they may be 
divided into two classes, on the same principle as- incubators, 
according to the method of heating. A good brooder should be 
constructed of first-class material, put together in such a way as 
to supply a high temperature, pure air, and most important of 
all, opportunity for the chicks to select their own temperature. 
The first need of a young chick is heat. It must be able to find 
a temperature of not less than 100 degrees Farenheit at all times, 
but to remain in such a high temperature would prove fatal. 
Every brooder, therefore, should provide an opportunity for the 
. chicks to choose the temperature most agreeable to them. This 
will vary from 90 to 100 degrees. This temperature should be 
maintained during the first three or four weeks. It is better to 
err in having the heat higher than necessary, provided the chicks 
have an opportunity to get away from it, than it is to have too 
little heat. In the latter case, there is no remedy except huddling, 
which always results in weakness and great mortality. 
POULTRY HOUSES 
The poultry house should be comfortable, convenient, well 
ventilated, and sanitary, as well as of economical construction. In 
order to fulfill these requirements, the house must be constructed 
to meet the conditions of the climate. Failure in poultry keeping 
is often directly traceable to the conditions under which fowls 
are housed. Many of the most troublesome diseases are due pri- 
marily to poor location and improperly constructed houses. 
