PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



needs, and there is but little danger of overheating. Some 

 hovers are provided with outside curtains or enclosures, but 

 as a rule they are open. The oil heater seems to have some 

 advantage over the coal heater as it maintains a steady heat 

 and is not so liable to go out. 



The Baby Chick 



When safely hatched the tender chick is just ready to 

 begin the struggle of life. There are many dangers ahead. 

 To avoid these requires all the resources and skill of the poul- 

 try keeper. Nature has provided it with sufficient nourishment 



Plan of brood coop for hen and chicks 



for 72 hours in the yolk, but recently absorbed into its ab- 

 domen. While the chicks are drying and cooling in the 

 nursery of the incubator, the brooder should be gotten ready. 

 If a box brooder, the lamp should be cleaned and filled with 

 fresh oil, the wick trimmed so as to make an even and round 

 flame, free from sharp points, -and the hover is cleansed and 

 disinfected. 



If a stove brooder, it is thoroughly cleaned so as to remove 

 any rust or soot that would intercept the draft. The pipes 

 are examined, and any in bad condition are replaced with new 

 sections. A hole in the pipe interferes with the draft. The fire 

 is built and the heat regulated so that a thermometer test in- 

 dicates a temperature of 100 degrees in the outer zone of the 

 hover. 



[148] 



