104 



PRACTICAL POULTRY PRODUCTION 



Such brooders can usually be built at less cost than to buy 

 them, as their construction is very simple. In this system 

 of brooding the body heat of the chickens is the source of 

 warmth. These brooders are equipped with adjustable 

 covers composed of strips of cloth or feathers, which act 

 on much the same principle as the feathers of the hen. 



The position of the cover should be regulated according 

 to the weather and the number of chicks in the brooder. 



In cold weather the cover 



should sag so as to be 

 near the backs of the 

 newly hatched chicks, 

 while in warmer weather 

 or with older chicks the 

 cover is raised or removed 

 depending on conditions. 

 Usually from 12 to 40 

 chicks are placed in a 

 tireless brooder, 25 being 

 the average number. The 

 use of tireless brooders is 

 recommended only in a 

 mild climate. In cold 

 weather they should be operated in a heated room or 

 building. Care must be given to keep the brooder clean 

 by frequently changing the Utter. Likewise the chicks 

 must be watched carefully to see that they are comfort- 

 able and do not sweat. When first placed in the brooders 

 the chicks may have to be put under the hover several times 

 until they learn where to get warm. 



Correct temperature for brooding. The correct tem- 

 perature for the brooder or hover depends upon several 

 conditions such as the position of the thermometer, style of 

 the" hover, age of the chicks, and the weather. In all 



Figure 106. — An easily constructed fireless 

 brooder. 



