ARTIFICIAL BROODING 



235 



or both. Bottom heat is credited with predisposing chicks 

 to diarrhetic disturbances. 



The Hover. — "Hover" is the term used to designate the 

 compartment in a house or brooder that carries the highest 

 temperature available for the 'chicks. It usually consists of 

 a round chamber as shown in Figs. 115, 116, and 117, because 

 the heat may be more evenly distributed than when it is 

 square, and there are no corners in which the chicks may 

 crowd. It is generally only as high as necessary to give the 

 chicks head room below the drum. 



Fio. 116 



Showing parts of an adaptable hover. 1, thermostat; 2, damper disk; 

 3, thermometer; 4, radiating drum; 5, fume escape flue; 6, hover case; 7, 

 heater box. (Courtesy of Cyphers Incubator Company.) 



The drum is of metal and extends over most of the top of 

 the hover. It is connected directly with the heater, from 

 which the hot fumes may pass before being discharged. The 

 heat of the fumes is given off from the drum by radiation, 

 and should merely supplement the heat introduced by the 

 warm fresh air. All too frequently the drum furnishes the 

 only source of heat. 



Hanging down around the sides of the hover is usually a 

 fringe curtain, made by slitting felt, flannel, or oilcloth. 

 This serves to conserve the heat, allows the escape of the 

 air displaced by the fresh air coming down from the heater. 



