ARTIFICIAL BROODING 247 



membrane, the skin, and a coat of down. It is not surprising 

 that when the chick is chilled the lungs are quickly affected, 

 breathing power restricted, and a general enfeeblement of the 

 powers of movement ensues. 



In natural brooding, the back and lungs are the best 

 protected portions of the body. When a chick becomes 

 uncomfortably cold under conditions of artificial brooding, 

 and is unable to locate heat enough to warm him quickly, 

 he obeys that instinct which tells him to get his back up 

 against the mother hen. The result is that he tries to crawl 

 under the other chicks. This, taken up by the other chicks 

 in turn, results in bunching and crowding with the accom- 

 panying evils of smothered chicks and a diminution of thrift 

 on the part of. the entire flock. 



Where the temperature is not sufficiently low to actually 

 chill the chicks, but fails to make them comfortable, they 

 quickly show the effect by ruffled feathers, "winginess," and 

 a general appearance of "unthrift, which is frequently accom- 

 panied by digestive disorders quite similar to contagious 

 diarrhea in symptoms and results. 



Place of Operation. — ^The location of an outdoor brooder 

 in cold weather is likely to'be a compromise between the 

 desirability of placing it in the lee of some building which will 

 serve as a protection against wind and the undesirability 

 of endangering the building by fire. 



It should at all times be located where the chicks will 

 not come in contact with old stock and become infested with 

 lice. Filth of all kinds must be avoided because of the 

 likelihood of its harboring disease germs. A fairly dry 

 location is a necessity. Beyond the necessity for dryness for 

 reasons given in the discussion on housing poultry (see page 

 261), is the fact that chicks that are compelled to run about 

 and scratch on damp ground soon collect little balls of mud 

 at the ends of the toes. When the chick goes under the 

 hover, these dry out and become very hard. Unless noticed 

 and removed, they will remain on the toes, causing great 

 discomfort to the chicks and preventing the proper growth 

 of the toes, ultimately causing a deformity. 



In warm weather as cool a spot as possible should be found 



