558 
THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 
attended to. Supply fresh water and a little feed each day 
and the hen will do the rest. 
On the morning of the twenty-first day after the eggs were 
warmed in the mother's nest, indications of chick life in the 
outer world may be looked for. In only rare cases will it 
be necessary to do more than allow them to look after them- 
selves. The last act in the development of the chick before 
breaking the shell is the absorption of the remaining portion 
of the yelk. This serves to nourish the body for at least 
thirty-six hours after birth, so that there is no necessity for 
being in a hurry to remove the chicks from the nest. This 
need not be done until they are all out of the shells and 
thoroughly dry — provided, of course, that the eggs were all 
placed under the hen at the same time. 
(b) Hatching by Artificial Processes. — By this is meant 
the use of an incubator. All good dealers in these machines 
supply full directions for their use, so that it is unnecessary 
to go into any exposition of the system here. 
6. The Brooder or Colony House. 
Strictly speaking, the term brooder is applied to a 
heated house for young chickens, the purpose of which is 
to take the place of the mother hen. 
When the chicks are ready to be removed from the nest, 
they should be made comfortable in a small house which we 
choose to call the brooder, or colony house, assuming, of 
course, that the spring is far enough advanced to allow of 
their being placed outside. This little house should be 
warm, dry, airy and well ventilated, proof against cats, dogs, 
etc., and provided with a run for the chicks. The mother 
may be allowed to run out with the chicks if the run is not 
too large. 
The most economical is that which may be large enough 
to serve as a home until they are able to take care of them- 
selves when the new stock are put in together. We suggest 
the following: (see Fig. 102). 
The floor should be built upon 2x4 scantling to serve as 
runners, of matched boards, close and detached from the 
house so that cleaning may be done easily and well, size 2 
ft. 6 in.x4 ft. 6 in., a little larger than the house. 
The house should be 2 ft.x4 ft., shanty toqI 24: in. high 
on the low side and 3 ft. on the high side. 
