Fig. 2.— a newly hatched family of baby chicks about to be put into the brood coop with the mother 
hen and receive their first feed. 
ready so that when the chicks reach you they can be transferred at 
once from the shipping box in which they arrive to the brooder, 
where it is warm, roomy, and comfortable. 
EMERGENCY BROODER. 
If the mother hen should die, or if the brooder ordered fails to 
arrive in time, boys and girls are sometimes at a loss to know what 
to do with the chicks. In such case a temporary or homemade 
brooder may be made as follows: Take a box, without cover, about 
18 to 24 inches square and 10 inches high. In one side next the 
Care of Bahij Chicks. 5 
ready in advance. Never wait to heat up the brooder until after 
the chicks have been put in. This same rule applies if you purchase 
day-old chicks instead of hatching them, i^dways have the bi-ooder 
