23 
Fig. 14.—House for breeding ducks. 
used they should be about 8 inches apart from center to center. These 
pipes rest on the partition boards of the pens. The front of the brooder, 
leading into the pens, is cut out in the center about 4 inches deep and 
4 feet long (fig. 18, A), while the ends and the other side are solid, 
being 7 inches high. The construction of the brooder is clearly shown 
in fig. 18, B, with cover removed, while fig. 18, ( 7 , shows cover. The 
heater is located at 
the end of building. 
Another plan of 
brooder house is 
that shown in fig. 
19. This house is 
known as a double 
brooder house, with 
walk in the center 
and pens on either 
side, and with 
heater at the end. 
Many prefer this 
plan to the single brooder house, as the care and attention required for 
the youngsters is much less and the cost of heating is reduced, one heater 
being sufficient for both lines of pipes. Then, again, this latter plan 
shortens the length of the building by one-half and makes the work 
more concentrated. The arrangement of the interior is the same as 
that of the single brooder house. 
The plans of brooder houses, as given above, are for ducklings from 
the time they are taken from the machines until they are ready for the 
cold brooder, or 
growinghouse. The 
young ducklings, 
when taken from 
the nest or incuba¬ 
tor, are very deli¬ 
cate and susceptible 
to the changes of 
the atmosphere; 
they must be kept 
very warm and free 
from chilling. The 
first three weeks of 
a duckling’s life is 
the most critical period, and after that time the liabilities of loss are 
reduced to a very low rate—hardly five to the hundred. The front of 
brooders for young ducklings should be hung with strips of woolen cloth 
to keep in the warmth of the brooder. The greatest care should be 
given them at this period; the duck raisers really consider it the most 
Fig. 15.—House for breeding and growing ducks. 
