The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-04-18
Practical Equipment Neces-
sary For Proper Raising
of Chicks to Maturity
Size of Flock Should Gov
ern the Style of House
To Be Used
nv JAMES =. HOPKINS
Poultry Judge, Lecturer and Author.

Poultry raising is becoming more
scientihh every DAY. The demand for
quantity production of eggs and table
fowl is compelling poultry raisers TO
adopt improved methods. He CANNOT
rely wholly ON the whims of hen or
trust to variable weather conditions,
To this end, man invented the ineu-
bator as an artificial hatcher. Then he
had to provide for the rearing of young
chicks in quantities. Hence the brooder
house. which will mother the chicks In
really remarkable fashfon-doing prac-
tically everything but "clucking.'
The following article tells how TO use
these important articles of equipment.
Many of those starting in poultry
raising do not seem to heed the inn
portance of equipment to the success
of rearing chicks.
Incubation has made wonderful prog
ress during the last few years. Today
there are standard machines that If
given good eggs from strong breeding
stock will hatch as large percentage
as the hen. but the brooder is different
proposition. In the brooding of chicks
ginners and this has been due to many
different things. One of the mistakes
that Is most common is the neglect to
have proper brooding capacity, as Well
as the proper brooder equipment for the
man who wishes to raise only a few
chicks that Will mature into winter
egg producers for daily use (and there
are thousands of poultry keepers In this
CLASSY the small 60 or 100-egg incuba-
tor is the proper machine to use In
conjunction with two outdoor or in
door breeders to properly care for the
chicks These small breeders are rated
from so to SIS chicks but better success
will be obtained when only so chicks
are placed in each brooder. Crowding Is
an evil that has caused great loss
among chicks, IL not in a death rate
in the lack of proper development,
which should be studiously avoided And
II can be avoided by having large
enough brooder quarters. Better too
much room than too little.
Outdoor Breeders
The large size of outdoor breeders
may be used for April and May broods
While they can maintain heat enough
for early spring work, the disadvantage
of attending the brooder out of doors
in the bad weather of early spring
makes the indoor brooder placed in
light colony house the better method.
Two indoor breeders with capacity
each of 30 chocks can be placed I'm a
6xs colony house, dividing the two
brooders by a low board partition or
wire netting and cutting two small
openings i'll the front of the colony
house, allows the two broods to have
yard range and vet keeps each brood
separate so each hover may contain the
proper number of chicks. After they
nave become old enough to require no
ARTIFICIAL heat, the two broods can run
together and the same colony house
can quarter the growing fowls until the
cockerels are sold. the pullets being
retained until ready for winter quarters
The ideal colony house to quarter 100
chicks is feet by feet and 61s feet
high In front and feet high in the
rear. This gives head room and plenty
OF ventilation. Two feet from the floor
the muslin frame should start and go
up to the plate rail. One small window
of glass may be placed in the house to
give additional light on dark, stormy
Gays when the muslin curtains are
down.
For the poultry keeper who rears
more than several hundred chicks dur
ing the season, a different system must
pc useo. There are now two systems in
keneral use on the large poultry farms
The older of the two Is the long brood
or house with its hot water system: the
other is the long brooder house with
the newer coal or oil burning big hov.
ers. Both have advocates and both i'm
proved systems have accomplished good
work. The third, but as yet NOT so
much in general use, is the colony sys-
tenn. The coal or oil and in some cases
gas. is used for large heater stoves,
placed in big colony house brood
ing from 200 to 1900 chicks at one
Toe
recommend it, inasmuch as it gives
tne required heat with plenty of VEN
tllation in quarters where growing
chicks can be accommodated until ar
uficisl heat is no longer required.
End of Brooder Days
IT is we'll known fact that brooder
cnicks must sooner or later be taken
from the brooder house, the time de-
pending largely on the chick and time
OF the year. All brooder chicks, to do
their best. must be taken from the
rrooder house to the colony system on
free range. 1t is here the colony brood
ing system and shows advantage. The
chicks are obtaining the proper neat
ana above all better ventilation than
ever secured under the old pipe sys
Tenn Each chick can seek it's own de-
gree or heat 1t need not be too warm
or too cold. In the colony house there
Is plenty of room and when properly
constructed there are no draughts. The
cost is less than in the long brooder
house and the capacity of the brooder
greater. The chicks may have unlin,-
tied run IL desired. The colony house
Is one that can be moved to new ground
II found necessary, whereas the long
Drooder house was stationary. There is
no danger of sour runs and it seems
to be the ideal system for the ONE
man or the two-man plant
Large Colony Houses
The smaller brooder stoves will fit
nicely in the Sx10-foot colony house
with 7-foot high front and 5-foor
high rear: 10-foot by 10-foot and ~
foot by 12-foot colony houses are also
used with good results. The cost Of
these colony houses is not great. The
popular 6-foot by s-foot Is manufac-
tured by several firms who make a
specially in poultry houses and they
can be purchased from $18 to $40 fully
equipped. The larger 8-foet by 1O-foot
and 12x12-foot can be purchased from
SO to $50. These are not cheap make
shift poultry houses, but whether
bought or built for that money should
last q long time. especially If painted.
To stand the weather test all poultry
buildings. when not covered on the
outside with some of the prepared roof
ing papers. should have at least two
coats Of good paint applied.
All poultry keepers seem to have their
"hobbie6' az to the proper kind of
poultry house to use and when the ave-
rage beginner sees so many different