The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-01
PROPER ARTIFICIAL BROODlNG
4 NECESSARY TO RAISE CHICKS
Merits Of Various Breeders.
Discussed by Poultry
Expert.
10y q. r. SMITH,

1sAoos pVusH yuicH 1uCCeeu OF Kali mere.
My friend bought 25 day-old chicks
They were "as fine as silk" But he
had no brooding facilities. Therefore
one after another pined away and died.
He raised three to maturity!
II it had been $500 instead Of 25. an
other poultryman would have failed"
When baby comes everything should
be In order to raise it rightly. A chick
Is a baby. 1t is one OF the most sensi-
tive things in the world. 1t is walk
ing egg. Tenfold more care must be
given 1t than is given the newly laid
egg.
The small colony brooder is mostly
used by the amateur and by those who
keep small flocks. 1t is a complete
brooding plant on a small scale Six
feet by three Is the usual size. 1t Is
therefore easily portable and can be
used out of doors in cold weather, or
indoors. to suit conveniences.
1t Is divided into two equal compart-
ments, the central partition being cas-
lily removable to double the space run
of the chicks as they develop. The heat
Is furnished by a kerosene lamp at one
end outside the brooder. 1t commune
Gates with a circular hover within.
The small colony breeders now on
the market have been improved until
they are practically perfect. But. like
any other mechanism. they must be
handled with knowledge and skill or
they can do great damage.
Absolute cleanliness throughout must
be insisted on always. The floor of
both apartments should be covered half
an inch thick with clean sand. and over
this should be scattered an inch OF fine
litter. preferably alfalfa or clover. In
this should also be placed a good sup
ply of fine oyster shells.
Light the lamp day or two before
the chicks are to be placed in the
brooder, so that you may be sure OF
steady temperature of about SO de-
grees under the hover The second
week this temperature may be reduced
five degrees. Work it down to SIS by
the third week. A thermometer should
be kept constantly in view. There
must be no guessing.
The lamp should be filled and
cleaned once a day, and it should be
trimmed twice a day. There should be
no exception to this rule. Remember
II Is burning "a hours a day. The lamp
must be kept absolutely safe and eff
Gent. Otherwise the chicks are liable
to be baked Or smoked to death.
Long Crooeer House.
The principle here Is the same as
that Of the small colony brooder, except
that 1t Is n large scale plant. The
building may be any length desired
according to the extent of the business.
The modern aim is to equip the long
hrooder house for use as a maturing or
laying house when it is not required for
brooding purposes.
The heat is usually furnished by a
system of steam pipes running above
the hover shelters. A more recent
method sends the heat through steam
pipes beneath the floor. The circular
hover is used in this system. and the
heat Is led up to each successive hover
from beneath the floor by galvanized
cylinder. The kerosene lamp is used
in some cases. The most rigorous
methods should be adopted in the care
OF the lamps. Forty or so lamps burn
ing day and night. with such inflam
able stuff lying about, put a large re-
sponsibility on the caretaker. | know
of one instance at least where some
$500 b!ooded birds were burned I'D one
night as result of an exploded lamp.
Whatever the heating system may
be it should be studied most care
fully and thoroughly mastered. The
care of a fire Of any kind is matter
OF great importance. 1t is n curious
fact that many intelligent people are
not expert ''firemen." Children learn
successfully sustained temperature is
of vital consequence in broodine, very
special attention should be given to
this part Of the business
Drafts should be carefully guarded
against in the long building Doors
should close automatically. The chicks
should be kept well separated as to the
different f1ocks, and especially as to
nocks Of different ages. Never should
the birds be compelled to live on a
naked floor. Nothing Is more discour-
aging and more unnatural to them.
Colony Brooder Stove System.
The colony brooder stove system is
comparatively modern method. 1t is
coming into very general use. how
ever. The brooder stove is placed in
the center OF room from ~ to II
tset square. Either coal or oil may BE-