The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-07
By J. RAYMOND KEssLER Practical PouItryman

The one great advantage of artificial breeding is the number of chicks that
 can be cared for with minimum of la-
 Dor, and the assurance that the artificial
 mother can be depended upon, if the operator has done his or her part, The
 smallest type of brooder will take care of 50 chicks, which Is the equal of four or five hens, and with little more work
 than the proper care of one hen and her flock would require. Then. when
 we come to large brooder stoves. built
 with capacities of from 300 to 15o0 chicks in z. flock, one cannot help but admit
 that artificial methods are great la
 Dor savers
 The first step in considering artificial
 of brooder best suited to one's needs. This is dependent upon the nu2ber of chicks 1t is desired to raise. and the ] available buildings. For the person de- siring to raise a few small flocks, ag-
 gregating perhaps 100 or POO In year. the ready-built outdoor breeders with ca- pacities of from 50 to 100 chicks are about
 the best These breeders usually consist of small coop of two compartments and lamp-heated hover-one compart-
 ment for the hover, and the other a cold exercise room, each of the compartments being about three feet square. This type of brooder is known as the outdoor col ony brooder, and Is one of the best types for the inexperienced beginner.
 SMALL ADAPTABLE MOVERS l Where Suitable buildings are had it Is less expensive to purchase the small universal or adaptable hovers, consist Ing of a hover and lamp heater. The lamp supplying the heat for this type of hover is differently arranged in various makes. Some have the lamp in the cen ter of the hover and others on the side, | some are entirely portable. while oth- CTS require the fastening of the lamp outside of the building In a box. Practi- oally all adaptable hovers of standard makes can be depended upon to give sat- iseactory results. The little differences 1 in construction peculiar to the various makes should not confuse the beginner, for he will soon learn that they are pretty much alike in operation. It is simply matter of selecting the particu- lar type that seems best suited to the available buildings.
 For the adaptable hover it Is necessary to have a small colony coop. preferably 1 not smaller than four by five feet or a house that can be divided into pens of not less than three by six feet in size. Whore the type of hover necessitates
 an outside lamp box, 8 hole must be cut in the wall to admit the heat pipes, or | in the case of>a long house with 8 num- Der Of such hovers. there must be pro- vided sunken passage, since the lamp
 boxes may be placed outside of the house, ev ell in the long house containing num-
 ber Of hovers.
 The merits of different types of hovers are matter of individual taste. Some
 breeders prefer the type having an out side lamp box, because the lamps are at- tended without disturbing the chicks, and
 because any oil fumes are kept out of the house. Others like the entirely port able type, with the lamp made a part of the hover, because 1t can be placed anywhere in a house without the need of chtting holes for a lamp box. also be- cause it can be easily moved for clean ing the floor under the hover. There is one disadvantage, however to the port aLle hover, and that Is the chimney from the lamp which throws the fumes into the house. This is likely to bring about lunhealthful conditions, and most poultry
 men find it necessary to pipe the fumes out of the house the same as Is done in the box lamp type.
 Where a large number of individual hovera are required 1t is far more eco- | nomical to install one of the continuous systems of hovers heated by hot water. 1 These can be obtained in unts of from 1 10 hovers up Of course, in order to use l one hover of such system it Is neces- sary to operate the entire system. but
 each individual hover may be regulated
 to develop a different temperature so that chicks of different apes may be
 brooded in the same plant. The greatest advantage of the hot water system Is the 1 fact that one fire does for dozen or
 more hovers. thus reducing both labor and fuel
 THE HEATLESS HOVER
 | Heatless breeders are of somewhat doubtful value in breeding chicks, in | fact, some term this method of breeding fad. The method has done much to introduce fresh air as a necessity of ar- tificial brooding and to bring poultry men IT, general to fuller realization of the amount of heat a flock of chicks
 will develop themselves. Adaptations of the principal of heatless breeding arc much used by poultrymen in hardening the chicks after they are weaned from tho heat, but the method in it's entirety Is little used today.
 Heatless breeders have been used with success. but they require an excessive amount of labor, owing to the necessity of almost constant attention to see that yentila ton adjustments are kept right for the varying outside temperature condi- tions. Heatless breeders will require at- tention at least once in two hours If sweating and chilling of the chicks is to be avoided, while a good lamp brooder properly regulated can usually be at- tended in few trips day to adjust windows for outside ventilation.
 FOR THE BIG PRODUCER