The Washington herald., 1919-04-26
ARTIFICIAL BRooDING OF CHICKS
BY GEORGE n. HOWARD.


BY GEORGE n. HOWARD.
There are ali sorts and all condi-
tions of wooden mothers In this chick
en- life Of ours-
And Il doesn't matter one bit to the
baby chick 90 long a. the operator 6
head Is not made Of wood. and Is
perfectly free from splinters-
Nevertheless II Il was not for these
self-same wooden mothers there would
be many millions less In this country
each year.
They seem to be the real thing In
chic'-endom.
The success of artifcially broodins
chicks depends largely on the cart
the operator gives the operated
Before placing the chicks in the
brooder. the attendant should be IA
miliar with every detail for operating
the machine
1t is only proper to say that real
work begins when the youngsters start
life in the brooder.
There Is no loafing on the job.
Good brooders must be practically
air tight. but well ventilated. without
draughts. and easy Of access.
Brooders must be kept at a com
Portable temperature at all times, DO
cause warmth Is the baby chicks only
chance for surviving.
When brooders are heated by lamps
every care must be taken to keep the
flame always under control
Sometimes In windy weather, un.
less one Is careful. the lamp goes out
and likewise the chicks
Brooders are planned with two com
partments, the inner part Is the hover
and the outer part Is for feeding ant
exercising.
The hover. of course, Is the NOR,
Important Of the two. as It hovers Of
mothers the chick, and thereby hang,
tale.
A good hover Is one that Is always
evenly warm, perfectly ventilated
sanitary and inviting to the chicks
The youngsters soon learn that 1t is q
good place to go for rest and peace.
The hover must be dark, az chicks
sleep better in the dark than they dc
IN the light.
The temperature in the hover of the
brooder should be regulated at 30 tc
6 degrees. and the brooder should b<
thoroughly warmed through before the
chicks are changed from the incubator
to the brooder.
The temperature should register not
less than 90 degrees at a level of two
inches from the floor of the hover
when the chicks are first placed In the
brooder.
In ten days the proper temperature
will be satisfactory at 30 degrees. and
by the end OF the fourth week il
afy-
the same thereafter until the chicks
are taken from the brooder as "wean'
ed"
The extremes in heat or cold have
always proven disastrous to the
chicks, resulting In diarrhoea. colds
general debility and stunted growth.
Chicks are most excellent thermome-
ters. When the temperature is right
Just warm enough to be comfortable
their actions show their contentment
in more ways than one.
An even, self-satisfying temperature
puts life and growth in the chicks
Do your best to be familiar with this
particular degree of temperature.
Plenty of ventilation Of the right
sort is absolutely essential for the
growth and development Of the chicks
Bad ventilation in the hover has a
weakening. smothering effect on the
chicks, and its suffocating influences
entirely undermine their constitutions
Ventilation Is a problem that is wei
worth the solving by any one.
Most brooders have. and all brooder'
should have the ventilating idea to &
nicely.
Chicks more frequently pant fol
breath in a brooder that IS badly ven.
tilated than in one that Is overheated
Notice your chicks carefully and SCI
II you cannot figure out the true sens
of a happy chicks life-you will Il
| you do so.
The heat of a practical broodel
should be supplied from above. ant
evenly radiated throughout. No on'
part should be warmer than another
Bottom heat Is q debatable question
| A circulation OF heated air on tn
floor Of the hover In cold weather may
be advisable. but the floor shoult
never be hot. II trouble is to b.
avoided.
The light in a brooder should be ad.
mitted from some point beyond the
reach OF the chicks. The chicks hav'
habit Of crowding TO the glass wher
the light Is within their reach. Such
crowding Is not conducive to theil
welfare.
Keeping the brooder sweet and clean
Is a leading idea Of the fellow who
makes poultry raising Day.
| Dirty. filthy brooders are quiei
routes to nowhere In the chick busi.
ness
There are no apologies for sucf
SHORTCOMINGS and none should be of.
| fered. Think what a chick would sa,
to you II II could taIR.
The brooder floor should be pro
tected with heavy paper or an ole
piece OF carpet, and covered with 9
laver OF sand or gravel. on top oi
which should be used cut clover, cut
hay, or cut and bruised rye straw
for the chicks to scratch IN.
A small amount of chick size gri
or gravel should be scattered in tn,
litter to induce exercising.
BY living and learning these few
small items necessary in a chick,
life. we will be better qualified fol
doing our work.
Be clean above all other things.
Cleanliness Is easy to be had will
very little trouble. Each weel
the floors Of the hover and feedins
WASHINGTON