Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/368

 WOMAN'S WORK 346 HOW TO REAR CHICKENS IN A BROODER [1, By J. T. BROWN, F.Z.S., M.R.San.I. Editor of " The Encyclopcedia of Poultry,'' etc. The Aft of Artificial Rearing— Hints on Choosing a Brcoder— How the Brooder should be "Worked— Regulation of Temperature To make chicken-rearing by artificial methods a success two things are essen- tial—namely, a well-constructed brooder, and the knowledge necessary to work it. In the earher part of the year, at a time when chickens should be hatched in order to allow ample time for development, the u-ather is more often than not most un- favourable for the rearing of young poultry, and unless a brooder is rehable and properly managed, the chickens cannot possibly thrive. The chances are they will be stunted in growth, and when once checked they never entirely recover lost ground. Choosing a Brooder In choosing a brooder for the artificial rearing of chickens preference should be given to an appliance that has gained for its maker a sound reputation. There are so many low-priced and inferior types of brooder on the market that one needs to exercise caution in buying. Although artifi- cial hatching appliances have been brought to a state bordering on perfection, brooders have not been perfected to the same extent, and sound judgment is necessary when making a selection. For all-the-year-round work the three- compartment brooder is to be preferred. This appliance consists of a heated chamber, in which the chickens sleep and find warmth ; a second, or middle, chamber, with a boarded floor, in which they can be fed in inclement weather, and a third chamber, or w'ire-fronted and bottomless run, to which they can resort and exercise themselves on fine days. In some brooders of this type the brooding chamber is heated by means of a guarded lamp placed in its centre, whilst in others the chamber is heated by a hot-water system, either in the form of a water tank or circulating pipes. While the lamp-heated brooder is reliable when properly constructed and operated by an expert chicken rearer, the one heated by a hot-water system is safer under the management of the novice. The Question of Temper^turd No matter by what system the brooding chamber is heated, the lamp operating such a system should be so arranged that no fumes can possibly reach the chickens. If the lamp arrangement is in the second or unheated chamber, so much the better. In a good brooder the heated chamber, when in operation, has a fairly equable temperature about all parts of the floor. It is impossible to get an even temperature in any brooding chamber, however well constructed it may be ; but it is possible in a passable rearer to get the temperature sufficiently even for all practical purposes. If the brooder is operated in frosty weather, and a thermometer, placed a couple of inches above its floor, can be got to register 90°, the heating arrangement is all right. The greatest difficulty experienced by some brooders is in getting their brooding chambers sufficiently warm for the chickens during spells of frosty weather, and this fact should remind us' that the best time thoroughly to test a brooder is some time during the winter. In a good brooder the heat should descend W??^?M^}M^^^^^^^.>>A W//^<'//////////y/////Ai: ^ A sectional view of the interior of the brooding chambsr right on to the floor. If the heat in the brooding chamber only exists above the chickens, and the floor under them is cold, the strongest birds will climb on to the backs of the weakest in search of heat, and either crush or suffocate them. It is of vital importance, therefore, that the brooder be constructed so as to generate a genial, warmth close to and over all parts of the floor of the brooding chamber. Combined with efficient warmth in the brooding chamber must be good ventilation. The ventilators of a good brooder are so arranged as to prevent currents of air playing directly upon the chickens. The cool, fresh air is conveyed to the brooding chamber by means of ventilating shafts, the tops of which are well above the floor, and after becoming warm and buoyant, the air escapes by way of outlets formed in the roof or heat radiator. The brooder should be thoroughly aired > I