In the broad and scientific field of poultry production, there are certain phases that have proved to be problems to the average poultryman. The object, or purpose, of this treatise is to enlarge upon or bring to the attention of those who are interested in poultry, this phase of brooding and rearing so that they might be benefited by such information.
It is quite impossible to cover everything on this phase; however, those things that are considered most important by the writer are treated through the careful conducting of this project in brooding and rearing.
The four hundred Barred Plymouth Rock chicks used in this project were obtained at a day old from Waller, Texas Hatcheries at the price of $32.00. This cost factor should be considered, as the cost of chicks are important for the economical aspects of poultry brooding can never be left out completely.
In order to furnish an adequate background for the reader, it is quite necessary that the two methods of brooding be mentioned. They are: natural and artificial brooding. Natural brooding is that brooding that is accomplished through the use of hens, and when only a few chickens are raised, the simplest method to brood is with hens. When the weather is cold, an average sized hen can brood from fifteen to eighteen chickens, but in warm weather the same hen can brood from twenty to twenty-five chickens.
Artificial brooding is that brooding which is accomplished by means of some heat-supplying device other than that heat supplied by the hen. Artificial brooding is recommended for practically all poultry raisers, especially where considerable numbers of chicks are to be raised. The use of a brooder reduces the amount of labor required in brooding chicks and is more economical when a hundred or more chicks are raised annually. Also, when chicks are hatched in incubators, or when day-old chicks are bought from a commercial hatchery, the brooding of chicks with brooders is a practical necessity.
Brooders may be classified as follows: lamp brooders, holding from 25 to 100 chicks; electric brooders of various sizes, accommodating from 50 to 500 chicks; stove brooders heated by coal, kerosene, or distillate oil with a capacity varying from 200 to 1,000 chicks; hot water pipe systems, the capacity of which is unlimited; battery brooders especially designed for brooding chicks in confinement1, and the gas brooder, the type which was used in this project. It is hoped that the information revealed and the conclusion reached will be remembered as one of the many contributing efforts to make the field of poultry more simple and easily accessible to those who are striving to be successful in poultry production.
1 Poultry Husbandry - Jul
