Gasoline-Heated Brooder-House. 



203 



the labor saved in feeding and handling the flock by the two systems. 

 With the gasoline system there are no wicks to trim because the heat is 

 furnished by a combustion of gasoline vapor, which burns with a blue 

 flame and should form no soot. The burner requires practically no at- 

 tention for days and even weeks at a time. The quiet, humming sound 

 of a properly working burner indicates that " all is well " without the 

 necessity of even stooping down to look at the flame. When more or less 

 heat is desired the size of the flame can be easily adjusted. During very 

 warm weather when the gasoline flame must be turned entirely out, it 

 requires more time to relight it than it would to relight a kerosene 



Fig. 76. — Sketch showing location of thermometer and method of hinging the hover. 



burner. This is because of the necessity of waiting until the burner be- 

 comes hot enough to change gasoline into a vapor before the gasoline 

 can be turned on and left burning. 



14. Economy of construction. 



The Gasoline-Heated Colony Brooder-House fitted with heater, pip- 

 ing, and all attachments, including labor complete, ready for rearing 

 chickens, costs in Ithaca, N. Y., $37.46 for 200 chickens, which is a cost 

 of 18.7 cents per chicken. The average price for outdoor brooders 

 having a capacity of 50 chickens each is $12, an average first cost of 24 

 cents per chicken. The larger a brooder or colony house is, the less 

 will be the first cost of construction per square foot of floor space or cubic 

 foot of air space, other things being equal. The large continuous pipe 

 heated brooder house, therefore, has the advantage over the colony house 

 system so far as actual cost of construction per square foot of floor space 

 and cubic foot air space per chicken is concerned. 



