How TO MAKE A FIRELESS BROODER 45 



chicks are only a few days old, they certainly do not understand what 

 noise means, and get frightened. So quietness should prevail until the 

 chicks get a line on what to expect from the tender, then they will be 

 gentle and docile. It is not so much the system after all, as the man 

 who operates it. All these systems have good features, and every poul- 

 tryman who is in need of one, should investigate the merits and de- 

 merits of each before investing his money. One lot of chickens prop- 

 erly brooded will often pay for a good system; while if it should not 

 prove to be good, it is enough to experiment with. 



How to Make a Fireless Brooder 



The theory, or working principle, of a fireless brooder is that the 

 heat of the chicks furnish enough heat to keep them warm. And this 

 is true, but every particle of that heat must be conserved. If it is al- 

 lowed to escape, the result will be chilled chicks, or what is worse, 

 chicks that have been huddled up in a bunch and got sweated. 



Fireless brooders are rarely successful except in small hatches. 

 Twenty-five to fifty is enough to put in a ^fireless brooder and in all 

 cases the fireless brooder must be in a building. A box 2x3 feet long 

 and eight to ten inches high will accommodate 50 jchicks until they are 

 six weeks old. 



The cover should be hinged from the rear, so that when the chicks 

 are out, the box cover may be lifted up and aired. The hover part, the 

 cloth that hangs down on the chicks' back, is laid on cleats for han- 

 diness. By being loose it can be taken out and set in the sun during 

 the day and the whole brooder be kept sweet and clean. 



Nail cleats on both sides and ends about two inches from the top. 

 Make a frame to fit loosely on these cleats. Tack a piece of soft ma- 

 terial, such as flannel or Canton flannel on to the frame, allowing it 

 to sag in the middle just so that it will rest on the chicks' backs. On 

 this should be laid a strip of cotton batting double, or more if the 

 weather is cold. Bore small holes at each end of the box, just above 

 this hover frame, for ventilation. 



Now we are all ready for making the nest for the chicks. Remem- 

 ber, we have to conserve the heat and protect the chicks from getting 

 away from each other into corners were they might get chilled. If we 

 keep this in mind, it will aid us in making a snug nest that will keep 

 the chicks warm and safe. 



Get some soft short litter, chopped straw or hay is best, and with 

 the hand go around all the corners, sides and ends until there is a good 

 warm lining of litter. Now make the nest after the fashion of a sau- 

 cer with about four inches of hay or litter in the bottom. Put on your 

 hover frame, cotton batting and cover with the lid over all. This 



