82 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 



churn is secured and the various ingredients put into 

 it, a few brisk revolutions of the handle will blend 

 the mixture perfectly. 



Fireless brooders are much in evidence and ap- 

 parently have come to stay. Although not having 

 the wide latitude of usefulness first promised, they 

 often can be made to serve the amateur very well 

 indeed, and cost only a dollar or two. Indeed, such 

 a brooder is easily made at home with the aid of 

 a cheese box, from which top and bottom have been 

 removed. An opening is cut for the chicks and a 

 piece of burlap tacked over the top, being allowed 

 to sag in the middle. The interior is partly filled 

 with hay and as much padding placed on top as may 

 seem necessary. 



A well-ventilated room is the best place for the 

 fireless brooder until the weather becomes warm, 

 when the porch proves an excellent location. Fresh 

 air in abundance is most important. The chief dif- 

 ficulty in the use of fireless brooders is to induce 

 the chicks to go in after they all have come out. 

 Of course, the brooder is warm only when it con- 

 tains the chicks, for it is the plan of the device that 

 the occupants shall generate their own heat. Con- 

 sequently, when it is not warm, there is no induce- 



