10 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
OcroBER 2, 1905 
The Best Brooder. 
BY G. W. COMINS. 
® USED incubators for many years before I 
ny got a brocder, because I knew such as we 
“= ~had required unremitting attention, they 
had no regulators, and could only be kept right 
by constant watching, turning the lamp up or 
down as required day and night; the floor was 
flat, and if it got to) hot in one place it was too 
hot everywhere, chicks are half smothered, drink 
to excess as soon as they get to water, then 
bowel complaint, and die. Knowing all this I 
gave the chicks to hens to rear. Now I know 
better. Anyone can make a brooder which 
should not cost more than 7s 6d under any cir- 
‘cumstances (my last two cost only 1s 3d each), 
the price of the brooder lamp, chimney, and 
burner, which is the only thing a handy man 
cannot make, that must be bought. It is not 
necessary that everything should be either the 
shape or size I state, but I find it best as I put 
it. Get a packing case about 3 ft square, 2 feet 3 
in deep, knock boards off top and bottom, nail 
four stout pieces in the corners to stiffen box, 
half way between the top of the box and the 
ground nail an inch batten, or any piece of 
board an inch thick, all round the inside of the 
box, on this nail the boards which were on the 
top of the box, making aboard floor in the 
centre of the box. Outof the centre of this floor 
cut a round hole 9 inches in diameter, now turn 
box upside down and cut a sheet of galvanised 
iron (an old piece of corrugated with corruga- 
tions hammered out will do) exactly the size of 
the box, and drop it inside on the batten in the 
centre, leaving 1 in. space between the boards 
and the iron: now nail a batten round to hold 
the iron in its place, and be sure it is tight to 
prevent smoke from getting up between the 
iron floor und wooden floor, turn box over again 
and geta piece of iron or tin 5 inches wide, and 
nail it round the hole in the-centre of the 
wooden floor, so that it stands up 4 inches above 
the wooden floor; bore four linch augur holes 
or cut out with a chisel at each coruer to let air 
in between the iron floor and the wooden floor, 
nail on the boards on top, all but the one next 
the back which leave loose for a door, also leave 
the top board at the back loose for a door for 
cleaning out, just hang these boards loesely by 
a piece of leather, cut a hole 10 in. x 8in. in 
the centre of the top fora bit of glassto give 
chicks light, cut a door about 8in. wide and 4in. 
high in front for chicks to go out, and another 
about a foot wide from the bottom tothe iron 
floor to put the lamp in and out, now get some 
thin boards (any sort will do), make a round 
hover about 20 in. across, nail a bit of warm 
stuff 4 in. wide round it, and cut up at an inch 
apart, put this hover on top of the round tin in: 
centre of wooden floor, having three narrow 
strips on under side to allow free current of 
air to come up from between the iron and 
wooden floors, which strikes the hover (under 
which the chicks will be), spreads out into the 
box, and up and out at the loose door on top, 
-and will havea brooder which never fails and is 
better than any you can buy. 
@ kerosine can, cu 34 in. off the bottom, 3 in. off 
the top, cut down the corners of the top piece 
so that you can force it into the bottom, turn 
down the edges on to the top to holdin position, 
cut a round hole 1 in. in the middle, get a brooder 
-amp chimney and burner from any wholesale 
firm, solder it on, and you have a lamp which 
will burn for a week without filling. I have 
made these directions.as concise as possible, you 
can improve on them by using T. and G. boords 
for wooden floor to prevent sand, which must be 
on the floor, from shifting through; if you do 
not use T. and G., nail strips of tin along bet- 
ween the boards on the under side before putt- 
ing the iron ; the doorscan be hung with piece 
of leather, and anyone who can pick up a’ piece 
For a lamp take 
of old iron and an old packing case, can make 
the whole thing for what it costs to buy the tin 
chimney and burner. Having said the brooder 
will be better than you can‘buy, and better than 
ahen,I willexplain. The heat comes up through 
the round hole in the middle, under which the 
lamp is placed, it is held by the hover, and 
you turn your lamp up gradually until heat is 
90 deg. against the tin ring under the hover, now 
place the thermometer outside the hover on the 
floor and you will see it fall to 80 deg., place it 
over in acorner and it goes lower still; you watch 
the height of the frame in the lamp when it is 
giving 90 deg., and after that turn the flame up 
to the same height and you need never dance 
round the thing as you would have to do on one 
without that centre tin aud hover: if sucha 
brooder got too hot anywhere it would be too 
hot everywhere: but in mine, if the heat goes to 
100 deg. or more under the hover, chicks find- 
ing it too hot will come out, in short ther: is a 
safety valve of at least 15 degrees: leave the top 
door loose always so as to allow a free current of 
hot air to be passing continually up and out, do 
not let the door fit tight. The brooder can be 
worked at far less cost than any other, because 
it burns less oil, it is far safer becanse the lamp 
need not be turned so high. 
kok OK * 
Directions for Working Brooder. 
_ It will pay you to have a brooder even if you 
have no incubator; you can take chicks from 
hens, put them into brooder, set hens again, or 
set them laying, and their eggs will far more 
than pay for oil used in brooder, and is less 
trouhle to look after than hens, chicks do not 
get lost in long wet grass, do not get drowned 
in thunderstorms, do not get killed by cits or 
crows, A day before you want to use it light the 
lamp, which must be on the ground: when you 
see the thermometer at 90 degrees under hover 
it is ready for chicks; place thermometer on 
hover under glass where it is easily seen, it will 
be 80 deg there. Get a treacle or honey tin, 
- make a hole with a nail near the top, fill with 
water, place a saucer on top, turn over sharply ; 
water will come out of nail hole which, of course, 
must be below top of saucer, and you have the 
best fountain in existence, because it is all open 
and you can clean it Out, costs nothing, and 
chickens cannot get into it to get wet; mind if 
you put a water vessel jwhich chicks can get 
into, they will do so, get wet and die; a chicken 
chilled isa chicken kjjJed—no use drying and 
warming, it will never grow up-- 
must never be without water. Cover the floor 
with coarse sand half an inch deep: procure a 
tin top to a tea tin to put feed in, then a boiled 
egg anid a handful of coarse oatmeal, mix up well 
and put on the lid of tin, and itis the first 
meal, feed little and often, same thing, gradually 
increasing oatmeal. In a few days open small 
door, let chicks out on to the grassin a wire 
netted run, or into ashed; keeping the brooder 
ina shed is far the best way, giving a sod of 
grass, lettuce and cabbage leaves, A few bricks 
to help them up to the door; after a week the 
lamp can be put out in the morning, lit about 4 
o’clock, and very dry pollard and cracked wheat 
provided instead of eggs and oatmeal. I mix 
pollard and wheat into a hard dry ball, and they 
pick at it all day ; how long they are to be kept 
in the brooder depends on the weather : don’t 
let them perish : 
Last, but not’ least, use the best oil, keep 
lamp clear, don’t turn too high and it won’t 
smoke. Only one point must be rammed home 
hard, take care the iron floor fits tight, and the 
battens are tight so that smoke cannot get from 
_iamp or under compartment into the upper part 
~ where chicks are, that is. the only important 
point in the wholejaffair. / 
You must heat other, brooders up to 90 deg : 
all over, Mine onlyrequires 
6.0 sbe-heated up to 
75 deg (it willbe 90 deg wnder hover), it is far 
Your biooder — 
safer, because danger only comes in when the 
lamp is turned to» high, smokes, forms lamp 
black, which takes fire.. As it is; not necessary to 
turn the lamp nearly so high, it will not smoke; 
but if the operator wants te heat up quickly and 
does not turn it too high, and it takes fire, there 
is no danger if you make the brooder 3 ft square, 
as the lamp is on the bare ground (must be), 
and can only blaze against a sheet of iron; leave 
the filling »il hole always open and the lamp can- 
not explode—it is dead safe and will beat any 
hen. 
[tis obvious that’ men who live near a city 
will not make a brooder—they cin buy one. My 
object in giving these directions is to enable the 
men who live miles from a town (and could not 
buy a brooder on accouns of freight chirges if 
nothing else) to make one; any oll boards will 
make the thing, and a sheet of iron from some 
burnt down house will do for the iron, parce 
post will bring the burner and chimney, aud if 
you have not got a soldering iron use a red hot 
bit of fencing wire—a bit of resin,aad anyone 
can solder it on. 
[t requires comparatively little attention, 
because it has virtually three different degrees of 
heat, ifthe lamp is left too high and it gets too 
hot udder hover, chicks will yo out—if still too 
hot, they will go into a corner : if the lamp is 
too low they will push up against the tin rim 
under hover, and that will always be hot enough 
unless you are going to neglect the thing com- 
pletely. None of this can be applied to the 
ordinary brooder, for if that is too hot or tuo 
cold anywhere it is so everywhere.—Australian 
Agriculturist. 
‘The business of Messrs Blanden Bros is now 
being carried on in their new premises, opposite — 
st. Peters ‘own Hal, Payneham Road, where 
samples of all classes of work are on vicw for in- 
spection. The several branches of the trade, 
comprising paperhanging, sig writing, &., are 
contracted for and carried out iu a thorough 
tradesmanlike mauner. No better recommenda- 
tion can testify to the superior way in which this 
firm executes their work than the numerous 
prizes and medals they have won at local and in- 
terstate exhibitions Customers can rely on all 
work entrusted to this firm being well and faith- 
fully done at a reasonable cost : 
The well known firm of W. Coats and Son are 
now showing first class pink eye ceed potatoes. 
they report a good business in oranges, and an 
increasing demand for Terry’s jams.. 
There is nothing like good leather, combined 
with expert workmanship, in securing ease, com- 
fort, ani durability in boots, so if you want to 
secure these essentials, give H. Ward, of Rundle- 
street, Kent ‘Lown. a turn. 
E. P. RUSH, 
.. Cycle and Motor.. 
MANUACTURER 
AND 
REPAIRER, 
35 Pulteney Street, Adelaide 
Cycles and Motors Built to Order 
And Repairs at Reasonable 
Rates. 
... ALL WORK GUARANTEED ... 
