The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-15

is supplied by kerosene oil lamps. In some cases the heat is thrown off by radfating drums or pipes. In others, the air Is warmed to the required degree in heaters and then forced under the hover Occasionally combination of the two systems is used
 Some few breeders of this type are equipped with thermostats, which auto matically control the temperature of the hover This is d great advantaee. es- pecially when it is necessary to leave the machines without attention for any con siderable length of time
 Until very recently lamp heated brood CTS consisted of the heating system and d wooden case or small coop. During re- cent years the tendency has been to build the heating system in compact, portable form and let the poultryman furnish the necessary shelter. These portable hovers may be successfully operated in any tight box, colony house of poultry house. Of course. the cost of manufacture and ship ping has been reduced, and the selling price is correspondngly lower
 Fl0cks of Fifty Chicks
 The small breeders of this class com fortab1y accommodate 30 chicks In cer- tain cases larger numbers are placed In them. They are efficient, easily man. aged, may be moved from place to place without difficulty and admirably meet the needs of the smah poultry grower A great advantage lies in the fact that one may purchase this equipment as re- 1uired, and it is not necessary to make a heavy investment in anticipation of fu- ture needs.
 The gasoline heated brooder as per fected at Cornell university, has many points of merit. This is really a colony house of good size with built in brooder having capacity of several hundred chicks. The heat is supplied by gasoline burner-practcally a large lamp-which draws it's fuel from storage tank having a capacity of several gallons This is a labor saving device, and the whole outfit is convenient and efficient. It seems quite improbable, however, that this brooder will ever become more popular than at present, as the modern brooder stove seems to possess equal or greater merit
 For rearing chicks in large numbers the pipe system brooder house is without a rival, save the brooder stove. The typi- cal brooder house is a long building divided into pens, each of sufficient size to care for 50 to 100 chicks The hovers are heated by hot water pipes connected with coal burning heater. The pipes are installed in different ways. but the most popular plan is to place them in box beneath the floor Air is admitted at the bottom, is heated by the pipes and then passes through drums leading up to the hovers.
 Such breeding system Is expensive to install, but it will give good service for many years. It reduces labor, since one heater sertes larger number of pens and is also inexpensive to operate
 The latest addition to the brooder family is the coal burning stove or colony brooder. For many years the leading poultrymen in California have been breeding chicks in large fiocks with stoves, using as fuel heavy oil known as distiate. Since such fuel is hard to lind in many sections, the same plan ha s been worked out with stoves which burn coal
 COal-Burning Colony Breeders
 Briefly described, these breeders are iron stoves fitted with great heat de- fectors. Some are equipped with coal magazines of sufficient size to hold enough fuel to last from two to four days and powerful thermostats which automatically operate the drafts and con stantly maintain the hover temperature at any desired degree
 These brooderS are operated in any small building or pen in the poultry house, and accommodate several hun dled chicks at one time. The latter may be permitted to run in one flock. if of the same age, or divided by low parti- tions into two or more fiocks, as de- sired.
 Capacity considered, these breeders are inexpensive. they require no special buildings, are economical of fuel and labor, and they seem to be giving gen eral satisfaction Whether they will be- come the most popular breeding equip ment. as many poultiymen predict, re- mains for the future to decide.
 But whatever the breeding system adopted, the quality of the chicks en- trusted to it determine the results. No brooder, regardless of how perfect if is. can grow chicks if the operator fails to do his part Neither can weak, sickly chicks be transformed in the brooder into the vigorous, profitable kind. Again let us emphasize as strongly as possible tha the brooder Is merely a machine The operator must supply the brains and manage the machine. Poor results are more often due to mismana cement than to faulty apparatus..
 When using the fireless type of brood CTS the nrst essential is to ''hover break