Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-03-19

separate individual hover heated by
a coal fire are coming into more gen.
eral use, each with a capacity vary
ing from 200 to 1900 chickens.
These large individual brooders are
used in colony houses, and when the
chickens are weaned the colony house
is used as a growing coop, which re-
quires smaller Investment than the
long, piped brooder house, and allows
one to rear the chicks on range to
good advantage. Brooder stoves
with a capacity of from 500 to 1900
chickens. heated by distillate oil, are
used quite extensively in some Sec
tons of the country. These stoves
are usually seen in houses which are
about 1S feet square, but are occa-
sionally found in long brooder
houses. Most of them are equipped
with a wafer regulator that controls
the flow of oil which is fed automat-
ically from tank or barrel outside
the house or several stoves may be
connected with the same supply tank.
This system provides good ventila-
ton, sufficient heat to keep the chick
ems from crowding, and requires a
minimum of care.
Until one has had considerable ex-
perience it is best not to brood over
1000 chickens in one flock, and a
much smaller number would proba-
bly, do better.
Individual hovers with a capacity
of from 200 to 1000 chickens have
recently been placed on the market
and appear to be giving satisfaction.
Each hover is heated by separate
self-feding coal stove which is adapt
ed for use in colony brooder house.
The value of this brooder would APP
pear to depend greatly on the effici-
ency Of the heater and the time re-
CURED to care for the stove.
Hot-Water Pipe Breeders.
This system consists of long brood
er houses heated with hot water, coal
being used for fuel almost exclu-
sively. Many of the latest mammoth
brooders are giving good success, and
in these cases the labor of brooding
large number Of chickens is less
than where small individual brooders
or hovers are used. These brooders
are suitable for large poultry farms
or for farms where most Of the chick
ems are raised during the winter and
early spring.
Methods of Heating.
Breeders are heated either by over
head or bottom heat or by combi-
nation of these two methods. Too
much bottom heat does not give good
results, while either the overhead or
the combination methods are used
successfully. Many pipe systems
have a hover or cover section Of the
pipes in each pen, while others are
used without them. and each appears
to give good results with different OPP
orators. A piece of wool. felt or
cotton flannel is often used for this
purpose. Gas and electricity are also
used for heating breeders and hovers
with good success, and where avail
able they supply one OF the steadiest
and most convenient sources of heat.
A brooder built along the style of the
oil brooder stoves with gas or cleo
tricity as the source of heat should
prove very satisfactory. Heaters for
the mammoth breeders or hot-water
pipe systems are usually equipped
with automatic regulators. which arc
operated either by expansion Of water
or electric contact. Both types OF
regulators have given good satisfac-
ton. A reliable regulator is very es-
sential to success with any of these
systems.