Improved Appliance for Rearing Chickens and other Birds
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1898
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improved Appliance for Rearing Chickens and other Birds
I, BURTON RICHARD PHILLIPSON, of 10, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improved appliance consists of three parts viz.-a warm chamber, a cool chamber
& an open air run. The warm chamber consists of an upper & a lower part, the upper
part is an enclosure with floor sides & roof & is lit by glass panes fitting in grooves
cut in slips of timber--the roof & sides are of timber-the floor is of metal.
The lower portion is a timber enclosure in it a lantern is kept burning.
A hanging frame of wire or other material covered with cloth is suspended inside
the warm chamber by means of a cord & chain-the chain is so arranged that the
frame may be hung from any link so as to place it at any desired height from the
floor.
The cool chamber is made of timber with its floor raised above the ground level at
one end & capable of being raised or lowered at the other, this floor prevents the
chickens going into the open air run when it is raised & permits them to pass into it
when it is lowered,
L
fT1007

page_text: a small door which is opened and closed by a wire rod prevents; when it is closed;
the young birds leaving the warm chamber-Under this house there is a timber
chamber of the same length and width as itself and about 12 inches in depth-A
drawer in the end of this chamber is used to carry a lantern with an oil lamp in it
beneath the metal floor-A metal flue is provided for the escape of products of
combustion from the lamp so that foul air shall not enter the space occupied by the
birds This flue has a double outlet and discharges under the roof at both ends--In
the warm chamber is suspended a circular frame of wirework covered with cloth and
padded with feathers, under this the birds sleep and 'nestle when cold, the frame is
carried on a chain or cord so that it can be set at such height as will suit the size of
the birds for the time being-Underneath the metal, floor of the warm chamber a
baffle plate or plates are fixed which spread the heat more or less evenly over the
surface of the metal floor-The lantern containing lamp which fits upon the drawer
in the lower chamber is made with a three sided tumbling shutter; the shutter is
closed when the lamp is lit, the user can then carry it safely when exposed to wind-
Feet upon the lantern catch the sides of the drawer and secure it in a fixed position
for the time being-projecting pins on two sides of the tumbling shutter meet two
metal inclined planes when the drawer is about half closed and against the drawer is
home in its place the inclines have lifted the pins to such a height that the shutter
tumbles and remains open allowing the heat from the lamp to escape.
The part B is a lean-to house without any means of heating, it is 3 feet in length, 2
feet in height and 1' 6" in width; the roof is hinged in the centre and the outer
half lifts and turns back upon itself for the purpose of giving access to the interior.
There are three doorways leading out of this house, one as shewn in section, another
to correspond with it on the reverse side, and a third in the outer end-on each door-
way there is a sliding door; only one of these doors is ever kept open at one time,
these doors are used to admit the birds to the open air run-C. The object of
providing doors on three sides is to give facility for the use of fresh ground for the
birds to run upon-The run C is shifted from one side to the other or to the end
of the part B, the door facing it for the time being is opened and the other two are
kept closed-The floor of the house B is made of laths set like a flight of stairs, it
is hinged at one end and free at the other, a loop handle of wire is provided at the
free end, this handle is hung upon a nail which is fixed inside the end of the house
when it is desired to keep the floor at a high level (see gx), when this not the case the
handle is released and the floor rests with its loose end on the ground and forms an
incline for the birds to travel up and down from the warm chamber to the open air
run The part C is a timber enclosure without a bottom, the sides are solid, the top
is of wire work with a door in the centre.
I do not confine myself to the pattern shewn on my drawing but claim generally
the use of a chicken or poultry rearer constructed and heated in the manner
herein described.
I make a variety of patterns to suit various purposes.
The pattern shewn is the one which I generally employ for rearing chickens, ducks
and pheasants in the open.
I also make a pattern for use in a cool greenhouse, in a glass roofed chamber of any
sort or in a window, in it I omit the cool chamber (B) altogether, and use a lamp,
but no lantern, I also dispense with the flue which is unnecessary inside a
building.
In the two sheets annexed the letters referring to the several parts are as follows:-
A is a warm chamber-B is a cool chamber-C is an open air run-D the outside
of the end of warm chamber-E The inside of the other end-F The drawer
which carries them, and the lantern and lamp-G a portion of the drawer with the
lantern In F the lamp is shewn shut, and in G it is shewn open-H shews the
two inclines which open the shutter of lantern.
In the warm chamber A (a) is the heated apartment for the birds, (b) is the lamp
chamber, (e) is the cloth covered frame or mother, (d) is the baffle plate which spreads
the heat, () is the flue which ventilates the lamp chamber.

page_text: In the cool chamber B (g) is the moveable floor shewn let down, the dotted out-
line (g) shews the position of same when raised, (k) is a doorway and doors, (l) is
the hinged half roof of chamber, (n) is a doorway in the end leading to the warm
chamber.
In the run C (p) is the moveable door.
In the end elevation D (r) is one of the outlets from flue, (8) is a ventilating door
which is left open from time to time to ventilate the warm chamber,(t) is the door through
which chickens are put in and through which the warm chamber is cleaned, (u) is
the end of the drawer which carries the lantern, (") is the joint between the upper
and lower chambers.
In the elevation of end E (w) is a doorway and door, (y) is the knob which
opens & closes the door, (all through the drawings glass is marked (x).-In the
sketches F and G (a¹) is the lantern, (6') is the tumbling shutter, (c¹) is one of the
two pins which overturn the shutter, (d) is the lamp, and (d) is the drawer which
carries the lantern.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
First The use of a rearer for chickens or other birds, with a metal floor heated by
an oil lamp or by a gas light placed beneath the said floor.
Second The combination of a metal floor, a baffle plate and a lamp or gas
flame for the purpose of heating a chamber for rearing chickens or other birds.
Third The use of a cloth covered frame or mother suspended in a chicken rearer
and having means of raising and lowering connected with it.
Fourth The use in a chicken rearer of a moveable floor which may be set level or
fixed at an incline at will.
Dated this Thirteenth day of Januar 1908

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Incubators.
I, BURTON RICHARD PHILLIPSON, of 10, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to my present invention I make incubators upon the well known method
of placing a drawer in a chamber under a water-tank, which tank is kept hot, by a
flue from a lamp or gas jet passing through it and controlled in its heating by the
action of a capsule containing ether or other volatile fluid The features of novelty
in my incubators are as follows,
1st. The incubator is made with an outer case of timber and an inner case of
metal, the space between the two is generally packed with non conducting material.
2nd. The inner case being of metal is used to hold water under the eggs instead
of a tray being placed under the eggs.
3rd. A funnel with tube leading from outside to inside, which tube has its lower
extremity dipped into the water in the incubator, is used to supply water beneath
the eggs.
4th. Guide bearers are provided on the incubator to carry the egg drawer in such
manner that it is supported by the bearings when the drawer is fully open.
5th. The water tank is introduced froin the side after the manner of an ordinary
drawer, instead of being made a fixture let in from the top as has been the practice
heretofore.
6th. The lamp which heats the incubator is carried upon two supports resting on
brackets which are fixed on the side of the incubator.
1
1007
Improvements in Incubators.
BURTON RICHARD PHILLIPSON, of 10, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
According to my present invention I make incubators upon the well known method
of placing a drawer in a chamber under a water tank which tank is kept hot by a
flue from a lamp or gas flame passing through it and is controlled in its heating by
the action of a capsule containing ether or other volatile fluid..
In the drawings annexed the parts referred to are as follows:-Fig. 1-is a cross
section shewing the general plan of an Incubator 2. is a waste air flue-b. b. b. flue
[Pmine 871

page_text: which heats water in tank-x. ether capsule-d. damper which controls waste heat
flue-h. air inlet to hatching chamber--c. water in bottom of hatching chamber-
1. outer case-m. non-conducting packing-n. inner case-o. lead lining-p. p. fresh
air inlets through bottom-r. lamp-s. hot water tank-t. drying chamber for
chickens.
Fig. 2. Represents a portion of the bottom and side of my incubator. In Fig. 2.
a. represents the funnel through which water is introduced beneath the eggs-b. is the
tube which carries the water from the funnel-c. is the water-d. is a tube or syphon
with a mushroom shaped cap over it which allows surplus water to flow off. Fig. 3.
Represents the lower front part of my incubator with the brackets e. e. which carry
the egg drawer. These brackets have projecting tongues on their inner sides, and
the egg drawer (see g. g. Fig. 1.) has a ploughed groove on each side which fits the
tongues, so that the drawer is carried by the brackets after the drawer is fully drawn
out beyond the line of front of incubator. Fig. 4. Shews my pattern of
hot water tank, and a portion of each side of the incubator, in it a.
are the two walls of the incubator-c. c. c. c. are the tank-b. b. are the
non conducting chamber in front of the tank-.d. the hot air flue. e. is a tube
which is fixed in the centre of the tank to admit of a rod passing through it which
rests upon the ether capsule and operates the lever on top of the case.
a. a.
The flue (shewn in Fig. 1.) has two outlets--one (b.) passes through the tank and
heats the water in it, and the other (z.) which discharges direct into the air
and wastes the heat-In my drawing (Fig. 1.) the ether capsule is shewn collapsed,
and the moveable damper (d.) of the flue (2) shut down, in that condition all the heat
from the flame passes through flue b. b. b. and heats the tank-but when sufficient
heat has been supplied to the water to expand the capsule beneath the tank the
lever arm (e.) and the damper are lifted more or less and the flue being open allows
the heat to waste until the temperature of the tank falls sufficiently to allow the
capsule to collapse-This arrangement is common to several makes of incubators
and is not claimed by me as a feature of novelty--The common practice heretofore
has been to make incubators of timber double cased and packed between the inner
and outer shell with a non-conducting material, wool, sawdust, crushed charcoal or
such like. A considerable degree of moisture in the air within the incubator being
necessary for successful hatching it has been the practice to place a tray or vessel
containing water beneath the egg drawer, the effect of the damp air and heat within
this enclosed space naturally produced a musty and sour condition in the timber
which rendered incubators useless in a comparatively short time, spilling of water
while filling and overflowing of the shallow pans placed under the egg drawer, which
is common, increases the tendency to mould and sourness upon the inner surface of
incubators My incubators are made of timber but are in addition lined with lead or
other metal so that the inner surface is completely water tight, the advantages of
this are two-fold, there is:-1st. no exposed wood surface and consequently no
moulding or fouling of timber, and secondly there is no need for a water tray under
the egg drawer, water is put into the bottom of the incubator which is itself
practically a metal-lined tank. In ordinary incubators it is necessary to take out
the egg drawer frequently for the purpose of supplying water to the vessel under
the eggs. It is also necessary to take out the drawer and lay it on a table or support
of some sort twice a day for the purpose of allowing the eggs to be turned.
taking out and putting in of the drawer entails a considerable amount of shaking
and jarring of the eggs, injuring them and frequently preventing hatching--In ny
incubators (see Fig. 2.) I use a funnel or cup (a.) outside the case, and from it carry
a pipe through the side of the case to the point where I wish to deliver water under
the eggs; with this arrangement it is unnecessary to take out the drawer during the
three or four weeks that a hatching takes-It is only necessary to pour water into
the funnel which is outside and no disturbance of the eggs takes place.
This
To further avoid shaking and injuring the eggs in the drawer I provide side guides
or brackets in ny incubator (see Fig. 3.). These guides (e. e.) run from back to
front and stand out about half the length of the drawer beyond the front of the

page_text: incubator, a tongue (f. f.) projects from each bracket and fits in a ploughed groove
in the sides of the egg drawer. With this arrangement the drawer can be
drawn out completely beyond the line of the case, so that the eggs at the
back part of the drawer are thoroughly accessible for turning, while at the same
time the drawer is held secure and firm and can be pushed backward and forward
into and out of the case without any shaking or jarring.
Fig. 1. Shews the water tank of an incubator made according to the plan which is
generally adopted by most makers-with that arrangement it is necessary if the hot
water tank requires repairs or examination to take out all the packing and take the
whole apparatus to pieces, in Fig. 4. I shew the method I adopt for avoiding this
trouble I provide an opening the size and shape of the tank in the side of the
incubator, and make my tank to slide in and out through this opening in the side
after the manner of an ordinary drawer-I provide a metal chamber attached to, but,
outside the body of the tank-This chamber I pack with non-conducting material,
and by so doing guard against loss of heat; a drawer front is provided outside the
non-conducting chamber, and a few screws driven through this front secures the
tank in position until it's withdrawal is desired-In Fig. 1. the incubator is shewn
broken at a. a., this is done to simplify the illustration, in practice the flue (b.)
commences at the side shewn, is lead nearly all the way across the tank and there
takes two right angle bends and returns to the same side that it starts from and there
discharges into the open-this could not be shewn clearly in an ordinary sectional
drawing and the break a. a. is made for the purpose of explaining this.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1st. The use of an incubator made of timber and lined with sheet lead or other
metal, or having a timber outside case and a metal inner casing.
2nd. The use of an incubator with metal lining so constructed that the lower part
holds water and serves as an evaporating vessel and by so doing dispenses with the
use of a water tray under the eggs.
3rd. The use of a funnel placed outside an incubator with a tube leading from it'
through the case for the purpose of supplying water under the eggs.
4th. The use of an incubator with its egg drawer so carried on brackets or bearers
that the drawer is supported on these brackets or bearers when fully drawn out of
the case.
5th. The use of an incubator made of timber and so lined with lead or other metal
that the timber is protected from moisture.
6th. The use of an incubator in which the hot water tank is placed in position
through an opening made in the side of the case for that purpose after the manner
of an ordinary drawer.
7th. The use of an incubator made substantially in the manner herein described
and illustrated in the drawings hereto annexed.
Dated this Thirteenth day of January 1898.
BURTON RICHARD PHILLIPSON.