UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 
 
 BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 
 
 AN EMERGENCY HOMEMADE ELECTRIC BROODER 
 
 J. R. TAVERNETTF, H. L. BELTONt, AND V. S. ASMUNDSONJ 
 
 The war emergency has developed a demand for 
 a small brooder adapted to 100 chicks or less. 
 Because of the scarcity of manufactured brooder 
 equipment, a unit which can be made at home, and 
 which requires only materials that are generally 
 easy to obtain, is desirable. The brooder de- 
 scribed in this leaflet (fig. 1) has been de- 
 signed with this in mind. It consists of a wooden 
 hover heated by electric lights which must burn 
 
 The Hover 
 
 For 50 to 100 chicks, the hover should be 3 
 feet square with three lights (figs. 2 and 3); 
 for less than 50 chicks it should be 2 feet 
 square and have two lights. The sides of the 
 hover are made of 1 x 10 inch boards nailed to 
 lx 2x 14 inch legs in each corner. Additional 
 legs are provided which are held to the main legs 
 and hover by bolts equipped with wing nuts. Each 
 
 Fig. 1--View of the 100-chick brooder in operation. The circular guard is used 
 only the first 2 or 3 days. Note the feed trough and the waterer, which should 
 always be available. 
 
 continuously, since no thermostat is provided. 
 Its successful use will depend to a large extent 
 upon careful supervision and judgment by the 
 operator. 
 
 *Associate Agricultural Engineer in the Ex- 
 periment Station. 
 
 'Associate in Agricultural Engineering. 
 
 ^Associate Professor of Poultry Husbandry 
 and Associate Poultry Husbandman in the Experi- 
 ment Station. 
 
 UNIVEKSI ' Y I .■ CA1 IFORNIA 
 
 1 [BRARY 
 
 COLLE'-JL • ' (CULTURE 
 DAVIS 
 
 leg is drilled with five holes 1 inch apart which 
 may be used to lengthen the main legs and raise 
 the hover as required (fig. 4). 
 
 The top is made preferably of plyboard; any 
 other type of lumber can be used provided the 
 cracks are tight. With the latter type a good 
 practice is to cover the entire top with building 
 paper held down by lath around the edges. This 
 not only covers the cracks and holes but facili- 
 tates cleaning by merely changing the paper. 
 
 A curtain is provided around the bottom of the 
 
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hover to give added protection against drafts. 
 This curtain should be tacked to the inside of 
 the side walls and should extend down about 2 1/2 
 inches below the bottom, leaving an open space 
 about 1 1/2 inches between it and the floor. Oil 
 cloth is preferable for this but other material 
 may be used. It should have vertical slits every 
 3 inches so that the chicks can pass under it 
 easily. 
 
 Electrical Equipment 
 
 The 3 x 3 foot brooder (for 50 to 100 chicks) 
 
 is provided with three 75-watt lamps; whereas the 
 2x2 foot brooder (for less than 50 chicks) is 
 provided with two 50-watt lamps. The size of the 
 lamps has been arbitrarily chosen and may have to 
 be increased or decreased according to the condi- 
 tions under which the brooder is operated. A 
 further explanation of this is given under "Oper- 
 ation of the Brooder." The lamps are located in 
 a straight line under the center of the top and 
 are spaced 6 inches from the end walls and 12 
 inches apart. Porcelain lamp receptacles having 
 exposed terminals are used to hold the lamps, and 
 
 i 
 
 f- 
 
 0' 
 
 S--= 
 
 p 
 
 CS. 
 
 ,1 M U M > S 
 
 6" tin strip 
 
 o 
 
 CO 
 
 PLAN 
 3'-0" 
 
 Wing-nut 
 
 ["boards or plywood-^ 
 
 Curtain 
 
 
 -Km 
 
 ± 
 
 mm/m////=////=//m/^ / Movable leg—* Uq-^-^t 
 
 ELEVATION 
 
 Fig. 2 . --Construction plans of 100-chick brooder. 
 
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a piece of tin or other bright metal is located 
 above them to aid in reflecting the heat. The 
 wires should be no. 18 or larger, with good in- 
 sulation, and connected to a plug on the outside 
 of the hover. They should be held in place by a 
 cleat insulator and should be protected by por- 
 celain tubes where they go through the side wall. 
 
 Operation of the Brooder 
 
 The brooder should be located in a building 
 where it is protected from wind and rain. Since 
 
 When the chicks are first placed under the 
 brooder it is advisable to confine them to an 
 area within 2 feet of the hover by placing a cir- 
 cular fence or barrier about a foot high around 
 it (fig. 1). This barrier may be made of boards, 
 building paper, or other available material. It 
 should touch the hover at one corner or along one 
 side for the first day to guide the chicks into 
 the brooder. After the first 2 or 3 days it may 
 be removed. 
 
 A thin layer of litter such as rice hulls, 
 
 Fig. 3. --View of the 100-chick brooder show- 
 ing the underside of the hover. 
 
 no thermostat is used, the temperature under the 
 hover is controlled by the size of the lamps 
 which may be varied to suit the conditions. The 
 chicks themselves are the best indicator of the 
 proper size of lamp to use. It is good practice 
 to observe them during the coldest part of the 
 day to see how they behave under the hover. If 
 they tend to crowd together near the lights it 
 indicates they are cold and the size of lamps 
 should be increased. If they tend to get as far 
 away from the lights as possible it indicates 
 the lamps are too large, and should be replaced 
 with smaller ones. 
 
 As the chicks increase in age and size, they 
 require less artificial heat and more ventilation 
 and head room. It is good practice to install 
 smaller lamps, and to raise the hover by lengthen- 
 ing the legs 1 inch every 10 days or 2 weeks. 
 While reduction of the amount of heat in the 
 brooder can be accomplished by removing some of 
 the lamps, it is recommended that at least two 
 lamps be left in use. This is for safety in case 
 one of the lamps should burn out. 
 
 Fig. 4 .--Another view of the underside of 
 the 100-chick brooder showing the sides. Note 
 the extension legs for raising the hover. 
 
 cut straw, shavings, sand, or similar material 
 should be spread on the floor under the brooder 
 and around it. This litter should be kept clean 
 by changing it once or twice a week. It is im- 
 portant to make certain that feed is always 
 available for the chicks, otherwise they may eat 
 harmful amounts of the litter. 
 
 The chicks are ready for feeding about 24 
 hours after they are hatched, at which time they 
 may be placed under the brooder. Chicks received 
 from a hatchery should be placed immediately in 
 the brooder and given feed and water. Feed and 
 clean water should be continuously available. 
 
 For the first 2 or 3 days it is advisable to 
 place some mash on a piece of paper, so that the 
 chicks will learn to eat. A regular chick 
 starter mash is then fed for 5 weeks, in small 
 feeders; after that, a growing mash and grain. 
 The chicks may be given fresh green feed when 
 they are a few days old; but care should be 
 taken to have it free of hard, stringy material. 
 Some granite grit or sand may be fed, but no 
 limestone or oyster shell should be given if a 
 good commercial mash is used. 
 
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Material Lists 
 
 100-chick brooder 
 
 50-chick brooder 
 
 Sides 
 
 Top 
 
 Legs 
 
 Bolts 
 
 Curtain . . . . , 
 Lamp receptacles 
 
 Lamps , 
 
 Wire 
 
 Plug 
 
 Insulators . . , 
 
 Heat reflector 
 Miscellaneous . , 
 
 2 pes. l"x 10" - 3' 
 
 2 pes. l"x 10" - 2'10" 
 
 1 pc. 3'x 3' plyboard, or 
 equivalent area of other lumber 
 
 8 pes. l"x 2" — 14" 
 
 4 — l/4"x 3", with wing nuts 
 
 4 pes. 4"x 3' 
 
 3 porcelain, with exposed 
 terminals 
 
 3 — 75-watt 
 
 7 feet, rubber-insulated 
 
 1 male 
 
 1 porcelain cleat 
 
 2 — 3" porcelain tubes 
 
 Ti-n or other bright metal, 6"x 3' 
 Nails, screws, and tacks 
 
 2 pes. l"x 10" — 2' 
 2 pes. l"x 10" — l'lO" 
 
 1 pc. 2'x 2' plyboard, or equiva- 
 lent area of other lumber 
 
 8 pes. l"x 2" —14" 
 
 4— 1/4" x 3", with wing nuts 
 
 4 pes. 4"x 2' 
 
 2 porcelain, with exposed 
 terminals 
 
 2 — 50 -watt 
 
 5 feet , rubber-insulated 
 1 male 
 
 1 porcelain cleat 
 
 2 — 3" porcelain tubes 
 
 Tin or other bright metal, 6"x 2' 
 Nails, screws, and tacks 
 
 5m-5,'43(6315; 
 
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