US2327800A - Electrically heated chicken brooder - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 24 1943. KAYSlNG 2,327,800

ELECTRICALLY HEATED CHICKEN BROODER Filed May 4, 1942 fm/evfar Answer L. KAYsms forwey Patented Aug. 24, 1943 ELECTRICALLY HEATED CHICKEN BROODER Albert L. Kaysing, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to J. A. Smith Company, St. Louis, Mo., a partnership composedof Albert L. Kaysing, T. D. Shaffer, and S. B. Margulis Application May 4, 1942, Serial No. 441,639

3 Claims.

The instant invention .relates to improvements in chicken brooders, and more particularly to such brooders that are electrically heated so that substantially all parts or the chick-receiving hover are warmed to approximatel the same temperature.

The invention has among its objects the production of such a device that will be easy to build and operate, low in cost, both in the materials employed and in the maintenance of the brooder, 1

that may be easily cleaned, neat and attractive in appearance, and otherwise satisfactory and efficient for use wherever deemed applicable.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to so construct the various parts of the brooder that it will accommodate the maximum number of chicks for its size, and wherein the chickreceiving chamber of the same may be adjusted from time to time during the stay of the chicks in the chamber, to provide increasing head-room for the growing chicks, and so that substantially none of the heat is dissipated in heating larger spaces than is being used at the immediate time.

An added object of my invention is to provide, in a brooder of the kind described, a compact and serviceable electrical heating unit that is self-contained so as to be easily and readily mounted into the chick-receiving hover for operation of the brooder.

A further object of the invention is so to construct the heating unit that it may be mounted on the under side of the roof of the chick-receiving hover and may be adjusted from above said roof by simple manipulation of a screw driver applied to the thermostat controlling said heating ter so as to act as an auxiliary deflector to insure heating the far corners of the hover, said plate being mounted to the lower face of the roof of said hover and forming an integral unit of the roof member of the hover and the various heater parts so that all may be moved truly unitary whenever it is desired to adjust the size of the head-room of the hover.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described, and the uses mentioned, will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, as will be apparent from the disclosures herein iven.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, as will be more clearly pointed out in the following specification.

In the drawing, wherein like reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure 1 is a perspective side view of my improved device, with the floor of the exercise yard removed; and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the same, as mounted on a table or platform, and showing only the adjacent portion of the exercise yard.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein I have illustrated a, preferred embodiment of my invention, there is shown a brooder adapted to comfortably receive and shelter a number of recently hatched chicks, and to maintain them sufficiently warmed therein for the required number of weeks that it will take for them to reach that stage of growth for marketing them or otherwise disposing of them.

A frame consisting of a pair of opposed and spaced end walls l2 connected by opposed spaced side walls 33, forms a substantially rectangular supporting structure for the remaining parts of the device. At a point somewhere intermediate the length of the device there is a movable end closure in the form of a door or gate 4, to define the limits of the chick-warming hover.

Although this brooder may be mounted out of doors, or within a room, I have preferred to show the same as being in the latter arrangement, and similarly the brooder is shown as mounted directly on a platform, table or other supporting structure, although it may be mounted directly spaced above any floor, by legs or similar elements.

If desired, a floor-supporting frame 5 may be secured within the bounding walls of the brooder, as by constructing it to come flush with the bottom edges of the latter as shown, and extending for substantially the full length and width of the frame parts I, 2 and 3-3.

In order that the brooder be kept as clean and sanitary as possible, I have found that the floors should be removable, and to this end I have inserted a floor comprising a rectangular frame 6,

of a size to neatly fit within the bottom of the chick-receiving hover or chamber between the side walls 3-3 and the wall and door 4, and to the top side of the frame 6 I have provided a covering of suitable mesh and strength of wire screening 1.

The exercise yard may be similarly provided with removable floors, by one or more sections of flooring similar to that just described for the hover, the frame portion 8 and screening 9 of such exercise yard floor portions or sections being shown in Fig. 2. I

Obviously, whenever any floor section is desired to be taken up, for cleaning or disinfecting therebelow, it may be removed without dimcultysimply by lifting it up. Replacement is just as simple.

A cover member or top I0, fastened to a pair of side walls H! l and end walls l2-l2 comprise a rectangle of substantially the same size of the floor section 6', and is preferably detachably mounted on the open top of the chamber therebelow, as with side and end lugs is.

A partition M is inserted to extend substantially horizontally across the receptacle, below said top Hi, this partition thereby being common to the upper and lower chambers or hovers, i5 and 56 respectively, thus formed, being the floor of the upper hover and the roof of the lower hover. so as to provide an opening or air passageway ll between the door 4 and the adjacent edge-of the partition, andto permit of air'movement between the upper and lower hovers therethrough.

Air vents it are provided through said partition, grouped adjacent the front and the rear edges of the latter, so as to provide slower passage of air between the hovers at said vents. The forward edge of the partition is provided with an overhanging or downwardly directe'dflan'ge l9 therealong so as to direct heated air from the under side of the partition downwardly into the lower hover. Y

Inasmuch as the chicks remain in the brooder for quitea numberof weeks until they are ready to be removed from such shelter, for marketing or other disposition, I have providedcompen- 'satory means to properly keep pace with the varying size of the chicks and-to give them more headroom as they grow bigger. have arranged thepartition [4 to be adjustably raised from'time to'time, as needed.

To this end, I

A partition-supporting frame 20 is nailed or otherwise fixed to the side walls of the hover and may be detached therefrom andmoved to a new position upwardly of its first position'every few weeks'or so; or additional frames 2! may be fixed to the s'aidwalls of the hover, spaced at any preferred distance from the lowermostframe '28, so that the partition may be lifted out and re-set to a higher position with utmost ease. In

this manner, there is always presented 'the necessary space andhead-room for'the-chicks within the lower hover, and no more space-than 1 actually required at-a'given stage-of growth of chicks nee'd be heated.

' The 'upperchamb'er l5, andwhat might be termed a pre-heated fresh air'inta'ke chamber or l1over,'isprovided with vents "22 through-its A tubular element"23,"open at both'eri'ds and jprevided with aperture L e-through its bounding wall, is supported at about 'the'mi'd-porti'onbf the lower hover'or' chamber l*6,the lower end of Its length is lessthanthat of the hovers static control 26 adjustably regulated at a selected operating temperature by means of the set screw 2! or the like, the electrical conductors to the heater and thermostatic circuit being indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

A substantially conical-shaped heat deflector 28 is mounted to be spaced above the top end of the tube element, as by the brackets 29, said deflector having its peripheral edge extending radially beyond the side wall of the tube, somewhat-as shown. A large metal plate 30 is secured to the deflector 28 and the thermostat may be fixed'to said plate, said plate extending to nearly adjacent the boundingedges of the under side of the partition I4. The plate 38 forms a rigid integral unit with the deflector, tube, heating element, and thermostat, so that all of the same, together with said partition, may be considered a unit inasmuch a the entire structure is demountable or removable as a unit, to the various head-room sizes of the lower hover.

The plate 39 is provided with anopeningtherethrough, and the-adjusting screw 2'! of the ther m-ostat projects through-said opening. The partition i4 is similarly provided with an opening 36 in substantially vertical alignment with the opening 35, so as to 'a'ifordaccess to said screw from above 'thepartitionmember, aswith ascrew driver or other suitable'tool.

The heat from the element 25 is directed not only to warm the tube and the deflector thereabove, but a portion of the heatpasses laterally through said tube and from its ends directly, while. the deflector directs the 'heat impinged thereagainst downwardly and outwardly onto the backs of the chicks within the hover. The plate 3?] acts as an auxiliary deflector for heat which it receives, and throws the same downwardly and into the areas adjacent the far corners of said hover.

The portion of the brooder shownto the right of the hovers may be-used as an exercise yard and for feeding the chicks, the door 1 being provided with a hinge 31 for mounting it to the wall 12 of the hovers, and with latch means 31' to cooperate with means 32 on a cross bar 53 that extends between the opposed sides 33. Vents 34 may be provided through said walls 3-3 just below the uppermost or opened position of the door, in order to further insure proper ventilation while the door ismaintained in its open or dotted line position shown. I

Having thus' described -my invention, it is obvious that various immaterialmodifications may be made-in the same Without, departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do-not wish to be understood as limiting myself t'o'the exact arrangement, construction;combination and form shownand described, or'the usesrmentioned, ex

ceptas limited to the claims hereuntc "appended.

'What 'I claim as new and "desireto "secure'by Letters Patent is:

fizontal partition therein. dividing-said housing into'a-n upper anda lower chamber; air vents through said partition to permit air passage between said chambers; and an electrical heating device fixed to the under side of said partition to be moved as a unit together therewith, said device comprising a tube, aheating element fixed therein spaced from its side wall, a metal plate for attachment to the under side of said partition, and an outwardly flared downwardly directed flanged element fixed intermediate said plate and tube and spaced above the latter for directing the rising heat downwardly into the chamber and toward the lateral walls of the same.

2. In a chick brooder, a housing; a vertically adjustable substantially horizontal partition therein, dividing the housing into an upper and a lower chamber; air vents through said partition; and an electrical heating device fixed to the under side of said partition to be moved as a unit together therewith, said device comprisin a tube, a heating element therein and spaced from the tube side wall, a heat deflector sheet at the'under side of said partition, and an outwardly flared downwardly directed flanged element positioned intermediate said sheet and tube and spaced above the latter for directing the rising heat downwardly into the chamber and toward the lateral walls of the latter.

3. In a chick brooder, a vertically adjustable substantially horizontal partition dividing the same into superimposed upper and lower chambers and whereby the height of the lower chamber may be selectively varied; an electrical heating device carried at the under side of said partition as a unit movable therewith and comprising a tube, a heating element therein and spaced from the tube side wall, a heat deflector sheet fixed between said partition and tube, and an outwardly flared downwardly directed flanged element positioned intermediate said sheet and tube and spaced above the latter for directin h eat downwardly into the lower chamber and toward the side walls of the latter.

ALBERT L. KAYSING.

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