Brooder.—A simple and convenient chicken brooder may be made of an old wooden tub which is turned upside down on a platform with the bottom of the tub knocked out, and a covering placed over the top. This, with windows cut in the sides of the tub, gives a better ventilation for the chickens. A door through which the chickens enter is cut in the front. Outside of the brooder and on one end of the platform is a simple watering device supplying the chickens with fresh water.
CHAPTER VI
DAIRY DEVICES
SHOWING USE OF BUTTER-MAKING EQUIPMENT
The economic value of farm butter made from the product of a few cows is of much more importance than is commonly supposed. For this reason the fundamental principles underlying the making of good butter should be practised as much by the farm woman, making butter in small quantities for the market or the consumption in the home, as by the operator of a large creamery establishment. The quality of butter made on the average farm shows that cleanliness and the proper attention to the simplest details in the making of good butter have been neglected.
Quality.—The method used in the handling of milk or cream and in making butter determines its quality. The sanitation of the utensils in which cream or milk is handled and the conditions surrounding it during ripening are of the utmost importance. A common practice among some farm women is to put the milk in shallow, uncovered pans which are exposed to dust, flies, and the odors which frequent the pantry and kitchen. Such pans are allowed to stand until the milk clabbers and a thick leathery sheet of cream is formed on the top. Good butter cannot be made from milk or cream handled in this manner. A deep, narrow vessel known as a shot-gun can is recommended for use in ripening cream or milk because it is easily handled, washed and can be covered. These can be bought at hardware stores or mail order houses.
Utensils.—Convenient equipment for making butter is essential and very inexpensive. It is customary on many farms to churn the cream in an earthen jar with a wooden dasher and stick. Earthenware vessels commonly used are porous and often contain blisters or air bubbles, all of which will absorb milk. The milk sours in these places and gives the vessels a characteristic bad odor. These churns are hard to clean and heavy to handle and should never be used. A wooden barrel churn is one of the best types to use because it is easily operated, cleaned, and handled. Churns which contain agitators and gearing of different kinds should not be used.
A dairy thermometer, which can be bought at any local hardware or drug store at a small cost, is necessary to determine the temperature of the cream.