The Ottawa free trader., 1882-11-25
Care OF Poultry In Winter

Pnul,ry-houses should be warm, and yet
vel ventilated, perfectly dry, light, aud
pro-. ided with busting boxes. Ii the man
are heap from a stable of cows and horses
j. und n roof, it is not great task to
ciuse IN the manure shed, placing windows
~ the south and east sides, and arranging
ltr roosts for fowls, as well as laying box.
g, They will scra'ch over the heap, en-
rich 1t with their own dropplngs, keep
warm, and keep laying. This Is one OF
fowls. Their feeding boxes Cau be su.-
pended or placed upon movable plat
f. La and if this and the dua'iac ooX aG
occasionally shifted, they may stand ol
the ieyeiled top OF the manure heap
;t.cic seems ~ uG q natu.ai cOnuuu-.Ja ';c
aeen fowls and the dung hill, WHICH Wis
plan OF keeping them recognizes. This
SEEMS at first rs contrary to the axiom that
Poultry houses should be kept dry and
though the manure heap ls actually moist,
IL is for poultry, especially Tor fowls aud
ducks, healthy moisture. The ventlla-
ton however must be good ;the dustiDg box
near by, and the roosts low. | have prac-
used this system for some years, and never
fail to have eggs in winter, but do not ai-
vucate il on the score OF nea,nso5. | LayD
the COW dung thrown under tue rOosts ire.
quently, which prevents active ter!Genta-
ton and loss OF ammonia. In case it is
n deemed best to employ .h8 source Of
warmth above named, Artificial heat may
be introduced In the poultry nousr. Oil
stoves offer a means Of warming house,
which is both convenient and safe. Ii a
trench be dug through the middle of the
floor of the house, and a brick ilue laid un
uer the floor, connecting a shallow pit at
one end, with piece of stove pipe two to
four feet high at the other-all inside the
house-an oil stove having eight inches of
wick for every 500 cubic feet of air, will
temper the air OF the house. 80 that in this
the walls are reasonably tight. The shal.
low PIT laid with bricks and cement should
be covered with a smooth tagging stone,
and this with board in case the stove gets
very hot The edge of the pit must be
framed to protect 1t, and at one side of the
stove brick or two must be left out for
air. This arrangement will warm the
earth floor over space a yard vide, and
besides the warm air will issue freely from
the pipe. Care is needed not to have the
WICK SO low that imperfect combustion
takes place, giving off bad odols This
plan of placing the oil stove under ground
Is much better than having 1t exposed.
The whole expense of this way of warming
IS very little II the stove be lit at 8 to 10
O'Clock, it will be necessary only to burn it
until sunrise, and quart or so of kerosene
will be all that need be consumed each
twenty-four hours tor warming small
house. 1t Is desirable that the temperature
Of poultry house should not tall much
below freezing. A warm house breeds
vermin even In winter. The preventive
and remedy for all kinds OF lice upon
fowls Is dust. Into this little ashes, dry.
slaked Lime, and now and then handful
of flowers of sulphur, may occasionally be
thrown into the busting box, and if the
dust is Kept clean and dry, and is fine
enough, the whole house, roots, nests, and
all will be covered with II. Double glaz-
ing of the windows, or greenhouse sashcs
used IN poultry houses, IS great advan-
tsge; by this, dlsagreeable dripping Is
prevented IN cold weather.-Am. AgricuL
IA,