The Russellville Democrat., 1885-05-28
General Management of Fowls.

Fowls should not be kept, says Mir.
 Wright, unless proper and regular at
 tention can be given to them; and we
 would strongly urge that this needfui attention shogl he personal. Our own
 experience has taught us thst domes- ties are rarely to be relied upon in
 many matters essential both to economy
 and the well-being of the stock; and. if | any objection be made on the score of | dignity, we could not only point to | high born ladies who do not think it i beneath them to attend to their own 1 fowls, but can aver that even the most
 mcnial offices can be performed in any l properly constructed fowl-house with out so much us soiling the fingers. If | there be children in the family old 1 enough to undertake such matters. they 1 will be both pleased and benefited by at 1 tending to what will soon become their 1 pets; if Eot. the owner must either at l tend to them himself, or take such oversight as shall be etlectual in secur- 1 ing not only proper care of bis birds,
 but of his own mea! and grain. If he be unable or unwilling to do at least as much as this, he had far better not l engage in such an undertaking at all. 1 The first essential requisite to success 1 in p ultry-keeping is q thoroughly good house flr the birds to roost and lay in. l This does not necessarily imply large
 one or q costly. We once knew young
 man who kept fowls most profitably, 1 with only house of his own construc- ! ton not more than three feet square, ! and run of the same width, under | Iva ' as 1lt- I, ! the fowl house must combine two abso- i lute essentials both perfectly weath- CT; roof, and well ventilated
 With regard to the first point, it is | not only net essary to keep out the rain 1 but also the wind--a matter very sell
 dom attended 10 as it ought to be, but which has great influence on the health
 and laying of the inmates. The cheap
 est material is wood, of which an inch l thick will answer very well in any or 1 dinary English climate; but if so built,
 the boards must either be tongued to- i gether. or all the cracks between them ! carefully caulked by driving in string
 with blunt chisel. Care should also
 be taken that the door fits well, admit i ting no air except under the bottom: 1 and. in short, every piecaution taken to i prevent draft. The hole by which the 1 fowls enter, even when its loose trap- door is closed, should admit enough air 1 to supply the inmates, and the object is i to have but this one source of supply. and to keep the fowls out of all direct 1 draft from it. For the roof. tiles alone
 are not sufficient, and if employed at all. there should be either boarding or | ceiling under them; otherwise all the l heat will escape through the numerous i interstices. and in winter it will be inn possible to keep the house warm. | Planks alone make good roofing. 1 They may either be laid horizontally,
 one plank overlapping the other, and l the whole well tarred two or three times l first of all. and every autumn after
 ward; or perpendicularly fitting close
 edge to edge, and tarred, then covered
 with large sheets of brown paper, which | should receive two coats of tar more. This last makes very smooth, wealth
 erproof and durable roofing, which
 throws off the water well. But, on the
 whole, we prefer board covered with
 patent felt, which should be tarred once
 year.
 In the north of England, ahouse built
  l quires some sort of lining. Mating is often used, and answers perfectly for
 warmth, but unfortunately makes
 capital harbor for vermin. If employed
 at all, it should only be slightly affixed | to the walls, and at frequent intervals i be removed and we'll beaten. Felt is the best material. the strong smell of 1 tar repeling most insects from taking 1 up their residence therein. If tight
 brick shed offers. it will. of course, be
 secured for the poultry habitation. But
 let all dilapidations be well repaired. Ventilation is scarcely ever provided 1 for as it should be, and the want of it is
 fruit ul source of failure and disease. Allill-ventilated fowl-houses must cause l sickly inmates; and su h will never re- pay the proprietor. This great desider- alum must. however. as already ob- served, be secured without exposing the | fowls to any direct draft; ard for the l ordinary detached fowl-house. the best
 plan is to have an opening at the high | est point of the roof, surmounted by
 '.lantern" of boards, put together in l the well-known fashion of Venetian 1 blinds.
 A south or southeast aspect is desira- | ble, where it can be had and to have | the house at the back either of fire | place or stable is great advantage in
 winter; but we have proved by long ex- perience that both can be successfully 1 dispensed with if only the two essentials
 are combined, of good ventilation with ] perfect shelter.
 We do not approve of too large hOusa For half q dozen fowls a very l good size is five feet square and sloping
 from six to eight feet high. The nests
 may then be placed on the ground at
 the back, where any eggs can be readily
 seen; and one perch WI! roost all the
 birds This perch. unless the breed
 kept is small, had better not be more
 than e'ght inches in diameter. A
 rough pole with the bark on answers
 best; the claws cling to it nicely, and
 bark is not so hard as planed wood By
 far the greater number of perches are
 much too high and small; the one fault
 causing heavy fowls to lame themselves
 in flying down. and the other producing
 de ormed breastboDes in the chickens
 an occurrence disgraceful to any poul- | iry-yard. The air al the top of any
 room or house is, moreover, much more
 impure than that nearer the floor.- | Poultry Journal.
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