The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-02-26

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Preparations for Spring Work.
Except inl the extreme North foxls
seem 70 suffer more from dampness than
from cold therefore in buildinz a poul-
try house care should be taken to select
dry locality. on TIE south side Of =
bill if possible, whers all The rain can
run Of naturally. Such a place could be
made a model poultry yard, provided
wind-break be planted toward the north
and west. and plenty Of frnit trees on the
sther tvo sides 70 furnish shade and
frnit for the fowlsin simmer not tos
many, else they will make the gFonnd
damp and Gnwhoiesome the sun should
be kble to shine on every foot Of il sever
al hours each day. Do not let the fowls
have access to any low places where he
water stands after a rain; they are 50
fond Of variety that they viii leave their
clean drinking trongbs to slake their
thirst At the most impure and uninviting
nnud-puddle. Like children. the only
way to keep them healthy is TO pat
all hurtfgl things out Of their reach. Ths
yard should be swept BOW and then. the
hen house cleaned once a week, and the
manure carried of to plaee where the
fowls have no access.
1.-THE poultry house has no door, eggs
will batch better If the nests are made
directly on the ground; scoop out the
earth TO the requisite size, and line with
a handful Of soa grass or leaves. Made
in this way the embryo chicks will not
only absorb enough moisture to sustain
life, but the eggs will escape the danger
Of being shaken every time the hen fies
upcn the shelf to return to her nest. II.
however, the poultry house contains
floor, then make the nests on low shelves
having strong. steady supports. They
should be constructed 20 as 10 be easily
taken apart and thoroughly cleansed
stationary nests are not good. neither is
it advisable to have two Of them fastened
tcge.her. As is oftenest the case, the
simplest and most inexpensive ones are
preferable. A very good plan is 10 have
boxes about six inches deep, with neither
top nor bottom, placed on a broad board
one or two feet from the floor This ar
raugement costs 50 little that one can
afford to have two sets and keep one out
summing all the time. a handful Of
trashy tobacco, stalks or stems. placed in
the bottom Of the nest, will prevent the
vrrmin from troubling the sitting hens,
and Immediately after the first Matching
the old nest should be removed snd re-
placed with a new one. am satisfied
that a neglect Of this precaution Is the
reason why 50 many setting hens die on
their nests.
In addition to the rows Of boxes. it Is =
good idea to have isolated nests scattered
here and there about the house and yard;
these can be made Of rough boxes. old
baskets, and nail kegs laid sideways.
They should be sufficiently bid from the
rest Of the flock to give the laying hens
feeling Of seclusion. When left TO
themselves hens always choose a dark,
quiet place for. making their nests,
and in providing for them it is well 70
take this instinct int1 consideration, as
better results are usually obtained from
humoring n=surAl prOclivities whenever
practicable.
Before the season opens, the coop
should be overhauled, made rain-proof
and rat-prOof, and good loose floors pro-
vided 40 as 10 protect the young chicks
from dampuess. Having the floor loose
will permit you TO lift the coop every
day, sun and air il, and sweep off
the. floor, thus securing purity and
The earth in most To-
cAlities does not become thoroughly
warm and dry until late in the spring.
and till then the little chickens should
be kept at night Off the ground. After
the summer comes, short, dry grass Is
preferable, though even then il IS con-
venient to have floor raised one or two
inches from the ground, in case Of
heavy rainfall. C0mmodious feeding pans
should be built ready for their use, and
shallow vessels or drinking troughs in
which they cannot possibly get drowned
All these things, and the poultry house
as veil, may be made Of undressed lum-
Der, put together aiter substantial but
inexpensive manner
Let those fanciers who have money TO
spend and to spare, amuse themselves
glass houses for their poultry,
as though they were hot-hOuse plants;
the plain, practical farmer, with whom
poultry is only side issue, will find that
his flock will do just as good work, and
be quite as content in a hovei as a palace,
provided always that sanitary precautions
are duly observed.-FdrmSr's Daughter "a
co,fasr5I GeaflemGn.