The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-07-12
THE POULTRY YARD.
A Cheap Hen House.

Special Correspondence Home and Farm.
Some one in late issue of Home
and Farm wishes to know about the
size Of hen house to build and other
things. To accommodate about hun
dred hens l think building twenty
feet long by ten feet wide a good size;
about six feet high and then comb
roof, and pretty steep one, so as to
turn off water quickly and so prevent
decay. Now, | have been having a
room at one end cut off for the nest
room, but am just having a hen house
built, dimensions given above, for one
hundred hens and am going to have the
nest room cut Oft at the back part, four
feet wide, leaving the front or roosting
room six feet wide. This nest room
| will have divided into two compart-
ments, one being two-thirds Of the
twenty feet, which is for the laying
hens, and the other third for the set
ting hens. In having setting and lay
ing hens in the same compartments
the setting hens are much bothered by
the others and you either have to stop
IlCu1 u T. 11Ohl llCIIA VI AuSG w SuouSOo
for good results, and these chances are
few. feed my hens only once day,
soon after breakfast, and then l give
as much as they can eat. My setting
hens l make come off the nests whether
they will or not and as soon as they
eat, drink and dust themselves in a box
of dirt provided for this purpose, back
TO off
again until the next morning. | shall
have door leading to a yard to which
only the setting hens can get, and so
have no chances of their being both
cred by the layers, Every one knows
that hens in general, and some hens
in particular, are very 'sot in their
ways when they take a notion to a
certain nest, so l have found it a good
plan to put either some old eggs or
plaster Of Paris eggs under them in the
new nests and stop them up on them
until they get used to the change, which
is generally i'll a day or so.
A gate Of Stats is all that is needed
between the nest and roosting room,
| also one between the two nest rooms.
| The division may also be made of Stats,
this l think preferable. There ought
to be plank about two feet up from the
bottom so that the droppings will not
| get into the nest room. My rOOst
| poles are movable, with rests at either
end on which to place. Of course as
| there is a gateway between the nest
and roosting room the poles will come
to this door on either side Have the
outside door opposite to this gateway
so clear walk is left. Having the
poles movable is great ADVANCE, for
by having two sets if one becomes
vermin infested you can take them out
and replace with fresh ones, first hav.
ing poured kerosene oil all over the
nests. like dirt floor best. Have
liberal layer Of fine dirt at bottom
and as the droppings accumulate ado
more. l do not have my hen house
| cleaned out more than about four times
a year. | have not seen vermin O.
any sort in it for two years and only
had few cases OF cholera. Have
holes about twelve inches square GU
along the front and tack gauze wire
over them. In cold weather at might
l lay newspaper, folded several thick
nesses, closely over it which keeps ou
cold air. In the day l just turn the
paper back and its ready for use again
The hen house can either be bull
of plank or logs, but if timber is con
venient for getting it is less trouble
than logs TO handle or work up, ant
my calculation is that about 700 fee
of inch plank is a liberal allowance
A hen house is very important par
of the poultry business, but it is Only
the first thing, there are many othel
things to be provided. There have
been many inquiries about my manage
ment as l am very successful, anC
hope soon to be able to write serie
of articles on the subject.