The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1899-07-13
TO START A POULTRY FARM.
Australian Ideas That are Practical In Any
section-Amou of Land Needed.

sbCt1Ou-A"Ount OIL Lnnu Noouou
The first thing to be considered in
starting n poultry farm is the site.
This should be, If possible, Oh IA nice
slope; If the ground Is level 1t should
be drained.
The question of soil is an important
one and should be considered. Some
people thing, ANY kind of land will
do" There is n little truth in this,
but not the whole truth. Grass land
Is the best providing there is sufficient
drainage, so that it will not remain
damp after rain. The best soils are
gravel or sand; sand is the best, as it
keeps clean longer. Sandy soil after
every shower looks clean, through the
rain washing the droppings into the
sand. On clayey or sticky soils the
droppings remain on the top and are
damp for several days after rain.
With stiff, clayey soil poultry culture
Is n difficult task; with sandy soil we
are more likely to be successful, for
after a fall of rain all impurities are
carried Off and the yard seldom be-
comes foul.
If the poultry breeder raises his
stock on stiff, clayey soil he will be
compelled to dig and turn over his
yards every season; on the other hand,
sandy soils will not require to be
turned over so often. If the yards or
pens have good coating of grass and
the rainfall be fair most of the drop
pings will be used up by the grass
after rainrhas dissolved it and washed
1t down to the roots of the grass.
AS to the amount of land needed, ii
is just that area that can be taken
care of and no more. In beginning a
poultry farm it Is always best to own
the land or make arrangements for q
long lease. 1t is n mistake to rent n
farm from month to month or quarter
to quarter for no person cares to erect
buildings, pens, yards, etc, on the
land that he might be asked to leave
just when he had got everything into
working order.
After securing the land, the first
Item is houses. These can be built neat
without being costly, and should be
erected in such manner as to be COM
Portable and warm during the winter
months.
The most important part of a poul-
try house is the floor; If this be not
properly made, no matter how well
the rest of the house is constructed, it
cannot be suitable A damp floor
be raised fully ten inches above the
yard or outside ground. A good plan,
when the house Is erected, is to fill
the house inside with broken stones,
gravel or cinders to a depth of five or
six inches. then three or four inches of
good stiff clay on top well rammed
down and sandcd ON top. Cement or
asphalt makes letter and neater
floor; still, the earth floor, made as I
have said, of broken stones. etc., will
suit Just as well. besides being cheap
er. All poultry houses should be per-
fectly rain-proof, so that the floor will
always be dry: If not, the atmosphere
of the house can never be pure and
healthy.
The size of the house will depend on
the number of fowls the owner intends
to keep. AS general rule, for n
rooster and six hens of the larger
breed, six or seven feet square is am
pie: for the smaller breeds less will do.
As to the aspect of tile house. it is best
to have it facing so that the sun can
shine most of the day on the floor 1t
is easy to hang a screen or bagging If
it requires shade Mt any time.
Cleanliness in the house means
everything. The house should be thor
oughly cleaned at least once a week;
two or three time a week, of course,
would be better Always remember
that keeping your poultry house clean
means perfect health for your fowls
and bigger profit mt the end of the
year. The houses should be lime
washed every spring; little carbolic
acid mixed with the wash is death to
all lice and acts rs disinfectant.
In oil rNniltI,t. bnttgnS ic
to have one large door for the exit OF
the fowls. The position of both these
will depend greatly on how the house
is situated. 1t is best to have the door
where the inmates will not be un-
duly exposed to cold or draft, for If
put on the wind or cold side of the
building it will be hardly possible to
keep the fowls comfortable. For ex-
ample. in some districts the west or
northwest winds are most troublesome
and it Is nearly impossible to maintain
the comfort of the fowls If the door
way faces these troublesome winds.
1t Is n good plan to have an open
weather or scratching shed built adj
joining the covering or protecting the
doorway.
The yard or runs, if possible, should
be grass plots, but, of course, many
may not be able to provide such; in
that case they will have to supply the
grass in the shape Of green food by
feeding their fowls with lettuce, cab
bage leaves, turnip tops, etc. For real
comfort and less care nothing can beat
good clean grass run. AS to space
absolutely necessary to keep fowls in
good health, nearly all the poultrymen
agree that 1t requires ten square feet
of run for each bird of moderate size,
and about half as much again for the
larger breeds.
run or yard is wire netting, two-inch
mesh, three feet wide with three foot
palings at bottom, Or boards laid longi-
tudinally from post to post; the post
for the fence to be about eight feet
long and not less than four inches in
diameter If square, and six or eight
inches il in the round. If the posts
are not placed more than nine or ten
feet apart the netting will keep in bet
ter order and look heater, besides last
ing longer.
A good plan. where the owner has
the room, is to make two omedium- sized
yards out of one fairly large yard, and
run the fowls in one while the other
has rest in this way you get more
out OF the space than If you allow the
fowls to run all over it. 1t Is wonder
full how quick a run that has been
eaten down short will recover and pro
duce nice green grass If the weather is
at all favorable. OF course, the drop
pings soon disappear and become used
I'M nv the grass and weather which