Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-02-19
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Winter Eaus.

From Farmers Review: The most
successful winter poultry house ever
saw was big open straw cattle shed.
The shed had been covered from the
stacker of thrashing machine. The
roof, north side and ends were several
feet Of straw and chaff. Some 30 head
of cattle were in the shed and yard
nights and running in the corn stalks
daytime; besides there was a hog
trough in the yard, where the shoats
got their daily Stops of bran, shorts
and waste vegetables. wa boy at
home with Dad and Ma at the time.
My father believed in being liberal
with salt, the cattle had their salt
box and all the slop of the swine
was seasoned with salt. l remember
that an argument was up as to
whether the fowls would get too much
salt at the hog troughs.
Up over head in this shed were a va.
riety Of poles and brush that served to
hold up the straw. Flock after flock
OF the early matches took up their
roosting place in the cattle shed and
by cold weather the regular hen house
was almost entirely deserted. Some
$50 hens, mostly early pullets were
roosting in the cattle shed by Decem-
Der LIST, and the daily output of eggs
was from five to eight dozen, and 1t
continued all winter. When the wealth.
er got colder, and stormy days came.
the cattle were fed in racks, clover
and timothy and millet hay, corn fod.
der. etc. The cattle were continually
working down some of the straw shed.
and finally the shoats went to sleep
ing in the litter. That old straw shed
seemed to be a home for most every
thing that could get into 1t. Even
the fiocks Of quails made daily visits
and worked with the hens in and
around the yard and shed. do not re-.
member of a single ailing fowl all
winter and when spring came. they
were bright and ready to hunt in the
nearby grove and orchard.
At the time. looked at all these
things as a matter Of course" but
since have grown older and read and
listened to up-to-date methods, scien.
titic ventilation, Jim crack feeds and
sanitary poultry houses, my mind wan
ders back to the old straw shed. its
simplicity and its success. | have
firmly made up my mind that lots OF
up-to-date poultry theories are more
theoretical than practical and that If 1t
were possible for all poultry raisers
to have an old straw shed, chicken
doctors and remedies would not be
SO popular as they are.
am a firm believer in lots Of litter
for the fowls to work in. also a va.
riety of feeds and unlimited pure air.
Still more, believe fowls should have
plenty of salt and water. Stop and
think of it. An egg Is nearly 80 per
cent water; the hens must have water
in abundance and unlimited exercise
in pure air. Yes, salt will kill fowls
and it will kill stock, too, but it will
kill nothing if it has been managed
carefully. Sunshine and pure air was
made for fowls as well as other life,
and while it is so cheap, why be stingy
with it? Straw, chat, leaves or other
kinds of litter is enjoyed by hens just
as much as a pond Of water Is by
ducks. The water may not do the
ducks any particular good, but keeps
the hens warm and healthy and the lit.
ter absorbs moisture and keeps the
ground or floor under it warm. In
building poultry houses, we should
study the hens more and ourselves
less.-M. NJ. Johnson.