River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-08-02

POULTRY HOUSE WITH SCRATCH
ING SHED.
is at once apparent, says Prairie Farm
er, for if limited to one atmosphere
and one temperature night and day,
throughout the cold, stormy months
of winter, they cannot help but be-
come listless, debilitated and tout of
condition"
Best of all, however, by using
house with a scratching-shed, as many
again birds can be kept as compared
with the closed pen. Hence, the cost
of the scratching-shed does not add
anything in the way of expense, as far
as having buildings to accommodate a
certain number of fowls is concerned.
On the other hand, there is every
thing to commend 1.-THE better
health of the birds, the greater pro-
duction and higher fertility of their
eggs, and, owing to the natural
warmth from the bodies of so many
of them, the elimination of supplying
artificial heat in the roosting room at
night. Moreover, by adopting the ar
rangement illustrated, it is possible to
duplicate the construction and have a
succession of closed rooms and open
sheds, extending, if the ground is suf-
ficiently level to allow it, almost any
length desired.
The shed part should be 10x10 feet,
the roosting room 10X8 feet. The stills,
which should be laid at least a foot
above the surface of the ground, may
rest on stone or brick foundations, or
posts set into the ground below the
usual frost line; these piers should
be located at distance of about five
feet from one another. For the stills,
as well as plates, rafters and corner
studs, 2x4 scantling will do; the inter-
mediate studs may consist of 2x3 stuff.
The studs, of course, want to be toe
nailed firmly to the stills, the plates to
the studs and the rafters to the plates.
The front studs should be 71a feet
long, and the rear ones feet long.
This will give fairly good pitch to
the roof, on which any first rate roof
ing may be used. The house, of
course, should face toward the south.
After provisions have been made
for the window and doors, as is sug
gested in the cut, the sides should be
boarded up with good matched lum-
Der. To prevent the fowls from wan
dering away and mixing with those
of other pens, and also protecting
them from birds and animals of prey,
the front of the scratching-shed must
be inclosed with wire netting; it is
convenient to have one section of it
made into a gate to open and let the
birds out into the yard in front of
the house.
In addition to the netting there
should be cloth curtain to close
at night in winter, or on stormy or
windy days, thus protecting the fowls
from snOw-storms and piercing winds.
On clear days it should be 1ifted
soon after sunrise and kept up until
the sun gets low in the west, but it
the weather is very cold it is bet
ter to raise it only for an hour or
two during the middle of the day,
and in case a storm or cold wind
prevails, not at all. Such a curtain
may be fastened at the top by nail
ing it in place with a strip of lath,
and the lower edge held where want
ed by means of hooks having screw
eyes.
With the curtain fastened down at
night, it is not necessary to close
the door between the roosting room
and scratching -shed unless the wealth
er is severely cold, and unless it is
way below zero, the small opening
at the right of this door should never
be closed. 1t will otherwise be warm
enough-that is, if the walls are
ceiled on the inside and the space be-
tween packed with straw or swa1e
hay, as it should be. By opening
the window in warm weather, and part
ly on very warm winter days. excel
lent ventilation at all seasons of the
year can be obtained.
A dirt floor is suitable for the
scratching she'd. provided it is filed
in so as to raise it s or 10 inches
above the surrounding surface; but
for the roosting room it is preferable
to have board floor, as this apart
ment should be kept very clean, and
a board floor Is more easily swept
than any other