Milford chronicle., 1906-05-11
FRESH AIR FOR FOWLS.
Easst OF Free Ventilation on EEB
Yield and Fertility.

Yield and Fertility.
Although last winter was exception
ally severe In eastern siassachusetts,
there were not more than two or three
days that the south windows Of my
poultry buildings did not remain wide
open from daylight until dark, writes
PIT. Woods in Reliable Poultry Journal.
never had a sick bird during the en-
tire winter and the egg yield was ex-
eellent. better than the majority Of
breeders in the same section were able
20 obtain, while the exceptional fertility
and fine matches obtained were most
gratifying.
Two pens OF breeders were housed In
an ordinary poultry house with win
dows to the south. The windows of
this house were seldom closed all win
ter until after dark and were always
thrown wide open at daylight each
morning.
Two other pens were kept in small
portable houses of the shed roof type,
6 by 8 feet each, and with waterproof
ed muslin fronts. No glass in these
portable houses, just an entire front.
6 by Z feet, of muslin, broken only by
the thin wooden strips used for door
frames. The walls Of these buildings
are seven-elghths inch material pine,
painted. but not covered with sheath
ing material. The roof is seven-eighths
inch pine covered with a roofing fabric.
The floor is gravel raised few inches
above ground level and covered with
straw.
Water will freeze in these houses any
day when the temperature falls below
20 degrees above zero outside. The
fowls roost ON perches placed above
droDDings board two and one-half feet
from the floor, and the front roost is
but a little more than five feet back
from the muslin front Of the house. An
average of fifteen birds were kept in
each of these by portable houses all
of last winter. The muslin door was
thrown open every day for as long a
time as possible, the front being pro-
tected by poultry wire only. The door
was only closed during the day when 1t
stormed hard and blew directly into
the front Of the house. AT night with
the door closed the air could work in
through the entire muslin front. The
birds appeared to be comfortable at all
times, were seldom out OF the house
during the entire winter, as they were
only allowed out on bare ground, and
during the most of the time the house
was surrounded by deep snow.
From these birds, all White Wyan-
dottes, bred for health, the egg yield
was exceptionally good and never from
Nov. l until March dropped below 80
per cent in spite Of extremely cold and
variab,a weather.
These portable houses were located
in one Of the most windy places in east
ern Massachusetts, and the tempera-
ture last winter varied from go degrees
above to 20 degrees below zero, often
going the full range in forty-eight |
hours and from dead calm to high wind |
in the same time.
During January and February eggs !
from the birds in these small, practical
" open portable houses averaged from |
90 to 90 per cent strongly fertile and
gave most excellent matches Of strong, |
sturdy. healthy chicks. Most of these |
chicks were reared out Of doors in Feb
ruary and March, with no other protec-
ton than that afforded by an individ-
1al outdoor brooder, and made highly |
record.