The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-02-28
POULTRY MANAGEMENT IN MAINE

One of the best addresses delivered
at the interesting and enthusiastic
Special Poultry Institute held in the
week of Jan. S, at Auburn, N. Y. I'LL
der the direction of MI +. L, DaNity
was delivered by Plof G. e. Gowell Of
the University of Maine, on practical,
poultry management as conducted un.
der his dire ctlon at the University.
The most attractive pant OF it was
the. description ct tresh-air poultry
house he uses. This was built after
the fashion OF the slanting roof house,
highest in front, with a roostlng shelf
in the rear. The interior is 20 by 20
feet square, with front facing toward
the south and window at either end.
In tie center and between the win
dows was built up a four-foot solid
front. Above this is an opening about
IA by feet, fitted with a swinging
TOM covered with muslin, making a
muslin front between the windows. In
the daytime the curtain is raised
against the roof, the air passing above
and over the poultry at IA height that
prevents its interference with them. In
the rear is built in box or enclosed
rooSting room, double boarded without
and within, and packed closely with
shavings between the scantlings. This
double boarded enclosure passes around
the entire roosting place, up in and be-
meath the roof, giving an entirely air
tight enclosure for the roosting place.
The front of this is a form covered
with heavy muslin, which is let down at
night, shutting the birds into this box
roOSt, sheltered from without by the
curtain. In the roof at either end of
this box is a ventiiator, 3 feet long by 6
inches wide, to carry off the air from
above back into the main house. The
professor said that there had never
been case of cold or Group in any of
these fresh-air houses, and that the
hens in these houses averaged the last
year IA eggs each.
In this 20 by 20 house are kept 100
hens during the winter. The floors are
covered with two inches of dried sand
and 10 or ~ inches of dry straw. At
daylight two quarts OF cracked corn
and two quarts of wheat are fed. At
10 O'Clock four quarts more of dry grain
is strewn among the litter, making eight
quarts for the 100 hens in "a hours. In
addition to this, there is feed trough
in the front Of the building underneath
the curtain. This box, 10 feet long by
inches wide and inches deep, is Gov
cred with slanting lath to prevent the
hens from wasting the dry mash fed
therein. This box is continually filed
with dry mash consisting of bran, mid
dlings, gluten meal, linseed meal, corn
meal and beef scrap, the proportions
being 200 ID. of bran to 100 Id. of each
OF the other foods. Of this the average
consumption for the year is 81 ID. per
hen. Calculating this with the dry
grain ration, each hen secures little
over ounces per day during the year.
In addition to this they are furnished
grit, shortcut clover, alfalfa and plenty
of water.
Prof. Gowell told of the many expert
ments made for the production of his
heavy-laying strain, and his address
was followed by 80 minutes of most en-
crossing discussion, which brought out
many features of interest to tile large
audience present. The entire poultry
class from the Cornell Agricultural
College was present at this meeting.
Country Gentlemen.