The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-29
WINTER CARE OF FOWLS.
Must Be Housed PrOperl and Fed Care
fully.


The winter profits to be derived from
a flock Of fowls depends largely--vory
largly-upon their housing and keep.
ing IL is unreasonable 10 expect hens
kept in cold damp, filthy house, 10
produce eggs, and they simply will not
do it. 1t is much easier to fix the
house up now than il win be after the
weather gets cold; In fact, the chances
are 10 to one that if the repairs are
not made before cold weather set in
they will not be made at all, and the
result will be lot Of roupy, sniveling,
proitless hens and disappointed owner,
says the American Cultiyator The lit
tie cracks In the poultry house are what
play havoc with the flock, especially ii
they are where they will allow little
currents of airs to reach the fowls when
on the roosts. Fresh air is beneficial
when properly supplied but where it is
filtered through cracks or knot holes it
will cause death and disaster.
1t Is very easy matter to make the
poultry house warm and comfortable,
even though it be an old building All
that is necessary is TO cover it with
some good roofing pGper--both roof and
side walls-apply a coat of tar, with a
little fine gravel on the roof and if the
job is properly done YOU will have a
house that will be absolutely wind and
waterproof. II the roosts are on the
north side of the room, 1t isn't bad
idea to cover the interior at the back
Of the roosts with building paper, first
giving the walls a coat OF tar TO prevent
lice from breeding under the paper. II
new buildings are TO be erected, it should
be attended to at once, so that they may
become thoroughly dried out before clos
ing up for the winter. II the poultry
house is damp at the beginning Of win.
ter. il sill remain so until spring unless
the ventilation is exceptionally good.
Even when building new houses we would
advise that they be covered with roofing
paper and coated with tar. The object
Of tight house is not only to keep
the cold from coming In, but to conserve
the animal heat constantly emanating
from the bodies Of the fowls,
A good but somewhat dangerous way
of determining whether there are any
drafts around the roosts is to light
match and hold it in the hand If it
burns evenly and steadily you can be
certain that there are no drafts, but il
il flickers or the blazeis unsteady. going
to one side OF the other, there is draft.
and its source should be discovered and
We would not advise this
test, however, where there is much litter
or other infiammable material in the !
house. The poultry house should be kept |
clean at all times, but it is especially !
that it be given a thorough |
cleaning and disinfeeting before closing |
up for the winter The whole interior |
should be whitewashed, adding about |
half pint of crude carbolic acid 10
zach gallon of wash. Care should be
taken that the lime is forced in every
rake and creviee. All old litter and |
nesting material should be removed and
burned, and new supplied; the roosts and
lroppng boards should be painted with |
lome good liquid lice killer, new dust.
oath should be supplied, and in fact a
yeneral cleaning up is necessary if the
owls are going to be comfortable and
Even after the houses are put in
rood share, there are numerous other
matters that must be looked after before
me is fully prepared for the winter. Ar
must be made for supply
II green feed, without which the fowls
will not do tlaeir best. In localities where
uch things are plentiful it is very
asy to get supply of vegetables at
mall cost, buying up small potatoes,
urnips, etc, that are not fit for the
market or the table. We have always
made it a practice to arrange with some
abbage raiser to get the undeveIoped
eads that are not worth the harvesting
kept for winter feed for poultry or
Their live stock. These can generally be
eeured for next to nothing-in fact we
ave seen acres of them left in the field
o decay. Cabbages makes excellent
reen feed for poultry and can be kept
Il winter.