Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-04-16
hENHousE CONSTRUCTION.

When you are building that hennery
youse k'rect, git thar" You should
know how to build to make your flock
comfortable. keep them healthy, make
them lay and pay The house should
be substantial, presentable and not
financial embarrassment.
Have you the know-how? Better not
quit kindergarten too soon. Better
learn to swim doggy In the creek be-
fore you try to do broad stroke stunts
in the river. You must use your think
machine. but before you turn on the
wheels you must not forget that you
can't manufacture practical ideas un-
less you have practical raw material
stored back to work into the finished
product. This is derived from practl-
cal experience and is worked up into
FURNISHED brain. FURNISHED brain is
not just mere brain any more than a
good poultry house is an ordinary
brain storm. You must build to suit
your climate, to suit the lay of the
land, to fit your flock, to secure the
best sanitary conditions and reap all
the natural advantages possible. Study
that sentence.
In a warm climate a cool house is
necessary. The California mushroom
house" is eXcellent-simply hip roof
house set on thirty inch legs, open
around the base, sides covered with
oiled sacking or board; In a temper
ate region simply a well ventilated
house; north, stock must be protected
from cold. This means larger build
ings, as there is not free range in win
ter The usual winter house Is the
long scratching shed with open front
and closed roost or windows, as pre-
ferrcd.
Dcci2o ca place for the foundation
and get run of ground before you per-
feet plan. May not fit. Say ground
slopes from west to east and building
is to be 10 by -, composed of two
story building 20 by 20, for engine,
mills, well, grain etc, and two seven
ty-fve foot wings. When you've laid
stone ninety-tive feet you find, if con-
tlnued in straight line, the foundation
will be fifteen feet high at the end.
Sold Not much Just let ninety
five feet of stone stand and run the
other wing south from lower corner.
You thus have right angle with ad-
ministration building on corner a
hip roof, cupola and flagstaff on the
corner make a right angle picture.
East wing gets morning sun; south,
the long sun exposure. Small open
lngs on wing sides, and you have three
yards, one fine protected square for
hens and fruit. A drop of two feet in
foundation of wings gives each wing
one room nine feet high in front, seven
back; the other, seven high in front
and five in back, with shed roof level.
Partition wings in center to avoid
drafts; eight double sash, four ven
tilators to wing with floor of ground,
cement or board, two feet above sur
face; dead air space in walls and ev-
erything tight, and you have good
house for 500 Leghorns or $50 Rocks.
To be sanitary the water should run
away from building and soil should
quickly absorb moisture and drop
pings. Sandy gravel is best. Plant
fruit for shade. With windows six
to twelve inches from floor and ven
tilators well regulated, you have a
we'll aired, dry, sunshiny house.
The more birds the more care. Now,
if your ground is watered by a sivery
stream and is sufficiently large to pro-
duce the grain and you are not kid
glove pessimist, but put brain, brawr
and horse sense back of the pushcart
you'll be in il.