The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-10-07
! MilrrR CARE OF rowLa


N2FSttHys
The winter profits to be derived
from flock of fowls depends largely
very largely-upon their housing
and keeping. 1t is unreasonable to
expect hens kept in a cold. damp.
f1lthy house to produce eggs. and they
simply will not do it. 1t is much
easier to fix the house up now than 1t
will be after the weather gets cold;
In fact. the chances are ~ to one
that If the repairs are not made be-
fore cold weather sets in they win
not be made at all. and the result
will be lot OF roupy, sniveling, pro-
fitless hens and disappointed own
er, says the American Cuitivator. The
little cracks In the poultry house are
what play havoc with the flock, es-
peeially If they are where they will
allow little currents OF air to reach
the fowls when on the roosts, Fresh
piled, but where it Is filtered through
cracks or knot holes II will cause
death and disaster
1t is q very easy matter to make
the poultry house warm and com
Portable, even though 1t be an old
building All that is necessary is to
cover 1t with some good roofing pa
per both roof and side walls-apply
coat of tar. with little fine gravel
on the roof, and If tile job'is proper
ly done you will have house thai
will be absolutely wind and water
proof If the roosts are on the north
side of the room II isn't a had idea to
cover the interior at the back of thu
roosts with building paper, first civ.
ing the walls coat of tar to proven!
lice from breeding under the paper
If new buildings are to be erected 1t
should be attended to at once, so that
they may become thoroughly dried
out before closing up for the winter.
If the noultry house is damp at the
beginning Of winter it, will remain 80
until spring unless the ventilation Is
exceptionally, good. Even when build
ing new houses we would advise thar
they be covered with roofing paper
and coated with tar The object of a
tight house is not only TO keep the
cold from coming In. but to conserve
the animal heat constantly emanatins
from the bodies of the fowls
A good but somewhat dangerous
way of determining whether there are
any drafts around the roosts is 20
light a match and hold it in the hand
If 1t burns evenly and steadily you
can be certain that THERE are no
drafts, but If il iiickers or the blaze
Is unsteady, going to one side or the
other, there is d draft, and It's source
should be discovered and corrected
We would not advise this test, how
ever where there Is much litter ,r
other inhammable material in ths
house. The poultry house should b9
kept clean at all times, but 1t Is es-
pecially important thai it he given a
thorough cleaning and d'sinfecting
before closing up for theAWinter The
whole interior should be Nwhitewash-
ed, adding about ohe-hsA pint of
crude Carholic acid to each gallon Of
wash. Care should be taken that the
lime Is forced into every crack and
crevice. All old litter and nesting ma
terial should be removed and burned,
and new supplied; the roosts and
dropping boards should hs painted
with some good liquid lica-kiler. u
new dust-bath should be supplied, and
In fact general cleaning MP Is noe
cessary If the fowls are going To be
comfortable and profitable.
Even after the houses ere put In
good shape there are numerous other
matters that must be looked after be.
fore one is fully prepared for the win
ter Arrangements must be made for
a supply of green. feed, without when
the fowls viii not do their best. In
localities where such things are plen-
tiful 1t is very easy to get a supply
or vegetables at small cost, buying
UP small potatoes, tnrnips. etc, that
are not fit for the market or the
table. We have always made 1t a
practice to arrange with some cab
bage raiser to get the undeveloped
heads that are not worth the harvest
ing except for winter feed for, polll-
try or other live stock. These can
generally be secured for next to
nothing in fact, we have seen acres
of them left In the field to detay.
Cabbages make excellent greon feed
for poultry and can be kept all win
ter.