Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-04-27

UNIQUE VILLAGE POULTRY HOUSE.
to take up poultry keeping as pro-
fession, very frequently, lose money by
building more elaborate and expensive
poultry houses than there is any need
for.
Indeed many houses are built so
tight and warm that poultry kept in
them are less healthy than they would
be in house of a small fraction of
the cost. There are throughout the
eastern states a number of defunct
poultry plants in which the cause Of
failure is now attributed to the idea
of poultry house construction which
prevailed ten or fifteen years ago. At
that time houses were made with pad
ded walls and entirely inclosed. so that
the chickens while roosting in the
house at night were kept so warm
that they caught cold upon going out
into the weather next morning. The
present tendency is toward lighter,
| cheaper, better ventilated buildings.
The two general forms of poultry
houses in use are the long house and
the colony house. The long house has
several pens under one roof and is
adapted to the village poultryman who
wishes to keep several breeding pens
of fowls and who must keep them
yarded. The farmer or egg farmer
will almost invariably construct his
poultry house or houses on the type OF
the colony house-that is, the house
oh, 10 in of
Simple Houses Best. 81
The house must be planned for the
hens comfort ANY embellishments or
fancy work that is added to please the
owner should not be charged up
against the productive powers of the
hen, for she needs a place to sleep, eat
and scratch out of the weather and
cares Little whether this protection be
! in the form of a painted building with
a silver plated weather cock on the
. lightning rod or a piano box covered
t with tarred paper.
The poultry house should be only
high enough for the keeper to stand
erect, any greater space being a
waste and making the house colder in
winter. Lie house COuldlH
J about five square feet Of floor space
q per hen if the fowls are yarded. while
| the fowls on free range may get on
p with somewhat less space. The mild
:, er the climate the less indoor accom-
! modations will be required by the hen.
!. Good Drainage Is Vital.
. The poultry house should be located
: upon the best drained soil available on
: the farm. The sandiest soil that will
: still grow crops is desired for poultry.
: If the poultry house be located on
pure sand there will be no green crop
y or insect life for the fowls to furnish
. feed and amusement, and then results
!. will be little better than upon bare
:. board floors.
On the farm the hen should be sepa-
rated as far as possible from the hog
pen, especially if heavy breeds are
e kept; otherwise the hogs in swapping
Is at fowls that are stealing their feed
f may learn the taste of chicken flesh.
+, Poultry may be placed near the or
e chard, but coops for young chicks
: should not be put under trees, ESPECIAL
$ ly with Leghorns. as the young stock
Y will form the habit of roosting in
the trees and serious trouble will be
h experienced when the cold weather
d comes on. 1t is usually impractical to
:. locate poultry houses SO that the hens
| will not find the garden, and we must
e chose between fencing the hens or the
| garden.
stone foundation is best for the
g poultry house that is permanently To-
n Gated, but where stone is expensive
this may be replaced by cedar, hem
lock or Usage orange posts. Colony
q houses are best built on hemlock mud
stills cut like sled runners SO they may
y be moved to fresh ground.
- Floors may be constructed of rough
,s boards or cement. Cement floors are
= excellent, but If well constructed are
Expensive. Cheaply constructed ce-
ment floors will not last. Board floors