The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-10-26

A UNIQUE VILLAGE POULTRY HOUSE
TO take up poultry keeping as IL pro
sesSlon. very frequently lose money by
building more eiuborai. and expensive
roniiry houses than there is amy need
for
indeed many houses are built So
tight and warm that poultry kept in
them are less healthy than they would
De III Il nou>e OF ii. sinai; fraction of
the cost There are throughout tlir
eastern states ii nuillDel of defunc,
poultry plants in which the cause of
failure is now attributed 10 the idea
OF poultry house construction which
prevailed len or fifteen ye:irS ago Al:
tha! time houses We're made with pad
ded walls and entirely incioSnd. so that
the chickens while roosting in ih,.
house ut night were kept so warm
that they caught coid upon goin. 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
severa' pens under ona roof and is
adapted to the village pouitryman 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 Oh he type of
the colony house that is. he house
which is to contain one flock of fowls
Simple Houses Best
Tho house must be planned for the
hens comfort Any embellishments or
fancy WORK thai is added to please the
owner should not be charged up
against the productive powers Of the
hen. for she needs Il place to sleep. eat
and scratch out of the weather and
cares little whether this protection be
in the form of Il painted building with
silver plated weather cock On the
lightning rod or a piano box covered
with tarred paper
The poultry house should be only
high enough for the keeper to stand
erect. any greater space being II
waste and making the house co;ipr in
winter. The house should contain
about five square feet of floor space
per hen if the fowls tre yarted. while
the fowls on free range may get on
with somewha' less space. The mild
er the climate the .r:S indcor accom-
nfl., ht l,-- tbn H..
Good Drainage Is Vital.
The poultry huuie should Ee located
upon the hest drai!ed sol! available OH
the farm The sandiest soil tlla. will
still grow crops is desired for poultry
Ii the poultry house be located on
pure sand there will be no green crop
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 us far as possible from the hog
pen. especially if heavy breeds are
kept: otherwise the hogs in swapping
at fowls that are stealing their feed
lt'tlU Tue ttStp q! tHICheU UPSH
Poultry may be placed near the or
chard. but coops for young chicks
should not be put under trees. especial
ly with l.eghorns. as the young stock
will form the habit of roosting in
the trees. and serious trouble will be
experienced when the cold weather
comes on. 1t is usually impractical to
locate poultry houses SO that the hens
will not find the garden. and we must
chose between fencing the hens or the
garden
A stone foundation is best for the
poultry house that is permanently To-
Gated. but where stone is expensive
this may be replaced by cedar. hem
lock or Usage orange posts Colnny
houses are best built on hemlcck mud
sills cut like sled runners so they NAV
be moved to fresh ground
Floors may be constructed of rong,.
boards or cement Cement fiaurs are
excellent. but if we'll constructed arg
Cheaply constructed 20
ment floors will not last Board floors