Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-03
BACKYARD POULTRY PLAN
Is Easily Established and Pa,
Good Profit.
Gives the City Man Fresh EGGS al
Fresh Fowls For His TabIe-Dampy
ness, Darkness, Draughts and Dirt
Chief Things to be Avoided.

A<otuOilsulIs anu HldndSflR n nom
flock of 20 fowls is not difficult ma
ter. II one really wishes to make tn
attempt the essential thing IA to sta
In. as a good way to learn to heep hen
Is to go ahead and keep them.
The upbulding and maintaining of
backyard plant involves a compart ivel
small outlay of cash and labor, am an
one possessing average strength AID
willingness to faithfully perform the i'm
Pile daily duties may reasonably extc
to succeed.
Many people are deferred from
tempting to keep few hens because
the mistaken notion that they requiI
almost hourly care, which in most casd
cannot be givenAs a matter Of fact mod
Iern methods do away with much Of tn
detail which was formerly considered III
dispensable. One may adopt open fro.
houses free from openings which mus
be adjusted daily. Also self-acting fees
Ing devices and water founts Of large CT
pacity which require filling but once d
twice week. Fowls managed under sue.
a system may be left to themselves dub
Ing the entire day and the work connect
ed with the flock actually performed
during the evening. There are in succes3
full operation to-day many plants Of cor|
siderable size which are run In this marI
ner.
Adult fowls can be successfully hand
led under an extremely wide range d
conditions. The character of the soil II
an important matter to the practical pout
try farmer, but small flocks may be ker|
on any soil that is not actually wet Evet
when the land is poorly drained and nd
tit for the birds to range on, laying hen|
will do fairly we'll when confined 81
buildings with earth covered board FLOOR
elevated somewhat above the ground LEVI
ell. For instance, one enthusiastic anal
teur near New York city successful
maintains a flock Of layers on a small
tract Of land which is overflowed bj
every high tide. His poultry house d
elevated several feet on posts and 4
boasts Of wide platform in front I,
which the birds retire when the It'd
comes in. Such conditions are abou
as unfavorable as one could imagine, blu
this instance serves to demonstrate tn
|adaptabillty Of our domestic fowls an,
the fact that one need not hesitate I
have a small flock. even when condition
seem unfavorabIe
Before any birds are secured It is ne
cessary to provide suitable quarters 70
them. The house may be constructed 4
almost any manner and Of practicall
any building material. as long as It meet
few definite requirements. 1t must
dry. we'll ventilated. free from draughti
sunny and cheerful. Any building en-
bodytng these few essential points wi
prove satisfactory to the fowls.
In addition to these. the poultryma
will do we'll to bear in mind the necessit
OF economy Of construction. and also pla
the building with reference to its cor
venience. An inconvenient structure ofte
tempts one to slight the daily details an
trouble soon follows.
In purchasing or building a poultr
house one should bear the above in MIND
Let him avoid the four dangers Of poul
try house construction. which are easil
remembered when stated in alliterativ
form-dampness. darkness draughts. dir
We wish to repeat that 1t pays
start on a limited SCALE The first houe
should be small. and either portable @
CONSTRUCTED Of inexpensive material!
Any one living in rented property shoul
keep in view the possible necessity {
moving and plan his poultry building
accordingly.
There are a number Of firms maxim
a speciality Of portable houses designe
to meet the requirements Of poultryme
who would rather. purchase a complet
house than build II at home. Some {
these portable buildings are constructs
in units. much like a sectional bookcase
and sections may be purchased as requil
ed. They are all alike in that they al
furnished with complete equipment. al
light In construction. quickly erected {
taken down and easily transported b
wagon or rail. In many cases they CO,
less than similar structures built at hom
especially II high priced carpenters a,
employed to do the work.
The handy man With some leisure tim
may prefer to build such houses as h
requires. He may purcha Sc the necessar
material from the lumber yard. or utii7
large boxes. which may usually be pul
chased at a price much below the Walt
of the material they contain.