The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-08-22

Edited by
WENDLER, Lakeland, Fla,

any OLD building ana any 0lu leeu ls
good enough for chickens, but this
is an error, for unless the fowls have
sufficient care and shelter to pro-
tect them from the cold winter
winds, the hot summer sun and the
heavy drowning rain, success will
be more or less retarded.
A good poultry house can be reas-
onably constructed of No. siding
or Just ordinary rough boards after
wards sealing the cracks with strips
or tar paper, sufficiently so that there
will be no hard direct drafts on the
roosts.
"A house 10 x2O by six foot high
in the back and seven or eight foot
high in the front is sufficient for
100 hens.
Such a house should be built fac
ing the east or southeast in this eli
mate, while in the more northern
climate it should be facing the south,
but in this climate the east facing,
Is better, assthe sun is usually too
Ugh byi the9timBioit moves to the
94utEa, ftJ qpeEiiiAl ii ii on ufifcient SUM
Hight reaching the interior of the
building, and sunlight is absolutely
necessary to disinaect building,
there being no better disinfectans
and preventative for mites and lice
than sunlight. Build the house solid
on the south, west and north sides
up to about six inches from the top
leaving this for an air space, then
build up the front of the house solid
for four feet from the ground, leav-s
1 ing the balance, open or screened with
poultry wire. This will give plenty
of air which is very essential to
poultry Then build your roosts in
the back of the house about three
or four feet off the ground, four
feet is preferable.
| This is best done by first build
ing fiooor or dropping board at the
desired elevation of the roost then
placing a piece Of two by four on
edge across this at stated intervals
and then laying, not mailing the
roost across this. Roosts should be
a piece of one by two, with the coru
ners rounded off It is well to paint
the bottom sides Of the roosts or at
least the point where they come in
contact with the other timber, with
tar, this will prevent any mites or
lice crawling up from the ground to
1.-THE roosts.
Some. people prefer to use no drop
ping boards. II dropping boards are
used they should be cleaned and dis
infected with some good coal tar or
creosote disinfectant at least two or
three times a week. If dropping
boards are not used, the droppings
should be lifted at least once a week
and new dirt filled in in its place and
the ground disinfected or covened
with lime
\ If smaller house or houses are
preferred the same design can be
carried out but the back and front
should not be less than four or five
feet high respectively and the roost
proportionately SO.
Quite a number of breeders have
been successful in leaving all sides
open, but we prefer the sheltered
sides as it not only protects fowls
from rain b utalso furnishes shade
which is essential and unless it ex-
lists naturally must be created ar
4 tificially A good location for the
small houses If constructed lightly is
to place them in the orchards or
groves where they can be moved
from time to time thus keeping them
on new sweet ground and doing away
with the necessity Of spraying, as
this Is essential and should be done
| frequently, otherwise you are sure
to have trouble with vermin.
Having selected your breed and
variety. and constructing your house
the next step is to construct your
yard or breeding pens. For this
purpose it is best to endeavor to
give the birds as much range as pos
sible and II conditions are favorable.
to let them have free range, but this
is not always possible as some have
not the requisite room then again
there Is always the possibility Of
other Or your neighbors chickens
coming In, for this reason 1t is best
to have your birds yarded in pens Of
sufficient size to give them plenty
of exercise. A pen Is SO is a nice
size but smaller ones do very well if
the fowls have plenty Of litter, such
as pine straw or dried leaves to
scratch In. A litter should always
be built about 4 K with plenty Of
litter In 1t ali the time and all the