The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-04-07
POULTRY
BY CoCKsPUR.
MOST IMPoRTANT-TIIE COUP.

MOST IMPORTANT-TlIE COUP.
The question has been asked in one
form or another by several readers:
What Is the most essential thing IN
SO the query has been put: why do
SO many fail::'
In the matter Of the most essential
thing In starting the chicken business.
there is no doubt in the writer's MIND
that the answer is The coop" When
this question is asked, the mind wan
ders first to the chicken, and the breed
n picks from the popular breed,
doesn't matter SO much. All over the
country you will find mel who are
getting excellent results from this or
that breed. and they would not change
either. They will show YOU their
bookkeeping sheets. and indicate the
profit from their particular breed. ana
things must be looked to as the most
essential. 1t is the food? Well. prop
err food builds up the egg-laying fig
ures and also builds up the bird for
table. But with a coop lily ventilated,
draughty. unclean, a chicken will not
get the proper amount Of rest. will be-
come III. and won't care about your
food, or will not assimilate it proper
ly; hence. down will go your egg fig
ures and the weight Of your bird.
So we return to the coop as the first
essential. And right here 1t might be
told why many fail in the chicken
business: If many Of them had sat
thought they did the unmatched chicks
and dreamed-of profits. they would
not have been failures.
ANY old kind of a coop" won't do.
A coop must be planned SO that the
health of the fowls will be protected.
Little necessity will arise, OF curing
chicken diseases II the coop is well
and the fourth entirely or partially
open. II it is located with a southern
or a ~southeastcrly exposure, and II
the inside is so arranged that the
cleaning will be easy, much Of tho
work Is prevented. Some coops, no
matter how much care a man gives
them. will be clean. In these
min hide and ltnger and breed. And
the arrangement causes q long time to
be spent in the cleaning. There Is
enough ordinary work about the
chicken business without increasing
our labors two-fold. The fact that
the labor about . chicken place Is at
a maximum instead Of at a minimum,
is the main cause Of SO many failures.
Conditions are such that unneces-
sary work IL brought on to keep a
place In a semblance Of cleanliness.
The amatuer gets tired Of giving up
all his spare time cleaning after chick
ems. Pretty soon he neglects the
work. Dirt pile. up. Disease crccps
in. the egg production becomes less.
birds die. md failure stalks all over
the yard.
And who but one with the greatest
perseverance. would continue under
those conditions? II tho coop were
arranged no that all the cleaning work
could be done in about three or four
hours a week, there would be not SO
much trouble. Twice a week the
droppings could be removed anu once
q week the entire coop could he given
a thorough cleaning. This. Of course,
is aimed at the man who goes to bust
ness every day and whose family feed
and water the chickens. leaving only
the cleaning for him to do.
The coop needs cleanliness. plenty
Of sunshine. and u coopful Of fresh
air. Therefore. with these in view We
should model ON coop. Remember
you will make tho work easier and
the flock more healthy " the coup is
clean. To keep the coop clean with