Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-09-11
COPYRIGHT, 1915.

PouItry-keeping affords one of the
most practical methods of reducing
the cost of living. Economy in tne
household is secured by turning taple
scraps into meat and eggs. MIR. HICKS
tells how to start with a home flock
of poultry and gives directions Tor
the care of the fowls.
NINCE eggs and meat are consid-
cred necessities in almost every
~ household, it follows that one OF
the most practical means of econ
omizing in household expense is to
produce these at home. BY utilizing
table scraps as feed, practically every
householder with room for small
flock of poultry can make the fowls
yield a profit of from 100 to zoo per
cent. per annum.
A flock of twenty-five hens will pro-
duce enough eggs for family of six.
Such a flock Will largely live on the
table scraps that otherwise would go
into the garbage can. In addition,
the small poultry raiser can have an
occasional fowl for his own table. 1t
requires only an average of an hour
a day to care for a flock of this size.
This care can be given in the morn
ing and evening before and atter
working hours.
Eggs are increasing in price con-
stantly, and this is true of meat of all
kinds There is no better AMI easier
way of economizing than by keeping
a few hens in the backyard. There
is considerable satisfaction in having
eggs when one wants them, without
having to pay high prices, particularly
in the winter when they are most
needed. and it is worth something, too.
to be able to get Strictly fresh" eggs
without having to go to the store.
Only Small Space Required
The space required for twenty four
hens need not be more than 1OXl2
feet for housing, and 12X50 feet for
yarding, or even less. In fact. some
successful small flocks of poultry are
confined to houses with four square
feet of floor space for each fowl and
equal space for the yard.
When kept in so small space the
birds, of course. require more care
and If more room is available it should
be used.
The house should be what is known
as the shed type, with the roof slop-
ing from the front to the rear. II
need not be more than five feet high
in the rear, but should be at least
seven feet high in the front. The
house should have Il glass window, not
less than 3x4 feet, in the front, and
an opening of the same size covered
with m slim or burlap. This opening
is for ventilation, and should not be
covered with glass. The window should
be kept open in nice weather and
should be closed only on stormy days
Avoid Expensive Buildings
Most beginners who engage in poul-
try keeping on commercial scale
make the mistake of erecting eXpen-
sive buildings. Successful commercial
poultry plants keep the cost of the
buildings down to the lowest possible
figure-seldom more than 81 per fowl
and practicable buildings can be put
up for even less than this.
For a number of years one promi-
nent egg farm has kept 500 laying
hens in a house 100 feet long and 4
feet wide This house is feet 8
inches high in the front with a height
at the back of feet, 5 inches. BY
making the roof high in front, the
operator can do his work easily with
out humping his head; and the lower
ceiling in the back helps to keep the
house warmer in winter. This house
gives more than ~ square feet OF
floor space to each fowl, but the fowls
kept in it are Mediterranean variety
which do not require as much room
as larger breeds.
Economy in the construction oi
poultryhouses may be secured by using
prepared roofing. but the builder
should he careful to select only q
good grade of roofing. Cheap pre-
pared rooflngs go to pieces quickly
and 1t is economy to spend a few
cents more per square to secure sew
eral years longer service.
Make tho poultryhouse as simple In
construction as possible. Fancy fx-
lures elaborate mess boxes. etc, ado
| nothing to its efficiency but add con.
siderably to the cost.
| Opposed to this system of keeping