Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-01-29

TWELVE HENS IN
BACKYARD ARE
MONEY MAKERS
One Of the Most Delightful
and Paying Sidelines, Dol
lar For Dollar, Now Open
Gold to Gather and Thrills
Thrown in If You Follow
This Light
COPYRIGHT 1915.
BY G.. II. Smith.
Author and Experienced Poultryman.

Author ana experienced FoultrNman.
All, the luxury of strictly fresh"
egg! But at sixty cents a dozen this
delicious article of diet is rather too
much of n luxury for the average
purse. Run a little egg factory OF
your own. Raise your own chickens,
or buy them. Produce your own
strictly fresh" eggs-and EAT
THEM, too. Be a millionaire in one
respect. Begin any season of the year.
It's easy. The man who starts and
starts rightly will never wish 10 stop.
THIs is the first thought: Where
shall 1 keep the birds? 1t is
= the first necessity. But large
space and large houses are not at al
essential for the best results with
Twelve Hens in a Backyard"
A hen is the most accommodating
creature in the world. She would en-
joy a thousand-acre run. but If you
will feed her we'll and keep her busy
and comfortable she will sing all the
year through in a siX-by-eight house,
and lay you eggs by scores. OF course
she will do better with more stand
ing room'-and liberal running room
and your sport will be measured
largely by the comfort and convent
ence afforded in the living quarters of
your fowls.
Have your house as large as pos
sible. A house twelve feet square will
furnish space sufficient for from Is TO
20. birds. according to the size of the
breed. Eighteen Rhode Island Reds
or White Leghorns should do we'll in
house of this size. One year / kept
a dozen of the Reds" in a house only
six by eight feet. l bought the hens
from farmer at rs cents apiece. In
the eight months, from the first of
January to the first of September those
twelve hens laid total of 1850 eggs;
during the three months of January,
February and March the birds were
shut in that little house practically
every moment of day and night while
the thermometer ranged from forty
above zero to ten below-and yet 621
OF those eggs were laid during those
three winter months. In the warm
weather the birds had the run of
yard about Is by 20 feet in size.
Get as much sunlight into the hen
house as possible. The hens glory in
it, Arrange the windows so that the
rays from old Sol will each day hit
every square inch of floor space If
possible. The more sun the more
eggs. And remember. the birds must
have fresh air: the open front house
is the down-to- date house. This means
open windows during the quiet days
of winter, even at the freezing point.
and cloth screens for the windows all
days except the most severe. Avoid
drafts, for the fowls. however. as you
would avoid leprosy or smallpox for
yourself.
Aim for convenience in every part
of the henhouse. Whether YOU have
smooth board floor. a floor of con-
crete; or just plain dirt, make the
roof high enough to enable a man six
feet high to stand upright under it
without damaging either his head or
the rafters. Three times in one day
man may bump his head and keep
his temper and his enthusiasm: but
there are few men on this continent
who can stay in the business after 365
such experiences in one year. One
nest TO every four hens may be taken
as the rule. Make them convenient
for both the hens and the caretaker.
As TO the Birds Themselves
Be sport in the best sense of the
term-or be a fancier if you prefer
that word. Whatever you call 1t. get
a red-hot enthusiasm over this little
side line on your home half acre. Be-
gin 10 read everything YOU can find
on the subject. Poultry Culture" is
booming everywhere. Search for the
thrills IL YOU want to get the best
out of this business.
You may take your choice of
breeds. One man likes A big, slow,
sociable sort of a fowl: he can find
what he wants among the hundred or
more different breeds and varieties.
Another man admires a small, quick,
wiry bird: he can please himself from
many different classes. Many prefer
a general purpose" breed-and they
too, can be abundantly accommodated.
From the little bantam hen weighing
from Is to 20 ounces up to the great
Brahma birds that weigh from IL to
Is pounds apiece, there is plenty of
room TO choose.
Get an IDEAL mean get 1t in your
mind. Study every breed and ali
breeds, and then think what YOU want.
Visit poultry shows. Study illustrated
poultry books. When you have de-
cided definitely what you want. what
your ideal is. then go after 1t. Be
willing to put few dollars into the
purchase of the fowls you really
fancy. If You buy a fifty-cent bird
YOU will have a fifty-cent enthusiasm.
You will get out of your fowls in sat-
isfaction what you put into them in
study and zeal and cash.
Don't assume that YOU know Il all
at first-there's more about this poul-
try subject than you and / have
dreamed of. Expect to learn. Look
for some bewilderinR- -disappointmen ents.
If you are unsophisticated there is
plenty of fun ahead of you. a man
needs plenty Of grit and gumption to
play the poultry game In fine form.
Better not swing in too deeply at first.
Get your bearings. be sure you know.
then go ahead!