The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-21
DOZEN OR TWO
 HENS ENOUGH
 FOR ONE FAMILY
Small Back Yard Flock Will Provide Meat and
 Eggs.

Eggs.
 From twelve to twenty-five hens are sufficient to provide the ordinary family with enough eggs and meat to render the keeping of the birds worth while, according to poultry specialists in the United States department Of agriculture The amount of outdoor space the flock will require may be estimated at about twenty-five square feet for each bird There are in- stances in which chickens have thriv- ed with much less than this, but un- less the soil is especially favorable and the birds receive unusually good care. crowding is likely to prove un- profitable.
 Poultry specialists oo not recom- mend, however, that everyone with the requisite space at his disposal should go in for chicken raising. Un- less there is a natural interest in poultry or determination to make the flock a source of real economy even if 1t does take time and trouble, 1; the venture is not likely to prove suc- cessful. Lack of care may result In disease that will sweep off the entire flock and it is almost certain to cause reduction in egg production that will make the birds. a burden instead of a help. In some localities where municipal ordinances may prohibit the keeping of poultry within certain limits, care should be taken that the poultry yard is not in prescribed area.
 While it is possible to get along hir6 a larger space affording more green and insect food is very desirable. For one thing, the ordinary poultry keep CT wishes to perpetuate his flock, and the raising of young chickens requires as much land as the keeping of ma ture hens. After she is two years old, the best laying. days of the aver age hen are over and 1t usually pays to get rid of her. This means that half the flock must be renewed each year. Since as many cockrels as pull lets will be matched and a certain per- centage are certain to die, it is cus- tomary to hatch each year a few more chickens than there is hens in the flock. With a flock of twenty five, for example, about thirty chickens should be raised. The same space must be allowed for these as for the laying hens. The cockerels are con- stunned through the season, being used either as broilers when they are about three months old, as friers, or as roasters.
 It is also most desirable as a pre- caution against disease to divide the available area into two plats. On one of these the chickens are allowed to range while a green crop-wheat or oats, for example-is being grown for them on the other. The preliminary turning under of the soil, the green crop, and freedom from chickens for a period serve to prevent the land from becoming contaminated.
 Additional range, with the advan- tage' of 8 large supply of insect feed for the birds, may sometimes be ob tained where vegetable garden is maintained. At different times in the growing season there are areas in the garden which are either idle or oc- cupied only by crops that the hen will not touch. The birds, confined to these with the aid of portable fence, benefit without injury to the vegetables.
 An important item to be considered by those thinking of maintaining a home flock is the Cost of the house. For some part of the year at least, in almost every section of the United States, chickens require the shelter of a tight, dry building. In planning the house, approximately four or five feet of floor space should be allow ed for each bird. The height may be determined by the convenience of the operator, for the birds themselves need only two or three feet. Such low houses, however, are very diff cult to clean, and, in consequence, are likely to be neglected. It is bet ter to build them so high that a man may work in them without discom- fort.
 A not uncommon device is to use a piano box for chicken house. The cost of these houses depends largely upon circumstances, though no esti- mate can be given. It may be pos- sible to find one the owner will be glad to give away; and, on the other hand, one may have to pay $1.50 or more for a box that is no better. By combining two piano boxes, a very satisfactory shelter for small flock can be made at little expense. Where lumber must be purchased, 1t has been estimated that the materials for | SSo@ anywhere from 50 cents to $1.00 per bird, and it is not unlikely that with the present prices of commodities of all kinds, these figures will be some what low. Portable chicken houses are also on the market at costs vary ing greatly. The majority, however. will probably cost the owner from $1.60 to $2.00 for each bird, sheltered by them. In any event, 1t is prob able that unless there is plenty of spare lumber available and the pros- pective poultryman happens to be a good carpenter, the cost of the chick en house will not be met by the value of the products over the cost of feed for the flock for a year or two. The house should last, however, for a number of years, especially if painted and we'll cared for. Substantial pro- fits from the investment should pe made thereafter.
 In many cases also, where the sur- roundings are such that the chickens cannot be allowed to range at will, the cost of fencing must be consider ed. This, obviously, will vary greatly with the size of the area to be en- closed, and the kind of fencing se-