The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-31
GOOD HOUSE FOR
BACKYARD FLOCK
Comfort, Not Luxury, Is Impor-
tant for FIoCk's Need.
OLD SHED Is SATISFACTORY
Made Warm and Airy, and With Hen
Conveniences, Is All That Is Nee
essary-DiWde Yard for Grow
ing Green Feed.

A house for the backyard flock need
not be expensive. 1t should be com
Portable. Often there is an unused shed
or building on the place which can
easily be converted into chicken
house. The front of the poultry house
should face toward the south, if posi-
BILE, SO that the sun will shine into il.
A house which provides Il floor space
of three or four square feet for each
bird is ample in size and fowls are
often successfully kept with an allow
ance no greater than two and one-half
TO three square feet. Houses must be
dry and free from draft, but must al
low ventilation. Very satisfactory
houses can be made cheaply from pi-
auo boxes or other packing cases
Where there is a board fence ii IS
sometimes possible to take advantage
of this by building the poultry house
in the corner Of the fence, making the
fence itself, with the cracks covered
by strips or hattened. serve as the back
and one side Of the house.
A cheap house feet square can bn
made Of by finch pieces and l.
inch boards and covered with roofing
paper. Such a house would be large
enough for a tlocl, of 20 to - hens,
1t can he built quickly and is cheap in
construction. Plans. for building it,
which can, be easily followed. with a
description of all the material needed
are given in a new publication Of the
United States Department of Agricul-
turc. Farmers Bulletin $50.
If the back yard is well drained the
| ground itself should be dry enough to
! serve as the floor of the house. Often
| n slight dampness can be corrected by
| filing up the floor several inches above
the outside ground with sand, cinders
gravel or dry dirt. Three or four
inches of the surface of the floor, ans
| of the run, if Il very small run is used
| should be removed and replaced will
| fresh dirt two or three times Il year
| If the ground IS so wet or damp thai
| the condition cannot be corrected by
/ filling, it is best 20 provide n boarC
| floor, as this will keep the house dry
! will allow easier cleaning, and will pro
| mote the general health and welfar,
of the hens. A house with board
floor should be set on posts or blocks
! : to l. inches above the ground. Bull
in this way the floor will not rot 5,
quickly and rats are not so likely t,
| take refuge under it.
To keep the flock in clean and san
itary condition dropping boards shoult
be provided and roosts above them
This makes ii easy to remove the drop
pings each morning, and helps great.
to keep the house free from objection
able odors. A little sand sprinkled oI
the dropping boards after each clean
| ing will make the cleaning easier. TIL
| dropping boards and rOOsts should b.
placed against the back wall Her
they are out Of the way and at Tia
! same time where they are less likel
to be reached by drafts. The droT
ping boards should be about 20 to 3
inches from the floor, depending on tn
height of the building. This give
space enough under them so that tn
hens have room to exercise and it i
not too high for the heavier hens t
fly to. The roosts should be three o
four inches above the dropping board;
A piece of , by A or by 3 laid o
edge and with the upper corner
rounded off, makes a good roost
Nests must be provided and may b
very simple. Any box about one foe
square and five or six inches deep j
suitable. An ordinary orange box wit
a partition in the middle serves thi
J purpose very WELL each box formin
two nests. With the top removed til
! box is laid on its sideand a strip thre
or four inches wide hailed across til
lower front. Nests can be fastened I
The walls of the house or set on til
floor. It is preferable to fasten the
Wftd1 GHzecI%G she sale !