Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-08

mend; its value has been demon
strated on a number Of poultry farms,
| including that Of the Rhode Island
| experiment station. Like the open
| house above described. 1t can only be
| used as a summer residence, while
the shed-roofed house may be built
| for fall and winter use.
This low-priced house consists only
| Of frame skeleton supporting roof.
wnicn Is all the protection required
by well feathered growing chickens
In hot weather. No floor other than
! the earth is needed, but litter should
be used and changed from time to
time.
In all colony houses it is advisable
to use roosts or perches. Dropping
boards are needed only in the she'd
! rooted house. though we can do with
| out them there. They can be used In
the last house described If so desired,
though they are not required. How
ever. when dropping boards are not
used the floors should be cleaned at
least once a week. Reasonable clean
illness is imperative IL we are to get
| the best results from our work. No
other class of live stock seems to re-
! condition than does the poultry.
When the growing chickens are
first moved from the coops or brood
ers to the larger quarters they will
not roost in the perches, and with the
heavier breeds, such as the Wyan-
dottes and Plymouth Rocks, more or
less training has to be done. and for
several nights 1t is necessary to place
some of the chicks on the roosts, and
gradually the others will follow. Ad-
Unstable perches set rather close to
the floor will encourage the chicks to
roost.
At first they crowd on the floors in
the corners OF the houses, and as a
result of this crowding many chicks
are overheated and suffocated. Those
that do not die outright grow weaker.
their growth is checked and they de-
velop colds and similar ailments. This
may be almost entirely prevented by
covering the floor Of the house with
uncut straw and banking 1t in Quanti-
ties in the corners, and the chicks
coming in at dusk, feeling the contact
and warmth of the straw up around
their bodies. settle down contentedly
for the night. This plan may be used
with like results when the heat of
the brood stove is being taken away.
By this time the early Matched
chickens should be removed to the
colony house, and while this is being
done the cockerels should be separated
from the pullets and placed in field
or lot to themselves. This is often
much easier, said than done. To find
separate runs where the chicks can
all have good range is not always an
easy thing to do, but IL 1T can be done
it ought to be done, il we are to get
the most rapid growth and best de-
velopment, especially in the pullets.
as we are dependent upon them for
our winter layers. Nothing should be
left undone that will keep them grow
ing. If two separate ranges are not
available 1t would be well to Gull out
the cockerels and dispose of them as
rapidly as possible. or as soon as they
age ready for market, unless they can
be caponized; in such condition they
may run with the pullets, thus doing
away with the necessity for separa-
ton. The cockerels when they are
culled for market should be especially
fed or fattened to produce market
able chicks with flesh of high quality.
but this phase of the work will be
discussed in another article.
The pullets upon which we depend
for our future layers and the cock
erels to be kept for breeding purposes
should be fed for vfgor, strength and
quick growth. Give them, II possible,
unlimited range with shade, feed a
well proportioned ration containing
all the materials and in sufficient
quantities for the full development of
all parts of the body. The amount
of feed required may vary with the
season and with the quality and va
~. 81 ,hoxo