Der Nordstern. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1874-1931, 1922-12-07

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some worth while ideas about flock
housing and management from the
professionals who are about the only
ones who succeed in making poultry
pay a profit. To the average person
who owns chickens they are a source
of pleasure and fresh eggs, with but
little actual knowledge Of whether or
not they are an asset or a liability.
In the first place, it is a pretty well
recognized fact that a flock Of less
than 100 birds cannot be. made to pay
their feed bills and have anything left
for the labor of caring for them. Next,
the average poultry owner pays little
attention to the house the flock occu-
pies in winter-any old building that
has four walls and a roof is looked
upon as sufficient. The wind and snow
sweep through the cracks in the poul-
try house and the feed the birds con-
sumo is used up to keep them from
freezing rather than to produce eggs.
And this, too, when everyone knows
that the time when eggs are worth
gathering is the time when the hens,
or a majority Of them, are not laying.
The common, everyday hen of the
American farm and backyard focks
are natives Of tropical countries. True,
she has been acclimated to the colder
northern climate, but to do her best
work she must be kept warm and com
Portable in winter. That's why sue
cessful poultrymen pay agreat deal Of
attention to the house for the flock in
winter, and farm building architects
have designed houses that will keep
out the winds, and at the same time
permit a supply OF fresh air and plenty
Of light.
For convenience in handling good
size focks, there has come into gen.
eral use what is known as a colony
poultry house. Almost invariably these
houses are 20 feet wide and as: long
as the size Of the flock requires. This
size is gagged by providing four square
feet of floor space for each bird. The
colony house shown in the accompany
Ing illustration is 20 feet wide and
"a feet long, giving a total of 1,28O
square feet Of floor space, or sufficient
for 800 birds.
AS will be seen by the floor plan OF
the house, the interior is divided into
four sections, each 16 feet by 20 feet.
In each of these sections 80 birds r
kept, although doors permit the wn-
er to throw the whole OF the interior
together. But as success with poultry
requires that the young pullets that
are just beginning to lay should be
Kept separate from the older hens, or
breeding stock, few poultrymen allow
the whole flock to run together.
This house is what is known as the
saw-tOoth roof type. It is OF frame
construction, set on a concrete founda-
ton. The open, or saW-t0Oth roo
front faces the south SO as to get adj
vantage 81. the winter u and the
warmth it provides. The front OF the
lower half Of the building is open TO
provide good ventilation, but inside.
are burlap curtains that are lowered
at night and on extremely cold days.
In the upright section Of the roof are.
large windows. one yer each section.
of the house. These allow light to get
to the back part of the interior. How
the nests and r0ostss are arranged is
shown on the plan.
There is a great deal more to insure
success with a flock of poultry than a
house, of course. This includes feed.
Ing, which is most important. But