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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1914)
1 A Weekly Page of Poultry Hints to You Here is a Department Full of Bright Ideas For Readers of the Home and Farm Magazine Section. ITOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION B Byron Alder, of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, furnishes a comprehensive article $ on the housing of farm poultry. 0 lijtTH the exception, perhaps of ac . 4 tual starvation of the fowls them selves, there is no other factor in eonnection with the keeping of poultry that will affect egg production and good .vigorous growth so decidedly as poor or improper methods of housing. This circular sets forth some of the essen tials of a good house for Utah condi tions, and offers plans of three houses in which an attempt has been made to -Include these essentials. The ideas and plans presented here do not represent .any one person's original work. They .re a compilation of the work done on this subject by those who have preceded the writer in charge of the work at this station, and suggestions that have come from a study of tho types of houses recommended and in use in different parts of the country. The Colony or Stationary House. There are two systems ia common use throughout tho country. The colony or free range system in which the fowls are kept in small flocks, boused in small movable houses, and the permanent yard system in which the fowls are more or less closely confined and the house is built in such A way, or of such material, that it is stationary. The colony sys tem is admirably adapted to farm con ditions whero only from two to three hundred hens are to be kept. Where the fowls arc kept in larger numbers than this considerable time is required to go from house to house to feed or gather the eggs. The advantages are, however, in being ablo to move the house from place to place about the farm or yard, thus giving tho fowls fresh ground and pasture and utilizing space whieh at certain times could or would not be used for other purposes. . The. soil ia less likely to become filthy and contami nated with disease. Where the soil on which these houses are kept is of a snndy or gravelly character, with good uuderdrainage, thero is no need of floors in tho colony houses, and' tbo problems of cleaning and keeping the surround ings fresh and sweet are reduced to a minimum, since all that is necessary is to hitch a horse to the house and take , it off a short distanco to fresh ground, leaving all manure and ' filth behind. In winter tho houses should be grouped more or less closely together in a con- ; venient place and the soil banked up well around them before the ground is 'frozen too solid. In the permanent house larger flocks can be handled with less expense and ' trouble, because of many conveniences that may bo provided for the general management of a large flock. Exceed ing care should be exercised in clean ing up tho yards and houses, in keeping tho soil sweet and fresh by occasional cultivation, and in preventing the spread of contagious diseases. Whether the colony or the stationary bouse is used, the problems to be con sidered in planning the house are very much the same. These may for conven ience be divided into four groups. Health and Comfort of the Fowls, Dryness The first essential of the bouse itself to insure health and vigor, its freedom from moisture. Since the house must be kept dry it must be lo cated in a dry place. A gentle slope to the south with a porous soil and good air drainage is ideal. In many places it will not be possible to get the ideal, so that some provision must be made to keep the moisture out of tho house. A good floor well up from the surface of the ground is about the best we can do. A Concroto floor, under which is placed a six or eight inch layer of fine gravel or broken stone, will keep out the mois ture and will be more easily cleaned and kept in a sanitary condition than the dirt floor. Many prefer the dirt floor, howover, because of cost, and if six or eight inches of dirt are placod on top of the stone after a thin luyer of cin ders or other fine material covers the tone, it does fairly well and will usual ly be dry; but the dirt must be replaced occasionally by fresa soil and the cost of keeping it in condition will soon pay for the cement floor. In wet or damp surroundings evaporation ia continually taking place, and evaporation is a cool ing process so that the temperature will be kept down. Then hen's feet will be wet and muddy. This means fewer eggs and many dirty oneB. Ventilation Fresh air without draughts is the next important consid eration. In the past warmth was the big object sought, and many houses were built with little or no ventilation pro vided for, or the openings that were pro vided caused draughts; now if we are not more careful in planning the house, the open front will be carried to the other extreme, as has been done already in some instances. No rule can be given as to just how much space should be left open in the front of the honse, as that depends on the type of the house and Somewhat on local conditions. One very important feature of all open front nouses is that during the severe cold weather the other three sides of the house must be perfectly tight. To secure this 'these three sides should be con structed of matched lumber and lined either outside or inside, preferably the latter, with good heavy building paper. The double wall with a dead air space iu not necessary and is undesirable. It offers protection and a breeding place for mice, rats, mites, etc., and adds considerably to the expense of the building. In the hottest part of the LAKENVELDEB FOWLS. The Lakenvelder. has not as yet bef accorded a place in the American stand ard of perfection, but in Eoropo it has rceived general recognition by poultry or ganizations. It is striking in appearance, much like a White Leghorn, with vel vety black tail and hackle. The breed originated in Germany and is most valued for the production of white-shelled eggs. It is said to be hardy and a great for ager, picking up much of its food if given a wide range. Adult males weigh about five pounds; females, four pounds. summer an opening may be provided in one of the other sides, providing it is not located so that a draught would strike the fowls while on the perches. Pure Air Eequired. While reasonably eold, pure fresh air is to be preferred to warm imptrre air, yet it should not be forgotten that it is the purity of the air and not the low temperature that is desired. The more surfaco there is exposed in tho walls and roof of a house the greater will be the loss ot heat, other things being equal. For this reason it is not desirable t' extend the walls higher than is neces sary to allow sufficient room in the house for the attendant to move abont freely without continually bumping his head. The greatest vigor and produc tion cannot be secured if the fowls are required to breatho impnre or very cold air. Early spring condition, when we have our highest egg production, should be tiie air in this regard both winter and summer. Plenty of fresh air with a moderate temperature, and good, clean, nutritive food brings high production in eggs and meal. Sunlight, the third essential for healthful, vigorous stock must bo pro vided for in a good chicken house. For this reason the open front baa become very popular and the house should al ways face to the Bouih. The, opening should not be too low or the snow and rain will drift in and dampen the litter, and tho fowls should be protected from the cold wind while at work on the floor, Two to three feet from the ground to the bottom of the opening will give this protection and will not shado much of the floor space. It must extend as high as possible so that the sun will go to the back of the pen. The direct rays of the sun not only make the house warmer but keep the interior dry and are the best of disinfectants and germicides that we know. They aid ma terially in preventing disease. Very much glass space is undesirable, not alone because of the additional expense and breakage, but it is estimated that glass allows about four times as much heat to escape from the building as the ordinary board wall. In this re spect it is not much better than the muslin curtain, and on sunny days the curtain may be raised to allow the sun 's rays to enter without reflection in any direction. It seems to be more or less a fault in human nature that those tasks are more often neglected that are a little out of our way, or are a little difficult to get at. There is no animal aronnd the yard that responds more quickly to kind, sympathetic and regular treatment than does the hen. The poultry house should not be located, as it too often is, after all other buildings, sheds and yards are plaaned, and then find that there is room out behind the barn or some other out-of-the-way place for the chicken house. Much of the work in caring for the fowls is done by the women or is not done at all, and therefore, the boose and yards should bo readily accessible to them. All gates, doors and other fix tures should be made as simple as pos sible yet securely fastened and easily operated. There should be plenty of room to get insido the building. The nests, feed hoppers, etc., should be easily reached, so that cleaning and refilling is mad'' -is easy as possible. It is some times advisable to arrange tho nests so that the eggs may bo gathered without going into the bouse. Protection From Vermin. The house should not be located close to the grainery, barn or other buildings where grain is stored that afford breed ing places for mice nnd rats, to prey upon the fowls. The building should be made as tight as possible to exclude all such enemies. All nests, perches, etc., and the interior surface of the house itself should be as smooth and free from cracks and unnecessary corners as pos sible. The internal fixtures should be solid, yet easily taken out to clean and disinfect. Many who have gone into the busi ness of poultry raising have failed be cause of the lack of consideration of this fuctor in connection with the poultry houses. It is necessary of course to make a building as permanent and substantial as the local conditions de mand, yet buildings of this nature need not be elaborate in construction or of expensive materials. Except, perhaps, in special cases, the cost of the house should not exceed one dollar and a quarter for each fowl that it will ac commodate when complete. This is not given as a rule, but to indicate what we should expect in this regard. To illus trate further, the total cost of a colony house should seldom exceed thirty dollars, and it will accom modate under nsual conditions about fifty hens of the smaller and forty of the larger breeds, making a cost in me one case of Bixtr cents per hen, and in the other seventy-five cents per hen. By following the ideas sugestea above, a number of houses could be planned that would no doubt be en tirely satisfactory. THE STORY of a STUDENT No. I. 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Make Your Boj Happy .Let him play fa overalls with never a care in the world and vou will make him a healthy, happy boy. Be sure to buy him Two-Horse Brand Over alia The kind that is made for comfort and long wear. T FREE Madt By LEVI STRAUSS & CO,SFrttUcj Mm m