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Show POULTRY HOUSES. 1 It is very desirab'c that poultry m should be provided with a house somewhat separated from the other farm buildings, but near enough to the barnyard so that they can spend n part of their time in scratching for and gathering up the many seeds and grains which otherwise would not be utilized. On farms where no poultry poul-try house is provided, the hens arc compelled lo seek roosting places wherever they can find them somc-timccs somc-timccs on feed racks, sometimes 'on I he farm machinery, or even the wag- ons and carriages. The result is not 1 only untidiness, but fruir, feed, im- I plemcnts, and wagons arc soiled and ' I injured by the droppings, and sometimes some-times vermin 'swarm in the 'roosting places to such a degree' that the hens arc voted a nuisance rather than a desirable part of the farm stock. If these vermin-infested places arc near the horse stab'e, the mites may attack at-tack the horses, causing itching an-1 a mangy condition of the skin, the origin of which is not always suspected. sus-pected. Poultry houses need not be elaborate elabor-ate in their fittings or. expensive in construction. There are certain conditions, con-ditions, howevur, which should be insisted upon in all cases. In the first place the house should be located locat-ed u, on soil, which is well drained ind dry. A gravelly knoll is best, but, failing this, the site should be raised by the use of the plow and scraper until there is a gentle slope in all directions sufficient to prevent any standing water even at the wettest wet-test times. A' few inches of sand or gravel tn the surface will be very useful' in preventing the formation of mud. If the house is sheltered from the north and northwest winds by a group of evergreens, this will be a decided advantage in the colder parts of the country. Sometimes thera is already a small building on the farm which has been used for implements or animals and which is no longer required for these purposes. Such a building may bo I easily fitted for poultry by cutting a small door in one side and placing roosts and nests in the interior. In case there is no building suitable suit-able for remodeling into a poultry house, an inexpensive lean-to may be built, or a new building constructed. construct-ed. A house for this purpose should be planned with a view to simplicity, economy, and conveniences, while supplying the conditions proper for successful poultry keeping. A. scratching shed may be attached to the side of the house, which, if desired, de-sired, may be inclosed in front with poultry wire, s'o. as to keep the birds confined. The roosts may be made of 2x3 scantling and should -be so put in that they can easily be removed at any time for cleaning and disinfection. disinfect-ion. A platform is often p'accd under un-der the roosts to catch the droppings drop-pings and the nests arc placed undo this platform. I The simplest form of nest is a box placed upon the floor of the poultry poul-try house. With heavy fowls, which arc apt to break their eggs in fighting fight-ing away other hens that try to enter en-ter their nests when they arc laying and thus acquire the habit of egg-cating, egg-cating, a more concealed or dark nest may be necessary. One of the most troublesome parts of a poultry house to make satis-' satis-' factory is the floor. Many use earth floors, but these arc often damp', especially es-pecially in cool weather, and then induce rheumatism, colds, roup, digestive di-gestive disorders, and various other diseases. Some have put in cement floors, but have found these cold airJ also more or less damp. Probab'y a good cement floor, laid on broken stone and covered with a few inchc-of inchc-of earth, would be satisfactory, if no; too expensive. A board floor, -six or eight inches above the earth, with good vcntilatio" under it, is dry bu: too cold, except in the South. double flooring, laid tightly with building paper between, or a good single flooring covered with a few inches of dry earth, is probably the best. In all cases of board floors there should be sufficient space beneath be-neath for ventilation and to guard against the lodgment of rats. |