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Show fcKIZIfi'.JS? it.--r . c". i m, cLVE-DOLLAR HEN HOUSE Serviceable Shelter It Constructed Out of Sod, Straw, Corn Fodder and Earth. What results woubirCTexpect from 75 hens wintered in a coop of this cost? I had 75 May-hatched pullets In winter, says a writer In Rural New Yorker. I built a coop 12x18 feet, Inside measurement. The material was sod for the sides; the roof waa straw, covered with corn fodder; the Boor, Nature's deodorizer, natural aarth. I first selected a well sheltered location, then proceeded by settinp Twelve-Dollar Hen House. three crotches, each crotch set three teet deep. This for the peak of my roof. Next I set ordinary six-foot fence posts on sides four feet apart, two feet deep, leaving sides of coop four feet high, plenty high enough for sides of any coop. Then I spiked poles Dn to those fence posts on top, and ailed on small poles on side posts; laid poles fn those center crotches, then laid poles from post plate to crotch poles for rafters, and my frame was complete. I put in a window Erame of plank on south side 2x8 feet, covered same with muslin curtain (no glass) ; put door in east end. I cut sod and sodded up sides; put a little brush crosswise for rafter poles, covered cover-ed with straw and shingled with corn fodder. The foundation of my coop Is raised slightly so water runs away from it, which is very Important. So my labor and all would amount to about $12. I put pullets fn coop in December and they soon began laying. In January, February, March and April V averaged close to five dozen eggs per day. My income was a little better bet-ter than one dollar per day, clear of feed; and they have continued laying well all summer till molting this fall. Now they are through the molt and are going right into the egg producing business again. |