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Show !hen comfort is most profitable : When the rough days of autumn and winter arrive, the hens begin to hunt about for comfort and protection jfroiri winter winds und snow. If the 'poultry house is cold, dark, and uniu-,'Viling, uniu-,'Viling, It Is very unprofitable to th.i 'owner. It not only shortens up the egg supply, but next spring the hens go to work with a handicap because they have been poorly wintered. If we give the hens one-half the attention at-tention that we do our other stock they shirt making things count, says u writer In an exchange. Our poultry poul-try house Is built for economy and comfort for the hens. We are strong believers In the scratching department, depart-ment, making the hen work a lot. To do this we have all the floor space In the building arranged for bad days, for that Is when they must work In-f-Ule. We put up a gunny-sack curtain cur-tain In front of the perches, which rcrves for two purposes. It keeps the bens warm when on the perches at night, and keeps them off the perches In the daytime. Then we partition off the Inside wllh this cheap burlap which breaks possible drafts, and also divides the flock in their work for the day. We also open the windows, and drop down n burlap curtain on bad days to keep out cold air, storms and beating winds. This burlap Is almost Indis-pi Indis-pi asnble In our poultry equipment, and we use much of It. Our front curtain to the main building Is made from it, tacked upon frames so it can be raised or lowered as needed. On snowy, rough days the hens work happily away, more contented than if outside. It has always been our custom to set up a windbreak of cornstalks against the lee sides of the fences and the west and north of the houses, and It Is wonderful how the hens will take refuge behind this fodder fod-der barrage many winter days when the snow Is off. |