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HOW TO BUILD
POULTRY HOUSES

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AMERICAN POULTRY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO.

358 Dearborn Street
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

MEMORIAL POULTRY LIBRARY

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ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY

New York State Colleges

Agriculture and Home Economics

Cornell University

Cornell University
Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

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the United States on the use of the text.

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HOW TO BUILD
POULTRY HOUSES

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PRICE FIFTY CENTS

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Published By

AMERICAN POULTRY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO.

358 Dearborn Street
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

1Y),H.

E 55S9

BY AMERICAN I'OULTEY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO.,

33S Dearborn St., Chicago, 111.

I UCH has been said and written upon the sub-
ject of poultry houses. Still very few poultry-
men seem to understand the vital and im-
portant principles of poultry architecture.
Many will take old, worn-out boards for ma-
terial and in a few hours throw together a
poorly-constructed shed, which they think
good enough. Large cracks are left between the boards and
draughts strike the fowls from almost every direction. In
addition to this a worse blunder is often made by throwing
on a poor roof, and then concluding that everything is ready
for business. The cold winter sets in and the mud and rain
beats in thiough the open space left between the boards.
The leaky roof does its part toward letting in rain, and the
consequence is a flooded poultry house. Who can expect to
make money out of poultry with such houses? Many people
do or they would construct proper buildings. AH over the
country, everywhere, may be seen hundreds of old sheds ready
to fall to pieces, but used as poultry houses. Poorly con-
structed houses are as bad or worse than no houses at all.

When we have heard people complaining of the poultry
■business not paying we have in most cases found that the
main reason was badly arranged and miserably built houses.
Such buildings can generally be put down as filthy and lousy,
because people who put up such sheds are not very apt to
keep them otherwise. Very likely the floors are not cleaned

once a year, and probably not at all. To obtain best results
proper accommodation must be had. Good, warm houses can
be built at a very small cost. If you >are thinking of erect-
ing a poultry house, go ahead and select your plans, but be
sure you have a suitable one before commencing work. Select
a building adapted to the size of- your flock, your locality and
the lay of the land where it will be built. The plans given in
this book are of houses which have been tested by practical,
experienced pjoultrymen and have been found satisfactory
under the cond tions as explained. The ornamental features
of a poultry house should be confined to the exterior. The
interior should be arranged with the sole view of making
the fowls comfortable and contented, and these points- are
fully explained in the following pages. The location should
be a high and dry one and in a place Where ample shade may
be provided if possible. There are so many seemingly trivial
items which materially affect the value and usefulness of a
building that any one not perfectly familiar with the subject
should read carefully the suggestions and rules laid down in
this book. It should also be remembered that to be success-
ful with poultry something more than a house is needed.
The fowls should have proper care and feed, and this means
more than can be explained in a few short remarks. After
you have the proper lKiuse, then see that the other requisites
to success are not neg eeted.

COOPS FOR CHICKS.

SLCCESS in raising chickens is attained by
those ,who prepare for tlicm before they eoine
from the nest. The proper housing of chicks
has much to do with their future. There is
always a greater loss of chicks fn the first
two or three weeks; but if they are properly
housed and managed their chances are greater
for early maturing and healthy chicks. Place your coops in
a dry place and do not let the little chicks run in the damp

they can easily be taken apart and after the breeding season
they can be stored away without taking up much room.

FEED TROUGH, NEST BOX AND WATER TROUGH.

The best size is 4 feet long, 3 feet wide and about 30 inches,
high. The boards forming the roof should be. covered witlt

Coop No. I.

grass,* as this is sure to be fatal to many of them. The
illustrations given are practical and easily constructed — •

Feed trough.

Neponset or tarred paper to keep out the rain. The cost of
these coops will not exceed $1.50 each, and by proper, care
can be used many seasons. The V-shapcd trough given above
is constructed of G-i'nch boards, 3 or 4 feet long, which are

Coop No. 2. ^ T

1 Nest-Bos,

coops that can be built of any kind of boards, but should be

so arranged that they can easily be taken apart for a thor- housed into 2-inch end pieces and a cross-bar placed higlt

enough so the fowls cannot step into or across the trough into

the food.

SSf

Coop No. 3.

Water trough.

Build the bottoms, sides and roofs separ- The nest-box illustrated can be made of a soap box. It is

:,,,., v i,\ nailing cleats over the boards, and by means of better to place a nest in this position to allow the hens to
hooks fastening them together. By building them this way enter the nest from the side than to have the nest open on

ough cleaning
a'telv by nailin

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

top, so that when the hen jumps on the nest she is liable to.
break any eggs that may be in the nest.

The water trough shown in the illustration can be made
of wood or tin by placing the grating over it, which can be
made of either wood or wire, and in this way prevent the
fowl or chicks from stepping into it and wetting their feet
and body feathers. It is especially advisable to be used for
thicks.

SMALL COOP FOR HEN" AND CHICKS.
Take a lx>x the size of a wooden coffee box. Lay it broad-
side up. Take off a piece of board six inches wide, one inch
thick and about twenty inches long, or as long as the box is
wide across the ends. Saw this board in two diagonally from
corner to corner, which will make two pieces six inches at one
end, and run to a point at the other. Nail one of -these
pieces on each end where the boards were taken off. which

platform. Use a piece of 2x3 scantling to close this to keep
the chicks in), taking it away to let them out. The platform
can be taken out and cleaned every day. Whitewash the coop
inside. This makes a light, strong and serviceabl£ coop. The
boxes cost five cents each, and five boxes should make four
coops. The coops will cost about ten cents each when com-
pleted, not counting labor.

A CONVENIENT COOP.

The illustration" and description of coop here given are
supplied by J. M. Knight, Lynn, Ind.

The coop is made of lumber 12 inches wide; ends and back
20 inches w'de. Take 12-ineh board 20 inches long, saw it
from one corner to other. This makes gables and gives 20-
ineh height in. front. To make the front solid nail 2-inch
strips on inside of front from gable to bottom. The roof is
made to fasten on with hooks. The bottom also is loose.

A Convenient Coop,

•wi'.l give six inches fall for the roof. Now take off boards in
front; take one of the boards four or five inches wide, nail
against the front ends (not on top) of the six-inch pieces
just even with the upper edges. Now the boards, you have
taken off will about make the roof. Put the boards on cross-
wise, which will give a few inches projection front and back.
Now take off the bottom boards, but before taking them off
draw a lead pencil mark inside of each end from back to
front, get two strips, one inch thick, two inches wide and six
inches longer than the box is deep. Lay the boards on these
strips, but let the strips be two inches inside the lead -pencil
mark. Nail the board, tight to these strips, then saw the
boards off at the penc'l marks. This will leave this platform
just the size of the box inside. Now take two pieces the
depth of the box, two inches wide and one inch thick, nail
these pieces underneath, one at each end, leaving one inch
project inside. Now slide the p.atform you have made in on
these strips', nail plastering lath on in front, beginning at
the top, one-half inch apart until within two inches of the

The lid in front is made by cutting boards 20 inches long.
Nail strips half-inch thick, 25 inches wide, 22 inches long on
each end; nail them so that when the lid is let down half
inch will lap over end, making lid 20 inches h'.gh. The ends
of strip projecting over at top are to fasten to coop with
screens. This lid "makes part of cover to run when raised;
it closes front of coop when let down. The run is
made of lath. The sills are four feet long on each side.
Nail them on each side of coop at bottom. Make
tlie run wade enough so that it will fit oir outside of
coop at top. The screens that hold on lid to front of coop
should first pass through cleat at end in top of run. This lets
the lid work freely inside of run. Make holes in front of top
and ends for ventilation. To move the coop let the lid down
in front; step inside of run, and you can carry it to fresh
ground every daj r . The advantages of the coop are: It gives
the hen fresh ground and sunshine; a place to wallow if dry;
keeps rats out; if is easily whitewashed by taking roof and
bottom out.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

HATCHING AND HOUSING EARLY CHICKS.
THE UATCIILNO.
It is well known that the per cent of fertile eggs during
February and March is much less than during later months
So our per cent of chicks from a given number of eggs will be
less than it will bo later The. eggs should be gathered as
often as possible. When taken from the nest the eggs should
be dated. These eggs should be kept in a moderately warm
room, and turned end for end each day while so kept. Now,
as to the setting nest. Herewith is given an illustration of a
nest box I have found to be wonderfully satisfactory. It is
made of common pine lumber, 2 feet square and 25 feet high.
It has a slide door in front. In this door is cut a hole G
inches square, and over this is tacked wire cloth. This gives
light and air to the hen. These boxes are placed in a convenient
room, which has been supplied with a large dust box and grit.
Do not place these setting boxes in the house containing your
breeding stock, or, for that matter, in a place containing any
of your poultry. When we have our hen ready to set we
paint the inside bottom and sides of the box with liquid lice-
killer A very little straw is then put in and the hen imme-
diateiy put in the box, giving her a few china eggs. We leave
her there until the next morning or evening, for by this time
she is entirely free of lice. The nest is then made and she is
given her eggs. These boxes are placed along the sides and
ends of the hatching, room, livery morning the sliding door
of each bo.x is raised and the hens allowed to come off for feed
and water. They are given only whole grain, mostly corn,
during incubation. Each hen readily learns to go to her
proper box. When through feeding and having returned to
the nests, the doors are closed and the work of caring for the
setters is over for. the day. By the use of these boxes the
work of caring for setting hens is greatly reduced. Then, too,
we have each setter well in hand. They are safe from rats ox
other vermin. The illustration shows a lath run to the box.
This is used with the May chicks. The run allows the hen
fresh earth and a place to dust.

the housixr.

The improper housing of extra early chicks is what usually
causes failure. It positively will not do for February and
March chicks to be 'simply placed in an ordinary brood coop
out doors. If you cannot give these youngsters better quar-
ters than this do not try to raise them, for you will fail, and
the few which do pull through will not be as good birds No-
vember 1 as the May bird that grew steadily from the time he
left the nest. A large dry goods bo.x can be converted into a
good brood coop. Take such a box and put in a half window.
Cover the box with heavy paper. Place dry dirt or sand on
the floor. Place the bo.x on the south of your poultry house
or barn. Fix an opening so the chicks can run out on pleas-
ant days. This will do very well. A house 18 feet long and
12 feet wide can be so arranged as to give an ideal place for
the early chicks. It can be cheaply built of cohimon boards,
on the shed plan. Cover walls and ceiling with building
papxr. Now, as to the arrangement. Face the building, to
the south, and put in as much window space as possible. A
hallway 4 feet wide will extend the full length of the build-
ing on the north side. Divide the house into six runs. These
runs will extend south from the hallway to the north side of
the building. Make the partitions of boards to the height of
2 feet. Above this place wire netting. The fall before the
"floors of these pens should be covered with sand to the depth
of 2 or 3 inches. Wlien the chicks and hen are removed
from the setting box, place them in a box in one of these pens.
Have an opening so the chicks may go out of the house into
small runs on the south. Let them out only on pleasant

days. These outside runs should be raised above the sur-
rounding yard somewhat and kept clean of snow, etc. Do
not allow the hen to go out with the chicks until they are
two or three weeks old, arid then only on exceptionally pleas-
ant days. The hen will enjoy the outing when the little fel-
lows would be suffering with the cold and ought to be in the
house. Keep the hens and little ones in this house until about
May 1, when they may be removed to outdoor brood coops. In
this manner they enter May full of strength and vigor, and
then they need and should have range, the more the better.
You may say six runs will be enough. True, if you are rais-
ing a very large number of extra early birds you will find
that the hatches will be such that you can double up with the
brOods, and in this house one hen will care for from twelve
to eighteen chicks. The conditions are entirely different
than when the hen and chicks are out doors in an
ordinary brood coop. This house is used until wanted in,
February or March for conditioning exhibition birds — males;
especially — for the winter shows. It is an ideal place for this
branch of the fancier's work.

A SIMPLE DRINKING FOUNTAIN.
Take a stone jar of the size that may be necessary for the
number of your fowls and on the edge cut a small hole front
one-half inch to one inch square, then take a shallow pan,
fill the jar with water, then cover with pan and turn it up-
side down quickly. The water will empty into the pan only
to the depth of the hole in the jar. As the fowls drink from
the pan, water will flow from the jar. By this means you
will always have clean water, as the fowls cannot soil it or
turn the pan over. This plan is adopted for a small jar, one
that can be-^easily handled. An ordinary tin can may also
be used for the purpose. The fountain should always be kept
in a shady place.

BUILDING A POULTRY HOUSE— HOW I BECAME IN-
TERESTED IN HENS AND WITH WHAT RESULTS.

DR. D. D. TOTTER.

Four years ago my little boys, who occasionally rode out
into the country with me, became very much infatuated,
with the poultry they saw at .the farm houses, and when,
they asked me to get them some chickens I readily consented,
and had a little hen house built against the east side of my
barn with a door opening into the barn so that the heir*
could get out into the barn, for exercise. I'tben procured a.
dozen scrub hens and put into the house and taught the boyS
how to care for them.

This was all very interesting to them, but in my watchful-
ness to see that the little fellows did not neglect their charges
I unconsciously became more interested in the hens than
were their real owners. So when fall carhe I. determined to
build a house for {he hens separate from the barn and so
keep them out of the barn altogether. After reaching this
determination I then began to "think" what kind of a house
should I build.

Reasoning from the standpoint of physiology and pathology
I concluded that my' house must be both warm and sanitary
if I expected to get good results with my hens. If a hen is
kept in cold quarters it takes all the fuel she can run through;
her digestive apparatus to maintain an equilibrium in the
animal economy, hence there <<an be no surplus for the pro-
duction of eggs. Knowing this beforehand, and wishing to
have nice, fresh eggs in the winter time, when other people's,
hens are eating to keep warm, I started out with that object
in view and built a hen house as per the following descrip-
tion:

It is not possible to build a house'so warm that it will not
freeze in a Nebraska winter if it is on the surface of the

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES

ground, unless it be kept warm by artificial means, either
that of stoves or pipes supplied for that purpose, or by the
animal heat emanating from the birds, so I first dug a hole
in tne ground, 9x1-2 feet and 18 inches in depth; then I laid
up a brick wall to the surface of the ground, on which I
placed a 2x4 sill all the way around. On these sills I placed
2x4 posts and on them my plates. Now I had my frame
ready for siding, so I went to a dry goods store and pur-
chased the same grade of sheeting that is usually used to
make sheets for our beds and stretched this as tightly over
the frame as I could, fastening it securely by lath nailed
to the sills, plates and posts. Then I put on a tight board
Toof, made from thoroughly seasoned lumber, after which I
tar papered and shingled the same. Next came my win
dows, which I made double, one acting as a storm window
and preventing any moisture from getting into the house,
either by storms or frost which will collect on a single win-
dow. I then cemented the floor and up the side walls, lap-
ping over onto the sills, thus effectually shutting out all
moisture and all draughts of air from that source.
r Again turning my attention to the side walls I painted
the sheeting on both sides -with a good heavy paint, which

which I have is that my hens are cooler and more comfort-
able in the hot summer weather than in any other house
that I ever saw.

HOUSE FOR RAISING CHICKENS.

No improvement that I have made for years, writes Waldo
F. Brown in the Country Gentleman, has paid me so well as.
a house in which to raise young chickens. I do not raise
them with artificial mothers and fire heat. I think it can
be made a success, but I do not think it will pay a farmer
who is making poultry a side issue.

My house is made with rooms five feet square for each
brood, and a run with a gravel floor of the 6ame size
attached to each room. These rooms have a broad floor raised
high enough so that there is no harbor for rats or other
enemies under it, say fifteen inches, and a board eight inches
wide, with cleats nailed across it, makes a ladder for the
'chicks to climb from the gravel yard to get into it. Early
while the weather is cold, we give each hen twenty to twenty-
five chickens in one of these rooms, but in May and June
we have succeeded just as well with forty or fifty chicks to
a hen. We have a door which slides up and down in a

Floor Plan of House Described by Dr. D. D. Potter.

securely closed all the meshes in the goods, making my house
absolutely impervious to wind and almost air-tight, except
the ventilation I saw fit to give it, and for this purpose I
put a ventilator in made out of two eight-inch and two four-
inch boards nailed together and long enough to extend from
the floor up through the gable roof at its peak and extend-
ing about four feet higher than point of roof, like a chimney
on a house. It the bottom of this flue or ventilator I made
a little trap door, which is always raised. In my entrance
door on the opposite side from this flue I have a little door,
8x10 inches, which I can open the least bit or throw open
to its full capacity, thus admitting little or much outside
air. And in passing will say that that little door is always
open a little in the coldest days, and that my hen house
never smells like a hen house because of this efficient ven-
tilation.

Next came the question of roosts, which I placed on a
level plain even with the surface of the ground outside;
that is, 18 inches from my cement floor. In my house I
have a floor space of 9x12, or 108 feet, which i3 sufficient
room for 20 small hens or 12 to 15 large ones, even though
they have to be shut in for weeks at a time.

In regard to the warmth of the house will say that it is
all that could be desired, as water in an open dish will
Temain in the house all day without freezing when the tem-
perature outside is below zero. And another advantage

groove and that can be opened or shut by a cord which is
fastened on the opposite side of the room, so that, standing
in the passage from which you feed the chicks, you can open
or shut the door at pleasure. The gravel should be put in
several inches thick in the runs, and there ought to be a
wagonioad of fresh gravel near, so that whenever the top
of the gravel gets foul a wheelbarrowful can be removed and
fresh substituted. The rooms for the broods, each five feet
square. There should be a sash of six lights, 10x12 glass,
at the south side of each one of them. The graveled run
need only be inclosed with a fence two feet high if you have
movable frames of lath, or, better, woven wire, to cover
them, so that the herts or chicks cannot fly out. If made ire
this way there need be no grate or door, except a small one
just large enough to let the hen through. The runs should
always be at the south, and this will necessitate that the
house be built running east and west. The doors to the
compartments should be made of lath and hung so as to swing
around fiat against the partition and not obstruct the pass-
age, and should be large enough for a man to pass through
Without crowding. The passageway is usually made two feet
wide, but it adds so little to the expense of the house to
make it three feet wide, so a wheelbarrow can be used in
cleaning out the house, that when I make another I shall
make it that width. The outside walls should be lined with
tarred paper to secure Warmth. At one end of the passage

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

there should be a door, and at the other a sinalL window
set high up out of the way. A single pane of glass of good
size is all that is necessary. Under this window make a
little bin with a drop lid, which will hold a few bushels of
feed, as it will be a great convenience to have it handy. It
will be an advantage to set the foot of each sash out a little
— eight inches to a foot, according to the height of the
sash— -as this will let the rays of the sun full more directly
en the glass and make the house warmer.

The house I built last spring is twenty feet Long ami
seven feet wide and cost $1S, but as I located it at the
south end of another building I saved the weather-boarding
on the north, which is the highest side. The roof should be
made high enough so that you can stand straight in the
compartments at the highest side to clean them. In putting
the lath orr the runs, the novice is almost certain to get them
too far apart, for a chicken can squeeze through a very
small space. They should not be more than a half inch
apart at the sides, but overhead they may be an inch or
more, as the chicks cannot fly up so high until they are too
large to get through. The partitions between the apart-
ments may be made by nailing up strong coffee-sacking, or

Frame of House for One Pen of Fowls.

if you prefer it can be made of fine woven wire, which will
look neater.

Do not be tempted to let the chicks out at all until they
are feathered. If you keep the rooms clean and feed regu-
larly and wisely the chickens will grow and do better here
than they possibly can outside, and you will escape the rav-
ages of hawks, cats, skunks and other prowlers— will prob-
ably not have a single case of gapes, and will not have your
chickens drowned when a sudden down-pour of rain occurs.
An experience of many years in raising chickens in coops
leads me to believe that more than half that are hatched
fall a prey to some of the above named causes before they are
six weeks old.

When the chicks are feathered and old enough to wean
there should be a lot fenced so that they cannot get out of it,
witn a house with low roofs to move them to, but after they
have become aeeustqmefl to roosting there they can be allowed
to run out through the day. The sooner the young chicks
are marketed the better, but do not sell the pullets from
the early broods, as they will make winter layers. If you
keep Plymouth Pocks — and I doubt if you can find a bet-
ter breed — the sexes can be distinguished as soon as they
feather, and it is a good plan to separate them at weaning
and push the cockerels for market.

Early chickens can be sold when the size of a quail, and
at this time they have cost very little for food. In market-

ing eggs good judgment will enable you often to get a better
price than is offered in the local market.

CONVENIENT AND ECONOMICAL HOUSE FOR
ONE PEN OF FOWLS.

The accompanying sketch illustrates the manner of fram»
ing a very convenient as well as economical poultry house
for one pen of fowls. Eor the fancier who desires to keep
one or two breeding pens, or for the poultry man wno-
favors the colony plan, such a building as this one, we
think, will be found the cheapest possible manner of building
a structure of equal floor space or accommodation. A roof
we must have, and in doing away with the side walls we
still have every possible foot of floor space that could be had
otherwise, and simply cut out of the bill of material just
the amount of stuff which would be used in sides and ends.
The drawing shows the iront of the building, which may
face south or southeast; whereby it will be seen that both
sides of the roof receive the direct rays of the sun. This
feature, together with the extreme pitch, insures a dry roof
at all times, and where shingles are used they may safely
be laid five inches to the weather. The building may be-
located in the center of the yard, or either end may form
a part of same, and another large door (same as sh.own) i
cut in the other end, so one would not have to enter the
yard in order to get into the building. Or, again, the large
door shown as being on the south end may be done away
with entirely and placed in the north end; and in place of
same a window and small door for the fowls may be substi-
tuted. The interior arrangement may of course be to suit
your own fancy, the droppings board, roosts and nests being j
suspended from the ceiling. Thus every possible inch of
floor space is available to the fowls. The illustration shows
a building 10x10 feet on the inside and 9 feet high under the
ridge. It gives a width of over three feet from end to end,
where the height is sufficient for an average man to stand .
erect. Every portion of floor and building is thus easily
reached with rake, hoe or shovel in cleaning out. This
design shows 6x0 timbers for sills and 4x4 and 2x4 for
rafters and studding; the rafters being set, 10-inch centers r
which come just right for lath, if one prefers lath and plas-
ter to match flooring. We don't. We would put boards-
on the ends, perpendicularly, and batten cracks with three-
inch strips, and the bill of material given herewith is baseU
on this manner of boarding. Should shingled ends be pre-
ferred, the same quantity of boards, laid horizontally, will
answer to shingle to, but the expense is some greater. Roof
boards are sheathing, laid horizontally and tight together,
projecting six inches beyond the rafter at each end, and one
inch over the 0x6 sills. When laying the shingles extend
them one inch over the boards on ends and sides. Prepared
roofing may be used in place of shingles, but we very much
prefer good shingles. The 0x0 sills ma}' be set on posts to
raise them six or more inches above ground, and afterward
filled in with earth up to bottom of sills. .If clay can be
procured and put in wh/in damp, it can be packed down
hard, and, once dry, forms a floor nearly as hard as cement
and nearly as good. D D, see illustration, are 4x4, six feet
long, set two feet six inches apart, on top of which a 2x4
(C) three feet two inches long, is nailed, thus forming the
door frame. B B are 4x4 halved, four inches back from each
end and spiked onto the 2x4 (C), as shown. These 4x4 are
eleven feet long and are supported at the other end of the
structure same as shown. The timbers (B, C and D) are first
to frame, and put in place after the sills. These are each
eleven feet long, put together as shown. A A are rafters eleven
feet two inches in length on longer edge, and ten feet four
inches on shorter. They are notched and spiked to the 4x4

(B), and the mitre by which to cut them is easily found,
after which all may be Cut after one pattern, thev of course

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

being all alike. The window openings may be obtained by
setting the studding and trimmers (E E) to suit your sash.
Tnese shown are two feet square, and if more light is desired
a glazed door may be used. The number of square feet of
CxG given makes five timbers 12 feet long, one of which, cut
into pieces three feet long and set into the ground, forms
corner posts, upon which to nail the sills. The following bill
of material is ample to complete the building as described,
and by taking samc>to a lumber dealer you can easily ascer-
tain the exact cost of construction, less the labor. The con-
struction is, however, so simple that any one at alt handy
with tools can easily build it:

180 square feet OxG-12; 72 square feet 4x4-12; 170 square
feet 2x4-12; 300 square feet. of 1x12-12 sheathing; 100 square
feet of 1x12-10 dressed, fine com.; 25 square feet of 1x3-10
dressed battens, fine com.; 402 square feet of G-in. matched
floor 12 feet long; 11 square feet of 4x3 dressed, fine com.;
1 or 2 lg doors, 2|xG, plain or glazed; 2 glazed sash, 2x2,
■or any other size. Hardware: 8 pen., 20 pen. and shingle
nails, and 8. pen. finishing nails; lock and hinges, etc., about
$1.50. Enough material will be left for most of the interior
finishings, such as roosts, nests, etc.

POULTRY HOUSE VENTILATION AND VENTILATORS.
A Statement of the Necessity of Ventilation in Poultry

Bouses — Full Description of the Manner in Which to

Build a Ventilator and Arrange for Good Circulation.
Nellie Hawks.

Before the introduction of this much talked of poultry-
house ventilator that we own and operate, it was no unusual
thing ore bitter cold mornings to find the walls of that house
so covered with frost that it «ou!d be scraped down as
frost can be scraped from window panes in any house
inhabited by people. The walls would glisten with frost
and the air was full of frost. It was. their breath,
frozen, for there bad been no escape for the moisture
from their breath and from the excrement that is constantly
dropping. In less than twenty-four hours after fresh straw
would be put down 1 on their floor it would be reeking with
dampness. When the sun came up and the outside tem-
perature changed from bitter cold to a degree of sunshine
"warmth, the inside temperature was changed also, and the
■walls would be dripping and beads of water standing all
over them. The result was hard colds and a general indispo-
sition among the fowls in those damp quarters.

Only by artificial means •could' I keep the atmosphere dry.
1 had never kept .fires for my fowls, but I had made them as
warm' as I. could by other means— well built houses and
elosed doors and windows. The straw litter and droppings
were always kept cleared away as soon as possible after
becoming so damp.. And yet it seemed always damp, and
there was more or less sneezing and coughing all winter long
among the birds kept (here. It worried me a great deal, but
I was sure that it was not a ventilator my poultry house was
in need of. for hadn't I read volumes of a tirade nature con-
cerning ventilators in general? I had learned through bitter
experiences that the short-chimney style ventilator that I
bad had put into a poultry house, "once upon a time," was
nothing more or less than a death-dealing "contraption." Of
the "-cicntifieally constructed ventilator I knew nothing in
particular, except that any number of writers were con-
demning them all, unreservedly, and I suppo-ed that they
should surely presume to know more about id than I did.
So I was abiding by their decisions and was lo->ing money
continually.

But, one fortunate day for me and my biddies. I concluded
to engage the services of a well known poultry judge, and
I sent for him to come and score my biddies. It was n very
cold week that he came, and jny poultry house, though

very clean and tidy, was nevertheless very damp. As he
went inside that house he turned and looked at me curiously-
I knew it meant that something was wrong there. But jm*
what, I was waiting to hear, and -felt an uneasy sense ot
guilt over something, but reaHy did not know what it was
that I was guilty of, for I was taking the best of care of
my fowls, I thought.

"Your house is an excellent one," he said, "but it needs
ventilation. Don't you see the frost on the walls and note
the damp feeling of the air? And some of your hens are
sneezing. That means 'colds' and colds mean roup eventually.
Good ventilation is badly needed here."

We talked long on the subject. I gave him any ideas on the
subject; told him what I had read; gave him my past expe-
riences with ventilators; told him of my fears and preju-
dices and asked him countless questions. He gave me prac-
tical, sound advice, offered to help my husband put the new
ventilator in working order >. we would have material
brought home at once and would board him (and be assured
we would). The first day of his stay was devoted to scor-
ing fowls, but the second day he was driven to town, gave
his own orders, and before night that ventilator that is.
plainly pictured for you, and will be followed with a few
explanations that will help you to build one for your own
accommodation, was all in place and all in shape to do the
work intended. The next morning, on opening the poultry

Ventilator in use by Mrs. Hawks.

house door, a very different state of atmosphere was found
inside. The air was not foul, nor were the walls cavered
with frost, and the floor and litter was dry, for it had been
made all dry the day the work on the ventilator was being
done. The biddies occupied the scratch room while work
was going on.

The cut shows the, construction of this ventilator,, also
the interior arrangement of my main poultry house, cages,
nest rooms and all. At the left hand, it is noticed, the
nest room is much smaller than at the right. In the cor-
ner, in the space between outside wall and the' door of
that nest room, stands the hone-cutter, but it is not shown
in the illustration.

Two boards of the ventilator shaft, as seen, rest on the
floor, while the two shorter boards that complete the square
shaft are. by being a few inches shorter, allowing the escape
up the shaft of the foul air that, confined, was doing all
the work of bringing colds and impaired vitality upon my
flock. The shaft is composed- of two boards that are six
inches wide and two that are four inches wide, thus mak-
ing said shaft to measure six inches square outside. In
building this shaft two boards nre thoved some four or
six inche above the other two before nailed together. This
for the purpose of leaving the air space required at each
end of the shaft. This shaft projects some inches above
the roof of the house at its highest point in. the center.

HOW TO BUILD FOULTJiY HOUSES.

The two longer boards above the house are capped over or
roofed to keep out rain and snow, while at the sides of the
shaft above the roof the foul air finds egress as it domes
up the ventilator from inside.

The number of holes up the sides of the shaft, inside the
house, need not be more than four on each of the two sides.
They are three inches in diameter, and fitted over each hole
is a circular piece of tin, some four inches or more in diame-
ter. These tin covers are held in place by passing a screw
through small holes cut for the purpose. These screws
answer the purpose of hinges also, the covers being held
by them in whatever -position they may be wanted — half
closed, quarter closed or wide open. The impure, air, heavy
•with odors, sinks to the floor if the side holes are closed
(and the opening and closing of these ventilator spaces or
holes depends upon outside temperature of the weather).
But, there finding an outlet, they pass out of the shaft.

In the meantime an inflow of fresh air is coming in at
the sides of the house through pipes provided for that pur-
pose. But one of the pipes is shown in the cut, but another
is there, opposite the one shown and running up the side of
the left-hand wall. These pipes pass clear through the
sides of the building, entering just over the base-boards, a
few inches from the floor. The pipes are of tin spouting,
and where they pass through the side of the house they
are in shape like a stovepipe elbow. They roach up the
wall for more than six feet, thus letting the fresh air in

trench ran east and west. On the south side. the wall was
constructed of boards two feet high, one foot below and
one foot above the sulfate. On the-north side the wall is
three feet high, one foot below and two feet above the sur-;
face. The roof was made in sections, so as to easily be
removed for cleaning the house and renewing the manure,
from the fermentation of which the heat was derived. On
the south side the roof was made of alternate wirlddw sash,
and boards in section, this part standing at only a small
angle from the perpendicular. The comb of the roof in this
house was five feet high and a door large enough to admit
a man was made in each end. Frost never got into this
house during the whole of a severe winter, and it served its
purpose perfectly.

Now, taking this brooder "hot bed" as a basis to work
from, we will describe a house that is much used in some
parts of the East, and which has proven to be adapted to
the plan of keeping small flocks in separate houses.

This house is commonly called the "A" house on account
of its shape. It is so easily built that any one with any
kind of skill in using a saw and hammer can build one with-
out help.

To begin with, a frame 8x10 feet is made of plank 2x6.
or 2x8 inches. This is made by simply spiking the planks
together where the house is to stand. The frame or box
is filled with clay, or, preferably) fine gravel and sand,
and makes the foundation of the house with the floor

Hot Bed Plan of House.

high above the heads of the fowls. Their breath warms
this fresh air before it is taken into their lungs. As soon
as once breathed over it falls, heavy with impurities, and
is followed by a constant flow of fresh air. After an all-
night stay of the fowls in this house, when the door is
opened in the morning the air one finds within is not
offensive. Pure air and well ventilated rooms, and sleeping
rooms in particular, has been all my life one of my hobbies.
If you and I need pure air to breathe, why do not our fowls
need it, too? If impure air will sicken the individual, why
will it not eventually sicken the poultry that may be neg-
lected? It will and it does.

The cost of this ventilator for materials did not exceed
$2.50. Any one who is at all handy with the hammer, saw
and nails may put in just such a ventilator at small cost.
[There is" no patent on the affair, valuable as it is, and it
is your right to use a ventilator after this pattern. More-
over, -it is your duty as a poultry man or poultry woman,
and especially if your poultry house is a snug built one,
such as it should be, by all means.

HOT BED PLAN OF HOUSE.

A cheap and very effective poultry house is illustrated
on this page. The designer of this house built it for the
purpose of using it as a "hot bed" for chicks just out of
the brooder! The end view shows how the heat was sup-
plied. A trench five feet wide and twenty-five feet long
was dug two feet deep. In this trench was placed one foot
of coarse, fresh horse manure and one foot of dry earth.
A quantity of litter was then scattered over this. The

eight or ten inches higher than the level of the ground out-
side, thus insuring a dry floor, if the land is properly drained
either naturally or by digging drains.

The house proper is -made -of matched flooring on a -frame
2x4 scantling. The flooring should be 10 feet long to begin
with. This is sawed in two, so one end is 9 feet long and
the other 7. The short end makes the front of the house
and the long end the back. The frame is then made of the
same shape, and the flooring, which makes at the same
time the sides and roof, is put on. This house should face
the south with the short ends used for siding on that side.
This will make a very steep slope of the south side and a
longer one on the north side. The peak of the roof (house)
will be feet G inches from the ground, and a line dropped
from' the peak to the ground will strike not quite 2 feet
6 inches from the front side. The north side is without
openings, but the south is half boards and half window. In
the east end a door 4 feet high is cut, or it may be made
higher, as preferred. By the side of the door a small door,
say 20 inches square, is made for the convenience of the
hens. A good many of these houses in practical, use do-
not have glass- windows, but in place of window sash and
glass, heavy muslin or ducking is used. If a house of this
kind is well put together and well painted it is for all
practical purposes as good a one as can be built Some
cover ■with roofing paper, but this is not necessary it good
lumber is used and the work is nicely done. A house of
the size named above will be large enough for twenty hens.
To accommodate larger flocks it may be extended indefin-

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

itely, but the original purpose was to use a number of sep-
arate houses a few rods apart, following out the colony
plan, -which is the best where there is plenty of room. The
houses heed not be far apart, as the hens go to their own
house to sleep after they become settled.

The lumber required to build this house is as follows:

Two pieces 2x6 inches by 10 feet, two pieces 2x0 inches
by 8 feet, four pieces 2x4 inches by 10 feet, four pieces 2x4
inches by 10 feet, flooring to cover sides and ends, 230
feet.

This allows for four "rafters" and the necessary "girts"
to nail the siding to. The door may be made of the lumber
allowed for the siding, and the windows will cost extra
the price of sash and glass or the cloth used in covering.
Allowing $25 a thousand for the lumber, the total cost,
including labor, should be about $10 or a little more, or
50 cents, for each hen, a very moderate cost for a good
house.

A. POULTRY HOUSE FOR ONE FLOCK.

The illustration given is a neat and substantial home
for one flock.

This house is arranged with a hallway, in the rear for
storing feed and removing eggs from the nests through
openings with slides from the hall. The roosts are above

very close resemblance to roup, and yet are not the real
thing itself. For instance, one party writes:

"My fowls had roup. It attacked their nostrils and
throats. I cured them with liquid vaseline and blue vitriol
dissolved in water."

Another flock had canker; still another sore eyes, and
each owner had a different cure, and all their fowls recov-
ered — which is proof positive in their estimation that roup
is a disease easily cured.

Tioup has one chief characteristic by which it may always
be told, and that is a rank, putrid odor or stench that i»
easily discernible to the person whose olfactories are rea-
sonably well developed. On account of this stench it need
never be mistaken for any other disease in the poultry
world. Fowls may sneeze, have rattling of the throat,
canker, discharge from the nostrils, sore eyes or swelled
head, or all of these, but if this stench is not present they
have not got the roup; but any one of these symptoms
accompanied by this disagreeable, putrid odor stamps the
ailment at once as roup.

Good care and dry, uncrowded quarters have much to
do in controlling this disease, but cannot be relied on exclu-
sively.

Some nine years ago,- when I wr.s brand new to the poultry

$40 House for Oue Flock.

the nests, as shown by broken lines in the side of the house.
For the large breeds the nest boxes should be lowered, or
a ladder p-aced so they can conveniently get to the nests
and roosts. The floor can be made of wood, brick or
cement, but should be covered with about four inches of
sand and plenty of litter for the hens to scratch in, so
they may have the necessary exercise in the winter; the
large windows in the front -can be removed in the summer
time, and in very cold winter nights they should be cov-
ered with straw mattings, in order to keep out the cold.
as in the daytime when the sun shines the house will get
the desired warmth; but if the windows are not covered
in cold nights it would be rather cold for the stock, as the
roosts are not protected by inclosures. The' material for
this house, building it 10 feet "wide and 12 feet deep, and
8 feet high in front and 7 ieet in the rear, making the out-
side walls double with tar paper between, would be about
forty dollars ($40).

ROUP AND VENTILATION OF HOUSE.

By U. Grant Davidson, Manson Ioica-

Now that the opportunity offers, I will write as a sequel

to the experience I had in exterminating roup, with some

important facts in regard to the diagnosis and prevention

of this disease.

Doubtless the different opinions advocated in regard to
treatment for roup arise from curing colds that have a

business. I kept some 225 hens in a house, the floor room
being lo\20. There was but little snow. They were out
almost every day all day, and laid well. I cleaned out
under the roosts every day and used air-slaked lime freely;
kept all cracks well battened and did not have a s-ick fowl
all winter.

Of course I read all the poultry literature I could get
hold of and thoroughly believed all I read. In the various
reports of pdultrynicn I saw where many men, with the
same number of hens as myself, under nruch the same con-
ditions, were getting more than three times as many eggs.
It occurred to me that something must be wrong; "but
what? I looked up the matter as best I could. I was feed-
ing all light, according to the advised methods. I combed
those hens every day with a fine tooth comb, but still they
did not shell out those 200 eggs. I kept warm drinking
water in their troughs and all kinds of good sharp grit
where they could get it easily, but still the returns were
not satisfactory. I knew that something was wrong some-
where. I felt it every day of my life and every night in
my dreams I would be seeking" a solution of this problem,
viz.: Mr. So and So's hens averaged from 24 to 30 eggs a
day during January and February. He fed so and so, eta.
Now, if his hens would lay like that, why ought not mine •
to do the same under the same conditions? But were the
conditions the same? I finally concluded they could not,
be, but resolved to find the difference. I studied all summer

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

;iml fall without success, but as perseverance is one of my
virtues I kept at it, ami at last the first of December the
following year I found it. I read where another party had
made the same mistake ami had written the editor of a
poultry paper in regard to the matter, and he had solved
the problem at once. I needed a ventilator in my hen house!
Why. of course! Why had I not thought of that sooner?
Mr. So and So, who kept more hens in less space than I,
had always had a ventilator. I read that a piece of pump
tubing extending up through the roof from within eight
inches of the floor, right by the roosts, was the right kind
of a ventilator to carry oil' the foul gases and admit pure
air. It was just after noon that I made the great dis-
covery, and before night I had my ventilator in position.
I went to bed that night the happiest of men, fully expect-
ing in three days hence to be gathering many additional
dozens of eggs. But alas! During the third night after
that ventilator was erected the wind suddenly changed to
the northwest and blew with all the rigors of the Klondike.
In the morning when I opened the hen bouse door the
draught of pure air from that ventilator blew oil' my hat.
I found one-fourth of my hen-, bail colds; some had rattling
of the throat; same sore eyes: sumo canker, and some were
sitting around in the corners -o nearly smothered that they
had to open their mouths and si etch up their necks to get
breath. But I was pretty well up on roup, or thought I
was, and commenced to doctor tho-o fowls. Of course many
of them recovered, and if I hail had the experience then
that I have now I could have cured mo-t of them,, but I
did not, and roup was the result. There was not a case
of roup at the beginning, but at the end of --even or eight
days there were plenty. I drove a plug in that pump stock
at once, and have never hail a ventilator in a poultry house
from that day to this. I have never tried to keep 22.~> hens
on 300 feet of lloor space since cither, for I came to the
wise conclusion that whenever my poultry bouse- became
so crowded that I needed a ventilator I would erect one 7
feet high, 10 feet wide, and as long as necessary to give
an abundance of pure, fresh air at all times. There i- no
patent on this kind of a ventilator, to my knowledge, so all
may use it. They may cost more than sonic other kinds in
the beginning, but are cheaper in the end. Build your
henhouse warm and tight. Use drop-siding and paper on
the out-ide and paper and shiplap or ceiling on the inside.
Be sure all cracks and crevices are closed up. and you
have made a long stride in the prevention of roup. Keep
the house reasonably clean and perfectly dry at .all limes.
Keep your eyes and ears open for the first symptoms of dis-
ease, and when a fowl gets a cold remove to warm, dry
quarters at once., For remedy I give a four-grain capsule
of quinine, two pills I be size of a hulled peanut, oompo-cd
of cayenne pepper five parts, mustard (ground) one part,
wheat (lour one part, mixed with enough fresh salted but-
ter to make it -tick well together. Balhe head and throat
with kerosene, and when I be eye- are attacked I laise
the lid and insert some vaseline. I u-e (he kerosene and
vaseline two times a day; also give pills twice a day, but
quinine every third day.

If the bird is not well enough to go back to the (lock
at the end of a week I u-e I be hatchet.

One year ago we weie confronted with a serious puzzle — ■
what shall we do with the young chicks when compelled to
remove them from the brooder to make loom for the next
hatch'.' We finally concluded that the treatment which had
been beneficial for young plants,, would do equally well
for young chicks.

When our young chickens were a 'few weeks old wo
transferred them from the brooder) into the hotbed. This
we found was a splendid place for the young chicks and

we have enlarged upon our first idea, and have constructed
a scratching and dusting place and a grand winter resoit
for chicks of larger growth.

The accompanying illustrations give a good idea of its-
construction. We dug a trench five feet wide, two . feet
deep, and 23 feet long. We filled this trench one foot with
horse manure and one foot with dry earth. A quantity of
litter can -be- scattered on the ground. This trench runs
cast and west.

On the south side the wall is constructed of boards two-
feet high, one foot -below and one above the level of .the
ground. On the north side the wall is three feet high, one
foot below and two feet above, the surface of the ground.
The entire roof is constructed in sections and can be re-
moved in a short time to clean house and to renew the
horse manure, which is the source of the heat. On the south
side the roof is made of alternate window sash with glassv
in and boards nailed in sections, and this part of the roof
stand almost perpendicular. The roof on the north side
is made of boards nailed in sections and stands compara-
tively Hat. The comb of the roof is five feet high; close up-
the ends with boards and make a door at each end largo
enough to admit a man.

The ground has never been frozen on the inside during
the past winter. The size of this winter resort and the
.superstructure can be varied to suit the various ideas of
many bleeders, and in cold and stormy weather a'ny person
will be surprised to find, how much time the fowls .will
spend on the inside, and how Inuch this chicken palace will
add to the comfort and health of a flock, and how much
the income will be increased:

SKETCHES OE A POULTRY HOUSE.

Sketches of a poultry house are herewith presented. I do
not claim that the plans are perfect, but that the building
is handy, considering the available room. The cost is
model ate.

For ,a foundation I went to the woods and cut beech and'
maple posts, six inches in diameter. With a post auger I
set these in the ground fiom three to four feet, and fijve-
feet apart from centers.

in lining these posts, stretch a line where you desire (for
instance) the south wall; and in setting the posts set them
inside and just up to the line, being particular to put the
straighte.st side of the posts outside, to nail to. The posts
will vary in size, and by lining the outside edges you will
save dressing them oil' after the -ills aie spiked on. The
sills for the building in question are two 2x4's, spiked to-
gether: and should measure one hundred and three feet and.
one inch by fourteen and three incbe-, out-ide measurement.

After lining and setting the posts for the outside walls
and the ends, slietch the line from end to end again, this.
lime three feet and ten inches south, from the outside edge
of the line of post- supporting the north wall. Set po-l-
live feet apart along Ibis line, same as before, putting them
north <;f and just up to the line. This line of posts come
under the alley-way partition, and support a sill from end
to end, same as around the outside.

Figure 1 shows position of posts. Level all posts and saw
them off when you are ready to spike on the sills. Go clear
around the building with one course of 2x-l's, and also
through on the middle line, spiking them securely. If needed,
use shingles to wedge under the 2\4's to level them exactly.
In putting on the second course of 2.\4's be particular to
break joints.

The joists for the alley-way are cut next, so they just fit
snugly between the two sills, and arc toe-nailed to them,
eighteen inches apart between centers, the top edge being
flush with lop of sills. To form the underneath of- ground

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

Sketches of Poultry House— F g. 1.

UNt

floor scratching-room, cut studding fifteen inches long, and
double, by spiking two together. Before setting these studs,
commence at either end of the building and measure off and
mark where eaeli .partition between the pens will come; then
toe-nail one o'f the short double studs at each partition and
also half way between. They will come very nearly five feet
apart. 'By reference to Figure 1 it will he seen that these
•studs are set on the south and middle sill only, those on
middle sill being- spaced the same as on south sill.

Now nail one of these double studs midway between the
south and middle sills (at each end), and you are ready to

ten feet, alter plates are on, to line, and hold the plates in
line. Board up the outside while the frame is securely
braced. Then frame and spike on the rafters. Line the
rafters with a chalk line and saw them all off alike, and put
on the cornice; then tile roof boards: after which you are
ready to lay the shingles or paper, as you prefer.

Cut out the openings for your windows next, and put in
the window frames. Then put on your siding paper or boards.
The sheathing boards should be set six or more inches into
the ground, as should also the board divisions between
underneath scratching rooms. Then the outer siding.

Sketches of Poultry HoKse— Fig. 2.

brace the four corner studs, preparatory to spiking a double
plate on to them. Plumb the four corner studs and nail a
four inch board from near the top of the stud to the sill, each
way; and the longer these braces arc (say ten or twelve feet)
the firmer will they hold the studs. The double plate, which
goes on to these studs, is laid the same as you did the sills.
being careful to break joints. Plumb the studs as. you sp ks
on the pl,ate. You are now ready to lay on the joists which
support the floor to the pens. Referring again to Figure 1,
it wiil be seen the joists are cut of length to coma (lush with
the edges of the plates, and are toe-nailed on to. them. When
the joists are all on, commence and lay the floor on both
the alley-way and pens. Then cut the studs for. the rest of
the frame, setting thcrrf two feet apart between centers.
Toe-nail them to the floor, bracing corners, well; also, every

should come down to the ground

whether boards or paper
line.

This completes the outside of the building, save the yards.
These are ten by one hundred feet, with two feet boarded at
bottom, arid netting above; of such width as will give the
desired height. A heavy wire stretched tightly along the
top of the netting will keep it from sagging, and is not
readily seen by the fowls. Doors between each yard are
located next the building. The sills are six inches above the
ground line, the building being sheathed down to and into
the ground six or more inches (as before stated), nailed to
the posts. Fill in with dry clay or gravel up to the bottom
of sills.

The interior arrangement will be easily understood by
consulting Figures 1 and 2. The good features of the build-

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

ing may be enumerated as follows: An alley-way three feet
wide in the clear, -with matched floor. The floor to the pens
is also of matched boards, and is two feet above the alley
floor. The space between floors is boarded up with the
matched flooring; and door eighteen by twenty-four inches,
hinged at the bottom, gives access to the underneath, scratch-
ing room (which, by the way, is open front), and permits
the scattering of grain in the litter, from the alley. Eighteen

the yards. Half-inch matched flooring is used to ceil the
inside, both on walls and overhead. I believe it superior to
lath and plaster. As yet I am undecided upon the manner
of ventilation, having two or three styles of ventilators in.
mind, which I propose testing thoroughly, when I will give
results and description cf same.

I have used 2x4's entirely in framing this building, but if
desired 2x6's may be used for joists and rafters. The

Sketches of Poultry House— Fig. 3.

inches above the floor (see Figure 1) are the nests, accessible
also from the alley; and above them are the dropping plat-
forms, with roosts of 2x4's one foot higher. Under the nests,
and next the alley, a 2x4 is naiLed horizontally, and three-
eighths inch iron rods -are set into this and the floor, three
inches apart. Between these rods, the fowls eat their soft
food from a trough hung on the outside— the trough being
removed, cleaned and hung over on the north wall after the
fowls have finished eating. Doors two feet wide open in-
ward into each ten foot pen and are hung on spring hinges.
Partitions- between pens are boarded up two ar.d one-half
feet, above which is wire netting. Dust bath, grit and oyster
shell are supplied on the upper floor, and a trap door 14x18
inches, raised -and lowered by a cord from the alley, admit

Jenkins oil cup brackets will be used throughout in sup-
porting dropping platform and .roosts. The bill of material
for building the size of mine is as follows, but one may
build as long or short a structure as he chooses, the cost
varying accordingly :

Nails and hardware will cost about $10; carpenter work,
extra. There are 4,170 square feet of bill stuff, as follows:
Seventy-six pieces 2x4-9; 03 pieces 2x4-10; 109 pieces 2x4-12;
75 pieces 2x4-14: 102 pieces 2x4-10. There are "5,000 square
feet cf hemlock or pine sheathing, 2,500 square feet of pine-
flooring, seven-eighths thick for floors: 3,500 square feet half-
inch pine flooring for ceiling inside; 2,000 square feet roof-
ing paper, or 20,000 shingles: 2,500 square leet paper or

A $15.00 House.

the fowls to the. underneath scratching room; where, after
their morning feed, they busy themselves in the litter all day.
Each pen is 10x10 feet and scratching pens the same, thus
giving ample room for ten or fifteen birds. Window sills are
ten inches above the floor, and windows are double sash, so in
summer the lower sash may be raised or removed entirely
and a screen put in its-place. One can clean the upper pens,
as well as do all feeding and gathering of eggs, from the
alley-way, while the refuse from the scratching pens may
be shoveled directly into a wheelbarrow or cart taken through

boards for siding; 200 pounds 8-penny and 100 pounds 20-
penny nails are required, and ten windows 29x45.

HEN HOUSE,
is for a hen house 10x10 and 8

A CHEAP
The illustration given
feet high, with door on the end and one large window in the
front. If this house is built of common dressed boards with
three battons on the outside and tar paper fastened on with
laths inside, and the slanting front as shown covered with
shingles, the cost of material would not exceed $15.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

SUMMER QUARTERS FOR YOUNG STOCK.
What to do with the season's crop of youngsters when
hatching time is fairly over is quite a problem to many,
who have an unusually large number of chicks, or to such
as are starting into the business who have as -yet made no
provision for housing the young and growing stock after
they leave the brooders or mother hen. Accommodations for
them of some sort must be furnished, and when weaned they
should be taught to occupy whatever is provided for this
purpose. One should have at least two yards for the young
stock, in which may be placed the brood coops, if you aro
using hens, and if the chicks be raised in brooders they
should be located in these yards as soon as they are able to
do without artificial heat. It might be of benefit to some
one to know that these yards should be situated where the
stock can have plenty of shade and direct sunlight. An
orchard is a splendid place usually to locate such yards, but
if not available one- may provide shade artificially. Were it
not for the vain, young stock would grow faster and hardier
if allowed to roost in trees or bushes. Old birds, too, are
benefited by a change of air, and since it is not practicable
to move them one should see to it that every possible door
or window is left open and the building kept scrupulously

together two 2x4'a or use 4x4 stuff if preferred. The
method of framing a structure of this size and construction
is extremely simple, and I think will be readily understood
by any one. A glance at the accompanying sketch shows
the roof, back, side and ends, to be boarded perpendicularly
and battened. The front is left entirely open, save for wire
netting of one inch mesh. A door two feet wide is hung on
hinges, as shown in figure 2, by which one has access to clean
out the building. It is hooked to remain open in the day-
time and closed at night. For a floor matched lumber is
preferable. Sixteen foot lumber and bill stuff will cut
without waste, and the following amount will build the coop
in question:

30 lineal feet 0x6, or posts; 250 square feet boards, 12 inches
wide, 16 feet long; 75 square feet boards, 3. inches wide, 10
feet long; 15 square feet boards, 4 inches wide, 15 feet long;
224 lineal feet 2x4-16; 32 lineal feet 4x4-16, or 64 lineal feefc
2x4 sills, and 60 square feet matched flooring. Hardware,
5 pounds 8-penny nails and 3 pounds 20-penny nails, one
pair spring hinges, hook and eye, and 10 feet wire netting
feet wide, with one-fourth pound staples.

When completed such a building is neat and durable, dry
and cool. The chicks are practically outdoors, yet pro-

Side View Summer Quarters for Young Stock.

Front View of Summer Quarters for Young Stock.

clean. When raising any considerable number of chicks, best
results will be obtained from yarding .them. Construct yards
100x150 feet, and they will be ample for 250 head of young
chicks until they are two-thirds matured, when the, num-
ber should be reduced to not to exceed 200. Where it is
possible to provide larger yards do so by all means, as the
nearer wc can come to giving the stock unlimited range and
still protect them by means of a fence the more contented
and active will be the fowls. Where yards are much, if
any, smaller than named they are too much on the order
of a pen; and where the chick feels that he is a prisoner he
will not thrive as would otherwise be possible. Some kind
of shelteT must be provided in each yard, and with a view
of offering some ideas as to how these summer coops may
be constructed I herewith present sketches of one we think
hard to beat. Of course; such buildings may be of any size
desired and in proportion to the number of chicks they are
designed to accommodate. The building shown is tcii feet
long, six feet wide, six feet high in front and three feet
high at the back, and will take care jot 100 chicks until they
are nearly matured or forced into winter quarters. For a
foundation use either six-iheh posts or 6x6 timbers and cut
them six feet long. Set them into the- ground three or three
and a halt feet, so as to- raise the sills of the building two
and a l, alf or three feet above the ground. For sills, spike

tected from draughts, storms and danger from other sources.
Roosts may be put in as the chicks become old enough to
need them, and clean litter or dry sand or dirt kept on the
floor. If kept painted such a building will last a good many
jeais.

PRACTICAL- POULTRY HOUSES.

The average, poultry-breeder likes to live in a rather nice
looking house himself, and as a beginner in poultry breed-
ing he is likely to assume that an ornate poultry house is
better than a plain one. Unfortunately for this theory the
hen has no architectural sense and does not care how her
house looks as long as she is comfortable. If the owner
desires to make his poultry house architecturally beautiful
there is no reason why he should not do so, so long as he
confines his efforts to the outside, but it is a rule that
applies universally that the inside of the house should be
arranged entirely from a practical point of view.

This makes it very easy for every one to so plan his
poultry house that it will come within his means and not
exceed the cost he can afford to go to to provide for his
stock.

In planning a poultry house we should consider thesa
things: First, cost 1 ; second, comfort of the fowls; thii-',
convenience as to feeding, cleaning and kc*-pini; free f.nn
insect pests.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

Th? matter of cost is governed somewhat by the number
of fowls that must be provided for. That is a fixed factor
which cannot be changed, each man being a quantity by him-
self. One man may have twenty-five and another live times
as many and the amount of room needed will depend directly
-on the number of fowls to be sheltered.

. The comfort of the fowls depends on warmth, light and
ventilation. Of these warmth is most important and ven-
tilation, as generally understood, of least importance. Light
is a close second to warmth and should never be neglected,
for fowls will not thrive in the dark nor do their best unless
the}' are given a free chance to get where the sun can shine
directly on them.

Convenience should be sought so as to make it easy to feed
the fowds, easy to clean the house and easy to keep it freo
from insect pests. It is with this matter in view that tho
accompanying illustration of a cheap poultry house is
given.

The house as shown is 10x13 feet, faces the south and is
eight feet high on the south side and seven feet on the
north or lower side. The outside walls may be constructed
of either double flooring or boards, with battens on the

window in winter and. in the coolest corner of the house
in summer.

The perches are shown so plainly that no explanation is
necessary, except to say that perches, dropping board, nest
boxes and every other inside fixture should be so arranged
that they can be taken out and cleaned without trouble at
any time.

As will be seen, this is about as plainly built as it is
possible to make a poultry house. It is in effect a square
box with a shed' roof, and such a house may be extended
indefinitely, according to the number of fowls that are kept.
It is easy to 'apply disinfectants to any part of such a
house, and to whitewash it is only a matter of putting the
wash on plain walls, which are accessible and have noth-
ing attached to them to prevent going over them rapidly.

If the dropping board is always kept dusted with air-
slaked lime or sifted coal ashes, they will not only be easy
to clean, but the dust will make it impossible for lice to
crawl about from perch to perch, and they will in effect be
prevented from crawling back and forth from one perch to
another, as the dusty lime or ashes is death to them.

This design is given as embodying all the good points of

Interior View of Practical Poultrv House.

outside and. tarred paper between. It is always well to leave
a two-inch air space between the two walls if the insitlo
ceiling of flooring is fitted tightly together and the outside
cracks are closely battened, as the dead air space thus made
will make the house warmer in winter and cooler in sum-
mer.

"Die passage, as shown in the illustration, has a board
floor and the poultry room has a floor of dry earth. In
winter this floor should be covered with short straw, leaves
or clean litter of this kind, in which the grain that is fed
should be thrown to keep the hens busy scratching in order
to force them to take necessary exercise.

The divisions between the poultry rooms and hallway, if
there are more rooms than one, should be boarded about two
feet above the floor, where there are no roosts, and from
there to the- roof should be made of wire netting, as shown
in the cut.

The arrangement for nests is shown in the illustration.
This makes it convenient to gather the eggs from the hall-
way.

The dusting box is placed where the sun can shine
directly on it through one of the windows, and on the south
wall is shown a hopper ,in which is kept a supply of grit,
while the water fountain or vessel stands before the other

a cheap poultry house which is convenient and may be mad?
perfectly comfortable. Any one who can handle a saw and
hammer can do all the work on such a house except hang-
ing the doors and putting in the windows. The inside arrange-
ments are all that is necessary. As to the outside the
builder can make it as ornamental as he wishes.

A poultry house built by the writer last year is on this
same plan practically, with the exception that instead of
only one room there are eight and the partitions between
the rooms were tight- from floor to roof, being made of floor-
ing. There is a door in each partition, hung on spring
hinges, and instead of two windows in a room there is but
one, containing sixteen lights ten inches square. This build-
ing is covered sides and roof with Neponset roofing, with bat-
tens every eighteen inches. This is painted with red "iron-
clad" paint and trimmed with white. Such a building costs
$234 complete, the carpenter getting $80. This is less than
$31 a room. The building cost too much, even at the high
price of lumber. It could be built for about $200 under
favorable circumstances in a oountry place. This building
sheltered Brovvr. Leghorns and Plymouth Rocks during the
severe weather of last winter, and not one of them was
touched with the frost, the hens laying freely during the
cold weather.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

POULTRY HOUSE FOR A CITY LOT.

By John Ramcke.

It is very difficult to construct a poultry house that serves

for both winter and summer, more especially where room is

not plentiful, as on a city lot; but in the illustration and

plans piven the object is to show a convenient mode of pro-

ing floor; 10x14 feet for each apartment, and a hall 4 feet
wide. It is 4 feet 6 inches up to the roosting floor and 4
feet 6 inches from there to the roof, which is of gravel. The
outside inelosure and the roof are constructed of double
flooring with tarred paper between them. The second floor
or roosting place is inclosed with windows, A A A A, which

Section C D— House for City Lot.

Outside View of Poultry House for City Lot.

Section A B — House for City Lot.

3.4

She.n

Hall

-E!

Upper Floor of House for City Lot.

teeting the fowls when on the roosts in winter, and also to
give them the benefit of the cool air in the summer. The
figure shows a winter protection against draughts of air.

The general outline is made plain in the cuts; it keeps
the fowls warm in the winter and provides ample room for
exercise, giving plenty of floor space. The house is 14x24
feet on the ground floor and 10x24 feet at the second or roost-

a. 4

•>

1 II

'1 II

: i ii i

Hill

It- % 1 o

=■

1 O 1

=1- E

i o x i J-

"="■

Lower Floor of House for City Lot.

are arranged to swing up against the ceiling in the sum-
mer, as shown by dotted line. Below these windows are
clean-out doors, B B B B, which can readily be opened and
the floor cleaned from the passage P in front of them. The
ladders C C lead to the roosting place through an opening
in the floor, D D. The nests, N N, are reached by ladders,
E E. The location of the nests is under the roosting place

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

floor, and very convenient to get at from the hall by open-
ing the little doors, E E.

The roosts, G G, which extend across the poultry house,
are resting on brackets at either end. The scratching place,
or the first floor, has no wood floor, but the ground is cov-
ered with leaves or cut straw, and gives the fowls plenty of
exercise in winter and is well lighted by the windows, -H H,
in the front.

By putting the roosting place on the second floor the

with drop siding on the outside, the inside of the studding
being first covered with tar paper and then with matched
boards, leaving an air space between the outer and inner
boarding, thereby keeping out the heat in summer and the
cold in winter. The floor is constructed of planks resting on
4x4 sleepers, bedded in cinders or sand. A cement floor
would be much preferable on account of keeping out rats and
other vermin, and the extra cost, which is about double
that of the wood floor, would pay for itself in a short time.

MOUTH -E LA VATI OM.
Double Poultry House.

scratching pen extends under and occupies the entire space
of the house, thus economizing space and affording a larger
scratching pen than could otherwise be made in a small
yard.

The cost of material for constructing such a house is
about $55, not counting labor.

For a smaller place one-half "of the house could be built.

A cement floor, being much colder than a wood floor, would
in winter have to be covered with about two inches of sand
and litter, which would at the same time give the hens exer-
cise in scratching for their food.

The nests and feed troughs are conveniently reached from

This house could be built cheaper, but Mr. Eamcke believes
in a double wall perfectly tight and draught-proof. An
ample amount of air is furnished the birds and the ventila-
tion is fully sufficient, and his birds have never suffered
for want of it. Mr. Eamcke's birds have never had roup or
lice, and he believes in sanitary prevention by keeping the
houses clean.

Thirty birds can be comfortably accommodated in this,
house, though this could be increased to forty. £

A DOUBLE POULTRY HOUSE.
The illustrations given are a floor plan, south and north
elevations and section of a double poultry house. The
advantage of a double poultry house, as presented in this
issue, is the southern exposure in the north pens as well as in
the south pens, while the gangway is in the center. It
makes the work much easier for the attendant to take care
of the different compartments. The house is planned to be
80 feet long and 24 feet wide, making each room 10x10 feet

&EC-AB

Double Poultry House.

the hall by little doors or slides, as shown in the section.
The roosts are fastened to the dropping floor, and the nests
under this floor should be arranged so they can be removed,
so as to facilitate the cleaning of every part. Perches should
be at least two inches wide. Fowls will cling to one edge of
a wide perch and the width will give opportunity to rest

Double Poultry House.

and the gangway 4 feet wide and the storage room 17x20
feet. The north and south walls are 7 feet 6 inches high,
and the roof has a pitch of six inches to the center and is
covered with tar roofing felt. The skylight is four feet
high above the roof and has windows on the south side,
allowing the sun to shine into the pens on the north side
of the building, the hall and dividing partitions all being
inclosed with wire netting three feet above the floor. The
outside walls and roof should be constructed of 2x4 studding

the weight on the shanks. A very narrow perch makes it
necessary to bear the weight of the breastbone, mainly in
one spot, and thus it becomes bent to one side or pressed in.
Old fowls have their breastbone hardened so that they will
stand the pressure without bending, but all should have wide
perches.

The skylight windows should be closely fitted and so
arranged that they can be opened for ventilation during the
day, but closed at night, except in warm summer nights,

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

when they may be kept partly open. If the house is properly
cleaned and aired during the day no ventilation is necessary
in cold weather, as it is very difficult to ventilate a poultry
house without causing draughts of air on fowls at night.
There is not so much foul air in a poultry house as may be
supposed, and no house is built so tight but that it will
admit some fresh air. The windows should be made mov-
able and covered on the inside with wire netting to pre-
vent the fowls from breaking the glass. The storeroon is
placed on the north side of the building in order to get the
majority of pens to the south side of the building. The
roof as shown is not as costly as a high gable roof would
be, and if the rafters are ceiled underneath, forming an
air space, it will be much warmer in winter and cooler in
the summer than a high roof. The material for a building
according to the illustration, if constructed of materials as
above described, with a wood floor, would not exceed $450.

It would pay breeders to erect sheds in the fall for the
growing stock. This could be cheaply done in the following
manner: Set four posts into the ground to form the corners
of a shed, say twelve feet long by seven feet wide. Board
up the side from which the prevailing rains come and let this
side be one of the long ones. The front posts should be
about four feet high, the rear ones six or seven feet, so as
to give a proper slope to the roof. This will make the long
open front the lowest and thus prevent the rain from driving
in very much, even when it comes from the unexpected
quarter. Nail a strong board across the front for the roof
boards to rest upon. This board preferably will be a two-
inch or an inch and a half plank. A similar one forms the
top of the boarding on the rear. Nail on the roof boards
and cover with roofing paper or shingles. Neponset red
roo'fing paper makes an excellent roof. Nail across the ends
a six-inch wide board about eighteen inches from the ground
as a support for the scantlings used as roosting poles. Such
a shed will make a good place for the chickens, and being
open on three sides will furnish them with plenty of fresh
air, something very necessary for their health. It would
cost in this locality about as follows:

Four posts at 25 cents, $1; 200 feet hemlock, .015, $3; two
scantlings 2x3, .018, 22 cents; nails, 10 cents; roofing paper,
$1; total, $5.32.

The labor can be done by the poultryman, and he can
charge for that whatever he thinks right.

Such a shed will have these advantages: It will furnish
a good roof for chickens; it will be airy, and yet being open
on all sides, but the rear will have no draughts; it will
make a shelter on rainy days; it will gradually accustom
the chickens to being housed, so that when it becomes desir-
able to take them into winter quarters they will be par-
tially accustomed to them; it will prevent much sickness
among the chickens, and its cost will be saved several times
over the first season, while it will last for quite a num-
ber of years.

Chickens accustomed to the open air when first brought
into winter houses are often made sick by the change. They
are attacked with influenza and inexperienced breeders imag-
ine they have the roup. They doctor them for the trouble
with some proprietary remedy, and as the chickens get well
they attribute the recovery to the virtues of the remedy.
As a matter of fact this distemper usually runs its course
in a few days or a week or two, and most of the chickens
will recover without any doctoring. The very best remedy
is plenty of fresh air, and if the windows are thrown wide
open the recovery of the chickens will be hastened. And
just here is where comes in one of the advantages of the shed
we have described. It is a partial training for the going
into winter quarters. It gradually accustoms the chickens
to a less free supply of air from what they had received in

the branches of the trees, and they are therefore less liable
to have this distemper. In fact, view the matter in any light
and such a shed is a real help toward successful chicken
raising.

But it is no protection against the depradations of vermin
like skunks and coons and foxes. If one is situated where
they must guard against these a modification of the shed
should be made. A bottom board should go around the four
sides and be set well into the ground. One end should be
boarded, or at least a door should be provided. Wire net-
ting, such as is used for fencing, may be tacked securely to
the open sides, and even the door may be simply a frame
covered with netting. This will secure the poultry from
the depredations of such enemies, and will not much inter-
fere with the circulation of air. It will add somewhat to the
cost of the house, as a door post, a frame for the door, two
hinges and a hasp or hook, and the netting and staples for
fastening it, must be provided, as well as the four bottom
boards. Even with these changes the shed will be an inex-
pensive structure, whose value will be received many times
over before its usefulness is exhausted. We certainly advise
those who never tried such a shed to build one this season.
If it is provided with wire sides it will be a handy place to
set hens next season, "and as a setting house will be worth
its cost.

A CHEAP AND CONVENIENT POULTRY HOUSE.

The needs of the great majority of poultry raisers are
amply provided for by building a plain, convenient poultry
house, supplied with the necessary fixtures, nest boxes,
roosts, feed boxes and suitable room for scratching shed for
exercise of fowls and their protection during stormy and
warm weather.

The illustration shown here provides for all these, and
the building can be constructed cheaply, giving safe protec-
tion and accommodation for the fowls.

A house of convenient size, as illustrated, should be made
10x10 feet, with eight-foot posts at the highest point. The
roof should have sufficient slope to freely allow drainage of
rain at about an eight-inch slope to the rear. In an ordi-
narily mild climate, common lapped siding can be used for
the sides; where the winters are severe, further protection
can be given by a double siding or with tarred paper. A
cheap roofing, and all that is necessary, can be made with
tarred roofing paper, fastened down with strips of lath.
This house needs no built flooring, a dirt floor answering
the purpose.

The open shed, the same size as the house, is a very
essential part of the building. The fowls have access to this
through low doors. In the hot days of summer it pro-
vides an artificial shade, and during stormy weather protec-
tion from rain, at the same time giving the fowls the exer-
cise they require. A layer of leaves or straw should cover
the ground on which food is thrown, making a perfect
scratching shed, which all traditions and experience prove
is absolutely necessary to good health and contentment of
fowls.

When space is limited and a free range is neither possi-
ble nor required, as is the case where a number of varieties
are kept, runs should be inclosed with wire fencing, con-
nected with the building.

The usual position to secure the best possible advantage
of light is with a south frontage.

The description and illustration give simply the barest
outline of the essential points necessary in an ordinary
shelter for one's fowls. The building must be governed by
the needs largely, and in case a large number of fowls are
lb be provided for this building can be duplicated, and m
such event the cost of the several buildings or sections

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

reduced. To prevent the ravages of rats and other preda- a significant fact, too, that some of the grandest prize -vfe

tory enemies of the feathered race it may be necessary to sink ners have the most modest surroundings,

under the walls of the building a foundation of brick or There are, however, many elaborate and beautiful houses

crushed glass to prevent their entrance into the building. built for the accommodation of poultry which are in har-

The material for this building
for $24.

A CHICAGO POULTRY HOUSE.

Costly and elaborate buildings are not necessary adjuncts
to the care and raising of fowls. This is demonstrated by

^^ ^Si^^^fcE ^P

Cheap and Convenient Poultry House.

an be easily bought mony with the tastes and surroundings of the owners, and
which further demonstrates the cosmopolitan nature of the
poultry fancy. The illustration given here is of a poultry
house erected in one of Chicago's suburban towns. A grave
fault with the average of the more expensive houses is the

Poultry, Pheasant and Quail House.

the fact that successful poultry raising, involving thou- liability of sacrificing the practical features for the orna-

sands of dollars yearly, is carried on where the investment mental, but in these plans they are combined.

ia building provides only for adequate shelter, space and The house is intended to accommodate poultry, pheasants

labor-saving conveniences at a merely nominal cost. It is and quail. It is built at an angle from the center simply

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

as a pleasing architectural feature. A porch is added at the
east end, fronting the owner's residence. The pheasants
occupy the semi-circular room in the middle of the building.
This is a room open to the ceiling, the entrance for the birds
being through the small windows under the eaves. Perches
are used, and in the center of the room is an old dead tree,
the branches of which also afford roosting places. The birds
are confined in a yard inclosed and covered by wire netting.
The quail house at the west end is also provided with the
same wire netting, to provide ample exercise for them.
The door at the left opens into a hallway adjoining the quail
house, and this hall extends the entire length of the house
\.at the rear of the poultry rooms. These rooms are four in
number, supplied with good light, have dirt floors and the
usuaL perches and dropping boards, which are movable.
The nest boxes are reached from the hallway.

The general dimensions of the building are 60 feet long,
15 wide and 8 feet high in the clear. The side elevation
shows the general arrangement. A flock of fifteen birds can
be conveniently housed in each room, making a capacity of
sixty birds, although this could be increased to eighty if
necessary. The cost of this building at Chicago prices was
about $8.50, although it could probably be done at a less
price, according to cost of labor.

PROPER LOCATION OF A POULTRY HOUSE
(See illustration, on page 11.)

The location of the poultry house is a matter of consider-
able importance. If the land is level it does not particularly
matter where the house is located as regards the lay of the
land, but care should be taken to so place it that buildings
will not keep the sun from shining on it all day. Very
frequently we see poultry houses so placed that a barn or
other outbuilding stands between them and the sun in the
early morning or late afternoon. If we could have everlast-
ing summer this would be an advantage, but unfortunately
we must think of long and cold winters, and it does not take a
very tall building to shut the sun out of a poultry house
for two or three hours in the winter. This prevents warm-
ing the building by the rays of the sun and should be
avoided. We have always thought shade trees make the
best shade for poultry of anything that can be had, and
for this reason would place a poultry house on the north
side of trees if we could always choose the location. Trees
furnish shade in the summer when it is needed, and if on
the south side of the poultry house they protect it from the
fierce rays of the summer sun, but in winter, being bare,
they allow the sun to shine directly into the house.

Where the ground is rough or broken it is frequently
very easy to so locate a poultry house that it will be under
the protection of a hill from the coldest winter winds. We
have seen some extremely comfortable poultry houses built
by digging a place in the side of a hill facing the south
and building the house in the excavation. Such a house
will have the whole front and part of the sides exposed,
while the back will rest against the bank of the excavation.

This matter of location should be seriously consideredr
when planning to build.

The illustration shows so plainly how to build a cheap
and practical poultry house that it needs but little explana-
tion. This house is only adapted to level ground, as it has
a hallway in the rear, which is used for storing feed and
from which the eggs may be gathered from the nests
through sliding doors in the back of the nest boxes. The
perches are above the nests, the top of the nests serving
as a dropping board. The supports of the perches should
never touch the walls at any point, and the dropping board
should be kept constantly covered with air-slaked lime,

sifted coal ashes or very fine road dust. Never use wood
ashes for this purpose, on account of the alkali in them,
which ruins the value of the droppings and spoils the shanks
of the fowls. If these two points are kept in mind it will
be easy to prevent mites from getting a hold in the house.
Keep the perches and their supports away from the side
walls and keep the dropping board covered as indicated
above. If this is done the mites are isolated on the perches
and easily combated if they appear.

The nests should be just high enough so the fowls can
stand under them comfortably, and if the large breeds are
kept a wide running board or a step should be provided in
order that they may get in and out comfortably. The floor
may be of any material, but should be kept covered with
three or four inches of sand or earth and this covered with
straw or other litter.

The glass covered run in front may or may not be used.
Its value is a matter of dispute. Personally we do not use
such an addition at all. preferring to put the glass in the
front of the house. A good many good poultrymen are in
lavor cf such a run and there is good argument in support
of its use. In any case the wall between the run and the
main room should be continued down to the ground and
only a small door left through which the fowls could run in
and out. The sash should be so arranged that they can be
easily lifted off to let air into the run and to clean it when
cleaning is needed. From these hints the man who has but
a single flock can construct a poultry house that will meet
every requirement.

DESCRIPTION OF A MODEL POULTRY HOUSE.
A Poultry House Fully Illustrated and Described — The

Result of Years of Experience With mid Care of Fowls.
Thomas F. Rigg.
About the most important requirement on a poultry farm
is the buildings. Fowls must be properly housed from Nov.
1 to May 1 to do well, and, consequently, to properly reward
the owner. I have built several houses, but the one
recently completed, and which will be briefly described
herein, is, in my opinion, a model. In the first place the
location is an ideal one. The building is situated in a
clearing, on a southwestern slope. With the exception of
this clearing and a like one to the north of the house the
whole tract is heavily timbered with oaks and willows. A
short distance west of the building, of which the roof can
only be seen in the photograph' is a "generous spring. This
supplies the range stock with fresh and cool water of the
best quality during the warm months. On the banks of the
stream, of which the spring is the fountain head, the birds
are free from the scorching sun, for along the stream the
timber is so thick that in most places the sun's rays cannot
penetrate the dense foliage. And how the youngsters do like
it, and how they do grow ! The whole tract is seeded to red
clover and blue grass, and back from the stream this makes
a luxuriant growth. The house here described faces (as
all others on the place do) to the south, of course. It is
16x48 feet. It is made of the best grade of lumber through-
out. The sides and ends are of drop-siding. It is ceiled
inside, sides, ends and overhead with shiplap. On the inside,
between the drop-siding and the shiplap, the best quality
of building paper was used. This prevents the cold air
entering the dead air space, and what little does get in
cannot find its way into the house proper. The house is
well floored. On the roof the best grade of red cedar
shingles were used. I have learned that it is not well to
build a poultry house with a shed roof, because the front or
high side will be to the south, and the sun in winter being
so far south that its rays strike the shed roof so slanting
they do not assist in warming and drying out the house.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES

With a cone roof the conditions were reversed. The windows
are of double sash, making the total window space 2ixo
feet. Each sash is so set as to be raised or lowered as desired.
Storm windows are added in winter.

This house is given over entirely to the breeding pens.
Each of the four pens has an outside run, 110 feet long and
12 feet wide, with the exception of the east one. This has e,
run 116x16 feet. As will be noted, these runs are planted
to trees — cherry and plum. The trees are yet young, but
will soon supply shade. The runs are seeded to red clover
and blue grass. In the construction of pen partitions five
foot wire netting was used, with a board on the bottom.

The Interior. — A sketch of the pens is herewith shown.
In the construction of this house the aim was to combine
as many good things as possible. By so doing the welfare
of the fowls is taken care of fully and the work of attend-
ing them reduced to the minimum. D is the door by which
the building is entered from the east. The hallway extends
the entire length of the building on the north side and is

lice-killer, as are. the nests. The nests are placed two feet
from the ground. They are made roomy and are entered
from the end, there being a passageway in front of the nests.
The side facing the pens is tight, as is the slanting top.
This makes the nests quite dark, and the top not being level
the birds cannot roost thereon. The hallway fence is made of
small square pickets, three feet high, with wire netting
extending above to the ceiling. The eggs are gathered from
the hallway by reaching into the nests between the pickets.
L- G- represents small boxes containing lime, grit and
charcoal. These boxes are small (cigar boxes will answer
nicely) and set upon the floor in the hallway. The fowls
can secure the contents by reaching through between the
pickets. By having the boxes in the hallway the materials
are not scattered out of the boxes and wasted. The dust boxes
are each 3x3 feet, 6 inches high. The pen divisions are
made with wire netting with boards on the bottom two feet
high.

The morning feed is given in shallow troughs. As soon

Model Poultry House.

four feet wide. Each pen is 12x12 feet. It will be seen
that in the furnishing of these pens the only floor space
given up to any fixture is that occupied by the dust bath,
D B. This is important, for during the long months when
the fowls must of necessity be confined they need all the
floor space possible. Each pen is entered by a door, D.
The roosts are designated by B. The roosts are ten feet long,
there being two in each pen. They are made of 2x4 timbers
and are placed with broad side for fowls to roost upon.
They are placed upon dropping boards in the form of a
platform 10 feet long by 4 feet wide. The roosts are nine
inches above the dropping boards, the dropping boards being
two feet six inches from the floor. The platform consti-
tuting the dropping boards is held in place by hinges connect-
ing with the pen division boards and by two legs in front.
This allows us to keep the whole free from vermin. Every
two weeks the platform is raised by means of a pulley and
thoroughly painted on the bottom side with liquid lice-
killer. The droppings are removed three times a week.
Every two weeks the roosts and upper side (as well as
lower side) of the platform is gone over thoroughly with the

as the meal is over the troughs are removed from the pens
and hung up in the hall.

The Water Troughs. — One of the very best egg producing
materials is warm water. In the average poultry house
about the most neglected duty is .watering the stock. The
water trough here shown is a very practical one. It is three
feet long, four inches wide on inside and three inches deep.
It can be made of common boards. Get the length of your
trough inside and proceed to make the floater. Take an
inch or half-inch board, the length and width of inside
trough, and cut out in the middle and to within one inch of
either end a piece three-quarters of an inch wide. Upon
the top of this board nail a strip of lath on each side of the
opening so that each strip will come flush with the opening.
This floater now place in the trough and it will float upon
the surface of the water. The water in the openinc, 3, will
rise even with the bottom of the lath, and thus the surface
of 1 and 2 will be at all times dry. The fowls cannot get
their combs or wattles wet. There will be colds contracted
by having wet faces. This trough is especially desirable for
the breeder of any of the crested varieties. The trough is

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

set on the hallway floor and the fowls secure the water
from between the pickets. It is always clean. It is the best
thing of the kind I have ever seen or used.

Labor-Saving Devices. — Upstairs in the attic are four feed
bins. These are of necessity small, but will hold a winter's
supply of oats, wheat, barley and shelled corn. A tube runs
from each bin down into the hallway, each bringing feed into

D.e.

' J r" L

E G

- <:

~r5

- 1 ( H

a box resting on a shelf. From these boxes the feed is taken
at feeding time. There is no running for feed or carrying
of same. It is right there at hand and the grain can be fed
as desired. I find it better not to have small grains mixed.
If kept separate this way it can be mixed at feeding time
as desired to meet the conditions. In the west e|id of the
hallway is located the soft feed bins. Here, too, are a pair
of scales used in weighing birds. The liquid lice-killer and
•other necessary things are kept in a small cupboard on the
west side of the hallway. The droppings are used about the
fruit trees and upon the grass range.

The ground upon which the building is located has a
decided western and southern slope. This makes the space
beneath the western portion of the building roomy. There
is a door in the foundation on the south, and the room is
occupied as storage place for brood coops and the like.

Some of my fellow fanciers who were here when the build-
ing was in course of construction tried to induce me to put
a glass front in the high portion of the foundation and use
the basement as scratching sheds. But I have had an expe-
rience with damp basement scratching sheds and did not
care to repeat it. I can keep the fowls busy in these pens
as described. The floor is covered with straw and they must
scratch for every particle of grain they eat. If fed as
per the plan given last month they will find no time to
be idle.

The Range. — The building to the north, of which a por-
tion of the roof only could be shown owing to the foliage
of the huge oaks, is a poultry house and barn combined, 48x60
feet. Here is kept the bulk of the stock, and it is fitted up
not only to accommodate this stock, but also the large

amount of grain and clover hay kept constantly on hand.
Here, too, is the bone cutter, one of the things which no
man who is raising poultry can possibly afford to be with-
out. Since using a bone- cutter I have increased the egg
yield 33 1-3 per cent. Not only this, but the fowls are healthier

and the chicks grow more rapidly and consequently develop
more quickly. And when it comes to getting a bird up to
weight for an exhibition there is nothing that will do it
so quickly as a feed of green cut bone, milk and a feed of
cornmeal and ground oats.

At the close of the breeding season the males which
headed the pens are taken to a range and there kept all
summer. No females are on this range, the males roosting
in a small shed which is open to the south. They, too, have
shade and running water. The females used in the pens
are also turned out to grass.

The brood coops containing the chicks are scattered in
a grove through which water runs. They forage on the
clover and blue grass pasture or in the shade of the trees
at will. They are kept here until removed to the yards and
winter quarters.

Cost of House. — This house cost $250. As stated, it is
built of the best material and the workmanship is first-
class. It was built to last. As roomy a house can be built
for less money, of course, but I believe in building well, and
know of nothing in connection with this house that I would
care to do without.

THE ROOSTS.
HE instinct of self-preservation prompts fowls

Tto perch on the highest point they can attain
when seeking their quarters at night. This
is done because they naturally desire to be
far above the reach of danger from below,
and they go under shelter to avoid the ene-
mies that fly in the air. This instinct of
the fowl is well known, and yet some breeders construct
their roosts in such a manner as to have the rear cross-
piece higher than the next and so continuing until the first
one is quite low. If any one will take a look into the quar-
ters at night after the fowls have retired it will be seen
that, no matter how much room there may be on the roosts,
a portion of the lower space will be unoccupied, while the
higher poles will be crowded, the fowls being as compactly
pressed together as though the packing process had been
purposely done to get them all as high as possible. There
are several objections to such roosts, not only so far as tha
discomfort of the fowls is concerned, but because they are
unsightly, unhandy and filthy. The gridiron roost, with its
low and high perches, is an obstacle in the way of clean-
ing the coop. It takes up unnecessary space and it compels
the heavy fowls to jump higher at the risk of knocking over
the small ones and an occasional fall is the consequence
when coming off. Not only are the feet injured, but bruises
and jars to the body are also the result.

Perches should all be on a level with each other, and
should be made easily removable. By so doing the fowls will
not crowd each other and the perches can be cleaned and
washed with coal oil occasionally. No injury from getting on
or off will occur, and no conflict for preference of position
will take place, to say nothing of superior ventilation,
facility of removal of droppings, access of the attendant
and beauty of arrangement.

BOOSTING WITHOUT BOOSTS.
In Accidental Suggestion Followed Out — Lighter Breeds
and White Fowls May Be Housed Witlwut Roosting Poles —
. Hints as to Ventilation.

B. W. Davison.
The question of low roosts, high roosts and ladder roosts
has been pretty thoroughly discussed, but the question of
no roosts has been neglected. True, it is not a new subject;
but few have seriously considered it. I discovered its advis-
ability by neglect. I neglected to attend to the ever-present

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

lice in one of my roosts until the pole and dropping board
was alive with them, and to make quick work of it I care-
fully carried board and roost pole outdoors, saturated them
with kerosene and applied the match. After that I satu-
rated parts of the inside of house. To make sure I left the
board and roost pole outside, and as the floor was well lit-
tered with straw I thought I would let the fowls roost on
it for a time.

My chicks have now been roosting on the floor over three
months. I think that I will never put the roost back again
and am considering the advisability of moving all roost
poles from my other houses.

At the time of giving the morning mash I throw a few
handfuls of wheat among the straw, especially in the corner
where the chicks sleep, and in a short time all the droppings
will disappear. At night I see that the straw is clean and
thick in the roosting corners.

The house should be cleaned once a week, but if left two
w : eeks no bad smell will be perceptible. In cleaning I care-
fully shake all droppings out of the straw and move it to
the front of the house, while I rake and scrape the drop-
pings away. Afterward I change the straw to the cleaned
space and finish the job. The floor is of sand. With this
method the droppings do not accumulate in one spot and
become heated, but are scattered and dried by being mixed
with the sand, thus preventing fermentation and the escape
of odor.

The birds keep very clean, seldom soiling a feather.
Being low down, they escape all draughts and keep much
warmer than if perched up on a roost pole. It is easy to
protect the birds from cracks here, as a piece of tarred felt
run around the wall will do it. The birds keep in fine
health, notwithstanding the house was open — you could see
through it anywhere — until freezing weather set in.

I would not recommend this plan for a large flock quar-
tered in a small house, but for small flocks — fifteen or
twenty birds — it is fine. I believe more winter eggs will
be the result because of the warm corner. The house should
be perfectly bare except for a few low nest boxes.

Speaking of health, reminds me of H. S. Babcock's plea
for fresh air. His claim is that hens will winter better —
less disease or colds — in an open than in a closed one. This
does not agree with my experience, for I make all roosts
as tight as possible and have no ventilators. My birds
seldom have colds and I do not lose over 2 per cent from
all causes per year.

This fall I covered my houses on the outside with tarred
paper (roofs and side). It is all right to line on the inside,
but if only one lining is to be used let it, by all means,
be on the outside. Good, cheap sheathing paper will last —
on the sides — for several years. We can make a tighter
job by so doing and with less trouble.

Several of my houses I lined on the outside, as stated
above, while some I did not, and one already had an out-
side lining on, but it was old and had a few small holes.
The fowls— pullets — in this house and the unlined houses
caught heavy colds in the fore part of December, while
the birds in the lined houses did not get any. The former
are getting better from the effects of spongia in the drink-
ing water and a fixing up of the houses. I never had any-
thing like it before and if I had not taken these colds in
hand at the start I would soon have had the roup amongst
them.

Strange as it may seem to some, yet I do not think the
houses had much to do with the fowls taking cold; yet it
might have had a little to do with it. These eases of colds
were only among the 75 pullets purchased late in the fall
— November. I do not know what kind of care they had
received, but I have reason to believe their only roosts

were the trees until I purchased them. They were not as
fat as they should have been and they probably had to
hunt for most of their food. I put them in my close
houses and fed them largely on stimulating food, and there
is where I probably made the mistake. I gave them al)
they would eat while my own chicks I fed more spar-
ingly, for they were fat enough when I put them up. I
yarded my own chicks early in October while the boughten
ones I did not yard until late in November.

Mr. Babcock is both right and wrong according to my
handling. I do not use ventilators, as I said before. Dur-
ing warm nights I have the houses open. During medium
cold nights I leave one window partly open, according to
the degree of cold, and during cold weather I shut the
houses up as tightly as possible.

The purchased pullets were not in perfect health and
I believe the sudden change from tree roosts to tight roosts,
together with the high feeding, produced the bad results.
My own chicks were in perfect health and the change from
the fields to the yards was made during mild weather and
they became gradually acclimated, so to speak. Mr. Bab-
cock is a thoroughly reliable man and does not recommend
a thing until he is sure of it and his experience is on his
side; but, as for me, give me tight roosts. As to the pur-
chased pullets, I should have followed Mr. Babcock's method
for a time at least and not attempted to either forced the
fowls or placed them immediately in winter quarters. They
should have been gradually put in prime condition and then
placed in their permanent quarters. The question depends
largely upon the fowls themselves.

I remember reading in Farm-Poultry about a breeder,
in Vermont I think, who kept his laying stock in houses
with slat fronts during the winter and eggs were abund-
ant and fowls healthy. I like to have at least half of my
fowls laying during November, December and January, and,
although I have never tried the open house plan, yet I
have so little faith in it that it is very likeiy I will never
try it.

I know, from experience, that iio matter what plan we
use we can never have success unless we give our chicks
unlimited range until they reach the laying period. The
best plan of poultry house is the open-front seratching-shed
plan. Heavy muslin tacked on frames can be hinged so
as to readily close up the open front during stormy weather,
but at all other times these frames should be open and if
the floor is littered eight inches deep the fowls will keep
warm by scratching for small grains — a few handfuls thrown
in occasionally — and at the same time get plenty of fresh
air and sunshine, which after all is of more importance
during the winter than the food.

ROOSTS AND DROPPINGS-BOARD.

The accompanying sketch illustrates a handy method of
supporting both the roosts and dropping! board. The nec-
essity of having everything possible about the poultry house
movable, and of giving the fowls every available inch of
floor space, is becoming thoroughly, and I believe, uni-
versally understood.

Poultry houses and yards need not be fancy, but they
should provide to the greatest possible degree, such ele-
ments as are conceded to be absolutely indispensable to the
welfare of the stock. "Whatever is worth doing is worth
doing well." Put that method into practice in the mana«e-
ment of your poultry, and construction of all buildings
and accessories, and note the satisfactory results.

The accompanying sketch is self-explanatory, and regard-
ing it we will merely add that the view is from the south
side of the pen, looking toward the alleyway. The drop-
pings board is supported on the side next the alleyway by

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

25,

neavy hooks and screw eyes, the screw eyes being fastened
Into the studding. On the front side it is supported from
the ceiling. Picture wire is very strong and pliable, and
consequently best adapted to the purpose; strong cord
or small rope, however, may also be used, where picture
wire is not available. The roost or roosts are suspended
in the same manner (from the ceiling) and are stayed
to prevent swinging, by wires and hooks, as shown. Drop-
pings board may be hung at any desired height from
the floor, and the nest boxes— located underneath where
eggs may be gathered from the alleyway, or a grating can
be put in, and the fowls fed the soft feed from a trough
in the alleyway, as per drawing. It may of course be of
any width or length to suit one's needs and should be
built of matched lumber. The advantages of supporting
roosts and droppings board in this manner, are: the floor
space is unobstructed, thus greatly facilitating cleaning out
the pens. They are readily removed and replaced, and sim-
ple and inexpensive to construct. And by painting the hooks
and eyes frequently with liquid lice killer, one may suc-
cessfully combat lice and mites. In cases of unusually

as to raise them successfully, once they are hatched. Much
depends upon the health and vigor of the parent stock,
the manner of keeping the eggs before incubation and proper
management during this period; and truly we have a good
start toward the desired end when we can place in the
brooders strong healthy chicks. But unless we have good
brooders, and the chicks be given the pi-oper management,
we shall attain to very indifferent results.

The incubator is a machine which it will, in most cases,
be found unprofitable to attempt to construct ourselves, but
anyone at all handy with tools can build a brooder, con-
structed upon the right lines, which will meet every require-
ment. It is with the view of assisting those who wish to
build their own that I give herewith a description of a
style of hot air heater, which is inexpensive, simple and
to be depended on to do its part successfully every time and
under all favorable conditions.

The heater is simply a drum, having the top double seamed
on, preferably without the use of solder. The bottom is
made in the form of a cover, viz., it has a collar two inches
high, double seamed on, and the drum fits snugly inside

Plan of Roosts and Droppings Board.

long droppings boards, they may need a brace lengthwise
along the under side to prevent sagging. Or an additional
hanger will answer the same purpose.

HOT AIR BROODER.
A Simple, Inexpensive and Practical Artificial Mother,
which is within the Reach of all Poultrymen — Plans and
Description.

By E. A. Phelps, Austinburg, 0.

HILE many a breeder tries to crowd along late
hatched chicks, in an endeavor to bring them
to proper size and weight for the shows, it
behooves us to take some steps to have some
stock which shall be hatched early enough
to fully mature in size and feather ' by the
first of December. Given fully matured stock,
we shall experience little difficulty in putting birds into
the show room. fully up to, if not over, weight.

To accomplish this result we must abandon nature's meth-
od, time and manner of hatching and rearing the chicks,
and right here the incubator and brooder come to our aid.
It is not so difficult an undertaking to hatch the chicks

this collar and is worked down until it rests full upon the
bottom when putting the heater in place. It will be un-
derstood, therefore, that the bottom, as above described, is
made separate from the drum, so that said drum may be lift-
ed up and out. A hole three inches in diameter is cut in the
center of this removable bottom, to permit the bottom being
made separate from the drum, so that said drum may be
varied in size in accordance with the size of the lamp chim-
ney used, but should not be any larger than necessary to
permit the chimney to be freely inserted or withdrawn. The
sides of the drum are straight, as shown in Fig. 1, and
are ten inches high. The diameter may be varied to suit
the number and age or size of the chicks to be brooded.
A drum twenty inches in diameter will brood fifty to sev-
enty-five chicks until they are three weeks old, when they
should be put in a larger brooder or the number reduced.
A two-inch tube is put into the center of the top. That is
to say, this tube is two inches in diameter and four inches
long, or it may be any length necessary to carry the fumes
from the lamp out of the brooder entirely. See Pig. 1.

Fig. 2 illustrates a heat deflector, which is needed to
throw the heat that would otherwise pass directly up-
ward and out of the drum, against the sides of same. This

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

may be made from a piece of sheet or galvanized iron, as
follows: First cut the iron in one piece into a 26-inch
circle, after which mark (from center) a 19-inch circle.
Now mark out the legs, shown on Fig. 2, G 6 &, which
are three inches wide. Then cut them from outside toward
center exactly to the 19-inch circle. Now following the
19-ineh circle, cut around from leg to leg, when you will
have a circular piece of iron, 19 inches in diameter, with
three legs, each 3 J inches long. Mark each leg across (as
shown by dotted line, Fig. 2) $ inch beyond the edge of the
19-inch circle, and bend them over, so that they will stand
perpendicular. This completes the deflector, which should
iiow drop easily into the drum, the legs downward and rest-

Hot Air Brooder.

ing on the bottom of the same. There will then be a
i-inch space between the edge of the deflector and the sides
of the drum, the three legs centering the deflector. E, Fig. 1.
shows deflector in position.

To form the hover proper, construct out of half inch
lumber a circular cover, 32 inches in diameter, in the cen-
ter of which cut a hole large enough to slip easily over the
pipe, in top of the drum. Tack around the edge of thi3
wooden cover a strip of heavy woolen cloth or felt, 10 inches
wide, and slit the same every two inches. Now tack another
strip of felt around, and slit it also every two inches, but
so that it will break joints. The wooden cover can now be
placed on top of the drum, the two-inch pipe projecting up-
wards through the hole cut to receive it. The felt hanging
downward, to within half an inch of the bottom, forms the

Hot Air Brooder.

hover, six inches wide, all around the drum, and will be
always warmer than the air elsewhere in the brooder and
the chicks pass freely in or out at will. The brooder box,
for indoor use, may be made four feet wide, and six feet
long on the inside, and twelve inches deep, bottom being
made of matched lumber. Cutting a hole through this
floor six inches in diameter, place the removable bottom
of drum over it, and with screws fasten the same down
tightly. Put the drum and the wooiTen hover cover in their
places, and your brooder is complete and ready for opera-
tion, except for the cover, which should be made in the
form of two doors, each 2x4 feet, hinged on outside edges.
These doors should be, rather, frames, covered with one-
inch mesh wire netting.

The brooder box is set on legs to raise it twelve inches
above the floor of the building in which it is used, and
the lamp set underneath, the chimney of same projecting
a little way into the drum. The heater, by the way, should
be located at one end of the brooder box, and thus leave
the rest of the room for the chicks to work around in when
small. Larger pens may be constructed and an opening
cut in the end of the brooder opposite the hover, admitting
the chicks to more room, and from thence to outside runs,
when the age of the chicks and the weather permit it,

PLAN FOR BROOD COOP.

BY E. A. PHELPS, AUSTINBTJHG, O.

When the hatching season is again at hand it behooves
those who will depend on biddy for an incubator to see
to it that she is provided with proper quarters to rear
her young. New brood coops must be made, or the old ones
repaired, cleaned and whitewashed inside. Don't wait till
the hatch is completed, and then in your unpreparedness
knock together any old thing to put hen and chicks in.
Such shiftlessness is invariably accompanied by the same
laxness in other features of poultry management, and is
not tolerated by those who are making a success of the
business.

There are brood coops and brood coops, and many of
them are very satisfactory. Others are worse than no coop
at all. The writer, like many other breeders of experience
with different styles of coops, has found both good and bail
features in nearly if not quite all of them, and it is with
the hope that some unfortunate looking for something bet-
ter may be aided, that I shall attempt to illustrate and
describe herewith what I consider just a little nearer per-
fection, than any other brood coop I have seen or used.

When we consider that in the early spring there are
many days so chilly and wet that the chicks should not
be allowed outside, it must be plain to all that brood coop
should be of such construction as to permit of keeping the
chicks inside, without discomfort. Such a coop must be
roomy, dry, reasonably warm and light inside when enclosed;
and as cleanliness is one of the watchwords of poultrydom,
it must permit of being quickly, easily and thoroughly cleaned.
The coop in question is two feet wide, three feet long,
eighteen inches high under the eaves and two feet high at
the peak. The roof and a portion of the sides and ends are
in the form of a cover, readily raised, or lifted entirely
off. The bottom or floor is movable, and can be easily
removed and replaced when cleaning out. Being three feet
square it forms a platform in front a foot wide, for feed
and water and also for the convenience of chicks when the
coop is raised off the ground by legs or otherwise,

The doors, for use nights and in bad weather, are glazed,
and held in place by buttons as shown. When not in use
they are hung against the ends, out of the way, yet al-
ways handy when wanted. The rods are of quarter inch
iron, set in holes five-sixteenths inch in diameter, one inch
apart. This permits of their being readily removed or
adjusted to form two, three or four inch openings, those in
illustration being set three inches apart,

The material used is seven-eighths inch, planed and matched
lumber. Six inches wide and twelve-foot length will cut
without waste. Eight of these boards will furnish suffi-
cient material for the entire coop save the pieces forming
the front and back of the cover, which are cut to form
the pitch of the roof. These two pieces require a board
full six feet in length and full nine inches wide, to allow
cutting in two, cutting the pitch, and jointing. The bill
of material required to complete this coop is as follows:

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

8 boards, 48 square feet JxO-12 matched flooring; pine
preferred.

1 board, Jx9-6; pine.

10 feet of 4-inch iron rod.

2 lights of 8x14 glass.

1 strip of galvanized iron, 6x30 inches.

1 gross lj-ineh screws, No. 9.

6 medium heavy hooks and screw eyes.
First, rip out of the matched stuff four pieces for cor-
ners, three inches wide and fifteen and a fourth inches long.
Eight here let me say that this coop is of simple construc-
tion, and not nearly so complicated as it may appear at
first glance. Anyone at all handy with tools can with u
little care turn out a creditable job, and the only tools
needed are a sharp rip and cut-off saw, jack plane, ham-
mer, screw driver, five-sixteenths-inch bit and brace, mitre
box and work bench with vise when possible. Now, cut
from your matched stuff six pieces, exactly two feet long,
being particular to mark and saw so the ends shall be
square. Take two of these and plane off the groove to
gain a square edge. Next, taking one of these pieces and
two having the tongue and groove, drive the three together
till all joints are tight, and measure upward fifteen inches,

line and screw to place. Line across J inch from back edge,
and set the other batten to that line. Put in the screws,
and the floor is finished. It will take three pieces three
feet long to form the back, the groove being planed off
from one and one piece being ripped to make the back
fourteen and one-eighth inches high ichen put together. Now
being ready to put in the back, let its top edge come up
flush with top edge of the ends, and fasten to place, set-
ting screws both through the back and into corner pieces
and through the ends into the back boards. The ends will
now be noticed to project 1 of an inch below the back, this
space being filled by the thickness of the floor when .same is
in place.

We are now ready to go ahead with the front, and first
in order come the strips C and D, which are each 34j inches
in length. The strip C is If inches wide, and strip D is
2i inches wide. When you have ripped out these pieces
and planed them to required widths, place them side by
side in the vise, their top edges flush. Now mark the cen-
ter (eighteen inches from either end) and across both
strips, mark one inch each way from the center, which is
where the strip E will come. Now having these strips still -
in the. vise, edges up, take your 5-16 bit and bore holes one

Plan for Brood Coop.

and with square or other straight edge mark across the
top board. This line should divide the board almost exactly
in half. Now rip this piece in two just outside the mark,
to allow for jointing with your plane. These three pieces
on. which you have just been working should (when again
driven tightly together) measure 15x24 inches, and consti-
tute one end of the coop. (See B illustration.) Proceed in
like manner with the other three pieces for the other end.
Next, line across these pieces which are to form the ends
of the coop, Vt, inch both front and back, and lay on your
corner pieces, 3x1554 inches, letting them come inside of
and just up to the line, their lower end i]4 inches above the
lower edge of your bottom board to allow for the thickness
of the floor and battens holding same together. Now, hav-
ing corner pieces in place, put in your screws, and the ends
of your coop are done.

For the floor, which should be made next, cut seven pieces
of matched stuff, each three feet long. It will take seven
pieces to get your three feet length because six inch matched
stuff loses in matching. Drive the seven pieces together
tight, after having taken the groove off one piece, then
match and rip the seventh piece to have the floor measure
3x3 feet. Now cut two mof!e pieces three feet long for
battens to hold your floor together. Plane off the tongue
and groove. Line across your floor 12^ inches from front
edge, and set one of the battens inside of and up to this

inch apart between centers, commencing at the ends and
working toward the center. This should give you exactly
fourteen holes from ends to the marks one inch each way
from the centers. It will require some care to bore these holes
through 21 inches of wood and keep them irr the center of
I inch material, but it can be done by watching to guard
against slanting the bits in any direction. The holes should
be bored through the 21-inch strip and J of an inch into the
lf-inch strip; and since the strip D will stand directly over
the strip C when in place, the holes must be in practically
perfect alignment to allow the iron rods to slip easily
through D into C, a feature only to be gained by measuring
the distances for the holes exactly the same on both strips.
This can be accomplished with greater certainty when the
strips are side by side in the vise, when, should it be neces-
sary to vary the distance between holes, the variation will be
the same in both strips.

The strip E is 11 J inches long by 2 inches wide, and may
be toenailed to D with eight-penny finishing nails, and C
being but If inches wide, ten-penny finishing nails may be
used to fasten the lower end of E in place by nailing right
through the strip C into the end of E.

The two strips C and D being now fastened together by
E, fasten them in place by screws through corner pieces A
into ends of D and with ten-penny finishing nails through the
ends B and corner pieces A into C. The top edge of D comes

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

flush with the top end of A and the lower edge of C comes
flush with the bottom end of A, the face of both C and D
coming flush with the front edge of A.

The strip F is three feet long by 2 inches wide, and when
set to place its bottom edge comes J of an inch above the
bottom edge of the ends B. Fasten by screws through B into
the ends. The face of F is flush with front edges of the
ends B.

It will now be seen that the corner pieces A and the strips
C, D and E form stops for the doors G, which come next in
order. These are made, of 2-inch strips mitered at corners
and nailed with the eight-penny finishing nails. They are
each 12x18 inches and leave 8x14 inch openings. The glass is
held in center by H-ineh strips tacked in with 3-inch brads,
these strips being behind and in front of the glass.

Strips corresponding to D but one inch wider are cut to
fit in between corner pieces A across the ends, across the back,
their top edges coming flush with the top of corner pieces A.

■I .h

it may be depended upon to raise the cbieks in almost any
weather. The floor may be held in place by hooks and screw
eyes on inside or by pegs through the ends B. A good coat
of paint will add much to its appearance and durability.

After the hen has weaned her brood the coop will afford
shelter nights and during storms, until cold weather forces
the flock into winter quarters.

You have all noticed how after the chicks are weaned they
cling to the coop where they have been hovered by the mother
hen, and how hard it is to break them of seeking shelter
therein. No need to change them in this coop till winter.
It is a brood coop and open front summer coop in one, easily
cleaned and accessible to whitewash. Keep dry dirt and litter
inside.

BROOD COOP.

BY E. A. PHELPS, AUSTINBUEG, O.

Herewith are presented sketches of a coop, which we think
for neatness and the comfort and safety of the hen and
chicks is a little ahead of anything we have yet seen or
used. We are adopting it entirely this season. The essen-
tial features of a good brood coop are: Abundance of light
and fresh air, warmth, dryness, security from rats and all
small animals, freedom from direct draughts and porta-
bility. It must be easily accessible to clean out. We have
built and used several styles of coops, each of whiieh

J5r^E»sras!5E333Ssr?s^

Lfl

7»£. Z

Sections of Brood Coop.

These three strips, with the strip D, form a collar so to speak,
over which fits the cover I. These extra strips should be
screwed to the ends B and the back, and not only act as a
collar, but serve to break joints.

The boards forming the front and back of the cover are cut
36 inches long, the pitch being 6 inches, from 3 inches wide
at the ends to 9 inches at peak. The pieces forming the ends
J are, of course, 3 inches wide by 24 inches long, their top
edges being planed to same pitch as the pieces I, and are
screwed to them. Three-inch strips K K, 22J inches long, are
put in between the pieces I to support the roof boards at the
peak.

Roof boards are cut two feet long, which gives them a pro-
jection of four inches at the eaves. Allow also for three inches'
projection over front and back. Drive roof boards together
as tight as possible at joints, and use plenty of screws. Put
the strip of galvanized iron on with heavy tacks to prevent
leakage at the peak, and your coop is done, unless you wish
to provide legs, which can be easily made adjustable to any
height.

I have called this coop a combination brood coop, because

possessed good features, but have found nothing so con-
venient to work with and in every way so desirable as this
one.

The coop is three feet square and thirty inches high at
the highest point of ends. The sides are cut thirty-four and
a quarter inches in length, and should be nailed inside the
ends. Or, properly speaking, the ends nail onto the sides,
as shown in Figs 1 and 2.

The ends should be made first, and may be of boards twelve
inches wide, which are most convenient to use, and we are
taking it for granted that you will use lumber seven-eighths
of an inch thick, matched and planed. Square one end of
three twelve-inch boards, join together, and nail a strip
three inches wide across the ends you have squared. This
strip serves two purposes. One to hold the boards together,
and the other to support the floor. See F F, Fi<* 2. Now
measure up from the bottom twenty-four inches, and mark
it for height of front side; thirty inches for peak and fif-
teen inches for back side. Line from point to point and
saw off, and you have one end. The other being formed
in the sam(, manner. A board twelve inches wide, g Fig.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

2 (laid horizontally), forms the back side, the bottom edge
rssting on the cleats, f f. I, Fig 1, shows a board eight
inches wide, which forms the upper part of the front side,
tiie lower part beirrg formed by the door a, which is a
board twelve inches wide, and hinged to the bottom of
the coop. During the day this is left open and serves
the purpose of a runway from the ground up to the
floor of the coop and at night is shut tight; also in
stormy weather, if desired. Light strips (h, h, h, h) seven-
eighths inches thick, form a rabbet against which the door
swings, and in which are set the three-eighths iron rods
shown in Fig. 1. We set rods three and a half inches apart.
The bottom fits snugly inside, and slides in and out on
the cleats, f. f. To it is hinged the door a. An opening
is cut in the steep side of the roof, ten by fourteen inches,
e, Fig. 2, over which is placed a fourteen by eighteen pane
of glass, d, the glass being held in place by strips two
inches wide, c c. The glass should come close up under
the projecting portion of the roof, which will not leak. The
portion of the roof containing the window is hinged to the
flatter part, which is nailed fast. Holes four inches in

hang a door to the corner. That made the brooder house 18
feet long! the door was on the north side. I had one win-
dow put on the east side, and bought three old sashes of a
carpenter for ten shillings and put them on the south side
a short distance apart on a little steeper slant than for a
greenhouse, so the sun shone across the inside and made
it very nice for little chicks. I thus gained over two feet
more ground for the chickens to run on, so that it was
nearly 11 feet across on the ground. I roofed it over by
first laying on lengths of poultry fence, that is lath nailed
on these 13-foot strips; then I laid on that old newspapers
and wrapping paper and cardboard boxes, just what 1 could
pick up, and on top, strips of tin and oil-cloth, and nailed
oil-cloth against the wood-house so the rain could not beat
in, and when I got it done it was a nice cosy place for
little chicks. With the heat from two brooders it was warm
enough for their health, and for the materials and time it
did not cost over $5.

After I had hatched over three hundred chickens and
eighty-five ducks, in an incubator, I was called back to thb
shop to work, but tended the flock night and morning, and

Section of Rrood Coop.

diameter are cut in each end as shown at b, Fig. 3, for
ventilation, and on inside we tack wire screen.

In this we have a coop which we can make proof against
rats, weasels and the like at night. The floor is three
inches above the ground and never wet, and affords no
place for rats to burrow. It is easy to clean out, all that
is necessary being to remove the bottom, clean and replace,
and easy to get into. It is also neat, roomy and comfort-
able at all times. If painted and taken care of this coop
may be used from year to year for almost a lifetime, and
costs about one dollar and a quarter, if you build it your-
self.

A CHEAP BROODER HOUSE.

In these times when one has to use economy, says a
writer in Country Gentleman, I thought I would describe
the way I made a cheap brooder house and a cheap brooder
for raising chickens. I did not have much capital to operate
with; so I rigged things up cheaply. The wood-house was
about fifteen feet long. I had some old boards and sawed
five rafters eight feet long and rested four, one end of
each on cleats nailed up against the wood-house, and one
on a joist three feet away from the wood-house, so I could

the family eared for them during the day. In this way we
raised about 1 all the chickens and seventy-six of the ducka;
half of them were Rouen and the rest White Pekin. We
raised the whole on a part of two ordinary city lots, the
chickens in one and the ducks in the other. People came
and bought the chickens as fast as they got large enough.
I sorted out and kept about all the pullets, for I think
there is more money in them to keep them for laying than
to sell them for their meat. If of the laying breeds, espe-
cially Leghorns five months of age, they can be brought
into laying so that from that time they will bring in a
steady income, to be replaced when they are two and three
years of age by young pullets. The lot where the chickens
ran and some twenty laying hens was about thirty feet
wide by forty long, and before they got big enough to sell,
I had to be very careful how I walked around among them
without stepping on them — they were so thick. I either
swept or scraped the surface of the yard every few days
and sprinkled sand. Yet I kept them all healthy, and not
one had the gapes. It seems queer to hear of others stating
that their chicks had the gapes. I put a little salt in their
food from the start, and have not had any have the gapes in
twenty years.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

NESTS AND BROODY HENS.
^ T IS well known that when a hen makes her
nest and lays her eggs away she not only
hatches a larger brood of chickens, but they
are healthier than if hatched in an ordinary
nest in the poultry house. The reason for
this is, says Wm. Cook in London Poultry,
easily explained; however, there are excep-
tions to every rule, and I do not desire to be misunder-
stood, for it is possible for a hen to sit on a straw stack
or even bare boards, and bring up a brood of healthy chick-
ens, as was instanced by a case which once came under my
notice, of a hen which sat on an old oak beam (where the
wood had rotted away) in an old thatched barn, and
brought up a brood of chickens as strong and healthy as
- possible.

When a hen makes her nest away it is constructed in
the soil, and is quite round in shape, the deepest part being
in the middle. We should always keep to nature as much
as possible, even in the construction of a nest, for it will
be seen at once the advantages of adopting this plan. If only
one egg is laid it will roll to the center, and the sides,
sloping, act as a rest for the hen's legs when she is sitting,
while her feet are at the bottom of the nest; she also does
not require to spread her wings so widely as if the nest
were made flat. There is also another advantage; the heat
of the hen's body draws the moisture from the soil, and
this softens the inner membrane of the eggs. When chick-
ens are hatched early in April the inner membrane or skin
is very dry, and adheres to the fluff of the chicken, and holds
it a prisoner after the egg is chipped. Thousands are lost
every year in this way.

When a hen has laid a number of eggs in a nest, every
time she goes in to sit on them she turns them, not per-
haps right over in every case, but if they are noticed it
will be seen that each egg has been moved. Partridges,
pheasants, and ducks, particularly wild ducks, will turn
their eggs, and I suppose it is instinct. I may mention that
if eggs are kept for sitting purposes they ought to be turned
over every two or three days, but a better plan is to stand
them on the small ends, as they will then keep perfectly
fresh for many weeks. Of course they ought to be set as
freshly as possible, but this hint may be useful to some
poultry keepers who have valuable eggs for sitting and
are unable to get broody hens.

My reason for not recommending nests to be made with
straw in the cold weather is because each piece of straw
has a hole up it, and that conducts the cold air to the
outside eggs, particularly those under the hen's wings, and
as the hen turns the eggs twice or three times every twenty-
four hours it is possible for her to spoil every egg in the
nest; it frequently happens that more than half are spoilt.
Although the straw has a knot in it this does not prevent
it from conveying the cold to the outside eggs, for it must
be remembered after the hen has been sitting about two
days the heat of her body renders it brittle, and it cracks
when she moves to turn the eggs. In this way the tem-
perature is often lowered 30 degrees, the eggs only regis-
tering from 70 to 75 degrees, whilst those under the hen's
breast are from 102 to 104 degrees.

A nest should never be more than 15 to 18 inches square,
and there should not be less than six "inches of soil, which
should be damp, and well beaten down with the hand.
{To do this it 'is well to put on an old glove in case of
pieces of glass or thorns. It should be made quite round,
and the size varied according to the hen. The operator will
find it easy to widen the nest a little afterwards if neces-
sary. A handful of lime should be sprinkled over the inside,
and a little fine hay put on top of it. The hay should be

very short and well beaten down, for the moisture which
the hen's body draws from the damp soil causes the lime
to adhere to it, and thus makes the sides much stronger.

There are two or three advantages in using lime in the
nest. In the first place, the hen, when sitting, often breeds
vermin, particularly if an egg gets broken in the nest; the
lime prevents the insects from increasing. Then when an
egg is broken the contents run to the bottom, but the lime
being there enables the owner or attendant to clean the
nest out without upsetting it, as the lime absorbs the
egg. If a nest is made in the way I have described, a
hen can cover seventeen eggs better than she can twelve
in an ordinary nest.

When making a nest do not simply place a few pieces of
straw in a wooden nest box and put the eggs in and set
the hen, for if made in this way in two or three days
the nest becomes perfectly flat and the hen is compelled to
sit with her legs straight out, which often causes cramp,
owing to the uncomfortable position of the bird her wings
also have to be spread very much to reach the bottom, and
it is only really good sitters which will stand this. If the
nest is made as here described the eggs do not roll when
the hen turns them, and when she goes into them they
give way and do not crack or break. A piece of bag or can-
vas should always be placed in front of the nest box to
keep the bird quiet, and also to prevent the laying hens
getting to the eggs.

Hens which are removed to sit in a fresh place, or which
come from a distance, should be placed in a large coop
during the afternoon and be given a plenty of food, such as
Indian corn and barley; and placed on the nest just as
it is getting dusk, or by candle or lamp light. Half the
number of eggs should be put down at first and the hen
placed steadily on them. It is well to stroke her gently
down the back before putting her on the nest, and if she is
at all restless the attendant should not hold her by her
legs or wings, but keep one hand in front of her to pre-
vent her from escaping. If she does happen to make a
start the attendant should place both hands round her body,
and when she has been gently placed on the nest the left
hand should be put on her back, whilst she is slowly rubbed
underneath with the right. In this way, as a rule, the wild-
est hens can be tamed and be made to settle down, and an
ordinary hen can be made to sit on a table even if she
does not want to sit; not to hatch eggs, but for a few
minutes.

The day after the hen has been placed on the nest she
should not be taken off unless she is very quiet and docile,
and has become accustomed to her abode. The second day
she may be taken off very gently and placed in a large
coop or small building, fed and watered well, and lifted
carefully to the edge of the nest. In nine cases out of ten,
if managed in this way, she will take to the eggs quite
naturally. Amateurs often make a great mistake here; they
turn the hen out in a wire run, and after she has fed,
make her wild in their endeavors to catch her, which fre-
quently upsets her so that she will not take to the eggs
again.

In all cases broody hens should be provided with a dust
bath every morning; they look for it when they are taken
off the nest, and it helps to keep them free from, vermin
whilst they are sitting. Any number of hens can b? taken
off the nests to be fed and watered at the same time, but
the coverings for the front of the coops should be let down,
so that the birds cannot see the eggs, for if they do they
are almost sure to go to them instead of eating their food.
It is very important, particularly early in the season,
that the hens should be taken off the nests for the morning
meal, during which they should be watched in order to ascer-

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

tain whether they eat, for if they do not two calamities may
befall the poultry keeper. First, the hen may leave her
nest two or three days before the eggs are due to hatch,
because her strength gives way owing to insufficient nutri-
ment. Secondly, if she has strength to sit for the twenty-
one days the eggs are usually two or three days later in
hatching, because she has not sufficient heat in her body,
and she has to forsake her nest before the chickens are
hatched. As sitting hens go so long between each meal it
is best to feed them on some sort of hard corn, as this
lasts much longer than soft food.

I cannot give the number of eggs that should be allowed
a hen, as both the hens and eggs differ so much in size,
and a great deal also depends on the state of the weather;
but for fair sized hens about thirteen ordinary eggs will
be sufficient, in the early spring, but a larger number may
be given if the hen be set in warmer weather. I have set
twenty-four eggs under one hen and hatched twenty-two
chickens. But this is far too many, as a rule, and if there
is any doubt as to the number to give a hen, it is best to
be on the safe side and give too few, for if a hen has too
many eggs she may let a different one get cold every time
she turns them, and thus spoU the whole bateh,

NESTS— MORE OF THEM.
A Kind that We have Named "Cages" Wire Nests and
What We Think of Them — Nests in the old-Sod Poultry
House — Pen Pictures of Sod House Living.

Nellie Hawks.

Two years or more ago we visited the yards of a poul-
tryman friend at an adjoining town, and we saw there,
built against the wall, a long length of cage-like compart-
ments. Impressed with the idea of the utilization in this
manner of wall space as well as floor space, we informed
our host that we should surely infringe upon his "rights,"
so long as he had no patent secured or "applied for." We
did so at once, with the results that we have a nice lot
of cages ourselves now, and there are more in contempla-
tion.

Said cages are largely used for nest places, and we have
found nothing that pleased biddie on the place equal to them.
As soon as the first one of them was finished and straw
lined a general scramble for possession took place among
the laying hens, while the rest stood by eyeing this poultry
house innovation as if to inquire from whence it came and
for what particular purpose.

When building them our main thought was of the handi-
ness of such compartments when wishing to confine any
number of fowls that were to be sent out to fill orders,
and for holding certain ones when the judge was on the
grounds for the purpose of banding and scoring them, and
for confining broody hens whose services were not needed.
In fact their uses are so many fold that we went imme-
diately into a state of wonderment that we had been so
stupid all those years gone by as never to have thought
of making use of wall space in any such way. But, we live
and learn, and we are always on the outlook for something
hew to add to the conveniences of our poultry plant. And
after all, every day we are wishing we could conscientiously
add another one hundred dollars' worth of little items here
and there in the way of small houses, yards, etc. Always
ambitious over poultry house and yard improvements. But
all in good time. We often console ourselves with the
thought that, "all things come to those who wait." But
we are prone to add that with the waiting a vast amount
of pfenning and labor must be also calculated in with the
rest.

The cage formed nests are simply a cage-like compartment,
built against the wall and with the wall for a back. They

may be as large or as small as space permits or prescribes,
and may be fronted with lath, window wire screening or
poultry fence netting. We did not succeed in adding a great
amount of beauty to our cages when building, for we are
not carpenters, and did not feel that we cared to engage
the services of a carpenter. When we build another poultry
house, however, we shall have the carpenter do whatever is
necessary to insure "looks," even to making nest places
in cage form. For we like things to look nice as well as
to be handy, though it adds not one whit to the profit of
it all. The biddies lay just as many eggs, without a doubt,
in the home-constructed cages as they would in a plush-
lined, silver-barred one, but there's no gainsaying the fact
that the latter named cage would look the best.

But to have plenty of them and to have them kept
in ship-shape — clean, tidy and comfortable (not infected with
mites and lice ) , is the main thing. Each cage must have a
door, or doors, as the case requires. And once you build one
of them you will surely build more of them.

Every nest on the place was at once abandoned when this
new style was presented, and even yet the novelty has not
worn off. To have one of them closed against entrance is
considered a calamity, and protests are in order from the
laying hens.

We have tried the wire nests that we have seen adver-
tised and written about, but ours have been sent to the
rubbish pile. In the first place they would not hold the
eggs. The meshes of the wire are too large. The nest may
be well lined with straw but by the time biddie has fixed
her nest to suit her the eggs will be rolling towards the
bottom of the nest while the straw is on top, and presently
eggs are lying broken on the floor or ground. We lined those
we tried to use with strong new cloth. This kept the eggs
from falling through, but it did not keep the nests from
being "tippy" things. And no matter how securely we might
think we had them fastened they were always bent all out
of shape and tipped sidewise. We didn't like them, threw
them away and went back to boxes, etc. This was before
the introduction of wall cages.

Thinking of our varied experience in nest building takes
me back to the days when sod buildings were the only kind
that either the biddies or ourselves had to call a home. We
are not exactly anxious to go back to the sod-house living
ourselves, but how often I do wish for the sod poultry
houses I once owned for my fowls. I began the rearing of
Standard bred fowls when just this way situated. My very
first thoroughbreds were housed in sod homes, and they
found them all the heart could wish for. Had we remained
upon the farm it was our intention to turn our four-
roomed sod house over to the biddies as soon as we could
build the frame one wanted for ourselves, and I think we
have both regretted (husband and I) that we did not stay
there and carry out our plans. Such a home for fowls you
cannot imagine. I'd give $100 any day to have that very
building moved where we live today. The sod house of
their own, though good, perfectly warm and in good order,
was not built to stand as was the house of our own, nor
so well furnished, of course. For this reason it is the
house we lived in that we covet for our flocks of fowls at
present. But in this case, as in most others, covetousness
is worse than useless.

In that poultry house the nests were hung on the walls.
Heavy, sharpened stakes were driven into the solid sod
walls and the box nests were made to hang thereon. Soap
boxes and cracker boxes, and an occasional heavy box was
fitted up for hanging on these stakes. There was no break-
ing them down when once put up. Large, wide boxes were
first put up, and on this would stand another and smaller
one, leaving the lower box projecting far enough to make
a good step for the hens to rest on when going to the nests.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

They were, when needed, placed three tiers high. They are
easily taken down (except for the lifting part of it) and
were often taken out of doors, the nesting burned and boxes
well smudged and scorched, fresh straw put in and every-
thing made tidy. We were just as interested in our clean-
ing dajs then as now, and we would exchange every frame
poultry building on the place if we could for the four-
loomed house that we called home, and that icas a home, and
a cozy one, too, for our Hocks of today.

For nesting we have tried everything and we are content
with straw linings, and have no use for hay or excelsior.
Garden soil for the foundation of the nest is liked for set-
ting hens, but for laying hens it is not at all necessary to
subject oneself to do much heavy lifting and hard work.

NESTS AND NESTING.
A Barrel-Nest One of the Favorites — Garden Soil for Nest
Foundati/n — An Occasional Hen Finds No Use for a Nest
— Queer Ideas and Queer Attempts.

Nellie Hawks.
Every imaginable kind and description of nests have been
tried at one time and another, and we have come to the
conclusion that we dp not so much care in what form
the nest may be for our biddies, as that it be roomy, easy of
access and kept clean.

To meet the latter requirements necessitates care. Nests
become unaccountably soiled and lose the cozy look of
poultry horniness that a freshly filled nest-box always has
when first arranged. We fashion it on nice shape and think
it pretty nice. But biddy and I disagree as to what a
nice looking nest really is, and she proceeds to lay every
straw in a different direction from the one I have left them
in, and then informs me that I don't know much about nest
building after all. All she asks of me, she says, is to fur-
nish the compartment for a nest, and the something suit-
able to line it with, and she will do the rest. For all the
world like a fussy housekeeper. I think I know how to
enter the spirit that she manifests when insisting upon
putting things where she wants them herself. 1 want
to arrange my home according to my own ideas of the fit-
ness of things, and so understand what my poultry-house
friends mean when insisting upon being given the same privi-
leges. Still, I always crush down the nesting when fur-
nishing new, and around the egg places in what seems to
me a pretty neat looking shape. But for the last part of
my work I receive no thanks whatever. But I'm not work-
ing for thanks. I'm working for pleasure and profit, and
although I found the pleasure side of the caretaking of poul-
try long before the profit side was understood as it has
been of late years, I still admit that the profit part of
the work adds materially to the pleasure side of it all.

"Once upon a time" we had what we termed a set of bar-
rel nests, and we were much in love with this manner of
making them. "But fashions change," and when these went
to staves we supplied their places with something else. We
intend having more of them some day though, and shall
get better barrels for them, and take more pains in mak-
ing them, to have them substantial and lasting. They were
simply a half barrel each, with hoops tacked to the staves.
The bottom of the barrel made the bottom of one nest, but
the head of the barrel being absent, the second nest was
bottomed with gunny sacking or strong cloth of some kind
tacked around the outside of the barrel at the bottom. There,
was no one here having sufficient of cooper ability to fit
in a good wooden bottom. Our barrels were only salt bar-
rels, and they are never well made. Another time we shall
invest in good solid barrels and have nests worth while.

We like these nests and the biddies went wild over them
at first. They arc of so companionable and social a nature

that they insist upon crowding three or more deep in a.
nest, unless said nest be large enough to admit of their
sitting side by side. That was one beauty of these large,,
round nests.

In saying that the biddies went wild over them for a.
time I trust no one will accuse me of exaggeration, nor will
any one who knows biddy's nature as well as 1 do. 1 have
lived with them until I know many of their peculiarities,
and they have learned mine. We understand each other re-
markably well. People who pay no attention to their fowls
do not discover all these little idiosyncrasies of which they
are as unmistakably possessed as ourselves. I have always
noticed that a new nest of unusual shape and conditions
was to the biddies much like a new toy to a child, or some
handsome new piece of furniture to a woman. [As they help
so decidedly in furnishing the new pieces of furniture and
the new gowns and bonnets and various other desirable
articles, why not eater to the biddies' whims and fix new nests
for them? I do, and enjoy it all with them.]

For nests for setting hens these half-barrel ones are ideal,,
for their good points are so many. In the first place the
setting hen has plenty of room about her, so that she does
not feel cramped or look cramped. With two or three pail-
fuls of dirt in the half-barrel, a rounded nest can be fash-
ioned that is just right in all its proportions. All that
is needed to complete is a handful of soft straw for the
eggs to rest on. Lice do not live in dust piles, and by dust-
ing the setter with insect powder when she is given her
ncstful of eggs, neither mites nor lice will trouble her all
through her setting siege. If an egg be broken and the nest-
ing soiled, it is quickly gathered out, all the lumpy dirt
that may have gathered from the egg wetting removed,
the dirt given a stirring up, nest newly rounded, a handful
of fresh litter put in and soiled eggs washed off with a
warm wet cloth, and everything is in order again. To
keep other hens out we always made large squares of
lath work to put on over these nest places, and weighted
them down with some heavy article so that would-be in-
truders could not step on them with weight enough to
tip them off. When chicks were hatching there was never
fear of their being a danger that they might fall out of
the nests and be chilled or injured before we should find
them. They were safe, and with plenty of room to be
running about in their own domain, when they were strong
enough to begin to peep out into the world, and to care to
go upon an investigation tour on a small scale.

Soap boxes and cracker boxes are the very commonest
of common, every day nest-places. They accommodate two
or three Leghorns very nicely, but for Plymouth Rocks are
none too large for the accommodation of a single hen. No
matter how many nests may be furnished, there is usually
some preferred one among them that they all want to
occupy, and at the same time. It is often a matter of won-
der that eggs are not broken more frequently than they are,
for we can't very well stay at the poultry houses all the
time, settling the difficulties that arise between the hens.
We can only furnish them a number of nests and admonish
them to "be good," and then leave them to their own devices.
For this reason we prefer large nest places rather than so
many of them. Any number of them will not be gone near
at all.

I have often wondered what manner of reason it was
that was brought to bear, and what the ideas of the biddies
that occasionally seemed the personification of contrariness
when persistently insisting upon doing the queerest things.
They have, unmistakably, ideas of their own, and there is
nothing more headstrong than the hen that sets herself
about doing what she has planned out to do. One hen this
summer insisted on depositing her egg, every day, on the

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

bare floor in a very narrow hallway. In due time she con-
eluded to "set," and think you she could be induced to set
in any other place than right on that bare floor, and in
that identical chosen spot? She was in the way and it
was no place for her. She even refused to occupy a box
that was fixed with straw and eggs for her, and that box
so low that I did not believe she would discover it wat
an inch above the floor. Placed on that nest and coaxed
with all the persuasion that could be mustered, she would
leave the eggs in the box and cuddle imaginary eggs under
her on the floor again. Day after day she was invited to
step out doors and give up her chosen "calling," if she
would not be sensible and set in a sensible way. But for
weeks she persisted and clucked, and she outwitted me at last.
And what do you suppose was the ideas and the reason-
ing of the Leghorn hen that for a long time made daily
efforts to deposit her egg in the ventilator pipe that runs
up the inside of the poultry house wall? She persisted in

it until she was forced to abandon the plan from having
no more eggs to deposit anywhere. When she began lay-
ing again she must have forgotten the notion or during
her days of rest and meditation have seen the folly of
her ways. That ventilator pipe was colored and glazed all
over the entire length of it from the broken eggs that went
sliding down its tin sides. A partition in the house came
within an inch or two of the side wall pipe and it was a
partition that had a slanting top instead of reaching to
the roof. She would stand upon this partition top, balance
herself as best she could and drop the egg as nearly at the
center of the pipe as was possible. It was, of course, broken
each time by the sharp edges of the tin spouting cutting
the shell. That hen found no use whatever for a nest.
If caught and shut in a cage she would pace back and forth
like a caged lion and if liberated, back she would go to
that partition and ventilator as fast as her swift Leghorn
legs and wings could carry her.

Pointers.

KEEP SMALL FLOCKS.
^*^^NK requisite to success in poultry keeping, the
I A ~^k I importance of which is generally overlooked
■ ^^J I by most farmers, and perhaps many fanciers,
■MMfffffN is to avoid keeping too many fowls together
|Jte»4sg?Sl in one flock. There are several good reasons
IU£UM£Ur for this injunction, and the rule applies with
equal force whether the fowls are kept in
confinement or allowed to run at liberty, as they generally
do upon most farms. Increased liability to disease break-
ing out and destroying the flock should alone afford sufficient
reason for keeping small flocks but. there are a number
of others equally important.

No more females should be allowed together than can
properly be attended by one good vigorous cock, for where
several are allowed together someone is generally master
of the situation, and keeps the others in such subjection
that they are of no use, and the eggs perhaps have no
greater degree of fertility than if but one were present.
And if this is not the ease, it is in my opinion very dele-
terious to a flock to have several males of different types
running promiscuously with them. In thousands of instances
not enough care is exercised to breed only from extra fine
thoroughbred males. It matters not what breed or grade
of stock the hens and pullets are, any flock can be con-
stantly improved by placing at its head one good thor-
oughbred cock, and changing him every year by sending
away for another, perhaps of the same breed but not related.
This system of management always builds up a flock, while
any flock which is allowed to run with several grade cock-
erels of different types is bound to degenerate. And to prop-
erly carry out this principle small flocks are a necessity.
For these reasons, when planning and building a poultry
house, I should make it long and nel'row, and divide it
up into sections, each to be connected with a yard to ac-
commodate not to exceed twenty-five fc tvls.

IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD SHED.

Apart froH) his poultry houses the farmer needs a cheap
chicken shed. He can get along without it, to be sure, but
it is a great advantage to have one. Chicks do well enough
in coops when the weather is fine, but when a cold north-
cast rain, that lasts two or three days, sets in there is
trouble on hand, and probably the loss of several fine broods
of early hatch. A good chick shed can be built for a small
sum, and when once built is good for fifteen or twenty years.
Seven feet high in front, five at back, six wide, and twenty
long is a good size for the farm. The coops for the hens
may be fixtures, or they may be movable so they can be set out-
side when the weather is fine. In either event there should be
a small yard in front of the building, fenced with netting, so
that the hens and their broods can be let out in fine weather,
and still be kept close to the shed. If a shower comes on sud-
denly while they are in the yard it is but the work of a mo-
ment to run them inside, where they will be perfectly safe.
This one advantage alone ought to be sufficient to induce every
farmer to build a chicken shed, for very often the chicks saved
from a single storm will nearly repay its cost, to say noth-
ing of the racing and chasing and worry thus avoided.

With a good dry chicken shed at his command the farmer
can begin the work of hatching early in March, or even in
February, and by doubling up the broods and resetting half
the hens get a large number of early chicks all ready for
the first worm that dares to show up, and the first tender
shoots of grass. Without a good chicken shed every February
or early March chick costs more in work and time to raise it
than it is worth. Most farmers will provide good quarters
and all necessary conveniences for young stock of all kinds
except chickens, and for chis very reason they find the rearing
of poultry unprofitable. With a reasonable outfit of buildings,
etc., almost any farmer's wife will make more clear profit from
a bunch of fowls than he will from any other kind of stock
on the place.

After providing sheds and coops — which should be done
at once — fasten up the old chronic sitters and get them to
work, the earlier the better, for the early chick brings the
best price. In setting a hen I believe it is the best plan to set
her in a closed box, and to go around once a day, gently lift
her off and feed and water her right there, then allow her t»

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

return when she is ready and close the box. I advocate this
plan because when a hen is sitting on a nest full of eggs
her feet are down among, or under them, and many hens have
a way of going off the nest with a flop and a jump, and the
eggs that are resting on their legs get kicked out of the nest
or smashed. By lifting them very carefully this "bad luck"
is obviated. Then you are sure they are fed (and whole corn
is the best feed ) and that the}' are not losing flesh at the rate
of an ounce a day, and cooling off so fast that they cannot
supply a sufficiency of heat to hatch half the eggs under
them. Stick a pin here, and before you again wail about a
bad hatch, think the matter over, and see if you did your
part toward insuring a good one.

A capital and inexpensive house may be made by driving
four uprights into the ground upon a square of 4x6 feet
and weather boarding the sides and roof, taking care that
the feather edges overlap each other sufficiently to exclude
draughts and providing a window and a door. The floor
may be rammed down hard and covered with a sprinkling of
dry mold and the perches and nest boxes placed in their

dampness appears. I have taken particular notice of this the
past winter by comparison with two of my houses, one white-
washed and the other not. Give a heavy coat. The lime
absorbs dampness. My houses are built 8 inches off ground
and filled in with clay well tamped down, which makes
a good, dry floor and house. Overcome dampness and you
will have less trouble with roup. I use no ventilators,
but air the house every day and I am having less trouble
with sickness in flock.

A GENERAL-PURPOSE POULTRY HOUSE.

We have made poultry houses on every imaginable plan,
and we find the above style of house an all-round, handy and
good one.

It will be noticed that the sun reaches both back and front
of the house. The hinged platform for the perch with horses
to rest on gives the entire floor space of building for a seratch-
ing-shed. The sun shining on the perches and platform keeps
them dry and healthy for the fowls. By removing the perches
the front side of the platform lowers to the floor, thus making

^^k^^M^h^^t^m^'

A General Purpose Poultry House.

places; then all will be read}' for the reception of the birds.
This sort of building is, of course, a fixture but it may
easily be made movable by sawing off the stumps of the
uprights and adding a wooden floor. The addition, too, of
an upright stay or two along the boarding in the inside
will add considerably to the durability of the structure and
prevent the boards from opening when subject to the rays
of the sun.

A protected shed, dry and free from snow or ice, is
desirable for fowls. Even the chicks hatched in winter
are benefited by such a run, after they are feathered. In
case of such treatment, of course extremes of temperature
must be avoided. A hot brooding room and a cold run-
way would not do; but young stock that is made accustomed
to moderate warmth in the brooding room will seek the
freedom of an outer shed. Too much freedom is not ap-
proved of by those who force their broods. Still, when
natural conditions are approximated the health of the stock
is made more assured. Such a plan is certainly beneficial
to the old, or laying fowls. In a dry and well sheltered
place, nature asserts itself and gives the birds a better dress.

My experience has been that by whitewashing the inside
of the poultry house with a spray pump in the fall, no

it easy to scrape off the droppings and to apply vermin ex-
terminators.

The absence of colds or swell head will be noticed if you
keep your fowls in a building of this kind. There are no
chances for drafts of cold air going up among the fowls, and
the sunshine through the day evaporates the poisonous odors.
— From Catalogue of the Sure Hatch Incubator Co., Clay
Center, Neb.

One of the evils to avoid is crowding. We do not like to
kill good birds; we keep too many. The result is sickness,
lice, death. If we would have a good chicken for dinner
every Sunday in the year, out of an average flock of 100
birds, the 50 that remain would do better. Keeping the best
only would improve the flock. It is the lower half of the
flock that works the evil. If half of the specimens in the
poultry yards of the United States were killed for the table
between now and November 1, the quality of next winter's
chicks would be doubled and the prices increased.

Here are some facts, learned by fifteen years' experience
in breeding fine poultry: Warm houses, dusting places and
scratchingpens are a necessity. Coal oil sprayed over roosts
monthly will exterminate lice. Leaves make the best and
most healthful nests. Hard coal ashes and cinders make

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

good grit. Bran, middlings, cracked corn — equal parts — with
a little salt, mixed in warm, greasy dishwater, is the right
morning meal; with wheat for noon and whole corn for
night. The best cure for roup is a hatchet — this disease is
constitutional and can be transmitted. To sell eggs from
fowls once afflicted with roup is wrong.

Select a warm place away from the windows for roosts, and
have an inclined platform under them to catch the droppings;
from this the manure can be scraped often in a box and
emptied, as it will be very quickly and neatly done. When
so arranged the house can be kept clean with very little trou-
ble and the valuable fertilizer saved in its best condition..
Provide ample runs and let them communicate by means of
small doors through which the fowls may go in and out at
will in mild weather and which can be securely closed- when
desired.

A half dozen small hen coops are much more useful than
one massive structure affording an equal area. We all know
that a coop of ten or twelve hens is usually profitable, whereas
multiplies of the same are rarely satisfactory. This is the
great secret of running a large poultry farm. Divide up so
that each individual bird may have as good a show and as
much room as upon the ordinary farm, where not more than
a score or two of fowls are usually bred.

As to the proportionate size of the house to the number
of fowls kept, only he who remembers that "there is more
profit in a house half full than in a house twice full" is safe
from blundering at this point. The most level-headed prac-
tical poultrymen insist upon ten square feet per fowl. Con-
trast this with the room afforded 100 fowls in a 12x20 house,
less than 2 1-3 feet of space to each (which is a common sight)
and judge as to the chances for eggs in the latter case and
take warning.

To remove broody hens from laying-room: Prepare a nest
nicely in a low box in a shed or building where there will
be no disturbance from other fowls. Make the transfer
after nightfall and as quietly as possible. Keep a slatted
coop over her for a few days, until she is accustomed to
new place. Dust her with insect powder two or three times
during period of incubation. Provide a variety of food, pure
water and grit.

Our experience has proven to us beyond a doubt that
fowls confined in pens or small yards do just as well as
those in large yards or on free range — in fertility of eggs,
in the number procured and in the health of the fowls. The
requirements are clean quarters, but few fowls in a pen,
fresh water, oyster shells and, of course, proper manage-
ment all the way through. So if you have a small place,
don't be discouraged, but go ahead.

In case of using a stove in a poultry house great caution
is essential to guard against excessive heat in the day-time
and the fire going out at night. Evenness of temperature at
a little above the freezing point is desirable and a well-built
house impervious of the chilling wind is better without a
stove than one with many cracks and crevices with a stove.

An intending builde is quite apt to have theories as to
how the work should be done, but if he will take care to find
out the reason for those points which the experienced insist
upon and will compare cold facts with his theories before, in-
stead of after building, he will save much vexation of spirit
and perhaps an equal amount of cash.

When 100 fowls are kept the house should be ample to
prevent overcrowding. The rule for such a flock is to
construct the house on a ground plan of 100x10 feet. This
may not be convenient in many cases, but that ratio of space
can be applied, and the sections built to accommodate ten
fowls in an area of 10x10.

A shed, secured boarded on the exposed sides and open
toward the south, should be provided for the fowls as a
winter scratching-place. The floor must be dry and not cov-
ered with snow or ice but with litter of leaves or fine straw.
There are very few days in winter, except in the northern
latitudes, when the birds will not voluntarily seek such a
place for exercise.

See that the floors are dry; do not bed too much; rather
change the bedding or litter often, as soon as it shows any
indication of dampness. If the floor is of boards it is easily
dried and purified by sweeping with a stiff broom and scat-
tering dry. earth upon it and placing dry litter, such as
chaff or short straw, upon the dirt.

If a thunderbolt should strike a building in which hens
were sitting it is likely that the concussion might kill the
chicks, but not one lightning stroke in a thousand is heavy
enough to produce any distinct jar, even if the eggs were
on a solid foundation, and cushioned as they always are
in a nest they are not affected one way or another.

Five square feet of floor space, with 100 square feet of
run per fowl, would seem ample. That is, a 12x20 foot
house with a 40x130 foot run would seem enough room for
50 fowls. But experience shows that 30 fowls in this space
will yield a larger profit. Fowls properly yarded pay bet-
ter than when running at large.

Is the dust bath in your poultry house in proper condi-
tion? Is the grit box well supplied with good sharp grit?
Do you keep fresh water before your fowls at all times ? The
latter is as important as the food you give them.

Give the poultry house sufficient ventilation to keep it
dry. When the walls and roof are covered with frost and
moisture there is not enough ventilation for good healthy
stock. Fresh air is cheap.

Make the roosts for Asiatics not more than 12 inches from
the floor. Use 2x4 scantling, with the 4-inch side up.
Bevel the edges.

Do not keep too many fowls in a pen; it is far better
to cull down closely than to do this, for a smaller number
will do so much better.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

POULTRY HOUSE ON A CITY LOT.

The Following Plans and Descriptions of a Poultry House for

a City Lot Were Awarded First Prize in American

Poultry Journal's Great Contest.

They were entered by by Dr. S. A. McWilliams and are, we
believe, the most complete ever published anywhere.

B^ T must be remembered that ordinary city lots
are only 25 feet wide by about 165 feet long;
that they have a sidewalk, if it is an inside
j lot, 3 feet wide, extending from the residence
to the alley in the rear. This leaves but 22
feet for the widest part of the roof boards,
or 21 feet 6 inches for the frame work, without siding. The
lot may face the north, south, east or west, and the poultry
house must face in the same direction as the dwelling, if it
is built on the rear end of the lot.

If desired, the 22-foot building may be extended over the
3-foot passage walk just mentioned. This would give more
room for storage above the walk. If the passage way is en-
closed, and a door hung at its front and rear, much security
would be added to the poultry yard.

Before building, one must consider many things. The size
of the ground he wishes to occupy; its length and breadth.
The foundation; of what it shall consist; whether of ced^r
posts, stone or cement. The floor; whether it shall be earth,
boards, cement or brick. Its grade; how high above the sur-
rounding earth. How shall rats be kept out. Its roof;
whether flat or steep. The direction of the roof's pitch,
whether forwards or backwards. The covering of the roof;
whether boards and battens, shingles, tarred paper, or tar
and gravel. Its division into pens; their size. The cover-
ing of the outside walls; whether rough boards and battens,
clapboards, drop siding, or tongued and grooved flooring, run-
ning up and down, close and tight, with building paper
underneath. The lining of the inside; if any, whether paper
or tongued and grooved flooring with paper underneath. The
material for the foundation; if posts, their length, size and
location. The location of the doors and windows, and their
size. The size and length of the studding, plates and rafters
and their location. The interior arrangements for' roosts,
nests, water, grit, feed, etc. Where shall the supplies and
tools of various kinds be kept? How shall the young flock
be separated from the old? Where shall the show birds
be prepared? What shall be done with the fighting male
bird? *

The valub of a poultry house depends much upon the
available floor space. If the utensils occupy the floor, they
diminish the space for the fowl. On a city lot, the ground
is scarce, but there is room above. In building, then, room
above the chickens' quarter?; should be utilized for storage.
The breeder must consider that if he keeps fancy poultry
there must be a place for everything used in connection
with them. Where shall he keep bags of bran, middlings,
cut clover, whole corn, cracked corn, wheat and millet seed?
Where shall he set the bag of beets and barrel cabbage, the
bag of grit, charcoal, cinders, 03'ster shells, summer drinking
crock, winter lamps and kerosene? Where shall he keep the
planer shavings, straw, leaves or other litter, the slaked lime,
bath dust, lice killer, etc.? Where shall he keep the shipping
coops, the training coops and the baskets for shipping eggs,
the winter sash and summer doors?

He should have a place to keep that grand old male while
molting, to prevent his being killed by that vigorous young
cockerel. He needs a place to prepare that prize cockerel
for the show. While preparing the pullets for the show they
must have a separate coop. Where shall the shovel, broom,
rake, hoe and manure basket go? the hammer, nails, ax and
other tools? Can he afford the time to run through doors
and lOO feet or more to the dwelling every time he needs

anything, and the same time to return them again? "Time
is money." The more convenient the arrangements, the
pleasanter the work and the less time required to do it.
There are times when a fighting bird, a molting bird, or a
show bird should be separated from the flock. This can be
done by having a shelf floor or coop, high up.

BUILDING.

We should study every part of our building in detail be-
forehand. Is the ground too high or too low or too wet?
We must arrange to lower it, if too high, or raise it, if too
low or wet. A low, damp poultry house is sure to breed
disease. How high above the surrounding ground should
we raise it? What shall we use for the foundation — stone,
cement or cedar posts? What are we going to breed — rats
or chickens? If the latter, then we must use a long head
and a wise one to prevent the former. The rats work while
we sleep. How long and wide shall our building be? How
many fowls do we expect to keep, young and old? The old
and the young must be kept in separate apartments. The
cockerels must be separated from the pullets, the sick from
the well, etc. The height of the building must be consid-
ered. Is it to be so low that everything is to lie on the
flooi - , curtailing the room for the chickens, and breaking
our back while attending to them, with no places for boxes
or tools or coops or feed or straw. We must decide on the
width of tfie doors and windows, the slope of the roof and
the material to cover it. Shall we build a cold shed or a.
warm house? Shall the walls be single or double, with an
air space between? Shall the inside be lined with board or
tar paper, which gives the pen a gloomy look? Shall we
build warm for eggs in winter, or cold for frozen combs and
frozen feet? What shall we cover the outside walls with?
boards up and down and battens over the cracks? Clap-
boards or drop siding or tongued and grooved siding with
paper behind it, so as to make the walls close and warm?
The upright studs must be spaced so as to leave the proper
openings between them for doors and windows. The Fancier
derives much pleasure and recreation from his feathered
pets. His other duties are arduous and confining. If his hen
house is high enough for comfort, and everything convenient,
he does his work quickly and with pleasure. An extra door
or two will save many steps and much time. To the city
fancier who works all day and can spare, only a short while,
mornings and evenings and holidays to his fowls, surely time
is money.

He must raise the floor of his poultry house high and dry,
if needed, with sand, gravel or cinders. He must decide
upon the height of his roof and its pitch. He must decide
what he will cover the roof with, a gravel roof, paper well
tarred, or shingles. In either case the pitch of his roof
must correspond to the covering used. If a shingle roof, the
pitch should not be less than 9 inches to the foot. If tar and
gravel is preferred, then a fall of a half inch to one inch to
the foot will do. The height of the building must be consid-
ered. The stu-dding or upright posts should be obtained of
the proper size and length. We must also consider what
room we require inside the building. Nothing should be
kept on the floor. No matter how much floor space we have
we always need more. In large cities many buildings are
torn down and there are so-called wrecking establishments
where second-hand doors, sash, lumber, etc., can be purchased
cheap.

ROOM REQUIRED.
If the building is too small, or too low, or too inconvenient,
requiring too much time and too much backache, the owner
will soon get too tired to continue in the business. He wants
room enough to admire his fowl. No building should be less
than 6 feet high in front for standing room in the clear, and
8 feet behind for scratch room, nests and roosts, the one
above the other. For convenience, utility and economy of
time, the house must be large enough to give sufficient wall

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

space for platforms 2 feet above the floor, on which to place
the water can, grit, feed trough, nests, heating lamp, etc.

The nests need 20 inches more above said platform; above
which again is the dropping board. Prom the dropping board
to the roosts we allow 12 inches. The roosts need 2 or 4
inches. The fowl on the roosts need 30 inches more, and the
roof, if boarded in, needs 8 inches more. The foregoing needs
8 feet; and 4 feet more should be added for storage and
coops.

Outside size of frame of building, 21% feet long by 12 feet
wide and 12 feet high, without sidings.

On the 25-foot city lot we would build as follows: We
would allow 3 feet for a walk from the dwelling house to the
alley on one side of the lot. We would set our house 3 inches
within the building line of our neighbor, to allow for roof
projection above to keep the wall dry, and to give room for
ventilation and rat wire projection below.

We are in great danger of getting into a lawsuit with our
neighbor who owns the adjoining lot, if we permit any part
of our house to cross our lot line. We may forget that our
foundation posts and upright studding must be an inch within
the line to allow for our outside siding boards.

The length of our house will then be 21 feet 6 inches from
outside to outside, unless we include the 3-foot walk, which
some do. They then partition off the walk through the house
and use locked doors. This gives better protection against
boys and thieves. In planning a building one should consider

rro/re Me

Front view of house showing the three pens in different
stages of construction.

as far as possible the lengths of all material used, so as to
have as little waste as possible. We must consider whether
we want a brick or cement floor, whether we want the board
floor close to the ground, or 18 inches above, so as to allow a
cool retreat in summer. As we are more interested in a
winter poultry house and a floor that will not freeze, we
select the brick or cement floor, at the same grade, accord-
ing to which will cost us the least. We would see that the
floor of our poultry house and 6 feet in front was not less
than 6 inches above the surrounding ground of our own
lot or our neighbor's, or the alley, when completely covered
with brick or cement. We would make this building 21%
feet long by 12 feet wide, use 14 feet long joists for roofs,
letting them project 6 inches over the alley, and nearly 18
inches over in front. The pitch of the roof may incline to
the alley or the front. We prefer to have the highest part
of the roof toward the alley and use a spout in front, and
then conduct the water toward the alley or hause drain. We
would use a spout, in either case, to keep the soil around our
house dry. If the highest part of our house is at the back
it gives us most room where we need it for utensils and coops
according to our plans. If we did not need the room for
storage and coops we would build the back only 8 feet high.

If we did not put in a stone foundation, we would put in 4
feet long cedar posts, cut off square at both ends. The cut-
side should be covered with heavy building paper slightly
overlapped, over which either clap boards or drop-siding may
be laid horizontally, commencing at the water table. We
prefer to have the boards running up and down on the out-
side, and transversely on the inside, with paper behind both,
with a 4-inch space between. The ceiling also should be
covered in the same way. To prevent rats or mice from
ever getting up on that ceiling, the space between the studs
should be boarded tight. It would also prevent the cold from
the ceiling settling down between the studs.

NUMBER OF FOWLS.
The building herewith planned can be used for 10 or more
in each pen. We have kept 20 in the same pen with careful
attention. Or all three pens can be used for 15 fowl by
giving them the run of all three pens, using only one pen for
laying and roosting, and the other two pens for scratching;
or the middle pen alone may be used for a scratching pen
half a day for each end pen. Cheap muslin curtains can be
drawn down over the fronts of the roosts and nests not
wanted.

BEAUTY VERSUS UTILITY.

In the construction of this building we are recommending
nothing but what is essential, useful and practical. If any
one wishes to go to the expense of beautifying the building
it can be easily done by putting narrow boards on the corners
and beading them; by boxing in the rafters and putting on
heavy moldings under the ends of the roof boards; by putting
in extra casings for the doors and windows, and by putting
extra boards along the sills, etc.

CONCRETE FLOOR.

If a concrete floor is desired, it may be made 3 or 4
inches thick. Take 4 parts crushed stone, 2 parts gravel
and 1 part portland cement. Mix them thoroughly, then
wet and spread evenly. On top of this mixture, while wet,
we spread evenly and smoothly, not less than a half-inch of
the following mixture, viz.: one part coarse, sharp sand and
one part portland cement, mixed with water to the consist-
ency of mortar.

BRICK FLOOR.

If a brick floor is decided upon, we purchase whole, se-
lected, hard burned sewer brick, a sufficient number to cover
the floor with their flat surface, or better, laid on their edges.
Bach brick is usually about 2% inches thick, 3% inches wide
and 8V4 inches long. Before laying the brick, the floor must
be pounded down hard, smooth and level. Then scatter some
sand over the surface, for the brick to lie on, and to fill in
the spaces between the brick. The brick floor of this house
is placed under the sills and close to their under surface, and
close to the outside wall, to prevent rats or mice from having
a hiding place under the sills.

For the brick floor we use regular tar paving cement, which
is ready to put on when heated. About 1% gallons are
required to every square yard of surface, depending npon
the closeness of the brick to each other. It costs about $3
per barrel of 300 pounds. The hot tar is poured into the
cracks on a hot summer day, and then a thin coat is spread
over all the brick. This floor can be easily and speedily
swept and washed, and the litter which is spread over the
floor can be easily raked up into heaps for the grain. The
ease with which labor can be performed on such a floor les-
sens expense and increases profit. If the floor is raised above
the surrounding ground it will require a 12-inch board nailed
around the outside of the sill to keep the inside floor from
falling out.

RAT WIRE.

Around the outside of the floor and foundation posts of
the house, to prevent rats from burrowing under the floor, we
place heavy galvanized wire, No. 14, of %-inch mesh, 2 feet
or more wide. The wire should extend from beneath the lit-

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

tie water table mentioned and attached to the middle of the
Bill IS inches into the ground and then bent outwards 6
inches or more. Eats have not learned the trick of digging
riown 18 inches, then outwards 6 inches, then down again
under the wire, and back again under the house.

FLOOR.

The owner of the city lot has no ground to spare, but he
can build upwards. He can utilize all his floor space for
scratching purposes, by placing all needed poultry appliances
2 feet above the floor on platforms, and all poultry appliances
not in constant use close at hand upon a platform near the
roof, instead of taking many steps back and forth to the
louse for everything needed. These storage shelves or plat-
forms must be enclosed by sliding wire doors, to prevent fowl
from roosting there. These shelves can be reached by a lad-
der which may be hung up on a wall when not in use. In
addition to storage purposes, they can be used for a sick bird,
a fattening hen, a prize bird, a sitting hen, etc.

Where the poultry house is to stand, the ground should be
high and dry 6 to 12 inches higher than the rest of the yard.
Even the yard should have no place low enough to hold water
from adjoining lots. Hens will not wade through water or
snow. A damp house means sick fowl. On a city lot ar-
rangements must be made to allow the water to drain off to

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The cedar posts shown above in the foundation extend one
inch over the line and this portion should be trimmed off
either before or after being set, so that boards could be applied
smcothlj to the outside surface of the posts.

the alley or house drain. Hence the grade of the alley must
be considered. If the ground is not already high enough we
would raise it 6 to 12 inches above the surrounding ground
with sand, gravel, or cinder clinkers. If an earth floor is
used in a damp climate like Chicago, the floor and house will
be damp \>y capillary attraction even if raised a foot high.
The earth soon becomes foul and must be changed spring
and fall. This would usually be a heavy expense upon a city
lot. Upon the earth floor the litter soon becomes damp and
musty. The earth is dug into holes by the fowl and
causes waste of time and much inconvenience in cleaning and
raking the litter into heaps for the grain. A board floor may
be used if the outside is made rat proof, and rats are not al-
lowed to get inside. Flooring tongued and grooved and
smoothed on the upper side should be used.

A thin coating of hot tar should cover the floor to prevent
the floor becoming saturated with fowl filth. If the boards
are not tongued and gooved, but merely laid close together
they will separate sufficiently to permit small grains to fall
through and be lost. The dampness below causes the floor to
warp and twist out of shape.

RATS.

They are ever with us seeking what they may devour.
They are the greatest evil the poultryman on a city lot has
to contend with, and he who builds a poultry house without
considering Mr. Bat'o capability for destruction, will sooner
or later, if he continues in the business, have to remodel his
floor or quit in disgust. A board floor, laid near the earth,

furnishes an ideal rat harbor and prevents dogs and cats
from getting underneath. Eats will eat everything the fowl
will eat and also the fowl themselves. They love no better
hiding place than under a board floor, laid on or near the
soil; a board sidewalk, a brick pile, a wood pile, a board or
any other covering. They will burrow under the floor from
the outside. Hence the foundations must be well protected
and every hiding place must be avoided, if the fancier wishes
to raise fowl. We had thirty-six fowls killed by rats in one
night; others report twice as many. No expense must be
spared to make our building rat proof, as it is expensive to
feed rats with grain and chicken meat. If a board floor be
desired, it should be laid 2 feet above the soil and should be
double for the sake of warmth. One-inch strips between the
double floor would be sufficient for a dead air space.

TWO FEET UNDER THE HOUSE.

Some advocate raising the board floor some 12 to 24 inches
above the ground, so as to allow a retreat for the fowl during
hot, cold, or- wet weather, but it has no advantages! over
the floor of the pen, and has some disadvantages. If you
want to drive the fowl into the house, they run under it. If
you want to catch them they run under it. If raised high, it
is difficult to get in and out of the house. If left low, it
is a harbor for rats and foul, dead air. Eggs laid there are
difficult to get, unless one lies down on his stomach and

crawls in. In zero weather the floor is ice cold, etc,

FOUNDATIONS.

For our foundations we have decided to use cedar posts
4 feet long. The four corner posts and the four partition
posts are to be 8 inches across the top. The remaining ^posts
are to be 6 inches across the top. It will not do to allow
the roof boards or any other part of the structure to tres- '
pass on our neighbor's property. Therefore, although our lot
is 25 feet wide, we allow onty 21 feet 6 inches to be included
in our frame work. Three inches is allowed at each end for
the outside boards of wall and roof, and 3 feet at one end
for the walk to the alley. The width is to be 12 feet, not
including the roof boards or siding. Having laid out our
ground carefully, we proceed to dig the post holes the
required depth, also carefully, not going deeper than re-
quired. We would stretch a line straight and level to guide
us. We would straighten and flatten the outer surface of
our posts, cutting off about an inch, after the posts were set,
and make an allowance accordingly. The top of the posts
must be level, and their sides straight. The top of the posts
are to come even with the top of the finished earth, brick
or cement floor, the thickness of which is to be calculated for.
We divide the building into three equal pens, therefore we set
the center of the division posts 7 feet 3 2-3 inches from the
outer side of the finished corner posts. When lined inside,
the distance between the walls will be about equal, viz.:
6 feet 8 2-3 inches. The cut shows the distance apart of the
centers of the other posts, which we place under the studding
for their support.

END VIEW OF STUDS AND RATTERS.

The studs, plates and joists or rafters should be sized
straight and true. Where the rafters lie on the plates they
are fitted snugly with saw and chisel before being nailed.

The end view is given to show the arrangement of the
sill, studs, plates and rafters. We first spike down our 12-
foot 4 by 4 sill to the posts at each end, being careful to
have their outside close to ,the building lino determined
upon. They must also be level and straight. We next put
down a 4 by 4 sill along the front and back, fitting them in
snugly, but between the others and with the same care, and
always putting a cut end upon the center of a post. We then
set up a row of 2 by 4 studs along the front at the proper
distances apart, each one being placed on the sill over the
center of a post and spiked down. We use 4 by 4 studs for
the corners and division front and back. Each stud must be

YfOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

cut square at each end, and of the same length, viz.: 11 feet
V-/-2, inches in front and 11 feet 8% inches at the back. As
they are set up it is customary to tack long boards diagon-
ally across them to hold them in place. The narrow face
of the stud is directed outwards. At the outside ends the
flat surface of the stud must be flush with the sill and placed
vertical. Over the complete length of the front and back
studs, now set up and spiked down, a 2 by 4 plate will be
laid on its flat surface and spiked down to the studs with
5-inch wire nails. At each end a diagonal board must be
tacked to the end stud and a post, to hold them in a true
vertical position. Now we are ready to place the 2 by 6
rafters on their edges across the front and back plates, and
directly over the studs. We prefer to use rafters 14 feet
long and permit them to extend 6 inches over the back and
the balance over the front, to keep the back and front dry.
However, if preferred, 12-foot rafters could be used. If so,
then we would make the building 2 inches narrower than the
present plans call for, which is 12 feet wide sills, and the
outside boards in addition. In either case the wide side of
the rafters must be flush with the outside of the corner
studs. All rafters must be securely nailed. The 2 by 4
studs are set with their narrow face outwards along each
end and accurately fitted in between the sill and the rafter
at the proper distances apart and properly spiked .down. At
the top of the stud the back half not cut off is allowed to
extend up behind the rafter and be spiked to it. The first
Stud from each corner of the end, is placed one inch from

I TABU frimK,

End view showing plan of rafters, studs and spaces, also for
end door and windows if desired.

the stud to allow for boarding up the insiTle. The center
of the second end stud from the front is placed 2 feet 11
inches distant. The next stud 2 feet 8 inches distant be-
tween the centers. The next one 2 feet between centers, and
the center of the next stud is placed 2 feet 5 inches from the
outside of the back sill. The rafters having been all spiked
down in place, we next turn our attention to the partition
Studs. We first put down a 2 by 6 sill extending across the
building, and exactly in line with the center of the 4 by 4
Studs at the front and back, and spike it to the stud, sill and
BOSts The 2 by 4 partition studs are set lengthwise along
this sill and extend to the rafters, to both of which they are
spiked. The studs, are placed over the cedar posts. One 2
bv 4 stud is set 1 inch from the back stud, and another set 1
inch from the front stud. This allows room for the boards

with which we line the inside of the building, so as to make a
dead air space of 4 inches.

The next stud is set so that its center will be 4 feet 5
inches from the outside of the back sill. The next stud 2
feet between centers. Two feet must be left clear between
the two studs in front for the inside door. While the dis-
tance between the centers of the adjoining two studs will be
2 feet 8 inches. Cross pieces 2 by 4 inches are nailed be-
tween the studs to strengthen and for nailing to.

FRONT VIEW.

The front view of the building shows it to be 21 feet 6
inches wide and 12 feet high between the water table and
top of the plate. The studs are 11 feet 2% inches long,
back and front sized to a straight edge. They are 2 by 4
inches. Each stud is supported by a cedar post. On the
outside of the building the 2-inch surface of the stud is set
outwards, while in the partition the 4-inch surface is set
lengthwise with the partition. The building is divided into
three pens of equal width when completed, if boarded up on
the inside of the outer walls, and the outer sides of th'e mid-
dle pen. From the outer side of the sills to the center of
the first partition stud is 7 feet 3 2-3 inches, leaving the
center pen between the center of the partition studs to be
6 feet 10 inches. If the building is only to be 8 feet high,
one window will be required in front, but we prefer to have
the building 12 feet high, and place one window above the
other. We prefer the doors in front because when doors
and windows are wide open it almost makes an open scratch-
ing shed. The door openings are 2 feet wide between the
studs and 5 feet 10 inches high. The door when made is to
be 2 feet 1 inch wide and 6 feet long. It is to overlap a
half inch on each side stud, a half inch above and 1% inches
on the sill below. Our upper window sashes are 34 inches
wide and 36 inches long and lap over onto the studding half
an inch all round. We use an upper sash hung on the outside
by the top and a lower sash hung by the lower surface on
the inside. We place the top of the windov sill 18 inches
above the floor or bottom of the sill of the building. The
hen hole is 8 inches wide and 16 inches high clear on the
inside. Its mode of construction will be explained elsewhere.
The front view shows the mode of construction. Pen 2.
shows the studding as used for the whole front. The front
of the other pen shows the tongue and grooved flooring run-
ning up and down, which is the method we use. Two-inch
strips running up and down ' can be placed on the corners
if clapboards are used. Transverse pieces 2 by 4 inches
are used to strengthen the frame and for nailing the out-
side boards to. The space between the studs for the up-
per and lower sash is 33 inches. The depth of the upper
sash before and behind is 36 inches. The depth of the lower
front sash is 4 feet,

ROOF COVERING.

Each one must decide for himself what roof covering to
use. If the covering is to be of shingles the pitch or slant
of the roof must not be less than 6 inches to the foot, better
9 inches. If of tar and gravel, then the pitch is usually
made steeper if desired, only so that the gravel don't roll
off. If of paper, covered with roof paint, then the pitch
should be from 4 to 6 inches or more to the foot. A gravel
roof 22 feet long by 12 feet wide would cost about $12, if
covered with four thicknesses of No. 2 Cincinnati wool roof-
ing felt, well mopped between the sheets and properly fast-
ened to ,the building, the whole surface then covered with the
best roofing composition, over which is placed a heavy coat of
clean screened gravel. This would last for five to ten years
without repair.

There are many kinds of paper coverings which are accom-
panied with directions, and caps and nails, for applying.

WATER TABLE.

To the center of the 4 by 4-inch sills which are nailed
around close to the outside of the upper surface of the posts,

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

we would nail a 1-inch strip 2 inches wide. This 'would look
well, make a so-called water table, and protect the sills
,£jom rotting. We would attach this strip b}' nailing from
the under side. Before nailing we would bevel about one-
eighth inch off the under edge which is to be attached. The
upper surface would then throw the water out, and the outer
and lower edge being the lowest, the water would drop off,
instead of leaking backwards to the sill. To the sill, be-
neath this strip, and close to it, we would nail all around the
frame work or building a 12-inch board. Before nailing on
these boards, we would see that the posts were smooth and
plumb or vertical. This board will support the soil and floor-
ing inside, and also keep the floor warm. But this is not
enough, as the rats would eat holes through the corners and
dig holes underneath.

WATER AND GAS.
The fowls need fresh water, their utensils must be washed.
How and where shall it be done! Shall the utensils be car-
ried to the house, making a muss there, or shall the water be
carried to the utensils, in either case much time will be con-
sumed. It would pay to carry a supply water pipe deep in
the ground to the poultry house from the dwelling house. A
small sink connected with the water supply would be exceed-
ingly useful. This sink could easily be connected with the
same drain that carried the water from the poultry house

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This drawing shows 4x4 inch sills spiked to the cedar posts
around the outside, also the two 2x6 inch floor partition joists
resting on the cedar posts, on their edges, also the front cedar
posts in the ground, also 12 inch boards nailed to the outside
of the cedar posts to keep the earth in, and the cold out, and
heavy wire netting tacked to the outside of the board and
posts to keep out the rats.

spout. If a gas pipe was carried from the house in the same
ditch to the poultry house it would also be a most useful con-
venience for use in the dark mornings and evenings of winter,
when the busy city fancier must do his poultry work. This
gas could be utilized for heating the poultry house in extreme-
ly cold weather, with much less danger in its use. What a
saving of time for the fancier who would have to trim and fill
and clean his lamp so often. We also use city gas for our
incubators.

HEN HOLE.

We place the bottom of the hole 8 inches above the sill.
The hole through which the fowl pass in and out must be
made of a size suitable for the cock. We make the inside of
the hole 8 inches wide by 16 inches high. Its construction
permits the cover over the end of the opening being opened
and closed from the residence by means of pulley and wire.
The boards composing this hole are smooth on all sides and
ara placed even with the lining inside. The cover of the
hole, inside and out, is made of 2-inch stuff in order to give it
sufficient weight to close the opening tightly. Its' upper edge
is beveled to fit before applying the hinges to the top. A
sc."ew eye is inserted near the lower edge of the lid to lift it

by. The top and the cover lids should be made of 2-incb
stuff. The sides and bottom of 1-inch stuff planed smooth.
The top should extend 2 inches inside through the building,
and outside of the building 5 inches, so that the lid when
raised can lie back safely against the side of the building.
The sides and bottom should extend through the building, and
outside of the building 4 inches at the top and 12 inches at the
bottom. The top, bottom and lid should extend over the sides.
The lid is beveled at the top so as to fit close to the cover be-
fore being hinged. A screw eye is placed near the bottom of
the lid to lift it, by hand or pulley. In summer the board
door is unscrewed and a heavy wire door put in its place. We
use half-inch wire mesh to prevent mice from getting in at
night. All our pens are made with cat holes between them
to be opened and closed when we please. The top extends
2 inches over both doors, so that water will not so easily run
down behind the lid. The hole inside of the building should
also have a hinged cover which can be hooked up when not
in use. The sides and bottom board inclosing the hole should
not project much beyond the siding inside. The top should
extend over the boards outside and inside 2 inches for attach-
ing the hinge to the 2-inch lid underneath it.
VENTILATION.
In summer the house should be clean and wide open. In
zero weather an open house with cracks means frozen combs
and few eggs and severe colds. A tight house, closed tight,
means dead air, still air, foul air, impure air. If the inside
air of the closed house was at the same temperature as the
outside air there would be but little interchange of air
between the two. This dead air would be so debilitating
while the fowl are locked up there day and night in severe
weather that the fowls would become sickly and dull and
but few eggs would be laid, and in spring the eggs would
not be hatchable. If there was no artificial heat the fowls'
combs in many cases would be frozen and their eggs would
not be fertilized. We advocate pure air and a sufficient
quantity, slightly warmed in severely cold weather. We use
our windows for ventilation. We do so in our dwelling, upon
the same principle. In winter we let pure, fresh air into
our dwelling through the bottom of our outer storm sash,
and up between the windows, then into our dwelling through
the top of our inner window, having our curtains hung below
the openings.

WINDOWS.

Windows should be obtained before commencing the house,
so that the studding can be spaced properly for them. The
window frames we use are 34 inches wide by 36 inches high
and contain six lights of glass 10 by 16. The number of
lights is immaterial. We use double windows for winter.
We fit the sash to the outside of the studs within and with-
out and allow them to overlap the studs at the sides and the
cross bar above a half inch. This saves lumber and labor.
The lower cross bar upon which the sash rests should extend
outwards as far as the sash and have a downward slant of
half an inch. It should be smoothed off on the inside so as
to be level and evea with the inner surface of the sash. We
take a smooth 2 by 8 piece, the pr»per width, and fit it in
between the studs at the proper place, allowing it to project
inwards and outwards far enough to be even with the out-
ward surface of the sash, so that the spring hinges or but-
tons will fit properly. The studs should also be planed
smooth wherever exposed. We hang the windows in the fol-
lowing manner so as to make ventilators out of them. What
we need in a winter poultry house in zero weather is warmed
fresh air without drafts. The inner window is hinged at the
bottom by applying the hin^e to its inner surface and the
inner surface of its support. Two buttons 2 by 2 inches
attached to the cross bar above, will hold the window tight.
A small chain of any length desired, attached by a screw to
the center of the cross bar above, can be held by any one of
its holes, by the point of a nail driven into the upper edge

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

of the sash at its middle. This will permit the opening of
the sash any distance. The inner sash open at the top, the
outer sash opeo at the bottom, permits of any ventilation
desired in winter without draft, when, the doors cannot be
opened. The outer window should be hung at the top with
spring hinges; being hung at the top, protects from rain,
snow and wind. With a screw eye in front near the bottom,
a pulley overhead, and a wire stretched to the house we
ventilate according to the weather. In the summer it can
be removed or pulled up out of the way. A button or barrel
bolt at each side near the bottom will keep the outer win-
dow closely shut when desired. If the building is 12 feet
high, a second window should be inserted in front, above
the other, near the roof, and built the same as the lower
ones. For summer use we attach No. 19 wire, one-inch
mesh, to the center of the window frames between the sash.

END WINDOWS.

One or more windows can be put in as desired, whk:h
would give much needed light in winter and much ventila-
tion in summer. The neighbor's buildings may render them
useless below, but may not interfere with the upper ones.
They are to be hung the same as in the front, with spring
hinges, pulleys, ropes and wires to be operated from the
house. The inside windows opening at the top protects from
wind, storm or cold, by directing the wind upwards, not
down upon the fowl. The outsicte windows protect from

One end of the house inside, boarded up with 6 inch tongue and
groove lumber.

rain, snow or storm, by opening at the bottom. Being two
windows; when shut they leave an air space between them
which protects from the conduction of zero weather. The
end windows being placed in front of the fowl, protect them
from draughts when wide open in summer, while giving them
unlimited fresh air. The high windows having spring
hinges can be easily manipulated by pulley and wire. They
can be taken off in summer or let down.

HINGES.

We use spring hinges on all doors to save time, and to
prevent fowl from getting through with us. The 3-inch
wrought steel butt costs 7 cents per pair. The cast iron are
no good. The screen door spring- hinge costs 10 cents per
pair. The fine wire Pullman coil door spring No. 3 is 18
inches long and costs 8 cents each. The Torrey door screen
single rod spring, 3 feet long, costs 15 cents each. Another
effective spring, the vertical, consisting of two vertical rods
feent at the top and curled at the bottom, worth 25 cents

each. The hardware man will tell how to put them on. Gate
or door strong wire spiral spring, 12 inches long, costs 25
cents each. Three-inch wire door pulls, 2 cents each. Iron
brackets to hold up shelves can be gotten in sizes from 3 by
4 inches, up to 16 by 18 inches.

DOORS.

We would put a light double swing door between each pen,
and a door into each pen from the outside in front, and a
door between each yard 6 feet from the house on the outside,
so as not to interfere with the fowl standing in front of the
house. We would put a movable 8-inch board beneath the
swinging doors inside, which would lessen the required length
and weight of the door, keep the door above the litter and
prevent the fowl from running through the opened door.
We would also put 12-inch movable boards in front of the
outer doors inside to prevent the litter from being scratched
out into the yards. We would also put under the yard doors
6-inch movable boards, to permit the doors to open easily
over hardened snow or ice; also along the line of the open
gate our stop fastener, which holds the gate open at once,
and permits it to close by merely touching it with the foot.
A wire handle, with a screw hole in each end. is used on each
door to pull it open.

FRONT DOORS.

They are placed outside of the studding, and allowed to
overlap them, and the cross bar above, a half inch, and to
extend down over the sills in front to the water table below,
the same as the siding does. They are made of tongued and
grooved 1-ineh flooring, 2 feet 1 inch wide by 6 feet loDg,
and attached with screws to three pieces, one inch thick and
6 inches wide by 2 feet long. These three cross pieces are
intended to rest between the studs. The upper one to rest
just below the overhead cross piece, the lower one close to the
floor below and the middle one between the other two. The
doors are hung with three summer door spring hinges, or if a
stiffer spring is wanted, we use the ordinary steel butts and
a spiral spring. The hinges are screwed over those cluss
boards.

It is important to have the door close after one quickly
when they go out or in, as the chickens are sometimes very
quick to get out when we don't want them to. The door is
kept open by a hook and eye and kept closed by two but-
tons 2% inches long, or barrel bolts 4 inches long. A hook
and eye or bolt is used inside to close it. An inch
strip is used around the inner edge of the door between the
cross pieces, which helps to form a dead air space; then the
whole inside of the door is covered over with building paper.
Inside the door, between the studs, a 12-inch board is set,
to prevent the litter from being scratched into the yard. It
is set in grooves made by screwing pieces one-half inch
square to the studs and is easily lifted out.

END DOOR.

A door from the sidewalk into the house would be a great
convenience, and save much time. The door space left is
2 feet 2 inches by 6 feet. The door is to be made and hung
the same as described for the front doors, overlapping the
studs and head piece a half inch, and extending over the sill
down to the water table below. A wire handle to pull the
door open, and spring hinges are convenient and time-saving.
The owner may prefer other hinge butts, and locks, and
door knobs; if so, they are easily put on. Two 3-inch barrel
bolts, or 2-inch buttons may be used to hold the doors closed
on the outside if locks are not used.

PARTITION DOORS.

The two inside partition doors are made 2 feet wide by 5
feet long. The door frame is made of inch lumber 3 inches
wide. The top and bottom rails are cut 24 inches long, and
the side pieces are cut 5 feet long. Extending 3 inches
from each end of the four pieces, a piece is cut out from tho
flat surface, half its depth, even and squarely. We use a
saw and square. It is well to cut out these pieces at each

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

end from the same side. The ends are then screwed to-
gether squarely with four screws to each corner. Use %-inch
screws, size No. 8. The frame is covered over with 1-inch
mesh wire, No. 19. These doors are hung with 3-inch, sum-
mer door, spring hinges, which cost 12 cents per pair. Un-
der the door we place an 8-inch board between the studs, and
2 inches above this we hang the door. We also leave a 2-inch
space above the door. The smaller the door the lighter it
will be.

SUMMER DOORS.
We use summer doors on the outside of our building,
framed and covered with wire, similar to the inside doors.
They are made of the same size as the outside doors without
binges. When the front doors are opened straight out and
hooked in that position, the wire doors are set in their
place, and held there merely by the back edge of the front
door, and the same bolt that holds the winter door shut.
It is kept from dropping down by the water table below.

YARD GATES OR DOORS.
The three outside partition gates or doors in the yards
are made in the same way as the inside partition doors, ex-
cept that we make them 6 inches wider and cover them with
No. 14 wire of 3-inch mesh above, and 1-ineh mesh wire
over the lower two feet. The bottom boards, under the
doers or gates, permit them to swing clear of litter or snow.

A Partition Walt

The}' are easily lifted out, being set in grooves made by
nailing pieces a half inch square and 8 inches long to the
posts on each side of the board.

NEST PLATFORM.

Our nest platform consists of 1-inch boards, 10 inches
wide and 36 inches long, extending from before backwards.
Its under side is placed two feet above the floor. It rests
behind on a strip 1 by 2 inches, screwed on with brass
screws to the rear wall. In front, it rests on a 1 by 1 inch
strip screwed to the lower half of a strip 1 by 2 inches set
on its edge. This strip extends between the side walls, and
rests snugly in a slot at each end. These boards are planed
smooth on both sides and do not overlap each other.
NESTS.

Five or six nests can be placed on the platform. Any
kind of nest can be used, closed or open. They can be laid
on the platform so as to allow the fowl to go in from the
rear, or the front. If they go in from the rear the front
can be closed with a board hinged so as to be lifted out of
the way to collect the eggs in front, while the birds lay in
the dark, behind. We prefer the Record Trap Nests, which
Ere 13 inches wide, 26 inches long and 19 inches high, leav-

ing 10 inches in front for a stepping board for the fowl. As
the hen enters, the door closes after her. One of the ad-
vantages of this nest is that one can tell from a distance
whether a hen is on the nest or not, and then can tell which
hen has laid. These nests are placed close to the back wall,
and have 10 inches of a platform in front, upon which they
hop before entering the nests. There should be head room
enough to permit the hens to get into the nests comfortably.
The nests sit on the platform .and are easily removed and
soaked with liquid lice killer, or other disinfectant. The
loose boards composing the platform are as easily removed
also. The space above the nests must be enclosed with wire
or otherwise to prevent the fowl from roosting on them.

ROOST PLATFORM OR DROPPING BOARDS.

The bottom of our roost platform is placed 19 inches or
more above the nest platform. It should not be supported
by posts on the floor, as they are in the way of the fowl
and. the attendant. The dropping board should be made
moveable, yet tight enough to prevent the dirt from falling
on the nests or floor beneath. It should be firmly supported.
If hung upon wires, it is usually wabbly and annoying. All
lumber used in the inside of the building should be planed
smooth, to avoid hiding places for vermin and their eggs.
We place our dropping boards at the back of our pen in
the following manner: Along the back and sides of the
pen, at the proper height, we fasten strips 1-inch thick and
2 inches wide, to help support the dropping boards. The
side strips are to be 6 inches lower at the front, which
facilitites cleaning, and prevents dirt from falling down at
the sides. These strips are fastened with brass screws. They
don't rust and the strip can be easily removed and changed
as desired. Brass screws are preferable for all other inter-
nal supports for the some reason. For these pens we make
the dropping boards 4 feet long from the back to the front.
Each board is from 8 to 12 inches wide and 1 inch thick.
There is cut out from each edge of the board a half inch in
width by a half inch in depth from the upper edge of one
side and from the lower edge of the other side of the board.
They are easily removed to soak their edges with liquid lice
killer. Their edges overlapping prevent, the lime, sand,
ashes, earth or other material placed on them, from falling
through on the nests below. Some birds insist upon sitting
upon the front edge of this platform. We therefore place
a 2 by 4 in front, pressed close to the boards, which holds
them tight in place and prevents somewhat the droppings
from falling on the floor. This strip is held firmly in place
by resting in a groove or slot at the sides of the pen. A 1
inch strip is nailed to the lower side of this strip to support
the boards. The 4-inch side of this strip will be divided into
three parts. Two inches will extend above the boards, 1 inch
will be occupied by the ends of the boards, and 1 inch will be
occupied by the 1-inch strip upon which the dropping boards
rest. The upper portion of this pole is placed tight against
the loose dropping boards, while the portion above the
dropping boards helps to keep the droppings from being
scratched onto the floor and furnishes a broad roost for the
birds when driven off the roosts or cannot be accommodated
on them.

JUMPING POLE.

Eighteen inches in front of the dropping board and half
way between it and the floor we extend a pole between the
walls of the pen to assist the bird in getting up to and
down from the roosts. It is made 1% inches by 2 inches and
set in a slot at either end. It is easily lifted out of the way
for cleaning, etc. It is also exceedingly useful for a rooster
to hop up on when chased by another. It is amusing to see
the looks of the chaser when he gets left thus.

HEIGHT OF ROOSTING QUARTERS.

The height should be not less than 4 inches above the 'top
of the cock's comb when standing up on the roost. Our
rooster stands 25 inches to the top of his comb. Less will

HOV TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

most likely subject it to being frozen, by conduction from a
low roof, i'n extreme cold weather. A frozen comb causes the
bird much suffering and renders it useless for breeding pur-
poses during the breeding season. It also disfigures the
bird. Imagine the suffering if our fingers should be frozen
off. It takes weeks before it heals.

CURTAINS.

In extremely cold nights a muslin curtain may be let down
in front of the dropping board. If the curtain is kept a
half inch in front of the board, the foul gases will escape
to the floor, and the curtain itself will admit the pure air
through its interstices. In extremely cold weather two light
frames covered with oiled canvas, can be hung overhead
close between the top storage floors of our 12-foot building.
The frames can be made of half-inch lumber hinged to each
wall and raised by a rope or pulley. Each frame would be
about 3 feet square and prevented from falling by a peg put
into the flooring on each side of the upper floors.

BOOSTS.

Writers in the poultry journals and books inform us that
narrow roosts cause crooked breast bones; and tell us to
use 2 by 4-inch poles rounded on the top. Just stop and
figure out the faet, that the narrowest flat roost gives a
broader surface than the broadest pole with rounded top.
There is not even a point along the whole pole, if perfectly
rounded, that is as flat as a knife's edge. No! the top of
the roost should be flat, and only the sharp edges smoothed
with sand paper. A roost feet long accommodates ten
hens.

We deem two roosts necessary, so that a fowl driven
from one roost can sit on the other. We find that roost poles
2 by 2 inches answer our purpose, while roosts 2 by 4 inches
are twice as heavy. We leave a space of 20 inches between
the roost and the wall. If we do not, a Minorca rooster's
tail will be crowded over its back and spoiled. We also
leave 20 inches between the roosts. The bask roost is placed
6 inches higher than the front one, to permit the rear birds
to see over the heads of the front row. The under edge of
the roosts are placed 12 inches above the dropping board, to
permit the fowl to go back and forth under the roosts.
Their ends rest well in -fitted slots against the wall, which
are well soaked with liquid lice killer once a week, which
prevents lice from taking that route. Poultry judges and
visitors never find a louse on our fowl. We do not keep a
poultry house for breeding lice, rats or mice. Vertical and
transverse wires to hold up the roosts are theoretically ideal,
but practically a nuisance. They are in the way, they are
wabbly, insecure, unsteady and requires much time to secure
and release them.

FREEZING COMBS.

Nither the comb nor any part of the fowl's body should be
allowed to come near the outside walls in zero weather. We
all know how cold we grow, in severely cold weather, if we
sit near the wall or window. If we lay our hand upon them
we soon feel the stinging cold by conduction. In zero weather
wall or glass window where insufficient heat is kept to pre-
vent it. For the same reason we see the water trickle down
the outside of the pitcher if ice water is kept within it.
Just so with the chicken hugged up close to the outside wall,
it may freeze, while the others may be warm. The same
applies to large single combs; they will freeze if exposed to
a low roof. No part of a bird should be allowed to come
within 4 inches of an outside wall in zero weather. The
same applies to the large single beefy comb of the Minorca
cock when standing up.

ROOST CANOPY.

During severe freezing weather we hang a canopy of cot-
ton cloth, looking like an enclosed buggy top, up over the
chicken roost, at a distance of 4 inches from the roof,
back and sides. The housekeeper pulls the curtains down to
keep the cold out. Every one knows how cold- the air is be-

tween the curtain and the window. The seams are sewed
closely together. At the corners and half way between are
sewed little pieces of muslin made double and containing
eyelet holes to hang it by similar to the tags at the lower
end of men's short bosoms, to hold it down to, the pantaloons.
Vertical or cross wires above the roosts interfere with this
most humane plan.

STORAGE AND COOP PLATFORM.

About 3Vi feet above the roost platform we place the
storage and coop platform. Its floor is made of tongue and
grooved flooring smoothed on both sides. It extends from
before backwards, on a level, 6 feet. Has three supports un-
der it, each 2 by 4 inches, smooth on all sides; one at the
back, middle and front; each resting in slots against the
side walls. The front support could be made to support its
part of the floor by cutting out of it a piece 1 inch square
and holding it firmly against the boards. Two sliding wire
doors should be placed in front of the platform and it may
be divided into two apartments for fowl, with 1-inch wire
mesh, No. 19, or boards, if desired.

COOP DOORS.

The doors are made of equal size and extend from this
floor to the ceiling. The frames are made of inch stuff, 3
inches wide. From each end of the four pieces constituting

Iuside rear view of one pen.

one door frame, cut out a piece 3 inches wide and a half inch
thick from the flat surface. Make all cuts perfectly square
and true. Fasten the cut ends together with four screws
and cover the opening with No. 19 wire, %-inch mesh. The
wire can be fastened to the inside of the frame with tiny
half inch staples.

GROOVES FOR COOP DOORS.

Three strips of smooth wood a half inch square, the whole
width of the pen, should be fastened with screws to the
floor and to the ceiling vertically and horizontally, the one
above the other, and far enough apart, to permit the doors
to slide past each other from one side to the other. The
partition should come from the back to the grooves for the
doors. A spirit level should be used freely around all parts
of the building, so as to have floor and partitions true, level
and vertical.

A FRONT UPPER PLATFORM.

Another storage platform about 2 feet 6 inches wide can
be placed along the front wall on a level with the previous
one, or even two feet lower, and built on the same plan,
using only two supports.

LAMPS.

For heating the chicken house when the weather is about
zero we use large tin kerosene lamps holding about two
quarts. Each one rests upon four tiny short feet and has
two diamond burners which need no chimneys. We set one
on a shelf in the corner by the hen hole two feet above the
floor. The shelf upon which the lamp stands, in the corner,
is triangular in shape and comes out from the corner 12

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

inches in the center and 16 inches at each side. This cor-
ner is lined all around with tin. We cover the shelf with
tin, and also tack a piece 7 inches wide to its front edge to
keep the flapping wings of the fowl from blowing out the
lamp. About two feet above the lamp we slant a piece of
tin upwards and outwards to prevent dirt from falling over
en the lamp, and to throw the heat outwards. We place in
front of the whole %-inch w ire netting to keep the birds off,
to keep out the litter and let out the heat. We fasten the
wire loosely with staples on one side, and stretch it on the
other side over hooks.

WATER TANK FOR WINTER USE.

This is made by the A. H. Company, Toledo, Ohio. We
set it in the center of a partition between the pens so as to
furnish warm water for two pens. It is made of galvanized
iron. It is round, has a diameter of 13% inches and a depth
of S 1 /^ inches. This round tank sets upon a square box 8%
inches deep by 8 inches wide, which contains the lamp for
heating the water in winter and heating the house. A small
drinking cup is attached to each side, one for each pen. The
cup is connected with the fountain above. The whole sets
on a platform two feet above the floor, which gives ample
room for the fowl to hop up and drink, without danger of
getting their wattles frozen by freezing water. A beveled
tin shelf is attached above it and covering it, so as to pre-
vent fowl from sitting on it.

GRIT BOXES.

Our grit boxes are made either single or with two or more
in a bunch, as convenience dictates. Each compartment or
box is made 12 inches long, 7 inches wide, 6 inches deep in
front and 13 inches high at the back. The boxes should be

Skeleton view of end of house showing fence extending from it.
jfosts are ten feet long and five inches across the top. Pickets on top
are made of y 2 inch stuff 1% inches wide and twelve inches long and
are \>/z inches apart. Posts are two feet six inches in the ground-
low enough to permit the fowl to pick the grit from the
bottom of the box, wide enough to accommodate the roos-
ters' combs, and slant enough upwards and backwards to
prevent the fowl from perching on them. Everything within
the pen except the roosts must be so constructed as to pre-
vent the fowl from perching in or on them. To prevent fowl
from getting into the boxes or perching on their edges slats
are nailed over the boxes from the b^ck to the front. We
make the slats of stuff % inch square with rounded edges.
A space of 2% or 3 inches is left between the slats. We
make a frame for the top of the boxes and cover it with
the slats and hinge it to the front of the box or boxes, so
that we simply lift the hinged frame forward when we wish
to fill or clean the box. In making the boxes we let the bot-
tom board extend out two inches in front of it, to which we
fasten an 8-inch platform with hinges. The hinges are
strong enough to support the platform and any fowl that
may be picking grit.

DUST BATH.

We find that the width of our finished pen is 80 inches
and that we have room for four nests each, 13 inches wide,
and a dust box 28 inches wide by 24 inches before back. It
therefore fits in between the slats that support the plat-
form on which the nests rest. For winter use we place a
kerosene lamp under it which we light occasionally to keep
the dust dry and to help remove the chill from the house.

We make the dust box 18 inches deep and divide it by put-
ting in a partition 12 inches from the top. The 6 inches
under the partition we line with a sheet of zinc or tin, to
hold the heat and to protect it from fire. If the dust is too
cold or too damp fowl will not use it. We set this box 1
inch down over the outside of another box, a close fit, which
contains the kerosene lamp, but which has no cover. An
inch strip is nailed around this lower box to hold the upper
box up. The lower box is made 11 inches outside depth. A
place for a hinged door is cut out of the front of the lower
box. The width of the door must correspond to the width of
the lamp. Our lamp is made of tin, has two diamond burn-
ers on top and four half-inch long props under it. The
total height is 6 inches. The reservoir of the lamp is 2
inches high, 8 inches long, 10 inches broad. The front door
frame is made like the other internal wire door frames de-
scribed and covered with fine wire, and fastened with a
2-inch button. This fine wire gives air for the lamp, pre-
vents the litter from getting in, and the light if burning can
be seen from the distance. The diamond burners need no
chimneys. These lamps can be purchased from the Auto-
matic Hatching Company, 1311 Broadway, Toledo, Ohio. This
box placed by the corner under the dropping boards on tTie
floor, can be easily reached from the nest platform. If not
used there, ft shelf 8 inches bioad can be hinged to the front
to hop up on. If not desired in the corner it can be set
up in the place of a roost during the day. To prevent fowl
from perching on the edge of the dust bath, we fasten
securely 1-inch square posts in the . corners of the dust box
and extend them 4 inches above the box. Three inches above
the edge of the box we bore holes through the posts through
which we pull a wire tight. They cannot roost on the wire,
if they cannot touch the board below. When hens begin to
lay lively in the spring the dust box can be removed and
two more nests set in its place. Four nests are sufficient
for ten hens in the winter.

We prefer to hang our dust box above the grit boxes, close
to the roosting quarters, and underneath it to place two stout
brackets to help support it.

A SMALL MEAT AND VEGETABLE CHOPPER.

We use the new Connecticut meat chopper, No. 60. It is
one of the most useful articles in the chicken house for
grinding dry bread, meat or vegetables for chick or fowl.
This we place attached to a shelf above the water tank and
close to the partition door. Above the meat chopper we
fasten a wide piece of tin, slanting in auch a manner as to
cover the chopper, and keep it from being fouled by dirt or
fowl. This cover is so fastened as to lie up against the wall
when not in use.

ELECTRIC BELLS.

These can be put in at a very small expense and sound an
alarm when thieves attempt to steal the chickens. An addi-
tional bell in the chicken house on the same circuit might
frighten them away never to return again.

TOOLS PLACED SO THAT CHICKENS CAN 'T BOOST ON ' THEM.

On the boarded walls we hang up our chicken house tools.

A broom with handle cut ofl short and a large eyed screw-
eye inserted into the end, or a piece of leather fastened to
the top to hang it up by. A piece of string inserted through
a hole is a nuisance.

A whisk broom is also hung up in a handy place to brush
our clothes before going into the house.

A rake, a shovel, a sieve for sifting hard coal cinders for
the chickens, and a very fine sieve, 30x30 wires to the inch
for sifting dust for the chicken bath.

A hammer and a screw driver are also hung up on hooks so
that the flying fowl can't knock them down.

A heavy dust pan, 12 inches wide, is also hung up, made
from heavy galvanized iron without a handle. •

A small scraper about 6 inches long with semi-rounded
top is also a most useful article.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

WATER AND GAS.

H water and gas could be introduced they would be al-
most indispensable. Our sink is 12x24, which admits a pail
ana gives us plenty of room to wash our dishes. The faucet
should not be less than 12 inches above the sink, to permit a
pole to go under. A towel rack and soap dish is also pro-
vided. Gas or lamp hung up 3 feet above the sink gives
the needed light to wash our utensils.

WIRE FOR CABBAGE.

We take a piece of No. 9 or 10 wire, the length we
desire, so that when completed it will be 20 to 24 inches
above the floor according to the size and jumping proclivi-
ties of the fowl for exercise. One end of the
wire we bend around a screw eye so that it will
move freely, the other end we bend a little more than
half around, upon which we hook half a cabbage. The screw
eye we fasten to the under edge of the front support of the
roost platform, or from the ceiling.

SPIKES FOR BEETS.

We take two smooth pieces of inch boards 3 inches wide
and 36 inches long. Through one of the boards we drive 6
inch wire spikes, 6 inches apart. The other board we nail
over the heads of the spikes to keep them from falling
out. The long spikes are not so likely to injure the fowl
as smaller ones, nor are the beets so likely to be pulled
off to the floor. We nail each end of this board, spikes up,
to the studs, at each side of the window 12 to 14 inches
above the floor. This spiked board is placed in front of and
below the window.

YARDS.

No. 19 wire soon rusts out on a city lot on account of gas,
soot and other causes. We use No. 14 wire for this purpose.
Sparrows eat up much of our hen's food, and cats carry
off many of our chicks. Eats do the same.

We would therefore recommend that our yards be cov-
ered with wire, consisting of one inch mesh, and that it
be placed high enough to permit us to walk comfortably
underneath.

YARD GATE STOP.

This useful invention is placed just in front of the gate
when wide open. It consists of 2 sticks crossing each other.
Each piece is made of inch lumber 3 inches wide and of suffi-
cient length to answer the purpose. One piece of the re-
quired length is sharpened at one end and driven into
the earth just in front of the gate when wide open, and left
sufficiently high above the ground to permit the gate to just
pass over it. The other piece is made of sufficient length
so that when screwed to the side of the piece already in
the ground, near its top, at a point one-third of its length
or less from the end toward the gate, so that when the long
end touches the ground the end of the short end will rise
up high enough to stop the gate from closing. The hole
through this piece is made large enough to permit it to re-
volve easily around the screw, while the end of the screw is
held firmly in the other piece of wood. When the gate is
pushed open it passes over the top of the swinging board
and pushes the short end down, when the weight of the
long end causes it to drop and prevents the gate from clos-
ing. When desired the foot lifts the long end, which releases
the gate and the spring hinges close the gate.

A Fattening Coop for Six Cents,

N THE late fall many fanciers have a number of
late chickens which they have reared, hoping to
compensate themselves for some of the earlier
failures. In spite of extra shade, feeding and
care, most of them fall short of expectations,
and as room is probably wanted, or the ground
has become tainted and damp, and it is use-
less to keep them, with the hope that they may obtain a higher
price later on, it naturally behooves the fancier to get rid of
them in the most profitable manner without delay. He will
find that if they are quickly fattened, and either sold or used
for home consumption, that an infinite amount of bother and
anxiety will be saved and that there will not only be less ex-
penditure for food, but most likely more profit. For this pur
pose a cage is required having narrow fenestrations.

I know of nothing better than one made of plasterers' laths,
a large bundle of which can be bought for 32 cents. A few of
the laths, value about 6 cents, will make a good sized cage,
three feet and a half long by fifteen inches wide. The laths can
be used as they are, for the long pieces, and cut into three for
the short pieces. To save time, several can be sawed through
together into the required lengths; a few wire nails and a lit-
tle ingenuity complete the coop.

It is best first to make the squares for each end and nail
some short pieces to them. The long pieces can then be fixed,
forming the top, bottom and back, and lastly, the front is
made separately and nailed on, leaving one or two of the bars
loose to slide in and out.

If a stand is required, it should, of course, be designed to
bear the greatest strain when necessary; that is, the top

Mr. Bells' Fattening Coop.

pieces should run from the front to the back to support the
length. A feeding trough can easily be made by nailing two
narrow lengths of board in a V-shaped manner and fixing a
couple of ends.

The whole coop can be made before breakfast; that is, if
the meal is not too early, and as the cost is only about ten
cents, when soiled it can be used for firewood.

If the birds are well dusted with insect powder at first, and
the droppings removed daily, then on account of the cleanli-
ness, free ventilation and comfort there should be nothing
to retard the fattening process.

In wet weather a board can be placed on the top. I find
about fourteen days the best time for fattening, without cram-
ming, and prefer using a mixture of sifted barley meal with
house scraps, which is eaten more greedily than ground oats
and Indian corn meal. A little boiled rice can be given occa-
sionally as a corrective. W. K. Bell.
— o- ■

There should at all times be plenty of clean straw or other
litter on the floor of the poultry house. Have it at least six
inches deep and never feed whole grain anywhere else.

46 HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

FIRST PRIZE POULTRY HOUSE, PLANS

The Plans and Descriptions Here Presented were Entered in American Poultry

Journal's #50 Contest by C. A. HoucR and were Awarded First Prize for

the Best Plans and Description for a Poultry House Suitable

for a Poultry Plant of Five Acres or More.

Roof of 1x8 in. boards, covered with any good 3-ply roofing

HE accompanying plans show the entire length

Tof house to be 107 ft., the main part contain-
ing the incubator cellar, office, cook room and
feed loft is 16 by 26 feet; each wing is 45 ft.
6 in. by 16 ft., outside measurements.

Foundation and cellar wall of stone 12 in.
thicE Floor of cellar may be left ground or covered, first
with 3 in. of concrete and then 1 in. cement. Depth of cellar
to floor timbers 6 ft. 8 in.

Sills 6x8 in., set on edge, notched and spiked at angles, and
ends made level.

Studding 2x4 in., set
spiked to sills and plates.

Plates 2x4 in., doubled and lapped at angles
and ends and securely nailed.

ft., on centers, plumb and well

paper, corrugated iron or shingles — whichever builder likes.

Chimney of hard burned brick, 8 in. walls, 4x12 in. smoke
flue, and form opening with flanged cover at base of flue for
removal of soot. Form stovepipe opening 18 in. below ceil-
ing. Place 2-ineh flagstone cap on top. Build in lead in ex-
terior walls of chimney above roof 1% in., in joints, and to
turn down 4 in. or more, as necessary. Base of large stones
about 8 in. thick.

The double windows in front of pens should be made, one
to swing in and back to wall out of way (the one farthest
from water fount), the other to slide up and down. The
swing window to be provided with a frame cov-
ered with oiled muslin to be put in when window
is open for ventilation during winter or stormy

Floor timbers over cellar 3x8 in., 2 ft. centers. Over office
and cook room 3x6 in., 2 ft. centers. Framed about chimney
and wall holes and notched at ends for 1x6 in. ribbon boards,
which are spiked to studding.

Rafters 2x6 in.; 2 ft. centers, placed to pitch shown in draw-
ings, notched for plates and bearing beams, and well spiked.
Stiffen in main part with 1x6 in. anchor
boards.

Bearing beams in wings 4x6 in., supported
by posts set 7 ft. 6 in. to centers.

Cover outside of studding with any good
building paper and side up with 1x8 in. nov-

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days. This virtually makes an open scratching shed and roost-
ing pen combined. Windows in incubator cellar to be hinged
at bottom and swing in, so as to be opened to any distance
desired. All others to be hung to suit the owner.

LUMBER LIST.
Two sills, 6x8x26; 4 sills, 6x8x16; 8 sills, 6x8x24; 12 floor
timbers, 3x8x16; 14 floor timbers, 3x6x16;
72 studs, 2x4x14; 32 studs, 2x4x12; 28 studs,
2x4x16; 6 studs, 2x4x18; 48 rafters, 2x6x18;
28 rafters, 2x6x12; 4 ribbon boards, 1x6x14;
6 anchor boards, 1x6x18 ; 2,250 ft. roof boards,
1x9x16 ; 3,000 ft. novelty siding, 1x8x16 ; 1,000

elty siding or any other desired. Cover inside of studding
the same way and ceil sidewalls, ends and roof with 1x8 in.
shiplap. If located in a very cold place, the space between
walls may be stuffed with swale hay.

Floors in main building of any matched flooring desired.

ft. flooring, 1x6x16; 4,500 ft. shiplap, 1x8x16.

The shiplap is for ceiling up inside of house, dropping
boards and partitions between pens.

INTERIOR ARRANGEMENTS.

Partitions between pens are of solid boards to a height of

V< 1ik.uWl*y CtXW.

Those in the two wings may be filled in with
earth to bottom of sills and left so, or they
may be cemented the same as the cellar. Some

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2 ft. 9 in., the rest of wire netting, with a
double swing door to allow attendant to pass

through from either way. Place partitions so as to make
may prefer a board floor; in that case put in the necessary each pen 15 ft. square,
floor timbers and lay floor as in main building.

Droppings tables are 3 ft. wide, 12 ft. long and 2 ft. 6

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

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HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

in. above the floor, starting
from the extreme ends of pens
and running along back wall
to within 3 ft. of next parti-
tion, thus leaving a space to
get at the slide doors used as
exits for the fowls.

For the large combed varie-
ties it would be well to board
up from ends of dropping
boards to roof and have hinged
frame covered with muslin to
let down in front on extremely
cold nights.

Two perches 11 ft. long and
1 ft. apart, hinged to wall 10
in. above tables.

Nests, a single row of box
nests of a size and depth suit-
able to variety of fowls kept.
These are placed under tables
flush with the front, a board
hinged to table and wide
enough to reach down to top
of nests hides birds from view
while laying and keeps it dark
enough to prevent egg eating.
Dust box is placed in the
front right hand corner of the
pen and is 2x4 ft. in size.

Grit, shell and charcoal box
is placed under the windows
between dust box and water
shelf.

Water fountain is placed on
a skeleton shelf in front left
hand corner of pen and raised
at a distance from floor to
suit variety kept. This style
of shelf is better than an ordi-
nary board, as the fowls when
drinking stand on perches each
side of fountain and do not
contaminate the water with
their droppings.

The last three furnishings
described are placed in the
front of the pens, as fowls as
a rule when working in the
litter generally work away
from the light, so do not
throw so much dirt in boxes
or water.

Runs with portable ends
may be built from each pen to
Confine the birds during the
breeding season if so desired.
The house may also be extended to
required number of pens to either
already built, remembering to have
between every set of three pens to
The foregoing I think to be

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any size by adding the

or both ends of those

a solid board partition

avoid draughts.

thoroughly practical and up-

heavier than is necessary, but as I designed and intended
building this house for my own use the coming spring 1
prefer to use the heavier lumber, as the location where I in-
tend building is greatly exposed to winter winds.

to-date poultry house, where unlimited range may be given
the fowls on five acres or more of ground.

Some may object to this house on account of its not having
an alleyway along the front or rear, but I have reached this
conclusion by, actual experience in experimenting with houses
of different designs, both with and without alleys. For my
part, I prefer giving the extra Toom to the fowls.

The sills, floor timbers, bearing beams and rafters are

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

PLANS FOR HOUSE ON A CITY LOT.

The Plans and Description given herewith were entered by

Mr. Jas. Shackleton in American Poultry Journal's

$50 Contest and were awarded Second Prize

EEEIN it is assumed that any fancier, whether
keeping one or more breeds, will need several
pens.

Space assumed available is 50x100 feet. The
scheme is readily adaptable to smaller or larger
spaces, or to different proportions. On space
stated, designs provide for four houses, each
for 15 fowls, or 60 fowls in all. Each house
has a yard 12%x76% feet, a hospital, and a shed.

The houses designed embody all modern ideas that seem to
me advantageous, as well as seem possible on such limited
space. The whole scheme is aimed to avoid as nearly as pos-
sible the bad effects usually present when fowls are main-
tained year after year on the same piece of ground.

Each house has a frontage or length of 12% feet, and a
depth of 12 feet, or with front corridor — which is 3% feet in
width — a depth of 15% feet. All the floor space is available
for scratching, except where the legs of the dust box are. The
droppings board, nests and water vessel are carried on brackets
so as not to diminish scratching space. Each water vessel
serves two houses by being placed half way through a hole cut
in partition between two houses.

Each house is 3% feet high at back, 8 feet high outside

front corridor, roof on a single slope downward from front

to rear overhanging six inches or more both front and rear

and at end of range.

The foundations, as drawn, are to be chestnut posts, 6 or 8

Perspective sketch showing: parts of a range of four poultry
houses and yards for a city lot.

inches diameter, sunk not less than 3 feet into ground. Be-
fore planting they are to be soaked in crude petroleum, which
will give the posts much longer life than if this is not done.
The posts are to be sawed off level at the ground surface, ex-
cept the posts outside front corridor, which are to be sawed
off level 11 inches above ground surface. There must not be
fewer posts than are shown in drawings — a set of three every
12% feet in row of houses — 15 posts' in all, and it will be
better to place additional posts midway between where houses
are, but not trader front corridor, which will be 13 more posts,
or 28 posts in all. If the ground is not higher at the houses,
both front and back, than the surface thereabouts, it will be
well before sawing the posts, to raise a slight bank or eleva-
tion where houses are, which ought to be gently graded down
into general surface when houses are finished. This will tend
to keep houses dry in wet weather. "When the bank is well
tramped <3own, foundation posts may be sawed level.
1'lie siiis, 4x6 or 4x4 inches, of good rough hemlock, soaked

in crude petroleum, halved and spiked at intersections, are
to be laid on ground over posts, supported by ground through-
out length, and spiked to foundation posts. The sills must
first enclose the whole range, then sills are to be placed
crosswise at limits of each house.

Then 12 or 14-inch good rough hemlock boards, 1 or 2
inches thick, previously soaked in crude petroleum, are to be
sunk edgewise, so that upper edge is half way up side of

Floor plan of poultry house for city lot. The arrangement in
front corridor at right of exit is a tilting feed trough,
sills, as Fig. 3, and spiked to sills. These sunken boards are

to enclose the range of houses, but not the corridor, nor are
they needed between each house. Their purpose is to prevent
entrance of rats, and hemlock is far more effective for that
than any other cheap lumber. Before filling the holes about

(Sca/d' 1 J

Side elevation of house. B, position of roost curtain, if un-
tamed. C, roost curtain framed and hung up during the day.

D. drinking vessel in opening in partition between two pens.
T, tilting feed trough in front corridor of house tilted as it
would he when in use.

the boards it will be well to throw in as many well broken
glass bottles as are attainable, usually plenty.

Then corner posts and studding are erected vertically on
sills, spaced as in drawings. Corner posts 4x4 rough hemlock,
studding 2x4 or 4x4 rough hemlock. Doubling corner posts
where house joins house is advisable but not necessary. If
corner posts are double a house may be removed without im-
pairing the structure.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

The back Tvall (north) is double. Shiplap 1-inch rough
hemlock boards horizontally outside, then the studs three
feet between centers, then 2-ply tarred roofing felt with over-
lap, then 1-inch rough hemlock boards, plain or shiplap.
Studs here ought to be 2x4, with 4-inch sides to boards so
as to leave only two inches air space. Space may be stuffed,
but that is not necessary, and I don 't like it, because most

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Fig. 3. Details of sill with sunken board spiked thereto.

Fig. 4. Details of nests as arranged on bracketed platform
under an inclined board to prevent fowls from roosting on top
of nest boxes.

stuffings eventually decompose and such as will not decompose
are dear. If roofing felt is put on outside, the outside may
be plain and laid vertical.

The boarding on ends of range, and for partitions between
houses is to be 1-ineh rough hemlock boards vertically close
together with common plasterer 's laths of good quality se-
curely nailed over intersections inside.

The studding must be of such lengths that when 2x4 or
4x4 rough hemlock rafters are spiked over them, heights will
be as shown in Fig. 2. The top of each stud must be sawed
to proper angle before placing. The stud or post marked
F (in Fig. 1) in front of house is a sort of false one, as it
does not reach the sill, but is carried on a bridge between
the two posts nearest it just above the tilting trough opening.

The posts in front of house make Sections A, B, C, D (see
Fig. 5). Sections C and D are to be wired over with 2-inch

Details of house front, with corridor off. E. fowl exit. Front
of house up to corridor floor is boarded. CF, corridor floor.
TT. tilting trough. FFB, front base board of sections A and B.
R, roof. FR. front rafter serving as plate. Section A, double
sheeting tacked to posts. Section B, double sheeting on door
frame down to bottom board. Section C, double sheeting on door
frame down to above trough. Section D, double sheeting to
posts down to board above trough.

mesh galvanized webbing from the top down to just above
the trough opening, attached to inside of posts. Section B
has a wired door frame, swinging inward, hinged to inside
of posts. Section A is wired all over inside of posts.

Then outside. Section A is to be covered with two thick-
nesses of heavy, unbleached white cotton sheeting, stretched
tight and tacked on outside of posts, and further secured
by nailing plasterer's laths over edges. Section B has a
door frame, coveerd with double sheeting, swinging outward,

folding back on Section A when open, and hinged to outside
of post. Section D is to be covered from top down to board
ov«r trough opening, double sheeting, tacked to posts and
lathed over edges. Section C has a door frame covered with
double sheeting, swinging outward, folding back on Section
D when open, and hinged to outside of post.

The corridor front is to be boarded up 1 8 inches from the
bottom, except that one inch space is left at floor for escape
of any water that may reach the corridor floor. The boarding
may be omitted in that section where gate is shown on Fig.
1, but if so the wired door frame must reach to floor, and be
boarded up for 18 inches from the base. This wired door
frame should have single thickness of sheeting stretched over
where wire is.

The front of corridor is to have single thickness heavy,
unbleached cotton sheeting in frames, two sections hinged
together, bottom section folding behind top section, top
section hinged to cross rafter in front of corridor, as shown
in Fig. 2.

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Yard plan of city lot poultry plant. P, plum trees in each yard.

posts must rest on large, flat stones at or below surface.
The bottom ends of the posts ought to be well soaked in
crude petroleum.

To make a tight closure when corrido." curtains are down,
bridges of 2x4-inch hemlock should be nailed between corri-
dor posts at height of top of baseboarding. Before placing,
the top surface of these bridges should be planed to an out-
ward fall, so rain will run off outward.

The corridor floor should be 1%-inch planed yellow pine,
tongued and grooved. It is one foot above house floor at
house front, one inch lower at corridor front, so as to shed
rain outward if any reaches corridor.

The corridor floor should be supported at every corridor
post by a 2-inch rough hemlock board on edge — previously
soaked in crude petroleum — as well as rest on foundation
posts.

The back wall, end walls of the range and roof are to be
covered with 2-ply tarred roofing felt given two coats of
roofing compound, or coal tar or gas tar.

The house is not floored. I consider flooring is neither
necessary nor desirable unless location is on low ground, or
soil is inclined to remain damp long. Both such situations
should be avoided if possible for poultry keeping.

All exposed lumber is to be painted with two coats of
honest lead and oil paint. All interior lumber whitewashed
with lime at least twice per year.

I think this description is ample of the house itself if
drawings can be well studied.

HOSPITAL AND SHED.

The hospital and shed at far end of each yard do not need
elevation drawings, nor much description. They are to be
very simple structures. The whole length may first 6e mult

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

as a shed, 7 feet height in front (facing yard), 4% feet
height at back, 8 feet width, roof overhanging about 6 inches
at front and back, single slope downwards from front to
rear. Place studs and posts to suit necessary partitioning.
Then partition to separate different yards. Then partition
to enclose hospitals each 5x8 feet on floor. Wire entire
front, having wired doors to each hospital and shed open-
ing inward, wiring inside of front posts. Put a 12-inch
baseboard along entire front. Close up hospitals with door
frames covered with two thicknesses of heavy, unbleached
white cloth, keeping doors opening outward.

Back, ends and roof are to be covered with 2-ply tarred
roofing felt, coated with two coats of roofing compound or
coal or gas tar.

The hospitals and sheds should have several coops in each.
Slatted coops with slatted bottoms', borne on legs. The
hospitals are, of course, primarily intended for sick fowls.
If fowls are healthy at start, maintained so as to promote
health, ground kept sweet and wholesome, they will rarely
be needed for use as hospitals. Then they may be used for
breaking up broody females, hens with chicks, surplus males,
sifters, fowls for fattening and many other uses.

TREES IN YARDS.

I suggest plum trees in poultry yards. They need little
attention — the fowls will do that. Without other than
fowls' attention plum trees will mature sound fruit in poul-
try yards when impossible elsewhere. Plum trees improve
appearance and provide hot weather shade. Fowls' excre-
ment fertilizes them. If grain be buried about the roots
occasionally fowls will keep soil at foot of trees in fine state
of tilth during growing season. If all plums are too many,
dwarf apples or dwarf pears may be used. If you don't
like the fruit you can sell it easily. Sixteen feet apart for
plums, twenty feet apart for dwarf apples or dwarf pears.

For yard fences, Page No. 23 wire, 58-inch poultry fence is
suggested. If properly erected it always remains tight. It
needs few posts. Though I show five posts in drawing, three
are ample for the Page fence if the ground is level or on
one even slope. It does not need a bottom board, but for
all town lots or wherever several small yards adjoin each
other I prefer two 12-inch boards edgewise, one on top of
the other, and fence erected over that. Then you have a
fence 6 feet 10 inches in height. This is ample to hold
almost any breed. Extra wires may surmount it if it is not
high enough. Fowls rarely jump if there is not something
very plainly in sight at top to light on. Fowls cannot fight
with two feet of boards between them. They will rarely see
other fowls in adjacent yards. Only one gate is necessary,
not even that if the near end of front corridor has a door.
If gate is needed it may be put wherever most handy. I
have not thought it well to place one in drawing. If fences
are ordinary galvanized poultry netting many more than five
posts will be necessary in 76% feet.

SUMMER WATERING.

At all times, except freezing weather, fowls may be watered
in yards. I suggest water vessels at front of corridor out-
side fed by a pipe connected with residence, the pipe to
have a regular continuous fall from one end to the other, so
as to be certainly clearable of water when frost is imminent.
It the vessels are wired over with bent wire frames, curved
as drawn in Fig. 2, and the vessels are galvanized iron,
with overflow waste pipe leading deep into ground, little
attention will be necessary if water just drops continuously
into them, scarcely any flow at all. An occasional strong
flushing will wash down the waste pipe all sediment. The
pipe arrangement will have to suit conditions of each place.
No suggestions are necessary except that all depressions in
pipe must be provided with a faucet for clearing.

ROOSTS AND DROPPINGS BOARD.

The roost is simply a 2x4 rough hemlock resting on one

2-inch side on droppings board — top edges rounded — and
attached to two iron arms which have a hole on free end
that engages with a deep hook, as shown in Fig. 2. By this
arrangement the roost can be lifted while cleansing droppings
board and hooked up to ceiling, or it may be removed alto-
gether for special cleansing outdoors.

The droppings board is in two sections of equal length,
about 6 feet, each having raised edges like a tray. The
front edge should be about 2 inches above surface, end and
back edges 4 inches above surface of board. It is made in
two sections only for convenience in handling and removal.
The outer ends of each section are carried on cleats screwed
to side walls, as shown in Fig. 2. The inner ends are car-
ried by a bracket, of which one end is secured to a lug
screwed to back wall boards, the other end supported by an
angular strip, such as supports nestbox platform in Fig. 4.

Because roost rests on droppings board most effective use
of lice paints is possible.

THE NESTS.

Nests are carried on a bracketed platform, as shown in
Fig. 4. Six are shown in Fig. 1, but the space available for
them depends on arrangement of roost curtain. If roost
curtain is in a frame, hinged as shown in Fig. 2, only five
nests of size proposed can be put in. That is enough for 15

Improved flust-box for poultry house in winter. Height over
all is two feet. Leg one foot in length. Box is two feet six
inches square. Bottom is dished and eight inches deep.

fowls. For nests we use Pillsbury's Vitos or H. 0. oat boxes,
which are, with great ease, made into ' ' Ideal ' ' trap nests.
Over nest boxes an inclined board is hinged to wall, as in
Fig. 4, so fowls cannot roost on top of nests.

THE ROOST CURTAIN.

This is a splendid thing for winter use. It may be of sin-
gle, heavy, unbleached, white cotton sheeting or two thick-
nesses of burlap. It may be a simple falling sheet attached
at B (Fig. "), or it may be a frame (as in Fig. 2) hinged as
in drawing. The frame, when down at night, may be hooked
to hook shown depending from cleat at H (Fig. 2). Hinged
as in Fig. 2, it may be hooked up close to ceiling all of every
day, so as not to impede entrance of sunlight appreciably.

DRINKING VESSEL

is carried on platform in a hole cut in partition between two
houses. It ought to be a circular vessel, 10 or 12-inch galvan-
ized dish pan is good. Over it a metal cone, with bottom
wide, end same size as top of vessel; should be fixed two
inches from top to prevent fowls from jumping on ves-
sel's edge and thus fouling the water. Vessel should be equal
in each house. Platforms should be but slightly larger than
such part of drinking vessel's bottom as hangs outside par-

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

tition. Then fowls cannot perch on platforms. Wooden
lugs, 1% inches in height, should be nailed on platforms to
hold vessel in place; no higher, so vessel can be lifted out.
The hole in partition should be located so water vessel will
not impede movement of roost curtain.

DUST BOX.

The dust box, shown in Fig. S, is designed to obviate
difficulties which ever)' poultry keeper finds in keeping dust

fia.6.

Fig. G. Front elevation of outdoor feed-box designed for
poultry-keepers with limited space. Interior arrangement shown
by dotted lines. Fig. 7. End elevation same,
boxes effective throughout winter. The dust box proper is

one foot in depth, just four pieces of 1-inch, thick, rough
hemlock, 12 inches wide, 2% feet long, securely nailed to-
gether. The bottom is simply a sheet of galvanized iron,
which ought to be larger than the bottom, so it can be turned
up l 1 /-! inches on each side outside and securely nailed by
many nails to sides of box, as well as bottom edges. The
box stands on four legs, one foot in length. The bottom
section is dished and does not reach the floor. A brooder
stove is to be placed in a bottom section. About 8 inches
depth will be enough for most brooder stoves. An ordinary
oil lamp, with glass chimney, should never be used for
such a purpose. The door in bottom section is ventilated, and
so are two sides of dished part, with blinds over ventilating
holes to prevent direct draughts. A very small flame for
half an hour every two or three days will keep dust dry in
most places throughout winter if dust is not too absorbent
of moisture. Cost of heating is slight, less than nothing
when increased egg yield is considered. Best dusts are road
dust from macadamized roads, gravelly dust from dirt roads,
sifted dust of coal ashes and wood ashes. Any one or a
mixture of these, with frequent small sprinklings of tobacco
dust (not tobacco ashes). This last is a wonderfully good
addition to dust boxes. Fowls will soon find out that dust
is warm and dry and loose — just what they like. With only
fifteen fowls the dust box may be smaller. Size stated is
enough for twenty-five fowls. Where such a box is used in a
roosting room not intended for scratching, or in a large
scratching shed, construction may be simple. No legs, just
a box-like upper box for lower section, with a door for en-
trance of stove and ventilation.

THE TILTING TROUGH

is a fine innovation. Simple construction, very cheap, easily
made and placed. By its use feeding of mash foods is greatly
expedited. Trough is pivoted at its angle close to floor
of corridor. It is heavier on the inside than on the out-
side, or has a sheet of lead tacked to underside inside to
weight it. In Fig. 2 it is not fully tilted outward, so as to
make drawing plainer. The outside piece, when tilted inward,
ought to fully fill the opening made for it. The strip tacked
on outer side of back is to prevent draughts through any
space left. The inner side should be wider than the outer
side, so trough cannot tilt too far outward. The angle
between the two sides should not exceed 70 degrees, so that
when tilted inward it is not level inside, but a wide V-shape.
The outer edge of inner side should be slightly raised, say
one inch.

MOVABLE CROP PROTECTOR,.

This is very handy. One or more of these should be in
every poultry yard. Exclusive of labor, each costs less than
$1 anywhere in the United States. The whole thing needs
only spruce or firring strips, wire netting and nails. Fig. 9
is nearly self-explanatory. By accommodating space between
A and B (Fig. 9) to hen coop with chicks, and having
removable wired frame over that section, the crop protectors
make fine chick runs. If not to be used for chick runs, 14
inches high is enough. Size on ground may be much larger
if desired, as they are very light in weight. Size stated can
be used in almost any yard. We use protectors like this
to grow radishes, lettuce and other vegetables for family
use in fowls ' yard. The main use for the crop protector is
for protecting early growth of crops for fowls ' feeding. By
having three of these protectors, starting at end of yard and
going gradually all over, something may be grown on every
inch of yard surface during a season, which will keep the
ground sweet and wholesome beyond question. This is the
paramount defect of town yards or any other small yards.
Fowls cannot be maintained year after year on same piece
of land without trouble unless crops are raised on it regu-
larly. In some yards none is ever raised. They have been
absolutely bare for years, are sour and disease breeding.
The procedure to be suggested with three protectors is to
dig as much soil as the protectors will cover. Leave it one
day for fowls to scratch in and get all the worms they can
find. Then level, seed and put protector over one-third. Dig
enough for one protector close by. Next day level and seed
another third of original digging, and so on. Uncover a
section and proceed as soon as any crop is high enough to
be good for fowls ' forage. Such action will greatly reduce
amount of food served in summer. Fowls will lay well and
remain in good health. Soil will be sweet, wholesome, cause
no disease among fowls. The labor involved is less than
most city people need of exercise they don 't often get. They
will be healthy, too. This is no "pipe" dream. These pro-
tectors should be in every poultry yard everywhere, city or
rural, and used, used, used.

OUTDOOR FEED BOX.

City fanciers have rarely space for a feed room. Many
other people have feed rooms that do not protect feed from
vermin. The feed box shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is intended.

Movable crop protector and chick run for use where fowls
are closely yarded. The entire frame, top, sides and ends to-
be covered with one-Inch wire netting. Estimated cost, exclu-
sive of labor, $1 for frame 5x7 feet 18 inches high.

to stand outdoors in all weathers and seasons, to keep feed
free from depredations of rats and mice, and from rain and
snow. It will hold at least eight bags of feed in bottom
section. To have four bins, each holding about 100 pounds
of mash mixture. Upper and lower sections can be built
apart, if desired, just as beehive sections now are. Draw-
ings are nearly self-explanatory. Shelf above bins is for

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

-utensils, height to suit utensils used. Bottom section has
doors hung vertically, from sides, opening at middle, locked
or buttoned shut. All lumber used is 1-inch pine, preferably
planed. Under side of bottom and one foot up outside on
sides and back are to be covered with galvanized iron. In
front the galvanized iron is lapped over on inside below
doors. Bottom of doors wrapped in galvanized iron. Lid
of upper section, all front side and back are to be covered
with 2-ply tarred roofing felt. The lid should have a piece
of pliable waterproof cloth tacked over hinged side so as to
make a water tight closure. Lid to be hooked shut or locked.

ADVANTAGES OP THE HOUSE.

It is cheap. When built as directed will last without much
repair for fifteen years in most sections. More sunlight and
fresh air are admitted than in any other house known to me.
The sunlight reaches fully to roof, fully to floor. All house
contents are removable. House is quickly cleansed. Spraying
with limewash twice a year, changing of scratching material
twice a year will be all that is commonly necessary besides
daily removal of droppings and occasional paintings of drop
board with lice paint.

The front corridor, with curtains well attended to, will
keep house free from driven rain or snow. In winter, if a
path be dug just to entrance of corridor end, fowls can be
quite comfortable, healthy, productive, easily fed, have plenty
of exercise through any spell of bad weather. How different
from the usual state of things!

In my opinion, the maintenance of fowls in houses with
muslin fronts is desirable in almost every section of this
country, except at high altitudes in northern latitudes. They
are better, cleaner, sweeter, healthier than houses with glass
windows. They can be warmer in winter and cooler in sum-
mer than houses with glass windows, The only real use of
glass windows in any building is to see through or light
Tooms. Fowls don't need sights, their houses ought to be
wide open in daytime. There is a terrible lot of mush written
about differences in houses, caused by differences in location.

A Neat,, Warm and Convenient.
House for Winter.

Poultry

HE following description is that of a thoroughly
practical, neat and convenient poultry house,
now in use by me and is designed for. use of
the small breeder who wishes to erect a neat,
warm house for winter, and which combines
all of the conveniences of a large and expen-
sive poultry house, such a thing being prac-
tically beyond the reach financially of the small breeder.

The principal feature of this house is its warmth, it being
so constructed that water will only freeze inside in the bitter-
est of cold weather, thus making it of inestimable value to the
keepei of poultry, who is always concerned in so housing his
fowls that they will net good returns in the season of the year
when the egg market is highest.

This practical poultry house is 12x24 feet, and is placed
upon a brick foundation two feet beneath the surface and one
foot above. The house is equally divided into two pens with
a three foot alley way running from front to rear through
the center, partitions each side of alley way being of wire
netting and lath. The sills are of 2x6 hemlock, and are laid
in mortar flush with outside of wall. Studding are 2x4 yellow
pine placed 3 feet apart, rafters are 2x4 piece notched and
projecting so as to afford of a neat cornice being put on, and
are placed two feet apart. Roof boards are of yellow pine,
matched flooring, and roof is of two-ply "rubberoid" roofing.
The house is first sheeted with cheap lumber and sided with
German siding with building paper between, and on the in-

side is ceiled with yellow pine matched flooring, which makes
about as warm a building as it is possible for one to build,
the hollow space between walls throughout the building being
a great protector from frost.

The building is eight feet high from top to wall in front,
and six feet from top of wall in rear, and has a six-inch pro-
jecting cornice giving the house a finished and very neat ap-
pearance.

Each pen is provided with a large window, the openings for
same being five feet wide by six feet high, and placed in the
center of each pen, the opening is one foot from roof and one
foot from the sill, the house is calculated to be built facing
the south so as to afford plenty of sunlight and warmth.
Each window is divided into four sash, being provided with
a six-inch parting strip giving it a double window effect. The
size of glass used is 12x16 inches. The house has a six-inch
ventilator in the center extending above the roof two feet, the
main outside door of house is 2%x6% feet, and is constructed
of two thicknesses of matched white pine, and has a lining
of building paper between.

The interior arrangement of this house is a model of per-
fection, every convenience both for the care of birds in cold
winter weather, as well as the fitting of show birds being care-
fully looked after, it being so planned that the entire floor
space of each pen is utilized for scratching, thus doing away
with the necessity of a separate addition as a scratching shed
which has come to be considered a necessity.

The nests are built two feet above floor, running parallel
with the alley way, and form a part of the partition each
side of alley way, the space below nests being of lath placed
two inches apart, the space above nests and extending to the
ceiling being of wire netting, the size of nests being 14x14
inches, the tops sloping to prevent fowls from roosting upon
them, the backs of nests are composed of two boards of 12
and six inches width respectively, the six-inch board being
hinged to the 12-inch board, thus affording access to nests
from alley way and doing away with the necessity of enter-
ing pens for the purpose of gathering eggs, etc.

Dropping boards are provided running full width of house
in each end, being four feet wide, and built of 2x4, and 12-inch
shiplap, placed two fet from the floor in front and 28 inches
from floor behind, three perches are provided being placed
one foot apart, and on a level about 8 inches above dropping
board, perches being of 1x3 pine with the edges beveled off.

Twelve neat exhibition coops are built 3% feet from top of
wall, and 4% feet from ground for cooping exhibition birds in
the process of fitting for show room and for cooping extra
birds, etc., they being 2% feet high, "by two feet deep, running
full length of house and across both ends, the bottoms being
of matched flooring, the frame for same being of lxl pine,
with % wood spindles placed 3 inches apart forming the
fronts, the partitions between each coop being frames built
of 1x2 pine covered with canvas, and hinged so that one or
more or all may be opened into each other, a % auger hole is
bored through frame into the partitions and a 4-inch % pin
answers as a secure fastening to swinging partitions, the top
is covered with unbleached cotton.

The doors leading into each pen of the house open to the
right and left as one enters the alley way of the house, are
2%x6 feet, being constructed of 1x2 pine frames covered with
wire netting, and form a part of the alley way partition.

The floor of this house is composed of a mixture of yellow
sand and fine gravel, filled to the depth of one foot, making
an ideal place for fowls to dust at any time.

The house is provided with one gallon crock drinking foun-
tains placed upon low shelves, making access to them easy for
the fowls confined.

This written description, together with the drawing illustrat-
ing the general plant of this practical house, conveys to the
reader a plan for a modern poultry house, which can be erected
at a very nominal cost. S. D. Lapham.

54 HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

SECOND PRIZE HOUSE PLANS.

Awarded Second Prize in American Poultry Journal's $50

Prize Contest for best plans and Description of House

for a Plant of Five Acres or More.

T* HE plans here shown and described were de-
signed for a Breeder with several acres of land
to devote to poultry.

The building is 18 feet deep, front to rear,
and each complete pen is 22 feet long. Any
desired number of pens can be connected in
one building.

A three-foot hallway in rear runs full length of building.
Each complete compartment, besides the hallway, contains
a roosting and laying room 14x5 feet 6 inches, a scratching
room 14x8 feet, and an open shed 14x9 feet; the open shed is

•%V^i#.-' ya

Fig. 1. Elevation in perspective.

closed up to a height of 2 feet from the ground and balance
of front filled in with wire netting, and should be provided
w-ith curtains to close up at least a part of this opening dur-
ing drifting storms.

Four-inch sills under whole building; 2x4 for studs and
short rafters, and 2x6 for long rafters where unsupported by
partitions.

The north wall and both outside ends are built double, with
four-inch air space, as are also the south wall and both ends
of the roosting rooms. In a very cold climate all outside
walls can be doubled.

A tight partition between roosting room and hallway is
provided with a hinged flap, A, for convenience in cleaning
dropping boards, and hand holes for gathering eggs, B B B.

Permanent small pens, C, are built over the roosts for extra

Fig. 3. Sectional view,
room and open shed.

Tic .3.
dotted lines showing door to roosl

Partitions between hallway and scratching pens are boarded
up two feet from floor, balance finished with vnre netting.

The hall partition between roost platform and small pens
can be removed in summer and a light frame covered with
wire netting substituted.

There is a large window in the front of each scratching pen,
and a small window in the north wall opposite each scratching
pen, as shown in plan. Fig. 1 is the elevation in perspective;
Fig. 2, the ground plan; Fig. 3, a sectional view, dotted lines

Fig. 4. Section of hall partition showing small pens, lott, etc.

showing doors to roost room and open shed. Fig. 4 is a sec-
tion of hall partition showing small pens, loft, etc.

There should be a few small openings through floor between

Fig. 2. Ground plan.

birds, fitting birds for show, etc., and over the top is a small
loft for storing straw, feed, etc., D Fig. 3; this loft can be
buil only over roosting pens or may be carried over scratch-
ing pens also, D Fig. 4, as desired.

A roost platform, E, 2 feet 6 inches wide, is placed 28
inches from floor, while 14 inches from floor is the next plat-
form.

Each roosting floor is provided with a tight fitting glazed
door, for use in cold weather, while another door leads each
scratching pen to open shed.

roosting rooms and loft; then if loft is kept filled with straw
in winter little trouble will bo experienced from moisture.

Detroit, Mich.

Gull your flock and use the ax freely. Aim for quality
rather than quantity. There are too many fairly good speci-
mens. The money is made in raising winners. Better raise
one bird worth $10 than two worth $5 each. The one sells
for the same amount, requires less room, care and feed and
will produce better specimens of his kind.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

An Ideal Poultry House for a City Lot.

T"™"'^^ HE design of an up-to-date and cheap but com-
fortable poultry house presented herewith,
will make an ideal poultry house for the city
lot. This house can be built any size, large or
small, to suit the builder and the number of
chickens intended to be kept. If your lot is
small and you should wish a house that would give you both
roosting room and scratching room, you will have it in this
house, and you do not decrease the size of your lot, but you

increase your floor space, and provide shelter for your chick-
ens during the disagreeable and cold weather, and it pays
well to have a place for the chickens to exercise in, instead
of running outside when the weather is damp and disagree-
able. If you want to make your poultry business pay, you
must certainly provide comfortable quarters for your birds.
Wild birds will thrive in the open air, but they generally
know where to go when the cold weather sets in, and they
know when there will be a change in the weather. There are

a great many people who think any old place is good enough
and will do for their chickens to roost in, and expect good
results from them, but, as a general thing, they get left.
Chickens treated in this manner certainly will lay during the
warm weather when eggs are plenty and cheap, but to get
eggs the year round and especially during the season when
the price of eggs is high and they are in great demand, you
must provide good, comfortable quarters for your chickens.
It will pay you well for your trouble.

If you do not own the property that you live on and you are
compelled to rent, it will pay you to own a poultry house
and one that you can take apart and move it wherever you
desire.

The poultry house illustrated herewith can be built in
flections, so that you can take it apart and move it just like
so much lumber. By owning your own poultry house you
can rent much cheaper, for you will not have to look for

a place with a barn or shed, for you have your poultry
house ready to move, and another thing, you will not be
compelled to live in some out-of-the-way plac^ just to get
a place with a barn or shed on it. The renter generally has
got to rebuild or repair some old shed when he moves, and
he pays out more money than would be required to build
him a good, comfortable house that he could call a poultry
house, and one that would be a pleasure to own and keep
the fowls in. I beg to suggest a few important pointers
in regard to keeping your poultry house, and how to keep
your poultry healthy and make them lay.

1st— Provide a well ventilated and comfortable poultry
house.

2d — Do not crowd one hundred chickens in a house that
will only comfortably hold twenty-five.

3d — Be sure there are no cracks, knots or holes or an open-
ing to allow any cold or damp draught to blow on your
birds while they are on the roost.

4th — Feed good, wholesome food — not slop or damaged
grain.

5th — Be sure that your drinking pan or fountain is clean

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and that it is emptied every night so that they will have
fresh water early in the morning.

6th — Do not leave any old pans or cans laying around
your yard for rain water to lodge in and get foul, for there
is where so much sickness starts.

Keep your feed trough clean and sweet. When your chick-
ens are through with their morning mash, clean it out and
hang it up, instead of leaving it lay around for the chickens
to roost on.

8th — Clean your dropping-board off every morning. It
will only take a minute.

9th — Make it your business to keep your chicken house
clean and neat. Whitewash it twice a year and keep the
windows clean and you will feel proud of your house. The
appearance of a neat and well-kept poultry house is very
attractive. You will take considerable pleasure in having
your neighbors and customers see your birds and house. No
matter who calls to see you, it will be a great pleasure to you
to show them your poultry house, for you will be sure that
they will tell others how clean and neat Mr. So-and-So keeps
his chicken house.

10th — Do not forget to look after the chicken lice, for lice
and chickens do not pay, if kept in the same coop, because
the lice will be sure to get the best of the chickens.
— ' o

The young birds in any one coop or house should be as
near the same age as possible. The advantages in having
them so are many. They will all have an equal chance at
the food and there will be no stunted specimens as the result
of life being made miserable by older domineering birds.
Many a promising chick has developed into a cull because
it was forced to battle for life and food with older birds.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

Combination Hen and Brooder House.

AT last decided to let old theories and prac-
tices go, after spending quite a lot of time
and experiencing considerable trouble, and
began to plan out some way to build or
model a house to accommodate my little
flock of fowls in a comfortable and pleasant
manner. At the same time I was obliged to confine myself
to limited expenditures. Following, I will give details' of
the house I finally decided on and built :

MATERIAL REQUIRED.

2700 feet rough boards, 1x10x16

821 feet rough boards, 2x4x16.

128 feet rough boards, 2x4x12

16S feet rough batten, Ix2%xl6

3817 feet lumber at $16.50 per M $62.88

1560 square feet roof paper, 3 ply, at $1.25 19.50

34 second-hand, 4x4 sash, glazed 17.00

100 Xo. 8 d nails 2.65

25 No. 12 d nails 75

33 1-3 Xo. 20 d nails 1.00

20 feet (lineal) 6-foot wire fencing 1.50

Total $105.28

"With me this is entirely original, and if there are others

house I floored with common boards, smooth side up and
tightly fitted. I then chinked up cracks and covered
with a layer of coarse dry sand. The walls and partitions
are papered well, then whitewashed. This room is roomy and
cozy and impervious to vermin of any kind. It is divided
into 6 runs of 55 square feet each, or 5%xl0 (a part of the
space is used for hovers). Each run is provided with a small
opening to allow chicks the use of the divided outdoor runs
in mild weather. The hover or brood apparatus is home-
made and along lines of my own. I may, at an early date,
give details of the working apparatus of this room. My idea
just now is to submit the plans of my house as a probable
covering for your winter flock of layers and chicks. The
hen house is divided in center by wire netting to accommodate
two breeds, but when only one is housed this is unnecessary.
The floor is the plain, dry earth covered frequently with clean
litter. I use a mixture of cut timothy hay, straw and pepper
grass.

The nests, perches, etc., are all provided for and included in
lumber item. By carefully observing illustration, any one
can build this house. My 12-year-old son and myself built
this house in five days, and it was the first one we ever built
alone. I must say here that I have a good chicken house,
warm and cozy in winter, extremely light and comfortable.
In summer I open all the windows, adjust my screens and, in
that way, make the entire house cool and airy. I do not try
to save money buying cheap insect powder. I only use the

similar to, or exactly the same, I am ignorant of it.

At this time I am in the poultry business on a very mod-
erate scale, having only one hundred White and Barred Eock
hens and an incubator capacity of about 675 or 700. However,
I am giving this business my entire attention and expect to
grow. On the basis of my limited funds, size of my flock
and capacity, I figured out the plans of this house and find
that they suit admirably. The house is 64 feet long by 18
feet wide, divided by a board partition, running entire length
of building from floor to floor, 10 feet from front wall. This
gives me two compartments, one, the hen house, 10x64, and
one, the brooder house, 8x64.

The front wall is 8 feet high. The extreme rear wall is
4 feet high and the partition is 8 feet high. The front sec-
tion of the roof is 6 feet wide, including 6-inch eaves. The
rear section is 16 feet and allows for 12-inch eaves. The
front roof has two-foot pitch and rear section, six-foot pitch
(see illustration). All uprights are eight feet apart, and
rafters four feet apart. I mitred all rafters at top or gable
end, and notched them at lower end to fit snug to top plates
on uprights. In every way possible I braced and strength-
ened the frame work before nailing on a board.

In front and rear walls there are ten windows four feet
square, and on each angle of the roof six of the same size,
also one each in one end of both compartments. The brooder

best. Three or four times a year I whitewash inside and onee
a year outside. At all times I keep air-slacked lime in cor-
ners and around the walls, so am not bothered with lice.

I think I have knocked the old theory of $1 per fowl for
shelter in the head. M. T. Brown, Jr.

IS FREE RANGE NECESSARY?

IKE everything else in chickendom, continued
writings on the necessity of free range for
fowls has caused most people to believe that
all the hard luck experienced with a flock oi
fowls arises from confinement. In this way
people with small quarters handling mongrel
stock continue to handle any old thing in the chicken line,
for, as they believe, their quarters are insufficiently large to
give pure bred fowls ample room. And getting the idea that
they do from reading the many articles on free range, they
figure that high-bred fowls must necessarily have plenty of
free range, so that it is not in their power to haildle that
kind of stock except at a loss. Another idea continually
harped upon, mostly by the manufacturers and dealers in all
kinds of mixtures of poultry foods that they claim afe abso-
lutely necessary to have on hand for fowls in confinement,
makes the keeping of fancy chicks to their mind too expensive

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

for consideration. This erroneous idea, as I previously said,
has been written about so much that it is time to let the
novice or amateur know that it is not more necessary to feed
any of tne different poultry foods to the fowls than it is to
buy the fancy feeds for horses, cattle or hogs that are kept
in confinement most of their time, and while it is true that
you must take good care of any stock that you wish to make
profitable, nevertheless it does not follow that you must use
costly prepared foods. Nature does not require anything of
this kind, if proper care is taken with home-grown foods.
Now there are some, yes, many, meritorious foodstuffs for
fowls on the market that in the long run are cheaper than un-
mixed foods, but like everything else, good goods are imi-
tated by quacks of all kinds, and as a result it has caused a
prejudiced feeling among a certain class of beginners that
should be overcome, for the poultry business of the future
must be kept a-moving by these same people who at the
present and in the future manifest a liking for poultry cul-
ture. Even though it be in cramped quarters at the begin-
ning, with success they will be in the future where the small
beginner of the past is today — away up towards the top.
And while I know of people who use prepared foods to ad-
vantage, others get along better without them. And, of
course, location, etc., enters largely into this condition. The
respective crops of any locality, price, etc., should settle in
any one's mind what was or is the cheapest feeds in their
locality, and as for the necessity of free range, I say again
that it is not necessary. Of course, if you have it, make use
of it, but if you have not, don't borrow any trouble about
free range, but give your fowls clean, warm quarters in win-
ter, as shady and comfortable as possible in the heat of sum-
mer, ordinary feed and water in plenty, and you can rest as-
sured that you will have the same degree of success that
comes to the large breeding establishment, insofar as you are
able to purchase commodities for your chicks at almost as
good a figure as they do.

A Cheap and Serviceable Brood Coop.

EM T appears to be the consensus of opinion that
very few breeders raise more than half the
chicks hatched, and our experience is that
g this is vastly too few. By spending half the
sum represented by the price of a setting of
good eggs any one can build a brooder that
will save nine-tenths of the chicks hatched, if he is hatching
and brooding with hens. We are convinced by comparing
results with neighbors that our plan will work anywhere
and that the great mortality of young chicks is from lack of
intelligent care and management.

A cut of our brooder is presented herewith and full direc-
tions for building, as well as the cost.
The first thing required is a common window sash, either

are right and left, held together by the strips. The rear
should be about a foot in height, say the width of two pieces
of flooring, and should be square with the base. The sash of
glass should be set on a slant of about eight to twelve inches
out of plumb and the top have a slant of at least six inches
from front to back, so as to readily shed rain. The coop
should be at least four feet deep or the width of the sash by
four feet on the ground and floored with any kind of waste
lumber.

Build the sides in separate pieces, the back and top also
separate and the sash makes the fifth piece, and it is ready
to set up. This you do by using eight screws, two on each
side of the back and front, screwing through the side into the
back and sash respectively. The top is put together by nail-
ing the flooring to two strips and is entirely separate.

When this coop is set up facing the south, you will ob-
serve that the sun will fall on at least half or two-thirds
of the floor, and that there is a space at the back for the
brood hen to get in the shade when it is too warm for her
in the sun, and that there is plenty of room for her and
the chicks to move around and scratch to their hearts ' con-
tent.

The cost of such a coop made during the poultryman's
spare moments need not be more than $1.45, made up of the
following items: One six light sash, 75 cents; 27 feet floor-
ing at 2 cents, 54 cents; nails, screws and strips, 16 cents;
total, $1.45.

We figure that our coops cost less than a dollar on account
of being able to buy second-hand sash for 25 to 35 cents
each.

. We recently took a hen from the nest with ten chicks and
placed them in one of these coops on a morning when the tem-
perature stood at 12 degrees below zero. One of the chicks

Front view of Brood Coop described by Mr. Howe.

four or six light; thirty feet of match flooring; 25 feet of
strips 1 inch square.

The two sides should be made exactly alike, except they

Sections of the Brood Coop described by Mr. Howe.

had to be helped from the shell and was not right ; after two
or three days he died; the other nine are still alive and doing
as nice as any chicks you ever saw hatched in May. We put
no artificial heat in the coop ; just covered the floor with short
hay from the barn loft, containing of course quite a little
hayseed, and left them to their fate. The water put in the
coop in the morning froze solid by noon, but about one the
sun came out and the little fellows crept from under the
hen, stretched in the sun and slept — probably dreamed it was
July and that they were catching bugs!

One thing you will be obliged to watch: When the tem-
perature rises to 40 degrees above and the sun shines you
will have to slip the cover to one side and give the coop ven-
tilation or you will smother the brood hen.

When the brood season is over, remove the eight screws and
pile up your coop in an out of the way corner and it will be
ready to use next spring.

The coop is such a simple affair that it is almost impossible
to find much to say about it. Just a box-like structure with
slant top for shedding rain, and in front for the admission
of light and sunshine.

You will not that there is in the knocked down coop just
five pieces: Top, sides, back and front. The bottom is any
old waste lumber.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

In the brood coop can be faintly seen a hen and chicks that
have been in this coop since about February 20, with a loss
of but one in ten, and that one was not right when hatched
and never ate a bite.

This coop should be floored, although good results have
been obtained by placing it upon the bare ground. In the
latter case, however, the hen will naturally remain near the
light and scratch in the ground, making a hollow place,
which after a heavy rain will be found very damp if not
full of water.

The lumber used for the floor should be cut so as not to
extend beyond the sides and ends of the coop. In case it does
so extend a heavy rain will run down the side or front and
follow the floor into the coop. Dampness and its accompany-
ing chill is the beginning of most if not all chick diseases.

Milton Some.

Plans for a Brood Coop.

ANY kinds of brood coops are in use among
poultry raisers, from the common barrel coop
with staves driven down in front of it to
confine the mother hen, to the latest patented
coops manufactured and sold by poultry sup-
ply dealers, but there are many poultry deal-
ers who are constantly looking for new ideas on coops be-
cause of the inadaptability of the ordinary styles of brood
coops to their peculiar conditions.

"We submit this description of the style, of brood coops
in use on our farm, confident it will be favorably received by
many poultry keepers. It has as many strong points to rec-
ommend it as any coop we know of at present. It need not
be an expensive coop, as an ordinary dry goods box may be
utilized for the purpose and the only cash outlay otherwise
necessary is for the inch mesh wire netting and staples to
fasten same to the frame used for the sliding door.

It is a very simple coop in construction and can readily be
made by anyone at all handy with tools. The coop proper
can be made of a dry goods box by cutting the top off on
the right slant for the roof and removing two boards at the
bottom or front for the opening; the board floor should pro-
ject out far enough in front so the door can slide back and
forth easily when the cleats are nailed on the front. The
door is made of two narrow strips for top and bottom pieces
nailed to two end pieces of six-inch boards. We cut the top

Victor D. Caneday's style of brood coop, described in accom-
panying article.

and bottom pieces about an inch and a half wide and nail
them on to the edge of the end pieces with tenpenny casing
nails, and when the wire netting is firmly stapled to this
frame and staples' clinched we have a solid door which will
last indefinitely. We give our coops a good coat of paint
occasionally, both to make them look neater and wear better.
The roofs at least should be kept well painted to prevent the
boards checking and letting the water through.

As we see it, the strong points in favor of this style coops
are its adaptability to varied uses and the ease with which it
can be manipulated. The illustration shows the coop with
the door pushed to the left side to confine the mother hen,
while allowing the chicks their freedom. When the door is

pushed out to the right side the hen and chicks *an both
be given their liberty, or if a lath yard or run is to be used
in connection with the coop the hen is given access to the
yard by pushing the door out to the right.

At night the door is pushed up so as to completely close
the entrance, thus protecting the inmates from any possible
depredation by rats, weasels, skunks, etc. The door being
made of wire netting and extending across the entire front
givse an abundance of ventilation, a point where most of the
storm proof and varmint-proof coops fail. By having the
front boarded down half way the chickens are well protected
from driving rain storms and their keeper can go to bed to
rest on a stormy night confident they will be comfortable.

The coop is easily cleaned with a short handled hoe when
the door is pushed out to the right side, thus leaving half or
more of the front perfectly free for cleaning purposes. The
door can be entirely removed for that purpose if desired.

We have several sizes of coops made with this style front
ranging from two feet square up to two and a half by three
and a half feet. The front should be at least two and a half
feet high, with sufficient slant to the roof to carry off the
water in the heaviest storms. In the larger sizes of these
coops roosts may be placed and the coops used as roosting
coops for the youngsters after the hens have weaned them.

We use inch mesh wire netting for all doors and open fronts
to our coops. It is stronger and better than the common wire
screen and gives a much better circulation of air in warm
weather, while furnishing equally as good or better protec-
tion from such enemies as rats, weasels, skunks, minks, etc.
The wire netting should be stapled to the inside of the slid-
ing doors to prevent injury to the chicks in opening and
closing them when they are small. The board across the front
to which the top of the upright cleats are nailed should be
thicker than the material of which the door is made, or a
thin piece should be inserted beneath the top ends of these
cleats to give plenty of room for the door to slide back and
forth behind them. We never have used a coop which could
be opened and closed as easily and safely as these doors, and
when counting the chickens as they are let out in the morning,
which most breeders do occasionally, the door can be opened
just enough to allow one to come out at a time.

If desired a movable bottom can be made for this style
coop by using a narrow strip on the front for the door to
slide back and forth on and the coop can be placed so that
this cleat on the front of the bottom meets the movable floor,
giving a solid board floor under the entire coop. We prefer
the floors nailed to the coop and have so made all of ours.

These coops can be easily moved about from one place to
another on a common garden wheelbarrow, one of the indis-
pensables on a poultry farm. We place them from twenty
40 thirty feet apart on the ground we have planted to plum
trees, and when cleaning the coops the droppings are scat-
tered about the young plum trees for fertilizer. Our soil is
very sandy, but with the constant application of the poultry
droppings the trees are doing very nicely and some of the first
ones planted are beginning to bear. We place from fifteen to
eighteen chickens with their mother hen in one of these
coops, which furnishes them with ample room until the chicks
are ready to go into the larger houses. There is as little danger
of chicks crowding and smothering in this style of coop as any
we have seen. The front being boarded down half way seems
to prevent them becoming scared and crowding back to any
extent, while on warm, sultry summer nights the entire lower
half of the front being open for ventilation enables them to
sleep quite comfortably and the advantage is noticed in the
better growth of the chicks during the hot _ weather of summer.

The fancier on a town lot may not be able to raise as
large a number of fowls as his farmer friend, but there is
no discount on the quality.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

An Excellent* Nesting Arrangement,.

FTER building and using several different styles
of nests and nesting arrangements with little
or no success, I have finally come to the con-
clusion that the nests are one of the most
important features in the poultry house. After
numerous trials, as stated above, I have at last
built and adopted a device that has given me every satisfac-
tion, and one that I think is practically beyond improvement.
As will be seen by referring to the illustration there is no
combination to the nest whatever, each compartment being a
complete nest in itself, and no part of the nest is connected
with the roost or dropping boards. Notwithstanding the fact
that the roosting and nesting devices are used almost univer-
sally by both large and small breeders, I am of the opinion
that such an arrangement is commendable only where one has
unlimited time to look after and care for it, as it is one of
the best arrangements for vermin I know of.

The proper size of the nest depends largely upon one's needs
or taste. Nests that are too small cause the hens to break
eggs and injure their tail feathers, etc. Four or five hens
usually have a desire to lay at the same time in one nest, if it
should be very large; and both males and females have mis-
taken large nests for a scratching pen.

In my description of construction, I aim to describe a good

place the three partitions which are ten inches apart. We
can now also nail on the front, the 1x2 inch strip, and hang
the doors, which are 5x41 inches.

After finishing these, we nail the strips on the ends for
the doors to set against and furnish each door with a knob
and latch and each nest with a nest egg and nesting material.
o

Colony Houses and their Great* Importance.

EEY simple and inexpensive colony houses are
made from footboards, placed together in the
same manner as the old-fashioned coops are
made, or you can often obtain large boxes
from the dry goods firms at a very slight cost.
For a small number of chickens these boxes
do very well. Make a good door at one end and leave plenty
of openings for fresh air. About eighteen inches from the
ground put in your roosts, which should not be too large in
diameter. A floor is not necessary, but make the house light
enough so it can be easily moved onto a fresh spot. Be sure
and cover the spaces left for ventilation with strong fine wire
and the house is complete. If you hear a noise at night and
suspect a coon is about you can turn over on your pillow
feeling happy that your chicks are safe.

We consider the transferring of the chicks to their colony

/*••/*

Mr. Huntington's nesting arrangement.

average size nest. For show birds, for common layers, or
extra large or small birds, the builder must use his own judg-
ment. The handiest possible location for the nest is in the
alleyway of the house, running the wire or partition down
to the top of the nest, leaving the entire nest in the alleyway,
the front serving as part of the partition. If your poultry
house has no alley and very little or no floor space, nail one
end of the nest to the wall and nail legs on the other; also
place a perch in front of the nest, so that the hens can enter
at will and without difficulty. These nests may be quickly
cleaned by raising the lower door and sweeping out the straw,
etc. The time required to clean each nest is not more than
one-half a minute. To collect eggs, raise the upper door.
After cleaning, sprinkle a good lice killer in each nest.

Usually one can find enough lumber about his place to
make as many nests as he wants, but new lumber, hinges,
nails, etc., will make each nest cost only about ten cents.
The illustration shown herewith and the description is for a
four compartment nest with straight one-inch material. Prob-
ably the handiest way to build is to first saw a board for
the floor 12x43 inches, and then nailing this to a six-inch board
of the same length; then we have a good foundation to work
upon. The six-inch board forms part of the back of the
nest. When this is finished the ends, which are 12x14, can
be sawed and nailed. However, it is a little more convenient
to first cut holes in them for the 1x2 inch strips that run across
the front and back. The holes for the front strips should
be cut in the center of the front, or just six inches from the
top and bottom. Those for the back strip should be cut one
inch from the top of ends, as will be noted by referring to the
illustration. We can then nail the back strip to the top, the
latter being the same size as floor board. Having completed
the back, top, bottom and ends, we are now ready to put in

houses a most critical period in their early life. For upon
the management of chickens during their chickhood depends
the future build and strength of the birds. People often won-
der why chicks, descendants of birds almost perfect, have ill-
shaped bodies and bent and twisted combs. It is surely caused
by the way they rfeep after they leave the brooders or mother
hens. If just when the delicate comb is beginning to appear
a dozen or two dozen chicks sleep all together in a heap,
some on top of others, will those chicks grow up with perfect
combs and uniform bodies? Certainly not. We all know what
fatal accidents result in a football game when too many play-
ers get on top of each other. Suppose they stayed in about
the same position for ten or twelve hours, what would happen
to the ones on the bottom?

The time to remove the chicks is as soon as they are able to
sit on the roosts. Like children, the younger the chicks are
the sooner they will learn. Perhaps they will not take kindly
to their new quarters at first. Eemove their old sleeping places
and if necessary catch them and put them in the colony house
for a couple of nights.

Unfortunately it is not sufficient to simply put them in the
house; for, missing their mother's warm wing, they will cling
together, huddling and crowding in a corner, a homesick band.
The only remedy we have ever found for this is to place them
on the roosts. They do not like the hard, cold sticks at first
and get lonesome and jump down to join the mass. Have
patience until you make a few roost and in a few nights
the rest will follow. One year we did not have enough colony
houses and rather than crowd our birds we let them pick
out places for themselves in the trees. Their combs kept
their shape splendidly, but by the nightly visits of a four-
footed prowler they lost their heads.

There is nothing like a good colony house.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

Windows and their Location.

HEEE are two main uses for windows in poul-

Ttry houses. One is the admission of sunshine
and light, and the other is for ventilation.
For either of these purposes the location is
of the first importance. No window was ever
put in that was perfectly air tight and most
of those that Ave find in poultry houses are so
loose that the wind whistles around them, carrying in rain or
snow during a storm.

The first point with regard to location is, to not put them
on the side of the house from which prevailing and heavy
storms come principally. They should be so arranged as to
allow the most sunshine into the building during the winter.
If the hens can have in the winter the luxury of a sun bath
when necessarily confined to the poultry house and in addition
a good dust bath is provided, the. acme of chicken contenflnent
is reached. To get this, the windows must face the south, or
better still, a little to the east of the south, if we can ar-
range our buildings in that manner. In this way, they catch
the sun earlier and get more benefit from it than if its rays
did not reach them until later.

If the birds are compelled to roost in this sort of a building
in summer, the windows ought to be shaded. The most satis-
factory shade I have found is a climbing vine, such as hops or
.morning glories. The green leaves permit the air to circulate
through the house, but keep out the direct rays of the sun and
^eep the building cooler than could be done in any other way.
I have seen sacks and burlap cut and arranged as an awning,
also paper shades, but in my opinion nothing equals the vines.
From the standpoint of ventilation, the most important point
is to prevent draughts of air striking the birds. Without know-
ing the plan and interior arrangement of a house, it is im-
possible to give detail instruction for the placing of the win-
dows. If there is no passageway, the windows to the south
will be sufficient if they are large, although in summer it is
convenient to have windows opposite each other, so. as to have
a volume of air passing through the building. With this ar-
rangement, however, great care is necessary to prevent a di-
rect draught on the birds which will cause colds and roup.

The most simple window is a hole cut in the wall of the
house and a piece of glass fastened over it. This will do
where nothing but light is wanted and cheapness is the main
consideration. Next comes the sash to cover the hole. These
are sometimes only in for the winter and taken off and put
away for the summer. The fault with this plan is, that the
windows cannot be used for ventilation in winter. Besides,
many people are careless and do not take the proper care of
them during the summer. Then fall comes with storms and
the windows not being handy, they are neglected until snif-
fling birds and damp quarters are the result.

Another plan is to arrange the sash, so as to open the win-
dow by sliding it along the wall, which may be done sideways
or upwards. There are two main objections to these methods.
You cannot make the windows tight and you cannot property
protect the glass. To merely tack wire screen on the frame
over the glass is not sufficient, for oftentimes a bird will strike
BO heavily against this screen as to sag it enough to break the
sdass, although in a scratching shed house with a passageway
and windows in the passage, this is both a simple and con-
venient method of construction. The sash may also be hung
te the frame or casing and made to swing either sideways or
upwards. This has one advantage over the sliding method, in
that it can be made tighter. It has the same drawback, how-
ever, in regard to protecting the glass. Then, there is the ad-
ditional bother of having to fasten it when open, and the
risk of neglecting this, which will cause the glass to be
broken by the flapping back and forth of the sash.

There is also the method 'of dividing the window into two
parts and arranging them so that they may slide past each

other. This is the method employed in dwelling houses, and
is a very useful and convenient way when the window is so
large that if made in one piece it would be unwieldy and
heavy to handle. The main objection to this is, that you can
only use half of the entire opening for ventilation. If there
is not sufficient height in the poultry house, a window of this
kind can be put in sideways, allowing one-half to slide past the
other. If this is not desirable, cut them the other way and.
hinge them together and let one fold over the other when it
is open. These windows can be protected by having the screen
tacked on to a separate frame and placed in front of the glass
and so arranged as to be easily moved to get at the window
proper. The best way, especially for the south and Pacific
coast states, is to have the sash slide into a pocket in the wall.
Have the screen fastened to a frame and let it slide in the
pocket also, then to get at the window all that is necessary
is to shove the screen out of the way. This method protects
the glass when the window is both open and shut. The only
objection I have found to this plan is, that the breath of the
fowls carries moisture, which is condensed and frozen to the
windows in the night. Then the sun thaws it and the water
runs down the sash and freezes the sash to the sill of the
frame. Occasionally I have found these so solid that the win-
dows could not be opened for ventilation. My next plan will
be to hinge the windows on the outside casings and see if 1
cannot find a way that will be free from all the objections F.
have found from the various methods described. The main
consideration in windows which open and shut is to have
them work freely and easily. It is often necessary to shut
them quickly when a storm is coming and to^have a window
stick and have to tug at it with the rain beating in on you
is one of the disagreeable features. James S. Nicholson.

A Poultry House for Cold Climates.

E< HAVE seen many descriptions of poultry houses
and have received much valuable information
from them. But I have never yet seen specifi-
| cations for a poultry house that was practical
for the northwest, for the reason that none
have considered a climate where the tempera-
ture drops to from 25 to 50 below zero, and
there are few places in the northwest where the temperature
does not at some time during the winter reach at last 25
below. And at this place there are times during the winter
months when it remains lower than 25 below for a week at a
time, even during the warmest part of the day. At eueh
times the poultry houses constructed after the usual specifica-
tions would become practically useless, as no hen could exist
in such a temperature for any length of time, to say nothing
of supplying a quantity of eggs.

In such climates I have found that the poultryman must
contend with conditions unknown in other sections, and to
overcome these difficulties is no small task, for it is generally
admitted that the temperature of the hen house must be kept
pretty well up if a supply of eggs is expected in the winter.

I have found that a house built on a low foundation, with
the space between the floor joists filled nearly to the floor with
saw dust, dry dirt, cut straw or some other uon-conducting
substance, is a good start. Then make the walls of 2x&
studded, with shiplap or some other matched lumber on both
sides (inside and outside), leaving a space of six inches be-
tween the boards. This space filled with sawdust, cut straw,
flax straw, old paper, old rags or any other substance that
resists the passage of heat. This can be packed in tight, as
the boards are put on the last side. Then put on tar paper
or some other good thick paper before the last coat of siding
is put on. The roof should be built the same way, and care-
fully stuffed with a good non-conducting substance and a iaver
or two of good paper, put under the shingles. Add w this

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

a coat of lath and plaster on the inside and you have a house
that will stand very severe weather.

The door should be made of two thicknesses of matched lum-
ber, one laid horizontally, the other perpendicularly, with two
or more thicknesses of paper between.

Before severe weather comes, and, better yet, before the
ground freezes, bank up all around the building (except at
■doors) with coarse manure or straw, to the height of three or
four feet, or eevn more. Let the banking cover the ground f or
several feet back from the building, deep enough to keep the
earth from freezing, and thus prevent the frost from creep-
ing under the floor. Add storm windows and storm door and
you are prepared for cold weather.

To the resident of a mild climate these preparations may
seem unnecessary, but let such an one try making hens lay in
winter in a genuine northern Minnesota climate and he will
soon see the force of extensive preparations for cold weather.
This is not intended for a low price house. At another time
I may describe a much cheaper house and a plan for keeping
it warm. Enos M. Sicker.

A CITY LOT POULTRY PLANT.

. R. A. E. WARD, of Chicago, has given us plans
of his house and yards on his city lot and we
give them for the consideration of our read-
ers, who may be similarly situated. Mr. Ward 's
communication was sent in for the August issue
and some of his hints to amateurs are more
appropriate for hot weather, but they can be

read with profit at this time. He says: If you are young

in the business, it may be well to ask yourself the following

-questions before going any further:

Am I willing to sacrifice my personal care and comfort

inow and then for the ease and comfort of my fowls? Do I

experiment put a glass of clear, cool water on the table and
notice how long it will remain fit to drink. The same prin-
ciple holds good with chickens and their drinking water. Fowls
inherit the habits and tendencies of their ancestors, and one
of the strongest of these is a desire for pure, cool drinking
water, probably handed down from their wild progenitors who
roamed the woods and prairies at will and drank the clear
spring water.

Don't overfeed. Use plenty of green food. Provide some
shade from the sun. If space does not permit the cultivation
of fruit trees, patches of old carpet (the more ragged the bet-
ter), thrown over the roofs of the sunniest parts, will answer'
the purpose.

Remember that fowls are subject to fright at sudden and
loud noises. As a resident of the quiet little (?) city of Chi-
cago on July 4, I can vouch to that fact!

To the struggling fancier on a city lot, the following descrip-
tion with the accompanying plan of our arrangement of houses
and appliances on a thirty-eight foot lot, may be helpful.

"We keep about thirty matured chickens, which must be speed-
ily disposed of to make room for our nice flock of young Ply-
outh Rocks we a,re raising. Our residence occupies twenty-five
of the thirty-eight feet, leaving thirteen feet for the poultry.
At the extreme end of the lot is a scratching shed, covered on
the top and sides to keep out the rain. Adjoining this is the
coop proper, a large, roomy place, shaded by two large oaks
next door. Here they pass most of their time in summer.

Next to this, but separate from it are the coops for the
four-month-old chicks, arranged according to age. Starting
at the right hand corner of the coop proper, is a tunnel, ex-
tending underground about twenty feet, which leads to an-
other coop in the basement of our residence. Here are the
nests, the roosts, and the dusting boxes. The coop is lighted
by two windows, which have screens and shutters. Being di-
rectly below the sleeping apartments the shutters are closed at

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thoroughly enjoy my business? Do I realize the untiring care
and patience required during the moulting period? Am I pre-
pared to give them this untiring care? Am I aware that my
fowls are wholly dependent on me for their proper food, drink
and shelter? Am I acquainted with the agonies imposed by
heat and thirst, and am I willing to spare my fowls these
agonies? If you pass this test (and you know whether or
not you do), you will succeed in the poultry business; so go
ahead. If not, better sell out at once.

To begin with, don't keep too many chickens. If you have
less than four square feet to a fowl, thin them out quick, be-
fore disease does the thinning for you.

Keep your houses, roosts and nests scrupulously clean. It's
absolutely necessary to the health and vigor of your flock. Be
liberal with your whitewash, lice powder and roost paint.
You'll never regret it.

Don't neglect that drinking water I Just for the sake of

night to delay the inevitable ' ' concert ' ' which comes with the
first break of dawn. Across from this coop (which is heated
in winter by a stove in the laundry back of it), is the coop for
broody hens. This arrangement leaves a generous amount of
yard space in which to raise their green food.

Never sell your best birds unless you intend to go out of
the business. They are worth more to you as breeders than
you can get out of them by selling them. This applies to
the cream of the flock and includes the few birds raised
each sen son which are a little better than any we ever raised
before.

A fowl should always be kept in a condition suggesuve of
good appetite, but should not be allowed to go actually
hungry.

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

Description and Plans of a Good House.

jST READING an article in a late issue of a promi-
nent poultry journal, the words, "What about
the house? It doesn't matter much," attracted
my attention. I beg to differ with the writer.
One of the urgent needs of the amateur poul-
tryman, the farmer of the present day, or the
chicken fancier, is a good house for poultry.
(Provided he hasn't one already, and many of them have not.)
The house that I am about to describe to you, pleased me from
the first. And although others, including the low shed-roof
variety of modern times and the obnoxious two-story style,
have sprung up about it as time rolled on, still, the first re-
mains the favorite.

The house "oroper is of drop-siding 28 feet long and 12 feet

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View of the house described by Mrs. Sperbeck in accompanying
article and plans of which are shown on this page.

wide and 7 feet high. The roof is a gable of one-third pitch
and shingled. The inside walls lathed and plastered. The
floor or cement. Two partitions of wire netting divide this
house proper into two compartments, 12x12 feet, leaving an
alley running through the center from north to south 4 feet
wide and 12 feet long. The door of entrance opening from
the north into alley; secondary doors of netting, one at the
right, the other at the left as you enter. Nest-boxes run from
secondary doors south, projecting into alley way. Back board
to nest boxes on hinges, thus making it easy to clean nests.
The roosts are placed upon platforms raised two feet from

inches high and 4 feet long and 3 feet wide for eoal ashee
or road dust. A small opening with sliding cover at each end
of the house serves as a way of egress from house proper into
scratching sheds attached.

Each scratching shed is 12 feet long by 12 feet wide, 7 feet
high at the front, with slanting shed roof. These sheds are
of rough boards with cracks well battened, with roof papered,
tarred and graveled. The entire front or south side of wire
netting, with door of same. A wooden shutter on north side
completes the scratching shed and we have a building 52 feet
long by 12 feet wide that we may well be proud of. Yards
103x27 feet are built on south side. With such a house kept
clean and well whitewashed, with plenty of good, wholesome
food, air-slacked lime and some good liquid lice killer well ap-
plied, one may defy disease and put to flight any mite or hen
louse that is so presumptuous as to intrude.

M. E. Sperbeck.

A Home-Made House.

EEDING more room for my fowls last fall, I
built a house 12x80 feet with shed roof. The
front is 9 feet high and the rear 4% feet.
The house faces the south. The location is in
the orchard near the dwelling.

There was about '3% feet fall in the ground
in 80 feet, so I ran the wall 40 feet on a level and then
dropped about 18 inches and ran the balance on a level. The
roof was dropped the same distance. I obtained the stone
on my own farm and hauled it with my own team with the
help of one man at $1 per day. A trench was dug from 15
inches to 18 inches deep and filled with small stones, on
which the wall was built 18 inches wide at the bottom and
narrowing slightly toward the top. The wall was started 6
inches high. The mason work cost $10, besides the work of
the attendant and the cost of about two barrels of lime. J
dug an open ditch to allow any water that might accumulate
in the trench to escape. I am using a dirt floor. The frame
is of 2x4 inch beech doubled for sills and posts. Rafters are
two feet apart. For sheathing I used 1x2 inch beech strips,
placed three inches apart. I used the best cedar shingles I
could get and paid $3 per thousand for them. They were
laid five inches to the weather. It took about 9,000 shingles.
The siding was of one-inch rough basswood, with batting
over cracks, %x3 inches of same wood.

The house is divided into four rooms, each 12x20 feet, cal-
culated to accommodate 50 fowls in winter. I think of sub-
dividing the rooms for breeding purposes, and so the fowls

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Detailed plans of the house here described.

the floor at the extreme east and west sides of each compart-
*nent. respectively. Each compartment has two windows of
"■""» oe south side and wooden shutter on north side. Each
compartment contains drinking fountain, boxes for grit, bone,
«yster shells, etc., a nice, large feeding board and a box 5

will only be required to warm one-half the space at light
in winter. Each room has two 8x12 six-light sash, which
cost 50 cents each, and one outside door three feet wide, with
slide latch that works from either side and hooks inside; also
a slat door to slip in when other door is open. In each par-

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

itiOR is a two-foot door, so I can go from one room to the
other without going out of doors. The timber cost $4 per
thousand feet in the tree, and the saw bill was $3.50 per
thousand. I did the carpenter work myself with the help
of one man at $ 1 per clay. There are four yards in the rear
l'OO feet deep. By letting the last flock out at the corner
of the house I could take in more park room. Each park
has plenty of shade, with some grass, with a gate in each
partition fence wide enough to allow a horse and cultivator
to pass througB. For roosts I made a rough floor about 18
inches from ground with perches 9 inches above, which left
all the ground space for scratching, and the floor catches the
droppings, which I clean quite often. By the roost being
so close to the dropping-boards the chickens do not walk
on the droppings, but on the perches instead ; therefore, the
droppings are easily removed. Under these boards I set nest
boxes. Each room is supplied with water, oyster shells, mica
grit, etc. I intend making the house some warmer this fall
by putting tar paper or some other material on the inside of
the north side. I do not want the house so warm as to give
the fowls cold when shipped to customers.

The fences should be six feet high of two-inch wire with
board at bottom. . This house will be filled next winter with
splendid Barred Bocks. The house will be littered with such
material as millet-hay, straw, chaff, wheat, etc.

It is a pleasure to watch the fowls scratch and hear them
sing under these conditions. S. P. Bryan.

I lower them and the little fellows have the full run of a yard
in building.

I take all precautions necessary to practical work, and my
heater and brooders are O. K. C. W. Mead.

CHEAP BBOODER HOUSE SYSTEM.

S SUMMEB is fast passing and it will soon be
cold and chilly, we naturally begin to think of
how to keep newly hatched chicks warm and
growing. I will give you some of the details of
a hot water heater I made myself; one that is
practical in construction and in reach of most
any poultry raiser. It will heat a house fifty
feet long or the hovers therein at a very small cost.

I first purchased an old stove with a sheet steel drum, one
high enough inside to allow plenty of room to put fuel in the
door of the stove and* under and around coil. I cut a hole in
top of stove large enough for upper end of coil to pass through
and one in lower part of drum just above fire box in the side
next to hovers for the lower end of coil to pass through. This
completes the stove.

Next I got a 2-foot coil of 1-inch pipe and had ends bent
and threaded ready to receive the connection to brooder pipes.
I put my coil inside of stove, made the proper connections to
pipes in brooders and the thing was complete at a cost of $3
for stove, $3.20 for water coil, making a total cost of $6.20.
This makes my heater far cheaper than any I could find in
the market and one that will do its work well. I burn one hod
of soft coal in two fires of twelve hours apart, banking it well
with ashes. This prevents it from burning too fast. It will
burn slow and keep an even heat. Once in a while I have
had to fix fire between the hours stated. This heater gives sat-
isfaction and the cost is small, which is quite an item in poul-
try raising.

My brooders I made myself. They are raised six inches
from the brooder house floor, on legs ; are double boarded with
asbestos paper between, each hover 30x32 inches inside, with
ventilators in top and side. The tops are hinged on, to admit
of easy and perfect cleaning. There is a door in front of
brooder, back of which is a curtain. The back of brooder is
paneled with glass, making it light inside when curtains are
raised.

In front of each hover I have a small run, made of flooring
boards with 10-inch sides. They are hinged to brooder just
under door and can be lowered or raised at will. I keep these
runs raised until chicks learn to go in and out of hovers, then

Shipping Coops.

For a coop that is cheap, light in weight and easy to make,
nothing yet invented beats the good old cheese-box, though I
never knew anybody but game men to use them.

Cheese-boxes may be had in various sizes, from 12 to IS
inches in diameter, the smaller kinds being just right for one

The Cheesebox Shipping Coop.

or two young birds, while the larger kind is ample for a trio.
To make a coop, merely nail lath on the sides to connect top
and bottom. And if it be desired to ship several birds, the
coops may be made double or triple in the same manner by
placing one box about the other. E. P. Clarice.

A Cheap Poultry House.

HE building is 10x30 feet, 9 feet front, 5 feet
back. It stands on a sloping piece of ground
in the orchard, where all our poultry build-
ings are located. The floor is made of
crushed stones, coal-ashes, clay and sand. We
expect on top of this to keep a liberal supply
of wheat straw for litter during the winter
months. We have no partitions in this house, as we have
other suitable buildings to use during the breeding season.
The dropping-boards are 5 fet wide, 20 feet long and 3 feet
from the floor. The roosting poles are made in sections — i
poles, 9 feet long, to the section, securely nailed at the ends
with two-inch strips. These roosts are just laid on four
cross-pieces with notches cut out of the cross-pieces to ad-
mit each pole so as to make it solid, yet it can be lifted and
taken clear out of the building if desired, or can be swung
to the rafters when cleaning. We sheathed this house before
weather-boarding with a good grade of two-ply roofing
paper. We gave the paper about two inches of a lap, then
on the inside we covered this lap with a plastering lath to
try to make it wind proof. It is a shed roof sheathed solid
with oak boards, and on this we put the very best three-
ply roofing we could find. On top of this we placed strips
18 inches apart from the comb down to the cave. This was
to keep the wind from getting under it and probably from
tearing it off. As soon as the roof was completed we gave it
a painting and expect to paint and sand it, also, tnis fall
again. There are four windows or eight sash in this wmse,
four below, 10 inches from the floor, and four abo\e ^tl

«>4

HOW TO BUILD POULTRY HOUSES.

; .nehes above the first flodr. Our reason for dividing the win-
dows ~fdb to admit sunshine on the dropping-boards and
floor at the same time. The house is weather-boarded with a
number one grade of oak, which was purchased at $1 per
100 feet. A strict account was kept of material purchased
for this structure, and when completed (not counting the
labor, as we did that ourselves) the building cost just about
$30, or $1 per running foot. We do not submit this as a
model house, but it is good enough for us at the present —
nothing handsome about it, just warm and comfortable,
that's all.

Thirty feet from this house stands the old poultry quar-
ters, a house 10x20, both facing the south. We believe it
would be a good idea to shed roof from the old house to
new, and weather-board the north side tight and make an
open scratching shed. Charles F. Brooks.

A Roosting Coop.

HE blood is the life, " is a maxim that poultry

T ! keepers are apt to forget in actual practice,
however well they may remember it as a the-
oretical proposition. Many diseases are con-
sidered ' ' mysterious visitations of Provi-
dence, ' ' when they are nothing else than the
result of the continual breathing of vitiated
air, which has poisoned the blood. The corpuscles of the blood
bear nourishment to various parts of the body, and in the cir-
culation return as the bearers of the worn-out and wasted par-
ticles of the system. These worn-out and wasted particles are
thrown out by the expiration of the breath, and fresh supplies
of oxygen, the life of the air, are drawn in at each inspiration.
If the supply of oxygen fails, the blood is not renovated and
the corpuscles carry back to the various organs the waste
which ought to have been thrown off. Fresh air, therefore, is
absolutely indispensable to health.

Close, unventilated houses are an abomination. The writer
remembers an experience which is in point. Some years ago,
when he was accepting engagements as a poultry judge, he
was compelled to be absent from home several weeks in the,
winter. He had, at that time, a stock of fowls which filled
all of his houses and a surplus that was confined in a lean-to,
consisting of a roof with laths two inches apart for the sides.
Upon his return, he found his stock in the close, unventilated
house sick with the roup, while those confined in the lean-to
were well and were producing nearly all the eggs which were
then laid. The fowls in the houses had apparently the best
chances but did the worst. What made the difference?
FRESH AIR, "only this and nothing more."

One prominent poultry breeder, writer and judge has said
that chickens, when they reache a certain stage of growth, al-
most invariably have an attack of influenza, which is not
roup, though it has similar symptoms. He has thought it an
unavoidable complaint. But is it? Is it not rather the result
of the lack of fresh air? Certainly. You never find chickens
which roost in trees so afflicted. They are usually free from
such troubles, so long as the trees continue to be their roosts.
For many reasons it is desirable to have the chickens roost
in coops rather than in trees. They are rendered tamer by so
doing, and they can be better protected from their foes, but
roosting coops, for health, should furnish the fresh air that the
chickens get in the tree tops, an abundance of air with free-
dom from draughts. A good roosting coop is, therefore, desir-
able.

The following plan will be found to furnish a roosting coop
that will protect the chickens from enemies, secure an abun-
dance of fresh air and be free from draughts.

Set chestnut posts in the ground, leaving them about six
•nches above the surface for the sills to rest upon. "For a
coop twelve feet long by eight feet wide, six-inch posts will

be needed, four at the corners and one midway from the
corners for the long sides of the coop. Upon these posts lay
sills of spruce or hemlock 3x4, and upon the sills lay a floor
of hemlock boards. If laid the short way, the floor will be
stiff enough without any floor joists, but if twelve-foot boards
are used, a cross-piece 3x4 should support them at the middle
of the house. Corner posts 3x4 should be set up and about
three feet apart. Studs should be set up to support the plates.
The plates may be made of 2x3 or 3x4 joists. The roof, if
one slant alone is used, which is the cheapest method of build-
ing, will require no rafters, except one twelve-foot' joist at
the middle for the roof boards to rest upon. The roof can be
made of straight-edged hemlock boards, battened, or it can be
shingled or covered with some kind of roofing paper. Make
a door of inch boards with three cross-pieces; then cover the
sides and ends with one-inch mesh wire netting. This house,
as will be noted, is open to all the airs of the heaven, affords
no opportunity for draughts, because all sides are open, and
securely confines the fowls, giving them a good roof over their
heads and a light floor beneath their feet. The frame can be
stiffened considerably by nailing a board around the bottom
where the sills are and another at the top next to the plates.

The bill of materials will be as follows-:

Six chestnut posts (3 will do, if cut in the center); 2, 3x4,
spruce, 12 feet long, and 2, 3x4, spruce, 8 feet long, for sills;

2, 3x4, spruce, 9 feet long, for plates for lean-to; 2, 3x4,
spruce, 6 feet long, posts; 2, 3x4, spruce, 8 feet long, posts;

3, 2x3, spruce, 6 feet long, studding; 3, 2x3, spruce, 8 feet
long, studding; 4, 2x3 spruce, 7 feet long, studding; 1, 2x3,
spruce, 12 feet long, central rafter; 96 square feet of flooring
boards, 132 square feet roof boards, 132 square feet roofing
paper, 24 square feet boards for door, 1 pair of strap hinges
and 1 lock with hasp, etc., for door, about 300 square feet one-
inch mesh wire netting, 4 .boards, 12 feet long, for base and
top of sides; 2 boards, 8 feet long, for base of ends; 2 boards,
8% feet long, for top of ends; studding for roosts, nails and
wire staples as needed.

This plan can be modified to suit the needs of each breeder.
Posts can be set in the ground for the corners and studding;
sills be done away with, floor may be omitted, size be changed,
style or roof be modified. The main thing is to secure a
good roof, a wire enclosure as a protection again enemies,
and the free admission of air from all points of the compass.
Any roosting coop which does this will be a good one for
chickens until it becomes necessary to transfer them to their
winter quarters. S. S. Babcock.

Useful Appliance.

One of the best and most useful things on our plant is a
combined plow and harrow. It is home made and can be made
by any handy man. If the illustration is turned upside down

^-X

Home-made combination plow and harrow,
it will appear as a plow. We plow our yards, say, today,
harrow tomorrow, then rest a day or so, and plow again,
then harrow. It keeps the soil sweet and in great shape for
scratching. All grain in summer is fed on this soil and is
raked in to induce scratching. It keeps them healthy. It
makes them lay.

o '

There is money in bantams of any popular variety and
they require very little room. From a fancier's poinr of
view they appeal to many people who would not be attracted
to the hirger fowls. They are as good layers and for hoist.,
consumption their eggs are just as desirable.

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