3o8 



Bulletin 277. 



By the use of the connecting collar shown in Fig. 90, two or more 

 houses can be brought together and used for the winter-quarters of a 

 flock of 35 or more fowls. When used in twos or in threes, an over- 

 flow summer house can be connected and 

 used as the feeding and scratching shed. If 

 a third house is used in the series, it can 

 be fitted as a laying or a dusting pen. 

 In this way the fowls can be kept in larger 

 flocks, with greater liberty to the individual. 

 Labor is also greatly reduced, inasmuch as 

 only one house instead of two or three need 

 to be visited when feeding, watering, gather- 

 ing the eggs or cleaning the drop-boards. 



Fig. go.— View of the gal- Furthermore, by virtue of the larger number 



vanized iron collar used to ,- • •o.-h-l. j.- j_i 



^,un «.oeu. ^ roostmg m one pen it will be proportionately 



connect the houses for wtn- <s> 1. 



ter laying purposes warmer. 



This connection could be made by a cov- 

 ered wooden passageway as well as by the galvanized iron collar as 

 shown in Fig. 91. This collar, however, has a shoulder which aids in 

 keeping out wind and water. The connection should be about 3" 

 above the floor and at least 10" high and 10" wide or 10" in diameter. 

 A sliding trap door placed on the inside of the house will confine the 



fowls in the house when de- ._ ,-^_ 



sired and when the houses i^- fJ.^S^' 



are disconnected for summer 



use. 



This type of house also has 

 the decided advantage of 

 being large enough to accom- 

 modate the chickens during 

 the entire season of growth, 

 which makes it unnecessary 

 to remove them to summer 

 houses or compel them to 

 roost in trees, as they must 

 do of necessity when reared 

 in the small outdoor brood- 

 ers. Chickens should not be moved from one brooder to another or 

 handled or mixed up, if it can possibly be avoided. Such treatment 

 checks their development. (Fig. 92). 



Fig. 91. — The method of joimng two colony 

 houses for use as winter laying pens 



