The Principles of Brooding. 



309 



8. To be portable 



For convenience and economy in handling, provision must be made 

 for moving the houses. When moving, the house is mounted on long 

 skids fastened together. The skids are placed by the side of the house. 

 Two men with bars or 2" x 4" sticks raise the house enough to get their 

 bars under the runners about one-third the way back. They can then 

 easily work the house forward onto the skids. Cleats are nailed across 

 these poles to keep the house from moving forward or backward. This 

 method of moving has been found to be more satisfactory than bevel- 

 ing the ends of the sills to form runners, and drawing the house on them. 



Fig. g2.— The use of the colony houses for the growing pullets. The houses are 

 distributed in a corn field with plots of rape planted between the houses. A 

 horse and wagon makes the 'work lighter and faster. 



The runners are not strong enough to stand the strain of this latter 

 method unless the hauls are short, infrequent and on level land. The 

 house can be taken to fresh ground easily and frequently during the 

 season, or to a new chicken park each year. This is a valuable feature 

 in any system of brooding because it enables the flocks to get the 

 benefit of free range. In many instances this colony house can be 

 moved to meadows, pastures, or even corn fields where the chickens 

 can enjoy the natural conditions for development, which are essential to 

 strong, healthy bodies and rapid, normal growth. Very large poultry 

 establishments must provide for turning the chickens on new, clean 

 sod land at frequent intervals each year if possible, if the plant is to be 



