740 ■ Rural School Leaflet 



house twelve feet wide and twelve feet long. Be sure to build it on a dry- 

 place that is protected from the cold winds as much as possible. Have the 

 front face the south in order to get all the warmth of the sun's rays. 



Fresh air and sunlight. — These are two very important factors. Both 

 should be provided through windows on the front (south) side. A 

 small window may be made near the top, into which is fitted a cloth curtain 

 frame. During the daytime in pleasant weather this curtain should be 

 removed or swung on hinges or fastened up out of the way, thus letting 

 in the sunshine and fresh air. At night when closed, the muslin cloth 

 keeps the house warmer and still allows abundant circulation of air. In 

 addition to the cloth curtain there should be a glass window with six- by 

 nine-inch panes for the houses mentioned. For best results this window 

 should be placed one and one-half feet above the floor, with the longer 

 dimension up and dov/n. 



Warmth. — Next in importance is the warmth of the pen, on which de- 

 pends largely the coziness of the quarters. One of the easiest ways to 

 secure this is to line the walls with paper and board up roughly. In addi- 

 tion to this, if the roof is high build a loose ceiling at a height that allov/s 

 plenty of headroom. Fill the space above with straw. 



Dryness. — The straw not only makes the pen warmer, but also keeps it 

 drier. Dryness is equally as important as warmth. With the three walls 

 made tight with paper, the ceiling filled with straw, and a nice deep litter 

 of straw or hay chaff on the floor, the fowls will be comfortable and con- 

 tented. Such conditions always add to the number of eggs in the egg basket. 



Roosts. — Make the inside arrangements neat and convenient. Small 

 poles or two-by-four sticks of limiber make the best perches. All perches 

 should be on the same level, because fowls seek to roost on the highest 

 if some are higher than others. The scrambling for the higher places 

 often results in injury to some fowls and always causes disturbance. The 

 best height for the perch is about two and one-half feet above the floor. 



Nests. — By natural instinct hens seek a secluded place in which to lay 

 eggs and this should be provided. They will be Hkely to lay more eggs 

 when satisfied with their surroundings. An easy way to make such a 

 nest is to fasten a box on the side wall at about the same height as the 

 perches, leaving a small opening at the side of the box toward the back 

 wall through which the hen enters and from which the eggs can be gathered. 

 The nest is very inviting when kept clean and filled with fresh straw or 

 hay. 



Freedom. — Fowls should be given their freedom in winter as well as in 

 summer. This is particularly desirable when the house opens into a dry 

 barnyard in which the fowls can roam about and pick up bits of food left 

 by the other animals. 



