Rural School Leaflet 



ii?i 



unprotected opening, and still allows abundant circulation of air. In 

 additicn to the cloth curtain there should be a glass window with eight- 

 by ten-inch panes. For the 

 best results this window 

 should be placed one and one- 

 half feet above the floor, and 

 should be high and narrow, 

 not short and broad. 



Warmth. — Next in impor- 

 tance is the warmth of the 

 pen, on which depends largely 

 the coziness of the quarters. 

 One of the easiest ways of 

 insuring this is to line the 

 walls with paper and board 



them up roughly. In addition 4 ^jj^.^^p ^,„j ^.^,^y satisfactory type of henhouse. It 



to this, if the roof is high, is.neat and ivarm and gives opportunity for Jresh 



, ., 1 1 •!• , air for the birds 



build a loose ceilmg at a 



height that allows plenty of headroom, and fill the space above with 



straw. 



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

 dry. Dryness is equally as important as wannth. With the three walls 

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

 of straw or hay chafT on the floor, the fowls will be more comfortable 

 and contented. Such conditions always increase the number of eggs 

 produced. 



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

 poles or sticks of two-by-four inch lumber 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 likely to lay more 

 eggs when satisfied with their surroundings. An easy way to make 

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

 as the perches, leaving a small opening, through which the hen can enter 

 and from which the eggs can be gathered at the side of the box toward 

 the back wall. This 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 



