46 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



they miglit feel from too sudden a change of clothing. Some- 

 times it happens a hen may have a little assistance in loosening 

 lisr feathers; she may intrude too often on the hospitality of her 

 neighbor in the pig-pen and be rather rudely turned out of doors, 

 with very little clothing, as was tbe case with one of our own flock 

 a few weeks since. In consequence she died in three days of 

 "chills and fever/' without the fever. 



The hen-house is forty feet by ten, with ten feet front elevation, 

 and four feet in the rear, with a shingled roof. The sides are of 

 inch hemlock doubled with broken joints. This is divided into 

 three rooms, the middle one sixteen feet in length. A large 

 window is in each room, with sash in winter and lath slats in sum- 

 mer, which are fastened on the inside with buttons. Slat venti- 

 lations over the doors give fresh air in the coldest weather, and 

 when warmer the front and back slat doors can replace the tight 

 ones. 



The entrance for the fowls to each room is from the rear and 

 placed about three feet from the floor and reached by an inclined 

 plane on the outside. A landing place about a foot square re- 

 ceives them on the inside. These entrances can be closed at will by 

 sliding doors. Such small doors also lead from the middle room 

 to each of the others. 



The floor is of cement, which is easily cleaned, and it is swept as 

 often as necessary to keep it neat; and the whole house, except 

 the higher part of the roof, is made perfectly clean and white- 

 washed twice a year. A light sprinkling of dry earth is kept con- 

 stantly on the floors, and over this several inches of straw. The 

 roosting room is supplied daily with coal ashes, when the fowls 

 are in confinement; from this they pick out much lime and small 

 stones; and it also serves an excellent purpose as absorbent and 

 deodorizer. 



To ensure freedom from vermin the roost-poles are smeared 

 once a month with the lard and kerosene mixture; also a large 

 low box of earth and ashes is prepared as a dusting place. The 

 middle room is the dining and laying room, and is supplied with 

 feeding-troughs, water-pan, and nest-boxes. The troughs are 

 leaned against the wall when not in use to keep them clean. The 

 nest-boxes are movable and are set on shelves around the room. 



By the first of November the old flock is reduced to those hens 

 worthy of being kept through the winter, and to these is added a 



