244 STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



An ideal location should Jiave a slight slope to the south or south- 

 east, tlius enabling it to dry and warm up quickly. If the soil is not 

 naturally well drained a tile drain system should be installed. It is 

 better to locate the houses at the top of an elevation but if they have 

 to be placed on a slope, the ground should be graded so as to divert 

 the water that comes down from above. Good air drainage is essential; 

 poultry houses should not be located in depressions as damp cold air 

 settles in such places. A mistake commonly made on the farm consists 

 in locating the poultry house too close to the other farm buildings 

 which the hens are inclined to overrun and inhabit thus becoming a 

 nuisance. This would not occur if the houses are located some distance 

 from the other farm buildings and the feeding always done there. 



In the selection of a site for the poultry plant protection from the 

 prevailing winds should be secured if possible without sacrificing the 

 necessary amount of sunlight. 



The possibilities of future development and expansion should be con- 

 sidered and provision made for the extension of the building system as 

 well as supplementary yardage or foraging ground. This is more im- 

 portant to the commercial j)oultryman, whose operations are more ex- 

 tensive than the farmer. Tlie moving and remodeling of buildings and 

 fences to meet future demands should be avoided as far as possible. 



YARDING. 



As perfect sanitation is one of the prime requisites to success, the 

 larger the yards are the easier it will be to maintain healthful coii- 

 diti(ms among the Hocks. If the yard areas must be small, more care 

 will have to be exercised. While there is no fixed rule relative to the 

 amount of yard space required, if wholesome conditions are maintained 

 one hundred and forty square feet per chicken will suffice. 



Yard fences are not invariably used. There may be excepticmal sur- 

 roundings and special lines of production rendering them unnecessary. 

 Single, double, and triple yard systems are in use at the college. The 

 single yards or those extending out from one side of the house the 

 width of the individual pen are unsatisfactory, being too narrow, thus 

 rendering it difficult to use horses and implements with which to culti- 

 vate and reseed. Green forage cannot be started in these yards with- 

 out confining the chickens or vacating the house. 



Double yards, with one located on each side of the pen, are more 

 satisfactory. They can be used alternately during the season with 

 chickens foraging on one yard while a fresh crop is being started in 

 the other, thus using the pen continuously, or the yard may be used 

 alternate years. Occasion may permit the combination of tw^o ad- 

 jacent pens thus allowing yards of double width as in the case of the 

 commercial house at the college with individual pens 18 feet in width 

 and the adjoining yards 36 feet. This arrangement reduces the cost 

 of fencing considerably and greatly facilitates the working of the soil, 

 and in addition affords the chickens a greater amount of ranging area. 

 By this plan all cross-fences can be eliminated should special conditions 

 permit. For long continuous houses double yards are most satisfactory. 



