1 138 Rural School Leaflet 



that can be partitioned off into a pen of the desired size; or, better 

 still, build a small house purposely for the pullets. If you have fifteen 

 fowls, build the house eight feet wide and ten feet long. If there are 

 twenty-five fowls, make the 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 foot above the floor, with the longer 

 dimensions up and down. 



Warmth. — Next in importance 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 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 allows 

 plenty of headroom. Fill the space above with straw. 



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

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

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

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

 contented. 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 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 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. 



