250 ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE 



grit, and poultry should always have a supply in winter. 

 The grit aids them in digesting their food. They need 

 something to take the place of the green food they get in 

 summer. Cabbages, beets, potatoes or sprouted grains will 

 supply this need. Some material containing lime, from 

 which they can make egg shells, is also necessary. Crushed 

 oyster-shells, kept constantly before them, will supply the 

 necessary lime. They must be kept comfortable — that is, 

 ^ their house should be kept warm enough so that their combs 

 will not freeze. Their houses should be sufficiently venti- 

 lated to supply fresh air and keep the coop dry. They 

 should have a supply of pure water, a place for a dust bath, 

 and a clean coop free from vermin. If these few simple 

 precautions are observed and a liberal supply of a variety 

 of grains, as wheat, barley, oats, and corn, with an occasional 

 mash, are supplied, poultry should prove profitable. 



Questions: 



1. In what way may the work of caring for sitting hens be 

 lessened? 



2. What can you say regarding the care of young chicks? 



3. What conditions must be provided for hens in winter, if 

 they are to lay? 



Arithmetic: 



1. The average hen lays about 75 eggs per year. What are 

 the eggs worth at 20c. per dozen? 



2. Some hens lay 200 eggs per year. What are the eggs worth 

 at 20c. per dozen? 



3. If a hen can cover 15 eggs, how many eggs will 7 hens cover? 

 WTiat would these hens cost at 50c. each? 



4. If each hen lays 100 eggs, worth 20c. per dozen, and raises 

 10 chicks, worth 30c. each, in a year, what is the annual income per 

 hen? What is the total annual income from 50 hens? 



A 100-HEN POULTRY HOUSE 



A Poultry House. — There are a great many types of 

 poultry houses which include all the principles required. 

 It is simply a matter of choice with the owner. We describe 

 a very common type, merely to emphasize the essentials. 



We will explain in detail a house 16 x 32 feet in size, 

 large enough for from eighty to one hundred hens. 



It is placed on well drained land, somewhat protected 

 from the north and west, and stands the long way east and 

 west, with the high side to the south. 



