TOWN-LOT FOWLS 



99 



The roosting room is separated from the scratching pen only by 

 a board twelve inches wide, to keep out the straw. The back and 

 sides of the roosting room are of tongued and grooved flooring and 

 perfectly tight. The whole length of the front of the* shed is open, 

 except the roosting room, which has a front of burlap. One side of 

 the roosting room is entirely open into the scratching pen, so that 

 the roosting room is only tightly enclosed on two sides and has 

 free ventilation into the scratching pen and only the burlap on the 

 south side. Consequently my fowls never have colds. The roof is 



of shakes twelve inches to the weather. The back of the shed is 

 six and a half feet high, the front five feet. 



At the south end of the two yards is a smaller one for setting 

 hens or for young chicks, as they do better kept away from the 

 older fowls. This small yard is very useful for fattening chickens, 

 turkeys or clucks for the table, and in it I have a small portable 

 coop for the youngsters. 



I have a water faucet in each yard. This is a great saving of 

 labor and anxiety, for if I am to be absent any length of time I 

 leave the faucet dripping just a little and know the hens will not 

 go thirsty. 



I feed grain in the scratching pens, dry mash in hoppers, green 

 lawn clippings and refuse vegetables, besides the table scraps. 



There is a saying that an American family wastes or throws 

 away food enough to support a French family. Why not give all 

 this waste to some hens? The table scraps, the scraping of the 

 plates, the outer leaves of cabbages, even the parings of potatoes, 

 apples and nearly all vegetables now consigned to the garbage pail 

 would be enough to almost keep a few hens. 



