CHAPTER IX. 

 YARDS AND YARDING. 



One of the vital questions for each poultryman to answer is: 

 Will it be necessary to provide yards for the birds or will it be 

 possible to give them free range? Plenty of range means better 

 health in the flock and a lessened feed cost, with less cost in equip- 

 ment; hence yards should be avoided whenever possible. 



On commercial plants the restriction or confinement of the 

 stock to a small enclosure should be avoided if possible. If a 

 number of breeds are kept for fancy purposes, it is necessary to 

 insure a complete separation of the flocks and fencing is essential. 



Size. — When laying out the poultry plant give the birds all 

 the range possible. The idea should be to have the yards so large 

 that it will be possible to keep them in permanent sod throughout 

 the year. In restricted areas and on small farms it will usually 

 be necessary to confine the birds in small yards. On poultry farms 

 where one commercial breed is kept it is the best policy to 

 give the birds the run of the farm and fence any small areas to 

 which they might do damage, such as the house or garden 

 grounds. 



Where single yards are used and the area must of necessity 

 be restricted, the exact size of the yard should be determined by 

 the minimum area which it will be possible to keep in sod during 

 an entire summer. A yard which can be kept in sod need cause 

 no uneasiness in regard to sanitary conditions except in the 

 immediate vicinity of the house. This fact of permanence of sod 

 will be determined by the type of birds which are to be confined, 

 by the shape of the yard, and by the natural ability of the soil 

 to produce grass as determined by its fertility and water-holding 

 capacity. 



The egg breeds are especially active and will very quickly 

 destroy sod on an extended area, while the reverse is true of the 

 heavy meat breeds. Sod will usually be killed very quickly in 

 long, narrow yards, as the birds will not scatter in feeding as they 

 do in square yards. To maintain permanent sod, from one hun- 

 dred to one hundred and fifty square feet of yard room must be 

 allowed each bird. On more restricted areas double yarding must 

 158 



