•50 The Business Hen. 



trials poultrymen are heir to. The sills 



and roof timbers should be 3 x 4-inch 



hemlock or spruce, and 2 x 3-inch stuff 



is heavy enough for all else. The siding 



and roof boards may be of any cheap 



lumber that is dry and free from loose 



knots. Cover the roof with three-ply 



tarred paper and a coat of roofing ce- 



„„,,^,„ ,.^ " ment or paint. A modification of the 



SWINGING ROOST AND NEST. , , , • ., l . / t- 



colony house plan is the best (see Fig. 



19). Building six houses together makes it more convenient to care for 



the hens, is warmer and costs less than single houses, while the flock is 



none too large to run together in the Summer. Strong unbleached muslin 



makes good partitions in such a house. It is also used a great deal for 



windows, being warmer than glass in Winter and cooler in Summer. The 



only thing against it is, it does not let in quite as much light on a dark, 



cloudy day as the glass will,, but where they have very cold Winters it is 



the best thing to use. 



"Have the interior of your houses as simple as possible for the sake of 

 cleanliness. The simplest way is to make your nests under the roosts and 

 suspend the whole device from the roof. Then there is nothing to bother 

 cleaning the floor, and no cracks between roosts and side walls to harbor 

 mites and trouble. For a house this size you would want a platform 

 six feet long and three feet wide with three perches on, and a row of 

 nests underneath (see Fig. 20). A shell or grit box, made like Fig. 

 21, is fastened to the wall so it is easily removable. The dust box, and 

 water basin, complete the furnishing of the house. The scratching-shed 

 house is particularly adapted to breeding stock, and is a little more expen- 

 sive than the plans given here, but where you want the best results from 

 your breeders it is worth the extra cost. In Fig. 19 you notice the windows 

 are low and should be made of muslin tacked on stiff frames, the whole 

 hinged, making a door when you wish, and always 



should be open when the weather permits. A six- i!!lll'>Wii';!'''3' i, 



section house would be be 90 feet long, accommo- 

 dating over 200 hens, and should not cost over 

 $150 complete if built on this plan. It will be so 

 comfortable and convenient that with good feed 

 and care you cannot fail to make poultry keeping 

 profitable." 



COI.D-COUNTRY HOUSE.— Fig. 22 shows ^' 

 a section of the long poultry house at the Maine 

 Experiment Station. This is located in a very cold Pi,j, -^x, ~ 



country, and great pains are taken to make the SHELL AND GRIT BOX. 



I 



It' I 



