56 



The Business Hen. 



It is easy to clean, the chief objection being that it is cold. With plenty 

 of litter this objection counts for less. Earth floors can be dug over frAm 

 time to time, and make a good natural place for the hens to dig and 

 dust. After some years they become foul, unless dug out and changed 

 yearly, and are more likely to carry disease germs than floors that can 

 be easily swept clean. Unless well drained they are wet in rainy weather. 

 A combination liked by many is a cement floor covered with several 

 inches of sand or dry dirt. Whatever floor is used a good covering of 

 clean dry litter must be kept on it and frequently changed. Cut straw 

 makes good litter; so do forest leaves or shredded cornstalks. Oat 

 straw in the sheaf is used by some poultry keepers. 



ROOSTS. — Notice how a hen holds on to the perch and balances 

 herself upon it. A square strip with the edges rounded off gives her a 

 better grip than a round pole — a two or three-inch strip, according to the 

 size of the bird, will answer. Do not put them too high. The hens are 

 often hurt by flying up to them. The arrangement shown on page 50, 

 used in White and Rice's house, is excellent. There should be a dropping 

 board one foot under the roosts to catch the droppings. The roosts should 

 not be fastened, but put in notches so that they can be quickly taken out 

 for cleaning. In some cases duck or other thick cloth is tacked to the under 

 side of the roosts. This will be kept smeared with kerosene, and thus 

 prevent the mites from gathering there. The dropping board must of 

 course be cleaned off frequently. Its great value is that the hens can run 

 under it, and thus have greater floor space. 



BARNS FOR HENHOUSES.— Sometimes a farmer wishes to change 

 from dairying to poultry-keeping. Men often buy farms with large build- 

 ings used formerly for sheep or cattle. How can such buildings be made 

 over to suit poultry.? While it is better to build houses exactly suited to 

 hens this is not always possible, and the larger buildings can be used. A 

 Maine man fitted up an old building, and this is what he says about it: 



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1 



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"I have used and am still using a barn 36 x 40 feet as a three-story hen- 

 house. The lower story is a basement open to the south; second floor 



