86 



OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS 



in the same line of stook for only a few generations. A flock 

 of one hundred fowls or less, that run together, may all be kept 

 in one house just as well as in several, if the size of the house 

 and the equipment are in proportion to the size of the flock. 



If the snow lies long on the ground, so that the fowls are 

 confined to the house much of the time in winter, the allow- 

 ance of floor space should be about 5 sq. ft. per bird. Where 



FIG. 83. Rude poultry house on a Kansas farm. (Photograph from Bureau of 

 Animal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture) 



the snow rarely lies more than a day or two at a time, less space 

 may be given, because the birds will not occupy the house much 

 of the time during the day. Under such conditions the allow- 

 ance of floor space may be as low as 3 sq. ft. per bird. Those 

 who go to this limit, however, should consider that, in the 

 unusual case of a snowstorm keeping the hens confined to the 

 house for more than a very few days, overcrowding may cause 

 losses that more than offset what was gained by using the 

 highest capacity of the house. 



