422 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



easily fly a fence 5 or 6 feet high. Their yard is just as 

 good as what lies beyond, and they are always fed there, so 

 there is no temptation to go out. 



When })roperly reckoned, the actual cost of large yards 

 is not a heavy tax on the poultry keeper, and, compara- 

 tively, the smaller yard always costs more per enclosed sur- 

 face. It costs a little more to build four two-section houses 

 than to build one eight-section house, but the difference is 

 not gi'cat. In yards of about the dimensions given as de- 

 sirable, some a little larger, some a little smaller, I keep 

 from 20 to 30 Light Brahmas, the number varying according 

 to conditions and to the stock on hand, I aim not to have 

 more hens in a yard than will leave it in this condition : for 

 15 to 25 feet from the house the ground will be (juite bare ; 

 beyond this to about midway of the length of the yard the 

 grass will be generally good, but short; the other half of 

 the yard will have quite long grass, long enough to conceal 

 grain thrown in it, and require the hens to hunt and scratch 

 for their OTain just as thev do for the various wild seeds 

 they find when foraging far and wide on open range. I am 

 away from home nearly always through the da}', and fre- 

 quently not home until after feeding time in the evening. 

 Occasionally I am away for two or three days or a week at 

 a time, so I had to make such conditions for my fowls that 

 they could be cared for with the least possible Avork, and 

 would not suffer from inexperienced or irregular feeding. 

 The hens oret a mash in the morninij, and often the noon 

 feed of grain is scattered in the grass inunediately after the 

 mash is fed. That would be done regularl}^ were it not 

 that the gi-ain lying about attracts too many pigeons and 

 sparrows. But whenever it would be inconvenient for the 

 folks at the house to feed at noon, grain is given in the 

 grass right after the morning mash, and, the hens having 

 been given a supply of water for the day, there is no need 

 of any one going near them again until evening. They can 

 get along and keep in good condition without other gi'een 

 food and animal food than they get in the yards ; but I like 

 to give both hens and chicks all the meat they can stand, so 

 feed beef scrap in mash regularly. The fowls at some time 



