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THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



RUSTIC POULTRY-HOUSE. 



A very cheap, pretty, and economical plan for 

 a rustic poultry-house we find described in the 

 American Agriculturalist, as follows : " This kind 

 of work can easily be made by any person accus- 

 tomed to the use of the saw and ax. All that 

 is required is a little taste, having your plan 

 well digested before commencing, so as to re- 

 quire no alterations. 



RUSTIC POULTRY-HOUSE. 



" For the construction of a piece of rustic 

 ^vork like the above figure, after selecting the 

 situation, join four pieces of saplings in an ob- 

 long shape for the sills; confine them to the 

 ground ; erect at the middle of each of the two 

 ends a forked post, of suitable height, in order 

 to make the sides quite steep ; join these with 

 a ridge-pole ; rough-board it from the apex 

 downward by the sills to the ground ; then cover 

 it with bark, roughly cut in pieces a foot square, 

 laid on and confined in the same manner as 

 ordinary shingles ; fix the back end in the same 

 way ; and the front can be latticed with little 

 poles with the bark on, arranged diamond fash- 

 ion, as shown in the sketch a part to be made 

 with hinges for a door. 



" The size of the building may vary according 

 to the wants of the owner. Toward the apex 

 of the interior, rough roosting-poles should run 

 parallel with the sides of the house, so arranged 

 that one set of fowls shall not perch directly 



above the others. Troughs or holes should be 

 placed under the poles, in order to catch the 

 manure; and ladders or steps should be pro- 

 vided for the fowls to ascend and descend from 

 their roost. Laying and sitting boxes may be 

 placed at either side of the building, under the 

 roofing, on or just above the ground. These 

 would accommodate the Shanghai and other 

 large fowls. They should be about 14 inches 

 square, 10 inches deep, and concealed by bun- 

 dles of corn-stalks, straw, brush, or evergreen- 

 boughs. The sitting-boxes should be partly 

 filled with wood-ashes, charcoal-dust, or tobac- 

 co-stems. They will ward off lice and other 

 small vermin, as well as contribute to the health 

 of the hen. Direct above the ashes, etc., should 

 be the nest, which may be made of finely- 

 chopped hay or straw, dried grass, or the leaves 

 of trees. It is not at all required to have as 

 many nests as hens, as one might suppose, be- 

 cause they have not all occasion to occupy them 

 at the same time." 



POOR MAN'S POULTRY-HOUSE. 



A very cheap and economical plan of a poul- 

 try-yard and pen is given by D. F. Ames, in 

 the Farmer's Rural Library. " When neces- 

 sary to fatten any fowls for the table or mark- 

 et," says Mr. Ames, " the yard plan is far bet- 

 ter than confinement in a dirty coop, where 

 they generally first lose flesh, and afterward con- 

 tract a flavor by no means pleasant. One of 

 these pens, of the most simple form, and such 

 a one as any handy lad could make in a few 

 hours, should be attached to every cottage ; it 

 costs nothing but a very little labor, and would 

 really be pleasant employment for the noon 

 hours, or evening. 



"First, let a convenient and suitable place 

 be chosen for a fowl-yard ; not in a dark, shady 

 corner, but in a light, airy situation ; and, con- 

 sidering the number of fowls intended to be 

 kept, mark its size : it is not well to have too 

 many together, as the cocks will disagree. A 

 stock of twenty-five, containing two or three 

 cocks, is sufficient for one house ; if more are 

 to be kept, erect another pen in a different di- 

 rection ; accordingly, mark out a place in the 

 form of a circle of eighteen or twenty-four feet 



