CHAPTER II. 



THE HOME OF THE TWO HUNDRED EQQ HEN. 



Much of a man's success or failure in the poultry business 

 will depend upon the location and construction of his plant. 

 Where hens are kept in small numbers and given free range, they 

 do well almost anywhere ; but where they are kept in large num- 

 bers and in confinement, they must have as favorable condi- 

 tions as possible or they will prove a source of loss and not of 

 profit to their owner. 



The best location for a poultry plant is on sandy soil where 

 there is a gentle slope to the south or southeast. If there is a 

 windbreak of some kind on the north and northwest the location 

 becomes ideal. Such a location, however, is hard to find nor is 

 it indispensable. Poultry can be kept on almost any soil, pro- 

 vided it is not saturated with water for a considerable portion of 

 the year. Even a clay soil has its advantages : it produces a lux- 

 uriant growth of grass which not only provides the fowls with 

 forage, but which also by its roots takes up the excrement which 

 otherwise might contaminate the ground. 



Before the poultryman drives a nail or does a stroke of work, 

 he should carefully consider the possibilities of his situation, and 

 lay out his prospective plant in his mind. If he is to build 

 largely at once it might pay him to consult an expert. But if he 

 is to build only one small house, he should build it with reference 

 to others that he may put up in future years. So I say, have a 

 plan. The details may be filled in at the poultryman's conven- 

 ience or they may never be filled in. But if the man lives and 

 his business grows the time will come when he will thank his 

 stars that he was wise and far-seeing enough to have a plan at 

 the very start, and not have to waste time and money moving 

 buildings about or in tearing them down and replacing them 

 with others. 



THE COLONY PLAN. 



There are three methods of keeping hens in large numbers. 

 The first of these is the colony plan. The principle of the colony 

 plan is that of keeping hens in small segregated houses twenty- 

 five to fifty hens in a house. These houses are scattered at regular 

 intervals over the farm, and are visited two or three times a day 



