264 



POULTRY PRODUCTION 



climate is such that the fowls will seek shelter part of the 

 year rather tlian go outdoors in the yards and fields, more 

 space should be provided, say four to five square feet per fowl. 

 Halpin' says that a flock of fifty hens should usually be 

 allowed about five square feet of floor space per hen. He 

 further calls attention to the fact that "One hundred hens 

 will thrive in a pen 20 x 20 feet, that is, four square feet of 

 floor space per hen, but one hen will not thrive in a pen two 

 by two feet. As tlie number of the flock becomes less the 



irio 



A yiiod liiiin iiiiiili iy~li'Hi^c. {Courtesy of Kansas Agricultural 

 Kxperiuient fetation.) 



amount of floor space per hen must increase, and anyone 

 keeping eight or ten hens should allow at least ten square feet 

 of floor space per bird unless he is prepared to give special 

 attention to cleaning and bedding the house. Rice and 

 Rogers- add that "The lighter breeds, because they are more 

 active and restless, require nearly as much room as larger 

 breeds." Ai)p, ^Valle^ and Lewis' rejjort that the average 

 floor-sjiace per mature bird allowed by commercial poultry- 

 men in New Jersey was 8.9 square feet, based on a sin-vey of 

 1.50 farms. 



1 Wisconsin Bulletin No. 215. 

 3 New .ler.sey J'.ulletin, No. 320. 



^ Cornell Bulletin No. 274. 



