124 



FIRST LESSOyS IN POULTS r KEEPING. 



fis great as would be supposed, for dirt and litter collect between the trough and the wall, and 

 when the trough is let down a good part of the dirtisliliely to drop into the trough, necessitating 

 falsing it again to allow this dirt to drop out. Taking one thing with another, more poultry 

 ■men prefer tlie loose trough, and though some hang the troughs up on pegs or large nails when 

 oot in use, more leave them on the floor all the time. 



A fixed feed trough in or next the passage is sometimes used, but this arrangement Is quite 



rare, and I have 

 seen more than one 

 plant In which it 

 had been installed 

 where the feeding 

 mash was fed In 

 movable troughs In 

 the pens. 



For feeding dry 

 grains 1 n bulk, and 

 ground feed stuffs 

 dry self-feeding hop- 

 pers are much bel- 

 ter than troughs, and 

 if feeding is regularly 

 done in this way hop- 

 pers should be used. 

 Theillustrationsshow 

 different methods of 

 constructing hoppers. 

 The size required 

 depends on the size 

 of the flock and the 

 frequency of f e e d- 



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fr.y.I. 



F.J. IX. 



Br. J^ottage^s Hopper for Dry Feed— Five CompartmenU. 

 Fig. 1— Cross Section. Fig. S-^Piont View. 

 !ng. Some poultry keepers keeping hens on the colony system, with free range, use hoppers 

 large enough to hold a bag of grain. 



Drinking Vessels. 



Of these there is a great variety made especially for fowls, and a still greater variety made 

 lor other or general purposes are used for drinking vessels in the poultry yard. 



Of the drinking fountains made especially for poultry, some are stone ware; some of 

 earthenware; some of metal, usually galvanized iron. Most of them are of the self-feeding 

 pattern, a receptacle for water over a shallow pan into which it feeds by pressure, keeping the 

 pan full as long as the water in the reservoir holds out. Some have reservoir and saucer in 

 one piece, others in two pieces, that they may be separated and more easily cleaned. 



While a great many such drinking fountains are In use, the greater number of poullrymen 

 seem to prefer an open vessel, at least for adult fowls. For chicks perhaps the majority prefer, 

 self-feeding fountains with shallow pans Into which the chicks cannot get. These fountains 

 (too are better for fowls having large crests and beards or combs and wattles. 



For an open drinking vessel for fowls or good sized -chicks, almost anything that will hold 

 the required quantity of water will answer. I use mostly 6 qt. wooden pails, but have a gal- 

 vanized iron pan or two, and one old porcelain lined open kettle. On one of the largest plants 

 in this vicinity all the drinking vessels are porcelain lined iron kettles holding about a gallon 

 ■earb. On another plant stone jars of about the same capacity are used. On a farm I visited 

 a few years ago, I saw shallow cast iron pans, as 1 remember about 24 or 3 in. deep and 8 in. 

 square, which the owner bad had cast at a nearby foundry for that purpose. The cost was 

 I believe about 15 cents each, but after this lapse of time I would not say positively. 



As between closed and open drinking vessels the latter seem to be preferred by most poultry 

 keepers, except as noted above. Theoretically and in the eyes of the novice the covered 



