36 MY POULTRY DAY BY DAY 
looking out for a suitable poultry-house, she was fortunate enough 
to come across a small wooden hut which had been built as a 
motor-cycle shed. This was sold to her for 86s. when adapted as 
a poultry-house. The shed was 7 feet long by 5 wide, 5 feet high 
at the eaves and 7 feet at the ridge. It was so placed that the 
original window of the shed was placed on the north side. The 
east end was occupied by a dropping-board three feet from the 
ground, with three perches above. The upper part of the remain- 
ing half of the south front was replaced with wire-netting and 
an adjustable shutter. The shed was only partly in the run, so 
that on wet days, when the birds were not allowed out, the work 
was done without entering the run. An orange box placed under 
the dropping-board was used as a nest-box, and a wooden feeding- 
trough, a zine drinking fountain and a broody coop completed 
the equipment. The sandy floor was covered with straw litter 
which was removed from time to time as it became broken up. 
The run was surrounded by wire-netting, 8 feet in height. The 
total cost of the house, fittings, run, etc., was £8, Os. 84d. 
“The arrangements were complete towards the end of October, 
and on the 80th X. received from friends who were poultry- 
farmers eighteen pullets at a price that was practically only the 
cost of rearing—8s. each. The birds were all cross-bred from 
ordinary farm stock, and were of the heavy type, having been 
intended for table purposes and retained for laying owing to the 
war. <A few had begun to lay, but four had been hatched later 
than the rest and did not commence to lay till February. One 
bird died during the first week. The remaining seventeen fowls 
were quite healthy during the whole period. The birds were 
fed three times per day as follows :— 
Time Quantity Food Method 
8 AM. . . I¢lb. Wheat or oats Given on alternate 
days 
2 P.M. c (1) 6 oz, Meat meal Scalded with boiled 
5 Oz: Clover hay household scraps 
1 lb. Sharps For drying off 
3 teaspoonfuls Poultry mustard 
