Houses for Hens 77 



planting the other side to some greeri plant that 

 grows quickly, such as rye, or rape. When this 

 is well sprouted you allow the poultry to run in 

 and feed on that, while you cultivate the other 

 half. 



Of cou^e you won't be planting anything here 

 in winter, and nothing wiU grow much in many 

 States, except in the spring and early summer; but 

 if you love work and don't care what you work at, 

 the double yard is all right. Your egg yield, 

 however, if you keep the birds in a comfortable 

 house, and throw them fresh greens, will be just as 

 great, if not greater, and you can have the yard 

 for a garden. 



The Large Yard. — ^A large yard, such as part of 

 an orchard, or shady place so large that the fowls 

 do not kill off all vegetation, offers some advan- 

 tages. The hens can wander about and get a good 

 deal of their food in the summer- from insects, 

 weeds, and fallen fruit. They eat many insects 

 and grubs, and fertilize the earth, thus helping 

 distinctly towards better crops. 



Practical men, however, who have let their hens 

 run thus, and then tried them confined to the house, 

 say that the egg yield is actually better when the 



