VOL.  LI.  No  2201.  NEW  YORK,  APRIL  2,  1892.  PRI$C2E^  p£rey£arts 
A  College  Course  in  Poultry 
Keeping. 
THE  CORNEL!.  HEN  HOUSE. 
A  course  in  henology  ;  how  to  imitate  summer  weather ; 
walls,  roosts  and  ventilators  ;  when  the  hens  take  their 
airing ;  the  business  hen  and  how  to  breed  her ;  the 
“  feed  type  ”  hen  is  the  one  to  breed  for. 
The  Cornell  University  is  the  first  to  establish  a  course 
of  instruction  in  practical  poultry  keeping.  Several 
students  are  making  experiments  and  doing  good  work 
with  brooders  and  incubators  under  the  direction  of 
Instructor  Rice.  During  a  recent  visit  I  was  much  in¬ 
terested  in  an  experiment  showing  the  temperature  of 
the  hen’s  body  and  that  of  the  eggs  under  a  sitting 
hen.  A  thermometer  was  placed  in  an  artificial  egg. 
The  end  stuck  out  from  under  the  hen  so  the  temper¬ 
ature  could  be  taken  at  any  time  without  disturbing 
the  hen.  Mr.  Rice  said  :  “The  normal  temperature  of 
a  hen  is  105  degrees.” 
A  Business  House  for  Business  Hens. 
“  The  temperature  of  a  poultry  house,”  said  Mr.  Rice, 
“  should  not  get  below  the  freezing  point.  The  activity 
“  What  of  ventilators?  Would  you  leave  them  out  ?  ” 
“  No  !  We  must  be  masters  of  the  situation  and  have 
entire  control  so  that  the  building  can  be  shut  tight  to 
keep  out  cold  and  can  be  opened  when  the  air  needs 
changing.  A  system  of  small  holes  at  the  gable  end 
and  near  the  floor  of  each  end  is  best.  No  large  volume 
of  air  is  admitted  at  once.  A  sliding  board  closes  them 
perfectly.  Those  on  top  carry  off  light,  offensive  odors; 
while  the  heavy  carbonic  acid  gas  drains  off  at  the 
bottom.” 
The  holes  are  shown  in  the  end  view,  Fig.  109,  p.  214. 
“Draughts  should  be  avoided,”  continued  Mr.  Rice. 
“  The  best  time  to  ventilate  in  cold  weather  is  at  noon, 
while  the  fowls  are  active  and  the  outside  air  is 
warmest.  Board  floors  are  the  driest ;  keep  them  well 
littered  with  road  dust,  buckwheat  hulls  or  chaff.  A 
cement  floor  is  cold  and,  unless  frequently  removed,  a 
dirt  floor  is  a  constant  source  of  contagion,  owing  to 
the  absorption  of  the  liquid  portion  of  the  droppings.” 
“  How  much  floor  space  would  you  allow  to  a  hen  ?  ” 
“  She  should  have  about  five  square  feet.  Fowls  are 
naturally  active  and  will  not  be  at  their  best  if  con¬ 
fined  too  closely.  The  tendency  is  to  keep  too  many 
together  If  divided  off  into  flocks  of  25  or  30,  they 
“  Why  do  the  hens  lay  in  the  ash-boxes  ?  ” 
“  So  that  we  can  tell  which  end  is  laid  first.  They 
have  no  other  place.  A  secluded,  dark  nest,  entered 
from  the  rear,  is  liked  best  by  the  hen.  The  partitions 
between  the  nests  should  be  low  so  that  a  weak  hen 
when  driven  from  her  nest  by  a  stronger,  can  get  over 
into  the  nest  without  breaking  the  eggs.” 
“  What  form  of  roost  do  the  hens  prefer?” 
“The  highest  point  without  reference  to  shape. 
The  roosts  should  be  level  to  prevent  crowding  and 
not  high  enough  to  hurt  the  fowls  when  they  fly  down. 
A  perfectly  smooth  pole,  with  the  bark  off,  gives  no 
harbor  for  lice,  and  is  easily  cleaned.  It  should  be 
about  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  two  or  three  feet 
from  the  floor.  The  platform,  if  on  hinges,  can  be 
raised  out  of  the  way  while  the  roosts  are  cleaned.” 
“  What  absorbents  do  you  use  ?  ” 
“  Plaster  is  a  good  absorbent  of  nitrogen  and  of 
moisture,  and  acts  as  a  deodorizer.  Earth  and  coal 
ashes  are  also  good,  but  lime  and  wood  ashes  should  be 
kept  out.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  many  continue 
to  use  these,  although  it  is  a  well-established  fact  that 
they  cause  chemical  action,  which  sets  free  the  ni¬ 
trogen,  the  most  valuable  constituent  of  the  droppings.” 
SHAKE  THEM  OFF  UNCLE  SAM,  AND  GIVE  US  FREE  MAIL  DELIVERY  FOR  FARMERS.  Fig.  108. 
of  the  generative  organs  is  retarded  by  cold  and  more 
food  is  required.  A  warm  house  feels  drier  to  an 
animal  than  a  cold  one.” 
“  How  can  we  obtain  these  conditions?” 
“  A  building  battened,  double-boarded,  with  tarred 
paper  between,  is  good.  If  studding  is  put  on  inside 
of  this  and  the  building  is  ceiled  up  and  the  space  be¬ 
tween  is  filled  with  some  material  like  sawdust,  chaff, 
or  buckwheat  hulls,  there  will  be  no  condensation  of 
moisture.” 
“  What  is  the  source  of  moisture  ?  ” 
“The  breath  and  droppings, and  evaporation  from  the 
water  supply  both  from  the  soil  and  drinking  water.” 
“  Is  moisture  unhealthy  ?” 
“  An  excess  certainly  is.  If  a  stove  is  used  there 
may  not  be  enough  moisture.” 
“  How  do  you  get  rid  of  the  excess  ?  ” 
“  By  using  plaster,  which  will  absorb  many  times  its 
own  weight,  and  also  by  the  use  of  dust,  sunlight  and 
ventilation.” 
“  Would  you  use  a  stove  ?  ” 
“  No  !  It  burns  up  the  oxygen,  is  expensive  for  fuel 
and  insurance.  It  might  do  under  some  circumstances 
— in  cold  countries,  or  a  new,  damp  house.” 
will  lay  more  eggs  than  a  larger  flock.  The  hens  in  a 
long  building  can  be  cared  for  with  the  least  labor  and 
can  be  divided  into  flocks  by  having  yards  on  each  side, 
as  shown  at  Fig.  110,  but  the  larger  the  flock  the 
greater  the  risk  from  contagious  diseases.  Too  much 
glass  has  been  generally  used.  It  radiates  heat  and 
admits  cold,  making  the  building  too  hot  in  summer 
and  too  cold  in  winter.  About  a  square  foot  of  glass 
to  each  fowl  is  sufficient.  Use  shutters  on  your  win¬ 
dows.  Have  reversible  hinges  so  that  you  can  hang 
them  on  the  side  during  winter  and  on  the  top  during 
summer.  Thus  they  can  serve  as  an  awning  in  hot 
weather,  and  let  in  the  sunlight  when  open  in  winter. 
The  window  should  be  closed  tightly  at  night.  The 
hooks  screw  into  the  wood  and  remain  stationary. 
Any  blacksmith  can  make  them  and  you  want  two  sets 
for  each  window,  as  shown  at  Fig.  111.  Place  your 
dust  baths  under  the  windows,  so  that  the  hen  can  get 
a  dust  and  sun  bath  at  one  time.  The  dust  bath  seems 
to  be  a  necessary  evil — necessary  to  get  rid  of  lice  and 
renovate  the  plumage.  It  is  an  evil  because  the  fowls 
breathe  in  the  dust,  which  at  times  fills  the  air,  and 
settles  into  food  and  water,  and  it  also  makes  working 
in  the  building  disagreeable, 
Buying  and  Oiling  the  Egg  Machine. 
“  If  you  were  going  into  the  business  of  egg-produc¬ 
tion,  what  breed  would  you  use  ?  ” 
“  The  best  laying  strains  of  Leghorns.  From  my 
experience  I  cannot  see  any  difference  in  the  White 
and  Brown  Leghorns.  For  broilers,  probably  a  Brah¬ 
ma  or  Plymouth  Rock  would  be  the  best.  A  cross  of 
the  Indian  Game  might  be  an  advantage.” 
“  Is  there  any  limit  to  the  laying  capacity  of  a  hen  ?” 
“  No  more  than  to  the  speed  of  a  trotting  horse. 
We  must  breed  for  a  special  purpose.  Egg  and  meat 
production  first,  constitution  second,  and  uniformity 
of  characteristics  third.  The  more  even  the  flock  are 
in  all  other  respects,  the  truer  they  will  breed  for  egg- 
production.  The  average  is  increasing  in  some  flocks 
every  year.  It  has  been  doubled  in  four  years  by 
breeding.” 
“  How  can  this  be  done  ?  n 
“Feed  the  fowls  well,  and  select  those  which  re¬ 
spond  the  quickest ;  from  this  selection  reserve  those 
which  continue  to  lay  while  moulting  or  commence 
laying  soonest  after  moulting.  From  these  select  the 
most  nearly  perfect,  uniform  specimens.  Put  with 
them  a  thoroughbred  cockerel  of  the  same  variety 
