806 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEC. 24 
CONVENIENCES FOR THE POULTRY- 
HOUSE AND YARD. 
hundred eggs each. Under the window is a 
small, low table, “ A,” on which to put the egg 
drawers while turning the eggs. The end of 
the room “ E" may bo fitted with shelves for 
the eggs which are to be used in the machine?. 
A small window may be placed in the door, if 
desired. Thin room, constructed in the manner 
described, will need no heating arrangement 
other than the incubators themselves, except 
perhaps, in very Bevere latitudes; and then a 
kerosene-oil stove and heating drum will be 
found sufficient. The entrance of the hatching 
house feces a little to the south of east, and 
the only window, a little north of west, so that 
the room is not affected by the sun at any time 
of the day. 
The nursery, partly under the hatching room, 
My experience, embracing a period c f more 
than twelve years, fully corroborates ibis. I 
have tested the incubator in a cellar, iu a sitting- 
room, io a spare bed chamber, iu an out-building, 
and lastly in a room partitioned off one cud of 
said building. My success had been variable 
until I tried the last-mentioned room since 
when, the chicks hatched averaged from eighty 
to eighty-five per cent, of the eggs Bet. My 
cellar gave the next best results, but was very 
uneven in temperature, owiDg to the beater 
fines passing through it. The cellar being a 
small one, under a new part of my house, heated 
up very quickly whenever the drafts were turned 
on iu the furnace. But even with thiB disad¬ 
vantage, the result was from seventy to seventy- 
five per cent, of chicks from the eggs set. 
produce immense quantities of eggs which sup¬ 
ply, not only the native consumption which is 
very great, but many millions of dozens for 
exportation. The Houdans have a mixed or 
mottled plumage of black and white, and possess 
a fifth toe; the Crevecccurs are black ; both are 
crested and have horn-shaped, or autlor-like 
oombs. The former breed deserves more notice 
for family and farm use than it has yet received. 
THE DORKINGS. 
The most popular fowl in Eagland is the 
Dorking, of whioh there are the colored, the 
gray, and the white varieties. These fowls have 
a fifth toe, but soarcely auy other peculiarity 
for which they are more noteworthy than for 
this. They are too tender for our climate, lay 
few eggs, are persistent sitters, hut are fiue 
table fowls. If kept in the expectation of profit, 
except for sale by breeders, they will bring only 
disappointment. 
ORNAMENTAL FOWLS. 
There are circumstances in whioh fowls of 
unusually handsome or odd appearance wilt be 
desirable for these qualities as well as for what 
eggs they may produce. Of these the Hamburgs, 
Black, Golden-penciled, Golden-spangled, Sil¬ 
ver-penciled. Silver-spaugled and White; and 
the Polish, White-crested Black, White-crested 
White, Golden, Silver, Bearded Golden, Bearded 
Silver, and Bearded White, may be chosen. The 
Hamburgs are good layers, have rose combs 
square in front, flat on the top and covered with 
small points with a terminal spike inclining a 
little upwards. They are neat, “ natty” fowls, 
and a well kept Hook of them has a beautiful 
appearance iu the yard or upon a grassy lawn. 
The Polish are tho oldest kuowu variety in 
Europe aud with their conspicuous crests, are 
attractive to some persons. Tho White-crested 
Black, and the Black-crested White, are, per¬ 
haps, more curious than useful, as they have 
been bred for the peculiarities which give them 
their names more than for profit. A young 
brood of these fowls, well feathered as they are, 
with full crests or top knots, are quaint and 
curiouB enough to make them the delight of the 
children. Some of the Polish fowls that have 
not been spoiled in breeding, are reputed to be 
good layers. 
RETS. 
There is nothing more encouraging to the 
natural kindly affections of children, than the 
possession and the rearing of pets. And there 
are no more attractive pets than a pair of Bau- 
tauiB with a brood of wee things no larger than 
a wren or a tomtit. For useful purposes, these 
small fowls are not worth consideration, but the 
NECESSITY OF CLEANLINESS. 
Disappointment and disaster will be sure to 
happen to the poultry-keeper who neglects to 
maintain perfeot cleanliness about his premises 
aud utensils. Cleanliness is a term that includes 
is boarded down to the ground on the north and 
west sides, a small window for ventilation being 
placed in the latter. On the south and east 
sides, as far as the steps leading op to tho door 
of the hatching room, are placed hot-bed sashes 
—except at the corner, which is fitted with 
triangular sashes. The lower edge of these 
sashes is one foot from tho ground; under 
tbreo of them—two on the south and one on 
tho east sides—are narrow doors, six inches 
wide, and of any desired length, to give egregs 
aud ingress to the chick#. 'This boarding under 
the sashes and on all sides is ext* nded down 
into the earth eighteen or more incheB. 
The sashes are battened above and below; 
one sash being battened on top, and the next 
one underneath, thus makiog very tight joints. 
They are not attached to the building, but may 
be lifted out and stowed away when not in use. 
The entrance to the uursery is through the door 
seen iu the lower right-haud corner of figure 1. 
1 use no artificial heat except that o r the 
Brooders, several of which can be put between 
the entrance and the west wall; or, if preferred, 
one large Brooder with a capacity of five hun¬ 
dred chicks may be used. Tho floor of the 
nursery is dry sand, which is frequently turned 
over. In a nursery of this size, five hundred 
In giving the accompanying plan to the read¬ 
ers of the Rural, I do not wish th6m to think 
that such a building is necessary or essential to 
the use of an incubator, but simply that it is 
beneficial aH increasing the success, and a source 
of gratification aud pleasure to those who can 
afford It, aud who like special means for special 
ends. The farmer aud small poultry breeder 
will find himself able to raise his tbreo to five 
hundred (if he detires bo many) chicks, with a 
small-sized incubator in his cellar or sitting- 
room, and two or three “ Brooders” or Artifi¬ 
cial mothers,’’ to care for the chicks until a few 
weeks old. But should it be desired to raise 
early broilers for market, a buildiug of some 
kind must be constructed or adapted to the 
purpose. 
The design given here can be enlarged and 
extended to many limes its present size, and 
may be made much more elaborate in finish ; 
or, on the contrary, it can be made to cost not 
morn than two-thirds, tr oven half the expense 
of thiB structure. The building was originally 
built and ased for a hen-and chicken house; 
that is, around three sides of it were pens for 
hens with their chickens, the hens being all 
under one roof, and the coops or peus opening 
outward into several different yards. The size 
was twelve and a half feet square inside ; five 
feet from floor to eaves, and eight feet to the 
ventilator iu the peak- 
I moved the building to Us present location, 
elevated it four and a half feet above the 
grouud, placiog locust posts, set four feet into 
the ground, under the corners. Over the old 
Biding was put a covering of tarred paper—on 
the north and west sides, double—and over 
that, worked pine boards. The old floor was 
also covered with tarred paper, double thickness, 
and a floor of spruce boarda laid over that. The 
inaido was then lathed and plastered. The 
outer door was made to slide on morticed roll¬ 
ers, the track being placed at a very slight angle 
from the face of tho building, ho that when 
closed, it impinged at top, bottom aud sides, 
making an almost perfectly air-tight door. (See 
‘•8," fig. 2.) An inner door “I/' hung on 
shirting-butt hinges, opens inward. Iu warm 
weather, this door is unhinged and a door of 
wire netting or gauze, hung iu its place. Oppo¬ 
site the door is the window, six feet broad and 
two and a half high; sash double, one opening 
outward and the other inward, the former 
hinged at the top, the latter at the bottom, so 
aB to avoid a direot draft of air. Under tho 
cupola, in the peak, is the ventilator, which can 
be closed tightly, or opened to full size of flue, 
whioh is fourteen inches square. 
The arrangement of tho room is shown in 
figure 2. A board partition “P P.," crosses the 
room four feet from the outer door, and this 
space ia again divided by the partition “ O.” 
This leaves the room “E" as a sort of lobby 
opening into the inner room “ R,” through the 
door “ D.” The dark closet “T,” four feet 
square, is used as a testing room, to tell the 
fertility of the eggs; entrance by the door “ L." 
“ B, B," in the larger room are benches, eight 
feet long and two aud a half feet wide, on which 
are placed the incubators; each bench will hold 
two machines of the capacity of two to three 
FlO,&, FtQ.O. 
then, when having several hundred fowls, the 
houses have all boon made on this.principle aud 
the largest sizo over needed was about fifty feet 
long, sixte&n feet wide, eight feet high in front 
and four feet at the hack. This will accommo¬ 
date 150 fowls. No more than this should ever 
be put into one house. If more are kept, other 
houses should be provided. 
• THE PERCHES. 
High percheB are to be avoided. With heavy 
birds, there is danger of injury from jumping or 
falling from high roosts. The plan shown in 
Fig. 1 is the best. It is as follows: A scantling 
is nailed to the rear wall, or is hung upon strap- 
eighteen inches apart, with the broad side flat 
aud uppermost. The whole forms a frame 
whioh rests upon tho floor when in use, and 
whioh can be 'raised and booked to the roof 
when the bouse is to bo cleaned. 
THE NESTS. 
Nests should bo made so that the hens cannot 
interfere with each other when laying, aud that 
the interior may bo kept clean. For these ends, 
they should be made small and with narrow en¬ 
trances and be covered with a steeply sloping 
top, so that the fowls cannot peroh upon them. 
A conveniently-shaped neBt-box is shown in the 
front of the house aud a board may be hinged in 
tho front ontside, bo that it may be let down 
when the eggs are to bo gathered. This should 
be done iu the evening. Tho size of the nest- 
AN INCUBATOR HOUSE AND NURSERY 
The capacity of the hatching room will de¬ 
pend on the number aud size of the incubators 
used. From four machines of two hundred 
eggs each, fully six hundred chickens should bo 
turned out every three weeks. Another ma¬ 
chine might bo added by giving up the testing 
room, and o&rryiug the bench entirely across 
that side of tho room. This, however, is hardly 
advisable, as this “ testing” is a most important 
matter, when tho business is made one of profit 
aud not of pleasure merely. 
Westchester Co., N. Y. 
The attention of our poultry raisers as well 
as of fanners throughout the country, is 
being largely drawn to the subject of artificial 
incubation, and of incubators. 
Of the latter, there are a number which are 
claimed to be entirely successful in the hands 
of the average poultry breeder ; and the ques¬ 
tion next comes up, how or where to place the 
inoubator, to obtain the best results. There 
are but very few iucubators—perhaps not more 
than one or two—whioh can be depended upon, 
unleBB placed in a room or buildiug specially 
constructed for that purpose; and even those 
which do well iu the sitting-room, or the cellar, 
or in a spare chamber, will do better if placed 
in a room specially designed for them. 
Sash 
— VvaAt-. -- 
box is twelve inehea wide by fourteen long, and 
about ten inches high at the front, with an open¬ 
ing about six inches wide and eight inohes high, 
to admit the hens. 
NESTS FOR BROODERS. 
Brooding hens should not be kept in the pub- 
lio apartment. They require privacy. The 
writer’s method is to have a small, darkened 
apartment purposely for them, or to keep the 
brooders in distant places, in the barn or else¬ 
where. An excellent plan is to have large coops 
CaossEB, generally, are profitable neither for 
egg production nor table purposes, and their 
mongrel appearance is not bo pleasing to the 
eye as that of pure-bred birds. 
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