1910. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
663 
COLONY COOPS FOR GROWING CHICKS. 
An Improvement on Old Models. 
I was much interested in the article, "Hens that Feed 
Themselves,” in Tiie R. N.-Y. of March 20, and would like 
to ask the formula of Mr. Hunter's dry mash, the cost 
per 100 pounds of same, the size, cost'and construction 
of the brooder coops he used, and did they have roosts? 
New Ilaven, N. Y. c. D. J. 
The dry-mash questions were answered in an article 
already written for these columns; there has been a 
perfect swarm of letters asking about it, indicating a 
very widespread interest in the subject. 
Among the several factors which aid to good growth 
in the youngsters clean, roomy and airy coops is one 
of the most important, and this is a point where very 
many poultry growers “slip a cog." The growing 
chicks increase in size very rapidly, and coops which 
seemed more than roomy two or three weeks ago are 
crowded now. The farmer, busy with many interests, 
does not notice the crowded condition of the coops 
where the growing pullets have to sleep o’ nights, or 
neglects to clean out the accumulated filth, and the 
poor birds live for eight or nine hours of each 24 in 
surroundings which fairly rival the infamous Black 
Hole of Calcutta. It is little wonder that growth is 
retarded and the pullets seem stunted. I use three 
or four different types of coops, the very best of which 
are homemade and arc illustrated herewith. Figs. 229 
and 220. Excellent colony coops are offered by sev¬ 
eral of the incubator manufacturing companies and the 
two shown in the picture on first page of The R. X.-Y. 
of March 26 are of this class. There are many ad¬ 
vantages in this type of brooder and coop, which 
makes a fine home for the chicks from incubator till 
the pullets have begun to lay; a disadvantage is that 
they are decidedly heavy to handle, and we are prone 
to neglect work when it is extra hard to do. 
A very convenient colony coop, which we consider of 
good size, light and consequently easy 
to handle, is shown in Figs. 229 and 220. 
These we build ourselves, and the cost 
of materials is quite small. This home¬ 
made ' fresh-air” coop is six feet long 
by three feet wide, three feet high in 
front and two feet high at the back. It 
is built of a very light frame, covered 
with inch-mesh wire netting securely 
stapled on, then the walls are covered 
with burlap bagging (grain sacks), and 
the roof is covered with a good ready 
roofing. There is a floor, made of three- 
quarter-inch box boards, which is se¬ 
curely nailed to four strips of “strap¬ 
ping” (strapping is two by seven-eighths- 
incli stuff). The frame is of strapping 
throughout. The corners are made of 
two pieces, nailed together V-shape; all 
the rest is single strips. There are two 
strips, set 20 inches apart, in the front, 
to make space for the gate, which is 
20 inches wide, outside measure. An 
intermediate stud in the middle of the 
back and one up the middle of the roof 
give needed support there. 
The coop shown in the illustrations is full six feet 
long, and two strips of yard-wide roofing will not cover 
the rocf and turn over the ends. In such case there 
must be three strips of roofing, two feet three inches 
wide each, to give the necessary laps and the turned- 
over edge. If the coop is shortened to five feet six 
inches two strips of yard-wide roofing will cover the 
roof. The frame of the roof comes down over the 
edges all around, like a cover; two-inch mesh wire 
netting is tacked on to the frame, as taut as it can be 
drawn, and this supports the roofing. Half-inch boards 
the burlap when it is raining, and thus getting wet. 
Inch-mesh wire netting, IS inches wide, is securely 
stapled entirely around the coop, shutting out all night 
prowlers; the open space in the front is also closed 
with inch-mesh netting. It is well to begin putting on 
the netting at one of the gate studs, working around 
the coop to the other gate stud. Where there 
sunshine, at the discretion of the chicks; it also fur¬ 
nishes many worms and insects, greatly enjoyed by the 
youngsters. We are fortunate in having a rather open 
wood-lot along the rear of our small farm, and the 
owner of the wood kindly permits us to fence in and 
use a strip about 50 feet wide. This makes a superb 
chick-range, and the growing pullets greatly enjoy the 
shelter they find there. It is always several degrees 
cooler in the woods than out in the open lot, and for 
several hours of the middle of the day practically all 
of the chicks will have “taken to the woods.” On this 
tract we have all the requisites of good growth ex¬ 
cepting green food; grass is very scarce there. To 
supply this we distribute a basket of lawn-mower clip¬ 
pings out there every week day; these are greatly en¬ 
joyed. The coops are cleaned out once a week, and an 
inch depth of fresh loam spread over the floor of each. 
Fresh water is supplied every day, the drinking foun¬ 
tains being thoroughly rinsed daily. The food hoppers 
are re-filled once a week, so the food is always ac¬ 
cessible, and our pullets “just grow!” 
Massachusetts. a. f. .hunter. 
SOME PENN. BRONZE TURKEYS. Fig. 228. 
edges of wire netting coming together we wired them 
securely together,, as we wanted to be certain that rats, 
weasels, etc., were effectively shut out when the gate 
was closed at night. The burlap is well tacked on, 
the whole of the coop being covered by it excepting 
a foot of the top of the front; this opening is for light, 
A COUPLE OF HOLSTEIN CALVES. Fig. 227. 
six inches wide are nailed all around the sides and 
ends, at the bottom, to prevent the droppings from ac¬ 
cumulating under the burlap and rotting it out; the 
wire netting and burlap come down outside the thin 
boards. These prevent the chicks getting up against 
A COLONY COOP FOR YOUNG CHICKENS. Fig. 229 
sunshine, and additional ventilation. Where there are 
edges of burlap coming together they are sewn to¬ 
gether with strong twine, and along the edge of the 
opening in front the burlap is secured by sewing with 
strong twine. The roof is held down by four hooks 
and screw eyes, one at.each corner; as it is very light 
a strong wind will lift it if not so secured. As these 
coops are very light there is danger that a high wind 
will blow them over; to prevent this we set a flat stone, 
as large as can be conveniently handled, on each corner 
of the front. As the roof has to be removed but once a 
week, for the regular cleaning, the stone weights are 
but little bother—much less than having the coop rolled 
over and over and some of the promising pullets badly 
hurt. 
If roosts are wanted they are easily made of two strips 
of strapping, nailed together in T-shape, and resting be¬ 
tween two small blocks nailed upon the top of the roost 
support. The blocks on top save weakening the sup¬ 
port by notching it to receive the roosts. To prevent 
the light roosts being lifted off by the birds runirng 
underneath, put a small hook and screw-eye at each 
end. As a matter of fact, we do not put roosts in our 
coops, although they are shown in the illustration of 
the interior of the one photographed; we do use roosts 
when the coop is occupied by cockerels being fattened 
We grow the pullets, quite up to laying maturity, in 
coops without roosts, and they do not roost until moved 
into their Winter quarters. This, with us, is about 
the middle of September. 
A most important aid to good growth in the pullets 
is ample range and abundant shade. They need to 
range, to enable the good body-growth we want them 
to acquire before they reach laying maturity; they also 
need comfortable shade, to protect them from the hot 
sun of Summer. An orchard makes the best possible 
place for chickens to range, furnishing either shade or 
DAMAGE BY THE PHEASANTS. 
It is very refreshing to read in The R. N.-Y., page 
468, the article by Mrs. C. L. V., on the pheasant 
question. Why, just think of it, how badly I was 
fooled when I saw 59 pheasants at work harvesting 
a crop just a few months ago, that a farmer had 
worked hard to produce! You see I thought they 
were doing some damage, but now I find they were 
not. I usually realize from $200 to $400 per acre on 
my muskmelons, sometimes more, and last Sum¬ 
mer, when I saw them digging out the seed, pull¬ 
ing up the young plants and breaking them off 
when they could not pull them, until nearly two-thirds 
of a three-acre piece was destroyed. I 
thought they were doing me some dam¬ 
age, but now I find I must have been 
mistaken. I have a neighbor, a poor 
man, who planted eight acres of corn, 
only to sec the pheasants take it out, 
in spite of boys, gun and dogs. He 
replanted twice, but it was of no avail. 
I thought these birds were doing him 
some damage, but “no, they are no 
damage.” To-day I have been obliged 
to witness the damage to my peas, 
which are just coming up (seed peas 
are only from $5 to $12 per bushel this 
season). They have followed some 
rows as much as three or four rods, 
never missing one, picking out the ten¬ 
der s'hoots to satisfy their endless ap¬ 
petite. Well, this made me rather warm 
under the collar, but when I came to 
the house and read the article of Airs. 
C. L. V. and thought of the “Beati¬ 
tudes” and of course meditated o:i 
her little “Garden of Eden,” with its 
one pheasant, harmless and beautiful, 
I also meditated on my garden of some 
acres in extent with its relays of pheasants, 25, 50 and 
sometimes more, coming one after another till the 
very bread of my children is in danger. Yes, Mrs. 
INSIDE OF THE COLONY COOP. Fig. 23“ 
C. L. V.. there are a lot of us in western New 
York who are advertising our part of the country as 
being far too valuable to be turned over to senti¬ 
mentalists or sports from the cities and towns, with 
their pheasants and jack rabbits. john q. wells. 
Ontario Co., N. Y. 
