NovemBer 6, 1905 
‘THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
© 
THE POULTRY YARD. 
Torrefield 
Barley 
Ga Petalomia. 
_ And 
-) Munburnie 
m+ Incubators 
BROODERS 
. Everything in the 
Poultry Line 
Res- Write for our Catalogue to 
F. J. Anthony and Go., 
Payneham Road. . 
Telephone 948. 
i 
ST. PETERS, S.A. 
oultiy Houge 
Construction. 
It is very easy for one who has a taste for 
architecture, even if that taste has not been 
trained or developed, to sit down’ and plan ela- 
borate poultry houses, in which are conveniences 
of every kind for the comfort and welfare of the 
fowls that are to be housed therein. 
This sort of work is all well enough, but the 
fact remains that the most skilful architect can- 
not build a poultry house which is suited to 
" practical use without having had some experience 
of a practical kind in housing poultry. 
Some of the most impractical poultry houses 
we ever saw were beautiful to look at and were 
built with a view to meeting every requirement 
of the fowls, but they failed in important parti- 
culars to be planned along the right lines, 
In building a poultry house there are a. few 
elementary principlesthat should not be lost 
sight offin an effort to make that look complete. 
We should try to make a point of view of the 
fowls, if we will fer-a moment aamit they might 
have any notions of the subject. 
To do this we must first learn what is more 
essential to their complete comfort. Once we 
learn what we require for comfort. we may plan 
for them in the hope of being able to build a 
house in which they will'liveand thrive in the 
greatest comfort. 
Fowls care nothing for architectural effect. 
All of this that is displayed on a poultry house 
is of no use further than to’please the eye of the 
owner. The most comfortable poultry honse we 
ever saw was dug in the side of a hill, and two 
boys did all the work. It was not beautiful 
tolookat, but some Black’ Spanish fowls lived 
in it without suffering ‘fromicold, darkness: or 
lack of. pure air. 
Permanent inside fixtures ef any kind should 
‘be-dispensed'with'as‘far as:possible. Stationary 
®edee yeebncx sordhs puch inside‘arrangéetemen 
should be so made that any or all of them may 
quickly be taken outside when it is desired to 
whitewash or thoroughly clean the house. 
The perches may rest on trestles and be per- 
fectly adapted to the use for which they are 
intended. Perches-may be made of ordinary 
shingling lath 1 x 2 inches, the upper corners 
being rounded to fit the feet of the fowls as they 
sit on them. ‘hey should be about eighteen 
inches part and nine or ten inches of perch 
-extended. This platform maybe laid on the 
trestles before referred to without being fastened 
in any: way If the perches ave nailed toa 
piece of timber 2 x 8 inches in‘such a way that 
the timber will support the perches eight inches 
above the dropping board it will be found a very 
convenient: arrangement. The perches eight 
inches above the dropping board ailow the 
droppings to be scraped off with a common 
garden hoe. 
Whether a board or an earthern floor is used 
is largely a matter of convenience or location. 
Where a dry earthern floor can be secured it is 
no doubt the -best-one-thaté can-be-got. 
_ As to light.and ventilation the canvas covered 
windows seems so supply all that is needed. 
Stout sheeting is often used in the place of 
canvas and has been found serviceable. The 
windows should be as large as possible and face 
the south. 
A cheap grade of lumber covered with good 
building paperand painted with good tar makes 
a very serviceable house. When applying the 
paper begin at one side of the roof and run the 
paper tothe ground on the other side of the 
house, whether the roof be double or single pitch. 
This closes the house perfectly and leaves no 
air space under the eaves to create drafts and 
invite disease. Such a thing as over-hanging 
eaves are of no use in a building of this kind. 
If desired a double wall may be used, but it is 
not necessary if the perches are surrounded by a 
curtain of burlap or other similaz material dur- 
ing the cold months. The curtained sleeping 
place has come to stay. It gives the fowls a 
closely enclosed room: in which to sleep and at 
the same time gives the neccessary ventilation, 
the air penetrating the cloth easily but in such 
manner that no drafts arise. The curtain 
should extend to theroof. With cloth windows 
instead of glass and a curtained sleeping place 
the problem of ventilation is solved. 
Give each fowl four square feet of floor room 
and an opportunity to run out of the doors in all 
but the worst weather, and such a house as is 
-here indicated will meet all the need of a flock 
- of fowls in the way of maintaining health and 
comfort. : 
Of course there.is no objection to ornamen- 
tation glass windows and. modern. appliances of 
every kind, but these may be supplied. or 
omitted. without in any way intertering with 
the usefulness.of the-house or the: health, com- 
fort. and.productiveness of.the fowls.. 
Mr, John Paine wishes to ‘intimate to the 
residents. of Unley and ‘surrounding. districts 
‘that he ‘has’ opened! premises at Unley road, 
Unley (inthe establishment lately occupied 'by 
‘Mr ‘H, Cooke), as hairdresser and’ tobacconist, 
where he hopes‘by attention to business to merit 
a ‘share: of :public-patronage. Cleanliness’ and 
civility strictly maintained, “Mr ‘Paine’has‘fur- 
nished(‘his. shop with a stock’ of choice cigars, 
cigarettes, and tobacco. ‘ 
‘this very minute. 
ik ac 
(in 
TT 
Simplex Incubator. 
D. Lanyon, kent town, s.. 
Summer Houses for Fowls. 
' (By Fred Grundy). 
In the good old summer time is when thou- 
sands of fowls suffer the tortures of Hades from 
bad housing. The interest of their owner wanes. 
as the egy supply diminishes, and he begins to 
let ’em rip’? and look out for themselves. In 
looking out for themselves, they Jie about in the 
shade through most of the day and at night 
return to the mite-infested perches to pass tha 
few hours of darkness about as one would pass 
it in a bug-infested bed. Quite often the house 
is closed same as in winter, aud not cleaned out 
once a month, and naturally the air is about as 
foul as it well can be. 
Of course, these conditions are not found in 
the houses of anybody that reads ‘this article. 
At least we will say they don’t. Yet, neverthe- 
less, 1 would be quite willing-to venture a bottle 
of cologne that there is room for a con- 
siderable improvement ini the poultry houses of 
nine out of ten of all the readers of this paper 
The excuse most often given 
is that it is un awful job to clean out a poultry 
house in hot weather. This is all fol-de- 
rol. Getup just before the sun, and having 
left.the doors and windows of the house open all 
night, go at the job while the grass is still. wet 
with.dew, and after it is done you will.conclude 
that.it was only a little shore after all. 
The best plan of housing fowls in summer is 
to put up-perches in the scratching sheds and 
shut them out of the house at night. They will 
be slow to take these new perches,-probably, but 
they will finally do it. If two or three of. the 
quietest are placed on these perches the first 
night they they will return to them the follow- 
ing night: andithe rest will soon follow. Some 
writer’s.advocate sending them to thefences:and 
trees, but itis not: a good: plan. By having 
them:roost:in, the scratching sheds itis.a very 
‘easy, matter to get them. to: ,return: to the 
‘houses when weather becomes: cooler in. the-fall, 
If they:roost'in the trees and.on .the fences all 
summer one will have a fighting job.every-night 
for a week.or more,to get.them. into the houses. 
‘Then it is ajbadidea.to have them. exposed ,to 
storms, even in summer: The rain comes 
comes.down from a cold quarter and.drenches 
them, and’sometimes continues, all-night, and 
they come off their perches in a miserable state. 
Wham dune Sp sie i ih |e 
