SF 486 
 
 •B8 1 
 
 Copy 1 — -] f 
 
 Built and Used 
 by Poultrymen 
 
 Big Four Poultry Journal 
 
 Chicago, Illinois 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/builtusedbypoultOOchic 
 
Built and Used 
 by Poultrymen 
 
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 An Attractive House for the Renter 
 Full Description of this House to be Found on Page 37 
 
Built and Used 
 by Poultrymen 
 
 A Book Describing and Illustrating 
 
 Practical Houses and Appliances 
 
 Built and Tested by Experienced 
 
 Poultrymen 
 
 THIRD EDITION 
 
 Chicago, Illinois 
 
 The Big Four Poultry Journal 
 
 1917 
 
5V 
 
 COPYRIGHT 1917 
 
 BY 
 
 THE BIG FOUR POULTRY 
 
 JOURNAL 
 
 m 31 1917 
 
 *>CI.A462784 
 I 
 
INTRODUCTORY 
 
 This is a revised edition of Built and Used by 
 Poultrymen, first published by the Standard 
 Company who sold all rights to same to the 
 Successful Poultry Journal Publishing Co., pub- 
 lishers of the Big Four Poultry Journal. 
 
 We have incorporated in this book many of 
 the practical, useful, easy-to-make houses and 
 equipment explained in the first edition of this 
 book as well as some illustrations and explana- 
 tions of houses that have since come into vogue 
 and have proven very satisfactory. 
 
 Every house or piece of equipment explained 
 and illustrated herein has been built and used 
 by some practical poultryman and found satisfac- 
 tory. We are not advocating theory herein but 
 giving the reader tried and proven houses and 
 equipment. 
 
 If there is anything that is not understood, the 
 Editor of Big Four Poultry Journal will be glad 
 to explain, either by personal letter or thru the 
 columns of that publication. 
 
 The Editor. 
 
 Big Four Poultry Journal, Chicago, Illinois, 
 April 15, 1917. 
 
Modern Breeding Houses 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MODERN BREEDING HOUSES 
 
 1. Situation of House. A poultry house should be apart from 
 other buildings. It should face the south, and be so situated that 
 the sun can shine on it throughout the day. It should be where 
 water is easily obtainable, and convenient of access during the 
 winter. If the house will have yards in front of it — and fowls 
 are usually confined in such yards or runs — there should be a 
 suitable space from 50 to 100 feet long immediately in front and 
 to the south of the house for these yards. 
 
 2. Site. In determining the site of the house, a well-drained 
 location must be secured, as dampness and filth around the house 
 are the causes of many poultry diseases. It is extreme folly to build 
 a poultry house in a hallow, or on soil that is naturally damp and 
 cold. It is preferable to have a porous, gravelly soil that will dry 
 quickly, and that will supply the fowls with natural grit. 
 
 3. Shade. Fowls require shade during the warmer months. 
 This is the primary reason why the poultry and fruit industries 
 can be combined to good advantage. The shade and protection of 
 the* fruit trees is beneficial to the fowls, and they in turn, protect 
 the trees from the ravages of many species of insects. However, 
 the house should not be placed under the trees, on account of 
 dampness and insufficient sunlight, but from 20 to 25 feet north 
 of the trees. The latter are then in the yards. 
 
 4. Converting Old Buildings. On many places, both in the 
 country and town, are to be found old buildings that can, at small 
 expense, be converted into practical poultry houses. If there is a 
 southern exposure the cutting of an opening, as shown on pages 8 
 and 21, will generally suffice. This is the age of fresh air and 
 these open-front houses give satisfaction, especially if they are 14 
 feet from front to back or from the opening to the roosts so the 
 fowls will not roost closer than 14 feet to the opening. 
 
 [7] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 5. Stationary Houses. The most popular class of modern breed- 
 ing houses is the stationary house, built from 10 to 100 feet long. 
 Many years ago it was customary to build poultry houses with the 
 south front of practically all glass. This fashion remained in vogue 
 until the early 80's, when it was completely set aside, and houses 
 with very little glass in the front were thought ideal. The ten- 
 
 Shed Converted Into Fresh-Air House 
 
 These are the days of fresh air. Half the air is night air, why not use it. The 
 above depicts how many an old lean-to shed can he converted into a modern 
 fresh-air poultry house by cutting an opening in the front, and making a straw 
 loft overhead. Should such a shed face the south or east the opening can be 
 open most of the time, but if it faces north we would not recommend such a 
 change as poultry needs sunshine as well as fresh air. 
 
 dency of today is towards shortening the length of stationary houses. 
 Few are built over 100 feet long, and many breeders are now using 
 houses only 8 to 15 feet long. 
 
 6. Plans Have Been Changed. The construction of poultry 
 houses has been completely revolutionized in recent years. Up to 
 1905 it was thought necessary to board and cover with building 
 paper poultry houses inside and out — to make them as warm and 
 close as possible. In the following year the fresh-air style of house 
 was advocated, and this system is now conceded to be the best, 
 
 [8] 
 
Modern Breeding Houses 
 
 because of the admirable results in egg production and healthy 
 birds it insures. 
 
 7. Outside Dimensions. Considering the house in detail, we 
 will commence with the outside dimensions. The length should 
 not be over 150 feet, and the width from 12 to 15 feet. This width 
 refers particularly to houses with many pens, as a width of from 
 6 to 10 feet is suitable for small portable houses. If the long house 
 is to have a 3-foot alleyway along the north wall, the width is 
 15 feet. 
 
 8. Roof. There are two styles of roofs: (1) The shed roof; 
 (2) the double-pitch roof. There is little difference as to the cost, 
 and it is best to use the shed roof for houses up to 10 feet wide, 
 and the double-pitch style for wider buildings. In the shed roof 
 design, the height of the front studs is either 6 ft. 6 in. or 7 ft., 
 and of the rear, 4 ft. 6 in. to 5 ft. In the double-pitch plan, the 
 front studs are 5 ft., the center 7 ft. or 7 ft. 6 in., and the rear 
 4 ft. 6 in. For a house 12 ft. wide, the center studs are placed 7 ft. 
 from the front wall. 
 
 9. Foundation. In building a poultry house to last, it is eco- 
 nomical to set it on a cement, stone or brick foundation. This need 
 not extend more than 2 ft. in the ground, and the top should be 
 3 in. above the ground level. Instead of the above foundation, 4-ft. 
 posts painted thoroughly with a hot coal tar last many years. 
 
 10. Sill. In houses of moderate size, the sills of the frame may 
 serve as the foundation. Use a 4 x 4-in. sill for houses under 75 ft. 
 long and 4 x 6-in. (with the 4-in. face horizontal) for longer 
 houses. The lumber for the sill should be painted with hot coal 
 tar. The studs are 2 x 4 in. and the sills 4 x 4 in. 
 
 11. Sheeting the Frame. After the frame is erected, the studs 
 should be covered outside with one layer of boards on the ends and 
 back. The boards should be planed on one side, with the planed 
 side nailed against the studs, so that it will be easier to limewash 
 the interior. The front should consist mainly of windows and fresh- 
 air openings. The boards should be covered on the outside with 
 2-ply roofing paper ; the roof boards with 3-ply roofing or shingles. 
 Don't use the shingles unless there is considerable slant to the roof. 
 
 12. Windows and Fresh-Air Openings. It is not necessary to 
 use windows in the south or front wall of the house. Large or 
 
 [9] 
 
Built & Used by Poultry men 
 
 small openings can be simply covered with 1-inch mesh wire net- 
 ting, and this plan under certain conditions has given good results. 
 We prefer, however, to have the openings smaller ; to cover them 
 with heavy muslin (cotton) in addition to the 1-inch mesh wire, 
 and to have sufficient windows for light. The use of muslin is 
 advisable, because it prevents drafts in the house, but all the open- 
 ings cannot be covered with muslin, since it becomes dirty through 
 use and does not let in sufficient light. 
 
 A Handy Piece of Mite-Proof Equipment 
 
 Mites are nocturnal pests. They live in the cracks and crevices of the house, coming 
 forth at night to do their deadly work. The above equipment has many good 
 features. It stands out away from the wall and the only way that the mites can 
 get to the nests and roosts is to climb the table legs. This can be stopped by 
 wrapping a wick around each leg just below the nest line and keeping this wick 
 soaked with oil, as oil is deadly to lice and mites. The nests are on a shelf 
 under the dropping hoard. The front has a hinged cover, making a dark nest, 
 entrance being from the rear. The cover lets down easily for gathering the eggs 
 and the nest boxes are easily removed for cleaning. The table top is not nailed 
 down so it, too, can be easily removed for cleaning or burning if desired. The 
 roosts rest in sockets in which are laid oil soaked cloths so that no lice or mites 
 can get onto the roosts without crossing the oil, which is sure death. This equip- 
 ment is well thought of by those who have used it, is easy to build and easily 
 knocked down and moved. 
 
 [10] 
 
Modern Breeding Houses 
 
 13. Mr. Endsley's House. An admirable house in which the 
 front contains windows and smaller muslin-covered openings for 
 ventilation was built three years ago by Mr. Endsley. He says that 
 it has given the best of satisfaction, and describes its construction 
 thus: The house is 14x54 ft. The sills are two 2 x 4's placed 
 edgewise on posts 3 in. above the ground. The plates are set the 
 same way. A 2 x 4-in. stringer runs half way between the sill and 
 plate of the rear wall. By using matched flooring (up and down), 
 it is necessary to have this stringer, and especially if you want a 
 good job of drawing your siding tight. There is no stringer in the 
 front wall, as the windows cut out most of it. The house has five 
 windows of 8 x 10-in. glass, and four openings 24 in. square. The 
 openings are covered with wire netting and unbleached muslin for 
 ventilation. The entrance door is double — the outside of wood, 
 and the inside of wire netting covered with burlap. The wooden 
 door is only closed in severe cold weather. This system of ventila- 
 tion gives an abundance of fresh air. 
 
 14. Location and Interior Plan. This house is placed on ground 
 that slopes away from it. The inside is filled with 8 in. of dry 
 earth, and makes the inside floor higher than the outside surface. 
 This insures a dry house. The fowls can wallow and dust in the 
 ground floor of Mr. Endsley's house. A dry floor is one of the best 
 vermin destroyers there is. It is divided into five pens. The 
 droppings board is at the rear 2 ft. 6 in. above the floor. It is 4 ft. 
 6 in. wide and runs the full length of the building. The three roosts 
 are raised 6 in. above the board. 
 
 15. Dividing House Into Pens. A poultry house over 10 ft. 
 long is divided into a number of pens. If you intend to make a 
 specialty of the table-egg trade, it has been learned that flocks of 
 twenty yearling pullets make a greater profit than smaller or larger 
 flocks. For twenty birds in a pen, divide your house into pens 12 ft. 
 wide (running length). If you intend to mate breeding pens of 
 standard-bred chickens, pens from 8 to 10 ft. wide are sufficient size. 
 
 16. Partitions and Alleyway. If you have males in the pens, it 
 will be necessary to board the partitions for 2 ft. from the ground 
 to prevent fighting. Above this 2-in. mesh wire netting should 
 extend to the ceiling for Leghorns, and 4 ft. for the American 
 breeds. The partition doors should be at the front of the house, or 
 
 [11] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 the highest point, and hung on screen-door, spring hinges. An al- 
 leyway is a convenience in a long house, but not necessary in any. 
 The partition between the alley and the pens is made the same as 
 the partitions we have just described, except the 2 ft. of boards at 
 the bottom is not required. There is a door from the alley into 
 each pen, and the rest of the partition is wire netting. The parti- 
 tions between the pens and the "alley" house have no doors in them, 
 but they are boarded 2 ft. above the ground. 
 
 A MOPEENT FRESH-AIZ HOUSED 
 
 <s> The Standard <§> 
 
 This House Has Been Thoroughly Tested for Three Years 
 and Found Most Satisfactory 
 
 [12] 
 
Modern Breeding Houses 
 
 17. Roosts. For interior fixtures, you require roosts, droppings 
 boards, hoppers, food and water dishes. The roost should be a 
 2 x 3-in. scantling, with the corners rounded off on the 2-in. edge 
 on which the fowls roost. The top of the roost should be 10 in. 
 above the droppings board, so the fowls can pass underneath it 
 without having to crouch down and get soiled. It can either rest 
 in the wire support shown in Chapter XV, or in wooden cleats 
 nailed to the partition. It should be removable, and when there 
 are more roosts than one, all should be on the same level. The 
 roost nearest the wall is 10 in. from it, and the others 16 in. apart. 
 
 18. Droppings Board. For one roost the droppings board 
 should be 2 ft. 8 in. wide, and for two roosts, 3 ft. wide. It is best 
 made of g-in. planed lumber to facilitate cleaning. It is usually 
 placed from 20 in. to 30 in. above the floor, and it is preferable to 
 have it hinged to the rear wall. It can then be raised out of the 
 way when not required. 
 
 19. Mr. Dick's House. Mr. Dick prefers a breeding house 
 16 ft. wide and of a suitable length for the number of pens desired 
 — each pen being 12 x 16 ft. The cross-sectional illustration gives 
 the dimensions. The front is all open above 3 ft. from the floor, 
 which closed part will protect the birds from winds. The open 
 portion is covered with 1-in. mesh wire netting to keep out sparrows. 
 The door is in the east end. It has a window in the upper half which 
 portion is in the east end. It has a window in the upper half which 
 swings separate from the lower half, and can be. shut on windy 
 days. By leaving the lower half of the door open, all foul air 
 escapes. Neither part is shut, however, except when the weather 
 is severe. Last winter Mr. Dick used a screen door covered with 
 unbleached muslin in place of the divided door. The muslin-covered 
 door was kept shut all the time and was all that was needed, as 
 the air circulated through the cloth, without creating a draft. 
 
 20. Equipment. The roosts and droppings board are at the 
 rear, and a burlap curtain is hung so that it can be dropped in 
 front of the roosts on zero nights. It comes to within 6 in. of the 
 board. The nests slide under the droppings board and are all trap 
 nests. All the floor space is utilized by the fowls, except sufficient 
 room for a dust box. Mr. Dick states that he would no more think 
 of being without a dust box, than he would of letting the fowls go 
 
 [13] 
 
Built £ff Used by Poultrymen 
 
 without water. It's nature's way of cleaning and keeping the birds 
 free from vermin. 
 
 21. The Roost Curtain. The burlap curtain which Mr. Dick 
 drops down in front of the birds on cold nights is extensively used 
 by poultrymen, and it more than pays for its cost. It is not in the 
 way in the daytime ; can be brought into use whenever required, 
 and it is almost necessary when fowls with large combs are win- 
 tered in fresh-air houses. A most simple plan of arranging the cur- 
 tain is shown. The supporting wire is about ^ in. in diameter with 
 a round hook at each end. Two round-headed screws fasten it at 
 
 l-ME&Hi p J. Die« 
 
 W1R6 ! 
 
 |*-- 16- O" 
 
 Cross-Section of Mr. Dick's House 
 
 each side of the roosting compartment. The burlap has a hem at 
 the top, and slides back and forth on the wire like a light cloth 
 curtain in front of a book shelf. This plan of fixing the curtain is 
 simpler and cheaper than tacking it to a frame, or having it drop 
 down from above. 
 
 22. Changes Suggested. We would like Mr. Dick's house bet- 
 ter if it were not so wide. While the window space is high in the 
 front wall, the sun will rarely reach within 6 ft. of the rear wall, 
 and this is a disadvantage. In a perfect poultry house, the sun 
 should shine during the day on all parts of the floor, so as to dry 
 and help purify the litter. The closer we can approach this ideal 
 condition, the more successful will our plan of house become. Keep 
 the windows low. The lower edge of the sash should not be over 
 18 in. from the ground, so that the sunshine will fall on the front 
 
 [14] 
 
Modern Breeding Houses 
 
 half of the house almost all day. This is where the fowls like to 
 exercise and dust. Hinged or sliding windows are advisable, as 
 they can be opened for ventilation or for removing the litter. 
 
 23. Low Windows Are Best. Another advantage of the low 
 window is that it does away with the necessity of small entrances 
 for the birds. These little 1-foot square holes with either sliding 
 or hinged doors and short pieces of studding necessitate consider- 
 able time in the making that could be used to better advantage. 
 A window sill 18 in. above the ground (and a window that opens 
 easily), is not only better than the "small hole" in many respects, 
 but it is more satisfactory to the birds. We use the windows in 
 this way in our houses throughout the year, and the birds do not 
 give us any trouble. 
 
 24. Earth Floor. The best floor for a stationary laying house is 
 earth. Many years ago when wooden floors were popular, we built 
 houses with them. It is necessary to have not less than 2 in. of earth 
 on top of the wooden floor to give the birds a pleasant ground to 
 scratch in, and as it is almost impossible to keep this earth perfectly 
 dry, the boards are soon rotted. Another trouble that we experi- 
 enced continually was the waste of grain and the loss of chicks by 
 rats. Although we owned a first-class Fox Terrier dog at the time, 
 and fought the rats continually, yet they had a harbor of refuge 
 under the wooden floor of the house from which we could not rout 
 them. When the floor was removed it was completely rotted, and 
 in an unsanitary condition. 
 
 25. Making the Floor. The level of the earth floor should be 
 at least 6 in. above the outside ground. It is best made as follows : 
 Large, flat stones, or coarse coal ashes are first scattered on the 
 earth inside the house until it is completely covered. On the coarse 
 material place 2 or 3 in. of finer ashes or gravel. Then cover all 
 with 3 in. of porous garden soil. Over the soil have several inches 
 of straw or other litter. 
 
 26. Concrete Poultry Houses. Several readers of The Stand- 
 ard have built and used concrete poultry houses and found them 
 quite suitable. Mr. Dornan made a house 50 ft. long and 12 ft. 
 wide, inside measurement, of cement blocks. His house is 9 ft. high 
 in front by 7 ft. at the back. It faces the south ; has seven windows 
 and a door in front; one window in the west end, and a half-sash 
 
 [15] 
 
Built & Used by Poultryunen 
 
 window in the east end — which he left boarded, so he can add on 
 to the building when necessary. The window in the east end Mr. 
 Dornan put low down "just above the sill and arranged to slide, 
 making a convenient door for the hens kept in this pen." The 
 upper half of the windows are covered with a cheap grade of un- 
 bleached muslin. Openings the size of half a block (8x8 in.) 
 were left in the rear of the building near the ground line, making 
 outlets for the three other pens. Mr. Dornan's floor is "mother 
 
 W/AC 
 
 &QfZL.Af* <f</l<rAi. 
 
 FZONT VIEW- 
 
 .&/H6 FoftMeo Ar FA/* eAjO 
 *■ — fc 
 
 O O 
 
 How to Make a Suitable Roost Curtain 
 
 earth" and he throws a few shovelfuls of the earth from the floor 
 up on the droppings board, and does not have any trouble in keep- 
 ing the house smelling fresh and clean. Good hemlock lumber was 
 used for roof boards, laid on 2 x 6-in. rafters on plate of same size 
 — the plate being golted to the blocks. The roof is covered with 
 3-ply tarred felt roofing. 
 
 27. Cost. This poultryman had no patent block machine, only 
 a plain wooden mold that any handy man could make. He made 
 the blocks 16 x 8-in. face, and 8 in. thick — hollow, of course. The 
 builder says that the secret of good, hard, durable blocks is to keep 
 them wet for at least three days. A grout wall was made 16 in. 
 
 [16] 
 
Modern Breeding Houses 
 
 below the ground surface. There are about 600 blocks in this 
 poultry house, made in the usual "5 to 1" proportion. The cost 
 was: $60 for hired help in drawing gravel, laying up blocks, put- 
 ting on roof, etc. ; $25 for lumber and $30 for cement, making a 
 total of $115. However, this would not cover the usual cost of 
 construction if one had all the work done by hired labor, as Mr. 
 Dornan is by trade a stone mason and made the blocks himself. 
 
 28. Stucco Houses. Concrete poultry houses can also be built 
 of stucco-work. Metal lath is nailed on the studs, and a scratch 
 coat -J inch thick is applied, and pressed partly through the open- 
 ings in the metal, roughing the surface with a stick- or trowel. The 
 scratch coat is composed of 5 parts Portland cement, 12 parts 
 clean, coarse sand, 3 parts lime and a small quantity of hair. When 
 the scratch coat has set well, a finishing coat is applied J inch to 
 1 inch thick. This coat is composed of 1 part Portland cement, 3 
 parts clean, coarse sand, and 1 part slaked lime paste. Unless the 
 house is extra long, two coats are not necessary. The finishing 
 coat alone placed over the metal lath will give excellent results. 
 The finish can be smooth — made so with a wooden float — or 
 rough by rubbing with burlap. These houses could have concrete 
 floors and are then practically vermin and rat-proof. 
 
 29. Block Houses in Nebraska. Some poultrymen think that a 
 house built of concrete blocks is damp, and while several have 
 proven by actual experience that this is not so, a stucco-built poul- 
 try house will certainly be as dry inside as any building made of 
 wood — and more durable. Mr. Nelson of Nebraska has a num- 
 ber of 14x50-ft., cement-block houses to accommodate from 500 
 to 700 Leghorns. He states: "I get an 80 per cent egg yield the 
 year around from my Single-Comb Brown Leghorns that are kept 
 in these houses." He adds that they are never damp and that the 
 floor is of dirt — filled 6 in. above the outside ground. He 
 strongly advocates their use on account of their resistance to cli- 
 matic changes. Any plan of poultry house in this work can be built 
 of cement blocks or of stucco, as well as of lumber. 
 
 30. Valuable Conclusions. Prof. Dryden of the Oregon Ex- 
 periment Station has thoroughly studied the question of poultry 
 house construction, and we will present some of his conclusions. 
 He believes that poultrymen have made a mistake in the past in 
 
 [17] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 not recognizing the fact that the housing of poultry is an artificial 
 condition — ■ for our domestic fowls still retain considerable of the 
 wild nature. This is shown when they persist in flying into the 
 trees to roost in preference to seeking the shelter of the houses 
 provided for them. 
 
 31. Evil Results from Large Windoivs. It has never been 
 demonstrated that fowls can be kept in warm houses without in- 
 jury to the constitutional vigor of the flock, and the vigor of his 
 birds must be the first concern of the poultry breeder. The ex- 
 periments at some of the Stations indicated that it is possible to get 
 a slightly better egg yield by artificially heating the house, but the 
 increased yield was at the expense of the fowls' vitality. In a 
 warmly built house with large windows in the south, the tem- 
 perature will be high when the sun shines, and at night it will be 
 very low — the glass permitting the escape of heat as readily as it 
 entered. During the day, the warm air of the house is accumulat- 
 ing moisture, and at night, owing to the great fall in temperature 
 the air becomes very humid, often totally saturated, as is seen when 
 moisture condenses on the walls. However, it is not dampness on 
 the walls that is bad, but it is the moisture in the air, and the 
 dampness on the walls is a sure indication that the air is as damp, 
 or humid, as it is possible to be. Chickens would be better roosting 
 in the trees, than in a house where such conditions prevail. 
 
 32. Improving the Conditions. By taking out the windows 
 altogether, these conditions are improved. They would be still 
 further improved by cutting out a larger portion of the front, and 
 this would make what is generally known as an "open-front" or 
 "fresh-air" house. The open-front idea may be adapted to a small 
 house, or to a large one, a colony house or a stationary house. The 
 open-front house has been tried in all sections of the United States, 
 in the cold as well as in the warm. In cold sections some poultry- 
 men cover the opening with a curtain of ordinary muslin, and 
 when a large section of the front is thus covered, it is called a 
 "curtain-front" house. As the material is thin there are no drafts, 
 and the temperature of the house is nearly that of outdoors. Prof. 
 Rice of Cornell University found that there was only one and 
 one-half degrees higher temperature for the inside of a curtain- 
 front house than for a similar house with a wire front. 
 
 [18] 
 
Modern Breeding Houses 
 
 33. Advice. Prof. Dryden is discussing the merits of a different 
 style of house than any we have referred to. A curtain-front house 
 is one in which the entire front is wire netting covered inside with 
 unbleached muslin. We would not advise poultrymen in a cold 
 climate to build such a house until they have had experience in the 
 business and have kept their fowls through several winters. The 
 amateur poultryman should by all means build a house like Mr. 
 Endsley's with windows and muslin-covered ventilators in front. 
 Except for a southern climate with its warm winters, Mr. Endley's 
 house will give the fowls all the fresh air they require. In the 
 summer the windows can be removed if thought advisable. 
 
 [19] 
 
Built & Used by Poultry men 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MODERN COLONY HOUSES 
 
 34. The Terms Portable, Movable and Colony. This chapter 
 will include the construction details and plans of all types of small 
 houses. Poultrymen use a number of terms to refer to these houses 
 — some call them portable, others movable or colony. The terms 
 are synonymous, in so far as the poultryman is concerned. The 
 colony system of housing poultry is recommended for adoption 
 wherever possible. It consists of keeping the fowls in small flocks, 
 and providing suitable houses that can be moved to any portion of 
 the plant. Where the colony system of housing is used on farms, 
 more fowls can be kept as layers and more chicks reared annually, 
 than where the mature and young birds run in one large flock 
 around the farm yard door. Farm fowls kept in colony houses are 
 healthier and less inclined to attacks of contagious diseases; they 
 require less food; lay more eggs; destroy injurious insects, and, if 
 kept in large flocks, fertilize the land. 
 
 35. Value of Portable Houses. Every farmer or fruit grower 
 who keeps poultry is strongly advised to built portable houses, and 
 to maintain flocks of poultry in the fields and orchards. During 
 the summer the houses are placed on pasture land ; in autumn, 
 when the grain is harvested, they are removed to the stubble to 
 pick up any fallen grain. Here, the laying fowls and la'rger chicks 
 will retain vigorous health and grow a rugged constitution with 
 practically no attention, except watering. If a stream or natural 
 water supply is convenient, the feed and water problems are solved. 
 The flocks should not be crowded, or contain a great number of 
 birds. Large flocks are invariably less satisfactory, and they will 
 yield smaller profits. If one house is placed in a corner of the field, 
 another near the shade of a clump of trees, etc., fences are un- 
 necessary, as the birds quickly learn where their quarters are. No 
 portable house should remain long in one place, or the advantages 
 of the colony system are annulled. When the ground around the 
 house becomes soiled, the latter should be hauled a few yards away. 
 
 [20] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 36. Points on Construction. A portable poultry house should 
 be strongly made, so as to withstand the strain of being hauled 
 from one place to another. It should be well ventilated, while at 
 the same time free from drafts, and built so it can be readily 
 cleaned. The number of fowls the house will accommodate de- 
 pends, to some extent, upon the ventilation provided. In a w T ell 
 ventilated house 1A sq. ft. of floor space is sufficient during the 
 
 Other Converted Fresh-Air Houses 
 
 Above are depicted two other old sheds that were turned into satisfactory fresh-air 
 poultry houses by opening up the south side or end and fitting these openings 
 with a muslin covered frame so that they can be closed when the wind beats 
 in on them. Many an old building can be converted by this method and with 
 very little expense made into attractive and comfortable houses. 
 
 summer for each adult bird ; in the winter a more liberal space 
 allowance is advisable. Wooden floors are not necessary, but the 
 chief objection to them is their cost. Personally, we would not 
 build a portable house without a wooden floor, as it makes the 
 bottom of the house tight and warm, and prevents drafts blowing 
 on the fowls from below. A wooden floor is an advantage, also, in 
 that you can close the house and move all the birds — confined in- 
 side — - to the new location. Without a tight wooden floor in the 
 house, this could not be done, as the fowls' legs would get caught 
 under the sill and broken. 
 
 37. Three Portable Houses. A practical type of portable house 
 is used by Mr. Brown of Oregon. This house is 6x12 ft. in size, 
 3 ft. high in front and 5 ft. at the rear. The peak of the roof is 
 8 ft. high. This plan of double-pitch roof house is very popular in 
 
 [21] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 the eastern states. Mr. Brown has a number of them, and he 
 moves them between the rows of hops. They have wooden floors. 
 The Krebs' house is built along similar lines, and is also used on a 
 
 An 
 
 Colony House on the Krebs' Farm 
 
 hop farm. The Utah house was designed and tested at the Utah 
 Experiment Station, and gave admirable results. Instead of the wire 
 front, a muslin curtain is added for protection in windy weather. 
 
 38. Inexpensive Houses from Old Style House. In Para- 
 graph 5 we told of an old style poultry house 800 ft. long being 
 torn down and the lumber used to build modern houses. An 
 illustration is shown here of the inexpensive houses Mr. Miller 
 built from the old lumber. The dimensions of the new houses are 
 15x20 ft., and the openings in the front are each 3x6 ft. Im- 
 mediately under the openings you will notice a small slanting roof. 
 This is to keep the rain from the food hopper below. 
 
 [22] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 39. Colorado Houses. Colony houses are used at the Fairmont 
 Poultry Farm. They are located among the peach trees, and are of 
 the following dimensions Length, 8 ft.; width, 5 ft.; height in 
 
 The Utah House with Muslin Curtain' 
 
 front, 5 ft. 6 in. ; height at back, 4 ft. 6 in. Mr. Smith, the owner, 
 has a scratching shed communicating with each house. The shed 
 is 10 ft. long, 5 ft. wide, 3 ft. high in front, and 2 ft. at the rear. 
 Here in the morning, the hens scratch out their breakfast of 
 wheat, barley and cracked corn. The addition of a moderate size 
 scratching shed is a good idea, and especially when a number of 
 birds are kept in each flock. Mr. Smith has each building in a 
 run 300 yards long by 10 yards wide. 
 
 40. The Best Canadian House. Mr. Elford of a Canadian Agri- 
 cultural College says that an 8 x 12-ft. movable colony house has 
 given him the best satisfaction during a two years' test. The house 
 is 8 x 12 ft. in size, built on two runners, so that a team of horses 
 
 [23] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 can move it from place to place with ease. The runners are 6x8 
 in. and 14 ft. long. This allows 12 in. at each end for hitching a 
 hook, or clevis. The runners are 3 ft. apart ; upon these 2 x 4-in. 
 scantlings are placed 2 ft. apart, as sleepers for the J-in. matched 
 floor. The studding is cut 6 ft. 6 in., which allows 4 in. for the 
 support of the ceiling, and leaves 6 ft. 2 in. head room. The siding 
 
 Mr. Miller's Inexpensive House 
 
 This poultryman tore down an old-style house 800 feet long, and used 
 the lumber to build a number of the houses shown above. 
 
 is single-board matched lumber. The roof is double-pitch, rough 
 boarded and covered with roofing paper. In the west gable there 
 is a small door for ventilation, and for putting straw into the 
 attic. The ceiling is made of narrow boards placed 1 in. apart, and 
 the attic is filled with straw\ 
 
 41. A Large Breeding Pen. The illustration shows the door 
 in the end ; this is quite satisfactory for summer use, but if it is 
 desired to haul the houses close together in the winter, a door in 
 the side is more convenient. In that case, the window and door 
 would be interchanged. The floor space of Mr. Elford's house is 
 
 [24] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 96 sq. ft., and 25 hens and three cocks are kept in it during the 
 breeding season. The eggs from these birds have been quite fertile. 
 
 42. Twenty Below Zero Inside. During the winter the tem- 
 perature goes down to 35 and 40 degrees below zero at times, as 
 the poultry plant is exposed to prevailing winds. Mr. Elford adds 
 
 Mr. Elford's Portable Colony House 
 
 The above house was given a severe test for two winters in a temperature 
 of 35 to 40 degrees below zero, and gave the best of satisfaction. 
 
 that the house is by no means warm — last winter the tempera- 
 ture dropped to 20 degrees below zero inside, yet none of the hens 
 had frosted combs (American breeds.) The reason for this is that 
 the hens were healthy, and the house dry. A curtain is let down 
 in front of the two roosts to within 18 in. of the floor on cold 
 nights. The straw loft absorbs the moisture, and the window is 
 
 [25] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 open almost every day throughout the winter. No droppings boards 
 are used. The roosts are hinged to the wall and a chain from the 
 ceiling supports the outer side; during the day the roosts are 
 closed up against the wall. The house is cleaned once a fortnight 
 in winter, and once a week" in summer. 
 
 Wire Netting- 
 
 Paper,- 
 
 
 
 
 
 IV 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 - fcoosT 
 
 £S 
 
 T 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 A House Costing 25 Cents a Fowl 
 This inexpensive but practical house was built by Mr. Roberts in Massachusetts. 
 
 43. Method of Feeding. Probably it would be well to say a 
 few words about Mr. Elford's method of feeding. During the 
 winter months there is a constant supply of dry wheat bran in a 
 hopper — this is shown in front of the door in the illustration. A 
 small hopper contains grit, oyster shells and beef scraps. Between 
 two and three o'clock each afternoon mixed grain is fed in the 
 
 [26] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 litter. Roots of some kind are fed regularly. In the summer the 
 houses are hauled into the fields, where the twenty-eight fowls of 
 each house have a yard of several acres. At this time the bran is 
 taken away and grain is put into the hopper. The feed is brought 
 around in a cart once a week, which, in the summer months, is the 
 only feeding done. 
 
 44. Houses From Dry-Goods Boxes. It is not necessary to 
 have a carpenter build a special colony house, as large packing 
 boxes and a few hours' work, and roofing paper, will make a small 
 
 vf-T * 
 
 COveRED 
 With 
 
 COTTON- 
 
 A Cheap City-Lot House 
 
 Mr. Roberts built this house of packing boxes. The wooden floor is 18 inches 
 above the ground. Note the inexpensive cotton (muslin) covered run. 
 
 house that will be quite suitable for a breeding pen, or flock of 
 chicks. Mr. Pease made such houses of old lumber from dry-goods 
 boxes and found them both satisfactory and inexpensive. He uses 
 them for rearing chicks, and has a brooder heater in each. A fire- 
 less brooder would be admirable, and would be less work to at- 
 tend to. 
 
 45. A House for 25 Cents a Fowl. Mr. Roberts of Massachu- 
 setts has designed about the cheapest poultry house we have seen. 
 It costs less than 25 cents a fowl, and can be built with very little 
 labor. It will accommodate from ten to twelve mature birds, and 
 the owner uses it both in the summer and winter time. In con- 
 structing it, two frames of ^ x 3-in. lumber 10 ft. long and 6 ft. 
 
 [27] 
 
Built £sf Used by Poultrymen 
 
 wide are first made. These frames are covered with 1-in. mesh 
 wire netting to keep out the sparrows and smaller animals. They 
 are fastened together A shape, 6 ft. apart at the bottom. One end 
 of the house is then boarded up to form the back of the roosting 
 compartment. The other end is covered with 1-in. mesh wire 
 netting and a full-size door is made, so that the attendant can 
 easily enter the house to feed the fowls. In the boarded end there 
 
 6-0 
 
 ;VfV~^<" 2,,- "va,. 
 
 A Practical, Inexpensive House 
 
 i) Ground plan, (b) Elevation. This house was made from packing boxes by 
 Mr. Roberts and covered with roofing paper. Nineteen hens laid well in it last 
 winter. 
 
 [28] 
 
Built & Used by Poultry men 
 
 is a large board on hinges, out of which the litter, etc., is thrown. 
 The nest boxes are made from two orange cases, fastened to the 
 boarded end 3 in. above the ground. A piece of f- x 3-in. stuff is 
 nailed on each side of the nest box to support the ends of the roost. 
 
 House A, Showing Entrance — An English Portable House 
 View of a common style of an English house built on wheels. 
 
 46. Arranging it for Winter. Four feet of the roosting com- 
 partment is covered with roofing paper, and this makes a house 
 and exercising pen all in one. It can be moved from place to place, 
 so that the fowls can be kept on clean grass all summer. Before 
 winter sets in, Mr. Roberts makes a frame 
 of 2 x 6-in. plank (set edgeways) on the 
 ground. The frame is the same size as the 
 ground dimensions of the wire frames, and 
 the house is then set up on this plank 
 foundation. A floor is built under the roost, 
 and the north side boarded up. (The 
 
 An English Portable house faces east and west. ) On the SOUth 
 
 „ . , , E , side, Mr. Roberts has a cloth curtain that 
 
 Section of roof showing the . . , . , 
 
 ventilation at the ridge. drops down over the wire at night, or in 
 
 [29] 
 
Built C3° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 stormy weather. He has learned by experience that by keeping a 
 foot of straw in the coop, the fowls will be happy and contented 
 and lay well. We can recommend this house to poultrymen who 
 wish to keep a few chickens in the back of their lot and do not 
 
 An English Portable House 
 The details of the frame. 
 
 care to spend any more money on buildings than is necessary. It 
 is also a light house that can be easily moved from one part of 
 the city to another, when necessary. 
 
 47. Another Cheap House. Mr. Roberts also made and used 
 another inexpensive house which we illustrate. It was made of two 
 dry-goods boxes each 5 ft. by 4 ft. by 4 ft. One end of each box 
 was removed and the two were fastened together. The house was 
 built up to 5 ft. at the front and 4 ft. at the back. The front was 
 boarded a little more than half way — the remainder was covered 
 with muslin. The entire house was then covered with roofing 
 paper, and set up on posts 18 in. above the ground. One end was 
 made into a door. The house standing so high, made the work of 
 cleaning and placing litter in it very simple. 
 
 48. Cheap Houses Bring Returns. For winter use a lean-to 
 scratching shed was made of J x 3-in. stuff. The frame was 10 ft. 
 
 [30] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 long by 8 ft. wide, and was covered with 1-in. mesh wire netting, 
 It rested against the front as shown in the illustration. The sides 
 of the run were covered with heavy muslin (oiled with boiled oil), 
 and one side was a removable curtain. The top was covered with 
 
 Ax English Portable House 
 Two views of the nest box. 
 
 a muslin curtin, also oiled, that could be rolled down in pleasant 
 weather and raised at night and on stormy days. In this lot sixteen 
 hens were kept for three years at an annual profit of $1.25 per hen. 
 
 49. House With a Low Run. Mr. Roberts describes a third 
 inexpensive house that he built and used. He is a believer in the 
 fresh air plan, and always allows his birds an abundance of pure 
 air to breathe. Last winter he kept nineteen hens and a male in a 
 poultry house made of boxes. This house is also illustrated. It is 
 7x5 ft. in size, covered with roofing paper, with a outside scratch- 
 ing pen 6x4 ft. wide. The pen is covered with cloth during 
 stormy weather and nights, and the sides are made of cloth and 
 painted. From the nineteen hens, Mr. Roberts received from 40 
 to 45 per cent of eggs during the cold weather. There was not a 
 sick hen in the flock. The dimensions and details of the house are 
 included in the illustration. 
 
 [31] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 50. An English House. A number of illustrations are intro- 
 duced herewith of an English style of portable house. Poultrymen 
 on the other side of the water practice the colony system of housing 
 chickens in the fields much more extensively than we do. Their 
 
 
 'DjO+fcottv 
 
 U<J 
 
 trvS 
 An English Portable House 
 How the a.\le, wheel and hook are attached to the house, 
 
 An English Portable House 
 The simple dust box that is used. 
 
 houses are frequently mounted on iron wheels, and made so that 
 they can be hauled by one or two men. Such a house is shown. 
 The two ends are bolted to the side frames, so that the house can 
 be taken apart, when necessary. The next box is outside the house, 
 so that the eggs can be gathered without entering. There is a small 
 window in one side ; a door in front and a ventilator at the ridge 
 of the roof. This is not sufficient ventilation for American condi- 
 
 [32] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 tions. In place of the small window we would cut an opening 
 2x4 ft. and cover it with muslin and wire netting. We would 
 replace the wooden door with a frame covered with muslin and 
 netting. This would allow fresh air to purify the house when it 
 was used in warm weather for from twenty to thirty fowls. 
 
 A 
 
 3 o"»g 'c Wind W enAinq'Ps 
 Bur/jp ttirprmq spire 
 
 Removable Rooiij 
 
 s/sn1inf for dio/?pi»fi 
 1of<i//lnlh Or j n,o, ■ i„/ eit . 
 
 Lamp Chamber 
 
 1csnl/ind Wi'tA Ao.'fS to jf/ach. rope 
 
 A Piano-Box Colony House 
 
 The cross-section of the house that Mr. DeGraff built from two 
 
 piano boxes and a few extras. 
 
 51. Piano-Box Houses. Colony houses of innumerable styles 
 have been made out of piano boxes. These boxes are of a con- 
 venient size to work with, and as they can be purchased for about 
 $2.00 each, materially reduce the cost of the house. Mr. DeGraff 
 builds from two piano boxes, a house with about 130 sq. ft. of floor 
 space under the roof. All you need besides the two boxes — which 
 should be as near alike as possible — are two 2 x 4-in. scantlings 
 16 ft. long, one board f in. by 10 in. wide by 12 ft. long, and five 
 ^-in. matched boards 10 in. wide by 12 ft. long, to use in filling 
 the space between the boxes. By placing the boxes 5 ft. apart, you 
 can make a much larger house with but little more lumber. With 
 two pairs of hinges and a window 3 ft. by 28 in. (hotbed sash 
 construction) you are ready to build a house. 
 
 52. Mr. DeGraff-' s House. The house is built as follows: 
 Place the two scantlings, or runners on the ground, leveling them 
 up for the foundation. Cut them the required length, and use the 
 part cut off for the front connection of the raised box. Remove 
 the back and top of the rear box and the front and bottom of the 
 
 [33] 
 
Built £5° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 front one. Raise the front box and lay it on its back 10 in. above 
 the scantling, which space is closed by the extra boards. 
 
 53. Used for Chicks. Mr. DeGraff uses this piano-box house 
 with an indoor brooder for raising chicks, and considers it an ideal 
 method. The chicks having lots of room, best possible ventilation 
 
 TWO'STORY POULTRY HOUSE- 
 J* Will ■ H • Flag-g Ma/177A/sV/li.e/au> - 
 
 ;'■"./&. The Standard - „ . „ 
 
 ' '•'"%.-■? ,» LENO-TH ZO-S *?,£,. 8-f- 
 
 "--• J Heia-HT FK..8-4-': &k,7-4 n 
 4.., &JL i 
 
 A House for a Small Lot 
 
 This two-story poultry house has two pens, and gives double floor space 
 
 under the roof. Mr. Flagg has tested and recommends it. 
 
 day and night, protection from all damaging conditions, grow 
 rapidly to maturity, and they will make either early broilers, layers 
 or exhibition birds, as desired. Suitable brooders for this house 
 are described later. 
 
 54. A Breeding Pen in a Piano-Box. It remained for Mr. 
 Beecher of Illinois to adapt a piano box in such a way that it 
 could house a breeding pen of Reds an entire winter. When we 
 saw the house, it was not covered with roofing paper, and there 
 was only a dollar or two of expense involved in its transformation. 
 At about one-third of the height, the upper floor was laid. Six 
 inches above the floor the roost extends from one end to the other. 
 At one end of floor, at the back, there is a 10 x 15-in. opening 
 (long way opposite length of box) with a 10-in. slanting board 
 extending to the lower floor. The fowls use this slatted slanting 
 
 [34] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 board in ascending or descending from their upstairs sleeping room. 
 The nest box is at one end of the upper floor, and there is a dust 
 box on the lower floor. 
 
 55. Hoiv It Is Done. Mr. Beecher has not forgotten ventila- 
 tion, but has a muslin-covered opening 12 in. square at one end. 
 
 i 
 
 .UPPEfZ 
 
 PLOOft^ 
 
 PlANO-]5oX 
 
 Mousey 
 
 DeskJneo For. | rooZt. 
 
 The. Stanmjtc 
 
 6M-£EEC!HEfc4 
 Abinopon-Iu.- 
 
 VENT IZ *IZ -MUSLIN COVO 
 
 F&ONT 
 
 A Novel Piano-Box House 
 
 The latest plan of utilizing the piano-box is to make a two-story 
 
 poultry house of it as Mr. Beecher has done. 
 
 [35] 
 
Built £sf Used by Poultrymen 
 
 There are two hinged doors In front, and in warm weather both 
 are wide open. The position of the doors shown in the illustration, 
 is the way they are propped open during a rain or light snow storm. 
 It is remarkable how poultry will thrive when housed in these 
 small, yet well ventilated houses. This pen of Rhode Island Reds 
 (six hens and a male) laid well, and came through our past severe 
 winter without so much as a spike frozen. In their upstairs sleep- 
 ing room huddled together in a few feet of space — which they 
 would warm by natural heat — it can be truthfully said that they 
 were "as snug as bugs in a rug." It you have a small yard at the 
 rear of your house and wish to keep a pen of fowls, adopt Mr. 
 Beecher's piano-box plan. You can obtain pleasure and profit by 
 owning a pen of standard-bred chickens, and there is a very small 
 outlay required in beginning the business in this way. 
 
 56. Mr. Flaggs Two-Story House. Another two-story poultry 
 house was built and found to give good results by Mr. Flagg of 
 Indiana. This house is 20 ft. 8 in. long; 8 ft. 4 in. wide; 8 ft. 4 in. 
 high in front, and 7 ft. 4 in. at the back. A solid board partition 
 runs through the middle (up and down), making two pens each 
 10 ft. 4 in. by 8 ft. 4 in. These dimensions were taken because 
 the builder had steel roofing sheets and cheap lumber that he 
 wished to use. The house has a floor 4 ft. above the foundation — 
 making it two-story. The lower story has an earth floor, and 1-in. 
 mesh wire netting along the entire front. This makes two ideal 
 scratching sheds, when kept covered with straw. There is a wire 
 gate into each pen at the ends of the house. The upper story is 
 reached by a ladder, kept in a convenient place. There is a door at 
 each end and a wire-covered window in each pen besides. 
 
 57. The Fowls Roost Upstairs. The four doors are covered 
 with 1-in. mesh wire netting, and the two upper doors have muslin 
 curtains that fasten on outside. The curtain has eyes that go over 
 buggy buttons; these eyes are an even distance apart, so that the 
 curtain can be raised or lowered, and an opening left at the top or 
 bottom. The fowls go up a ladder to the upper room where the 
 nests and perches are. They roost near the partition between the 
 upper pens, which keeps them out of all drafts. In the back wall 
 of each scratching pen, there is a small door hung on screen-door 
 hinges, so that when the door is open it will not blow shut in a 
 
 [36] 
 
Modern Colony Houses 
 
 storm, and when shut, it will not blow open and let the fowls out. 
 These doors lead to the yards behind the house. Mr. Flagg did 
 not make the stories higher because he has several children that 
 like to work among his chickens ; and in fact, he does not like a 
 high roosting pen. He built a two-story house because he has no 
 ground to spare, and this plan gives them double floor space under 
 one roof. 
 
 An Attractive House for the Renter 
 
 The illustrations on page two are almost self explanatory. This 
 house is 6 x 9 feet on the ground, 6 feet high at the peak and 3 feet 
 high on sides. It can, of course, be built any size desired. Back 
 and sides are boarded with matched lumber. The roof is covered 
 with some good roofing material, hinged at peak to allow opening, 
 as shown in the lower illustration. Roof should have a wire covering 
 about four inches below roofing so fowls cannot escape when roof 
 is opened. The front is of wire as shown in illustration. Droppings 
 board, roosts and nests are located inside at rear. In winter the 
 space between the roofing and wire covering should be stuffed 
 with straw or some such material and the two lower oblong panels 
 in front filled with glass, the balance of the front being covered 
 with muslin. 
 
 This house can be built in sections and bolted or screwed to- 
 gether thus making it easy to take down and move. 
 
 For a fresh-air house in a mild climate or for a summer house in 
 any climate, we have never seen its equal. 
 
 In a house of this kind, 6x9 feet, one can keep a dozen fowls 
 and get the very best of results. The builder can use his own dis- 
 cretion in regard to putting in a board floor. Personally, we prefer 
 to use the dirt floor as the fowls are kept confined and it gives them 
 a place to scratch and the house is easily moved to get them on 
 fresh ground. 
 
 [37] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MODERN BROODER HOUSES 
 
 58. Necessity of Pure Air. Brooder houses for rearing chicks 
 have been in use by poultrymen for a number of years. Many of 
 them have given, and continue to give, entire satisfaction, while in 
 others it seems to be a difficult problem- to regulate the tempera- 
 ture and supply a sufficient amount of fresh air. We cannot em- 
 phasize the fact too strongly that all ages of poultry require pure 
 air constantly, as it is the lack of this natural agency that has 
 worked more havoc among the owners of large poultry plants 
 and caused them to say "there is no money in poultry" than any 
 other condition. We illustrate herewith an admirable hot-water 
 heating system of moderate cost for an up-to-date brooder house, 
 and later we will refer to a plan of one prominent poultryman in 
 which he pipes pure air to each individual hover of chicks. 
 
 59. Hot-Water Heating System. The designer of the hot- 
 water heating system is Mr. Rathbun, an expert heating engineer, 
 and for over two years the chief draftsman in a leading firm that 
 deals in heaters of this kind. In writing the description of the 
 system, Mr. Rathbun stated that he would illustrate and describe 
 the most reasonable and best brooder house heating system he was 
 acquainted with, and one that an experienced poultryman or lay- 
 man could easily install. The illustration and text refer to a house 
 25 ft. long, 7 ft. wide in the hover yards, and 3 ft. in the walk — 
 making a width of 10 ft. over all — and 7 ft. high at the highest 
 point. The walk and floor under the hovers can be constructed of 
 concrete or plank, as may be desired, while the hover platform, 
 which should be from 10 to 12 in. higher than the walk, can be 
 built of boards with a 3-in. rim around to allow the filling in of 
 the same with garden dirt for scratching. The hover platform is 
 20 ft. long, which gives 5 ft. of space for the setting of the boiler 
 or tank heater. This can be set on a level with the walk, or a few 
 steps lower in a pit as shown. 
 
 [38] 
 
Modern Brooder Houses 
 
 60. A Modern Hover. Let us suppose the hover platform to 
 be divided into ten rooms, or yards, for the different grades, varie- 
 ties and ages of chicks. Each yard should have a hover made of 
 canvas hung under the 1-in. coils in folds, with drops or curtains 
 on all sides. This makes it as warm as a mother hen. In using 
 canvas in this way, Mr. Rathbun has the same method as the fire- 
 less brooder advocates, and we indorse his advice, instead of the 
 orthodox brooder cover made of wood with a few tin pipes for 
 ventilation. The canvas (outing flannel would be warmer) would 
 retain sufficient heat for the chicks, and there would be a working 
 outlet for the impure air. 
 
 61. Double-Deck Hovers are Not Advised. Mr. Rathbun 
 also states that in some cases where more room is required, a 
 double-deck hover floor can be constructed midway above. In such 
 an event, care must be taken in installing the heating coils, and 
 only two coils run for the first hover, so that there will not be too 
 much heat to rise and warm the floor of the upper hover. Unless 
 this precaution is observed, the excessive heat of the upper floor 
 will cripple the little chicks' legs. For the second floor hover, 
 three coils should be run, so that there will be plenty of heat to 
 protect the chicks from the cold that is transmitted from the roof 
 above. However, unless it was necessary to greatly economize 
 space, we would not place hovers on two floors. 
 
 62. Installation of Heating System. This heating system will 
 give by an even running fire, just the right amount of heat and 
 the best of satisfaction in weather not more than 10 degrees below 
 zero. The installation of it, together with the material required, 
 is as follows: Place a tank heater of sufficient capacity (which 
 for the plan as shown would be 150 gallons) and locate it where 
 shown at the end of the brooder house. 
 
 Connect to one of the flow openings (left-hand pipe at top of 
 heater) a 1^-in. main and run same to hover coil manifold, con- 
 sisting of three 1-in. pipes. From the manifold at the far end of the 
 house, carry l|-in. return pipe back to the side opening of the 
 heater. From the other flow opening (right-hand pipe at top of 
 heater) a 1^-in. connection is to be made to an auxiliary coil run 
 around the side of the hover platform in the walk, with a 1-J-in. 
 return from the manifold at the far end of the house back to the 
 
 [39] 
 
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 f" 1- 4-. 
 
Modern Brooder Houses 
 
 side opening of the heater. On both of these auxiliary mains, 
 valves should be placed, so that they can be put into commission 
 whenever the temperature demands their use. A ^-in. drain pipe 
 will have to be run from the auxiliary coil down to the floor to 
 the sewer, so that when the valves are cut off the coil can be 
 
 (S> 
 
 Alley 
 7-6" - *- - 3-6" - *- Z* ■#-- 3' - 
 
 rr^n h 
 
 Ht> KELLO&G- «. 
 
 Cross-Section of Mr. Kellogg's Brooder House 
 
 drained to prevent its freezing. From the manifold at the far end 
 of the house, run a -f-in. air vent at least 3 ft. in the air, to keep 
 this end of the heating system from becoming air bound. 
 
 Pitch all coils and mains down in the direction of the boiler at 
 least 1 in. in every 8 ft. Take from the return at the boiler, as 
 shown, a f-in. expansion line to an expansion tank placed on a 
 shelf, or brackets, as near the top of the building as possible, or at 
 least 12 in. above the highest point of the system. The tank can 
 be either of the open or closed pattern. If closed, an air vent will 
 have to rise 2 or 3 in. above the overflow line, which is carried out 
 to the side of the building, or down to the sewer. This heating 
 system can be filled with a funnel attachment to the side of the 
 expansion tank, or with city water pressure into the return at the 
 boiler. A -i-in. drain connection should be taken from the lower 
 part of the system to the sewer. 
 
 63. Complete Cost. For all the materials complete, including 
 a 150-gallon tank heater, the cost has been estimated at the present 
 market prices for the heating goods required at $25.60. This price 
 will probably be exceeded later, as at the present time these ma- 
 terials are at their lowest cost. Those required are : Tank heater, 
 expansion tank, water gauge for expansion tank, gate valves, drain 
 and feed stops, manifolds, cast iron elbows, right and left couplings, 
 assorted nipples, the necessary black pipe and a can of cement for 
 making joints. For $2.50 additional, a hot water thermometer and 
 
 [41] 
 
Built Off Used by Poultrymen 
 
 damper regulator connections to check and draft doors, can be in- 
 stalled. The regulator will not only mean an economy in fuel, but 
 will keep the house at an uniform and satisfactory degree of heat. 
 
 64. Pointers From An Engineer. Mr. Rathbun gives these 
 pointers. The heart of the brooding house is the heater, and this 
 must be large enough to furnish sufficient heat to warm the chicks. 
 
 Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Views of Mr. Northup' 
 Brooder House 
 
 <$> 
 
 n^ 
 
 Our I 
 
 • n ]9"drop 
 
 Geo. N. Nofz thup ■ 
 
 Mr. Northup's Heating System 
 
 Notice the small cross-section of the hover showing the inflowing l'/l-inch pipe 
 
 and return 1-inch pipe, also the top of the ventilating tile in the floor. 
 
 As neither too much, or too little heat should be furnished, a regu- 
 lating device to automatically open and close the drafts should be 
 considered. The several regulators on the market at the present 
 time, are unlike thermometers that work from the temperature in 
 the hovers only ; a regulator positively opens and closes the drafts, 
 while the thermometer is insufficient to control any fire, especially 
 in the large heating plant required for houses from 50 to 100 ft. 
 long. When the fire is at its height, it takes more than a check 
 draft door to control it. 
 
 65. Filling the House at Once. Mr. Kellogg uses his brooder 
 house in an original way. Instead of placing in it chicks of all ages, 
 
 [42] 
 
Modern Brooder' Houses 
 
 he has sufficient incubators to entirely fill his brooder house with 
 chicks from one hatching. After these are three or four weeks old, 
 they are removed to colony houses and the brooder house is filled 
 with the second batch. This is an admirable move, and one that 
 we can heartily recommend. A small half-tone illustration of the 
 brooder house is shown. The house proper is 88 ft. long and 16 ft. 
 wide; it will house from 1,000 to 2,000 chicks comfortably. There 
 four l|-in. flow pipes and four \\-\n. return pipes. The heater is 
 controlled by a thermostat and electric regulator. In addition to 
 the eight pipes under the hovers, there is a flow and return pipe 
 on the rear wall of the building — the lower about 12 in. above 
 the floor. 
 
 66. The Common Hover Top. The eight hot-water pipes are 
 near the center of the building as shown in the cross-sectional il- 
 lustration. The hover cover consists simply of a ^-in. door 3 ft. 
 6 in. wide by 4 ft. long, which rests on the pipes. From the front 
 and back edges, two pieces of slitted blanket extend to the floor. 
 This hover cover is the ordinary wooden top that we referred to 
 when discussing Mr. Rathbun's canvas hover top. We prefer the 
 latter. Mr. Rathbun's plan for the installation of the heating 
 system is applicable to Mr. Kellogg's system, or any one that a 
 poultryman would select. 
 
 67. Mr. Northup's Brooder House. Mr. Northup gives the 
 details of a brooder house that he had used for a number of years, 
 and of which he said: "It is the best brooder house I have ever 
 seen or used. I have hardly any deaths with my chicks, and in 
 fact, I have placed chicks in. the house that seemed to be afflicted 
 with white diarrhoea, and I have had them recover and do well." 
 Mr. Northup's house is two stories high — brooder house on the 
 ground floor and four pens above for keeping surplus stock. It is 
 78 ft. long, 14 ft. wide and 6 ft. high to the ceiling. It cost $800. 
 
 68. How Fresh Air is Supplied. The heating system is the 
 simplest of any we have described, but the main feature, and the 
 one to which we wish to direct your attention, is the manner of 
 supplying fresh air to the chicks in the hovers. As is shown in the 
 larger illustration of the house, a 6-in. drain pipe conducts fresh 
 air from outdoors to each hover. The drain pipe is 3 ft. in the 
 ground, and at the center of each hover, another pipe extends up- 
 
 [43] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 ward from the supply pipe. The tops of the upright pipes are 6 in. 
 above the concrete floor, and covered with ^-in. wire netting caps, 
 to prevent the entrance of dirt or the loss of a chick. 
 
 69. The Interior Fresh-Air Flue. The outside end of the 
 supply pipe extends above the ground, and has a right-angled 
 coupling at the top to keep out the rain. The other opening is at 
 
 designed for. 
 The Standard by 
 J. M. Wiley- ElmwoodIll- 
 
 -fflBBfflrSffl 
 
 ttc 
 
 ■ MB B B D 
 
 _Ll_ 
 
 ±r 
 
 A Gasoline-Heated Brooder House 
 
 The letters in the illustration of Mr. Wiley's brooder house refer to the following: 
 A — Longitudinal section of house. B — Cross-section of house. 
 
 the far end of the house, and enters a fresh-air flue 12 x 15 in., 
 which extends through the roof. A galvanized iron stove pipe 
 could be used in place of the wooden flue. There are openings in 
 the flue covered with adjustable slides near the ceiling and over 
 the hover, so that it will act as an efficient ventilator of the house 
 in warm weather. 
 
 70. Heating System. The heater is in the center of the build- 
 ing in a pit 8 ft. wide. Each pen for chicks is 5 ft. wide, and there 
 are seven on each side of the heater. The smaller illustration 
 shows the simple method of piping used. The flow pipe that leaves 
 the top of the boiler is 1| in., and this is reduced to 1£, and then 
 to 1 in. There is a drop of 9 in. in the piping. The hovers are 
 5 ft. long, 2 ft. wide and 2 ft. high. They are simply boxes (with 
 
 [44] 
 
Modern Brooder Houses 
 
 loose covers and no floors) that rest on the concrete floor, with 
 the front of slitted cloth. The back of the box should have a 
 hinged door, so that the chicks can be more easily examined from 
 the 3-foot alleyway. The house rests on a concrete foundation and 
 the entire floor is of the same material. The raised concrete floor 
 (11 ft. wide) on which the hovers rest is 14 in. above the level 
 of the alleyway. 
 
 71. A Gasoline Heated House. Mr. Wiley uses a gasoline 
 heated brooder house that is ideal for a poultry plant of moderate 
 size. It is 24 ft. long, 12 ft. wide, 7 ft. high to the eaves and 10 ft. 
 to the apex of the roof. It has been in use for two years and Mr. 
 Wiley says he is delighted with it, and that it always raises the 
 chicks. From one to two gallons of gasoline will supply each 
 burner one week. The gasoline tank is outside the house 3 ft. 
 above the ground, and connected to one end of the supply pipe. 
 The temperature of each individual hover can be easily regulated, 
 and labor is saved by having no lamps to trim or fires to feed coal to. 
 
 72. Two Stories. If you examine B in the illustration, you 
 will note that the house is built in two stories. The cellar is used 
 for running the incubators, and the structure above is the brooder 
 room. The rear concrete wall of the house is made with a "step" 
 in it. This step (lamp pit) extends from one end to the other. 
 It is 30 in. wide by 16 in. deep, inside measurements. E shows the 
 end view of this pit with the heating arrangement in place — C 
 and D the front view of the same. 
 
 73. Concrete Parts. We will consider the concrete work. 
 When the walls and lamp pit are finished, it is necessary to divide 
 the pit (4) by seven concrete piers (16) into eight pens 3 ft. wide. 
 The piers are 16 in. high, 30 in. long and 4 in. thick. When the 
 seven piers are in position, extend 2 x 12-in. sills across the house, 
 the rear end of each sill (20) resting on the concrete pier. These 
 sills form the foundation of the house, and they also serve as par- 
 titions between the pens of chicks. 
 
 A concrete floor (15) 4 in. thick is made between each pair of 
 piers. This floor has a 6-in. opening in the center to fit the out- 
 side flue of the heater (7). A door of |-in. boards that just fits 
 between the piers with a 6-in. piece of stove pipe at the center, 
 
 [45] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymeu 
 
 can be supported at the proper height and used to mold the con- 
 crete floor on. The concrete work is now finished and the wooden 
 brooder house is built. There are six windows ( 1 ) in the south 
 wall, each with six 8 x 10-in. lights. Two pens have no windows. 
 The window (5) in the east end has twelve 8x10 lights — 
 double sash. 
 
 74. The Gasoline Heater. The heater (7) is 6 in. in diameter 
 and 16 in. long. Four inches of pipe extend below the concrete 
 floor and 8 in. above. The inside flue (8) is 2 in. in diameter at 
 the top and about 5 in. at the bottom. It conducts the gasoline 
 smoke and vapor to the heating tank (9), where it leaves the tank 
 as shown at (18) in E. The pure air enters between the two pipes 
 at the bottom of the heater, and as it is warmed, rises and flows 
 into the brooder at (19) in E. The outside pipe (7) of the heater 
 fits smoothly into the concrete floor (15). The upper end of the 
 inner flue (8) enters a removable heating tank (9) 10 in. wide, 
 30 in. long and 2 in. thick. There is a small drawing of this tank 
 at E among the parts. D shows the heating tank and brooder cover 
 (10) removed from the heater. 
 
 75. Fumes Do Not Enter Hover. You will notice in E where 
 the gasoline fumes are escaping at (18) that the brooder cover 
 does not extend to the rear wall. There is a g-in. wooden parti- 
 tion immediately below the back edge of the brooder cover. This 
 construction is necessary in order to allow the fumes to escape 
 into the house. If the brooder cover extended to the rear wall, the 
 gasoline fumes would all enter the hover and injure and poison the 
 chicks. At the front of the brooder cover there is the usual slitted 
 blanket to retain the heat. 
 
 76. Burner and Piping. Among the parts shown in E (11) is 
 the gasoline burner. It is a gasoline torch burner complete, and is 
 supplied with two regulating vales. It is commonly used by fruit 
 peddlers, "fakirs," etc., and costs 80 cents. As shown in D and E, 
 the {-in. pipe (14) that brings the gasoline from the outside tank 
 to the burners (11) runs along in front of the concrete piers. 
 Other {-in. pipes extend from the supply pipe to the burners. It is 
 necessary to have two valves on the short supply pipes, so that the 
 burner can be lowered free from the heater and swung around to 
 
 [46] 
 
Modern Brooder Houses 
 
 the front, when it is necessary to clean it. When the gasoline 
 burner is in operation, it stands up a couple of inches inside the 
 flue (8). This explains the necessity for lowering the burner, be- 
 fore it can be brought around to the front for examination. 
 
 77. Advantages of Gasoline Heater. On account of the un- 
 common construction of this gasoline-heated house, and the number 
 of details it is necessary to give, it appears somewhat more com- 
 plicated than a hot-water house would be, but it is really not so. 
 When we consider that the principal parts are built of concrete, 
 and that the heating equipment is inexpensive, practically inde- 
 structible and placed where it can be easily reached ; that it can be 
 simply regulated and operated at small expense, then the great 
 value of this house for the moderate size poultry plant is apparent. 
 This is the ideal house for the average poultryman. If he wishes 
 to economize in construction, he can omit the incubator cellar and 
 concrete work, but this would make it necessary for him to get 
 down on his hands and knees when he wanted to regulate the gaso- 
 line burners. This, however, is not an important objection, as the 
 operators of most brooders understand. 
 
 [47] 
 
Built 15 Used by Poultry men 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 HOUSES FOR INDOOR BROODER 
 
 78. Special Houses for Chicks. Although any style of colony 
 house or building can be used as a shelter for brooders and chicks, 
 and there are a number of such houses in the preceding chapters, 
 we describe and illustrate two houses that have been especially 
 designed for the purpose. The first portable house is inexpensive 
 and simple to build. It can be used in the spring months for one or 
 two brooders, and later on it can be hauled to a field for the larger 
 chicks. It is built of §-in. lumber planed on one side with the 
 smooth side placed against the studs. This method of construction 
 is recommended instead of having the smooth side out, for the 
 reason that the interior of the house can be limewashed much 
 easier. If minimum expense is a desideratum, the house can be 
 built of lumber taken from large dry-goods boxes. A small amount 
 of 2-ply roofing paper will cover the outside, but not less than 3-ply 
 roofing paper should be used for the roof. 
 
 79. Construction of the House. In the lower part of the illus- 
 tration the frame is shown before it is covered with the siding. 
 The two runners are made from a 2 x 4, 16 ft. long cut in two 
 diagonally. On these runners a floor 6x7 ft. is laid. For the front 
 and back edges of the floor, 2 x 4-in. sills are nailed securely to the 
 runners. On these sills the four corner and middle-front studs 
 rest. The studs at the right of the door and at the center of the 
 west stand on the floor boards. On top of the six end studs pieces 
 2 in. square by 8 ft. long are fastened. These are made from a 
 2 x 4, 8 ft. long, cut in half. 
 
 80. A Pointer on Muslin Frames. The west half of the front 
 is covered from top to bottom with 1-in. mesh wire netting 3 ft. 
 wide, stapled directly to the studs. The remainder of the frame is 
 then covered with the siding. There are three wooden strips \ by 
 2 in. by 6 ft. long covered with three strips -J by 4 in. by 6 ft., 
 that form the three runners for the oiled muslin frames. These 
 
 [48] 
 
Houses for Brooders 
 
 six strips are nailed at the top, middle and bottom of the front of 
 the house, as shown in the upper illustration. The sliding frames 
 are then made (see the small drawing of one frame) and covered 
 with muslin. This is painted with boiled oil so as to render it 
 waterproof. It can be stated here that the muslin-covered frames 
 used in ventilating poultry houses are not treated with boiled oil, 
 or any other paint. When the muslin is oiled, it not only, renders 
 it waterproof, but practically air-tight. In this brooder house, the 
 frames can be air-tight because they are always kept slightly open 
 for ventilation. 
 
 81. Object of House. The main object of a house of this kind 
 is to have a bright, well ventilated, dry and safe pen for little 
 chicks. Any indoor brooder can be operated inside, and by standing 
 a 10-in. board on edge across the middle of the house, with the 
 brooder near the wire front, the little chicks can be kept in the sun- 
 light during the first few days. The floor of the house should be 
 covered with clover chaff, and prepared chick food, cracked wheat, 
 millet seed, oatmeal, etc., should be thrown in the chaff several 
 times daily. When the chicks are one week old they can be given 
 the entire house to exercise and feed in, and allowed to enter and 
 leave the brooder at their own pleasure. 
 
 82. Further Good Features. Other advantages of having the 
 oiled muslin frames in front are that the wire openings can be 
 closed when a driving rain is beating against the house ; that 
 either the upper or the lower frame can be closed while the other 
 is open, and that the frames can be partially open at night to 
 supply sufficient ventilation. The slanting board in front of the 
 chick door is hinged and should be raised and fastened at night 
 to prevent the entrance of rodents. With this door closed, the 1-in. 
 mesh wire front effectually keeps out any animals that would 
 harm the chicks. 
 
 The poultryman should build several portable houses of this 
 kind. They will easily repay their cost in the saving of chicks in 
 cold, rainy weather. While the chicks in coops outdoors will be 
 cold, wet and insufficiently nourished, the colony-house chick will 
 be happy and contented from morning to night, searching for small 
 grains among the litter. Besides, it is a great convenience to a 
 poultryman to be able to quietly look after his chicks and brooder 
 
 [49] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 A COLONY HOUSE FOR CHICKS 
 
 A Practical, Inexpensive House for Sheltering Brooders 
 
 [50] 
 
Houses for Brooders 
 
 inside a dry house in inclement weather. A fireless brooder in a 
 house of this kind would make an ideal outfit for raising fifty 
 chicks to maturity. 
 
 83. A Colony House Brooder. Mr. Harris' colony house is 
 5 ft. long, 4 ft. wide, 4 ft. high in front and 3 ft. high at the rear. 
 The entire front is glass so as to admit lots of sunshine. This is a 
 great germ destroyer and is essential on cold, wet days. During 
 the summer time it would be well to stand boards in front of the 
 greater part of the windows, to prevent the interior of the house 
 becoming too hot. In the end facing the east are the doors. The 
 outside door is wood ; the inside is a screen door made of 1-in. mesh 
 poultry netting. When the wind is not against that end of the 
 house, the wooden door is left open, when it is, the wooden door 
 is shut and the window behind the door opened. The latter is 
 covered with unbleached muslin and makes a good ventilator with- 
 out any draft, so long as the wind is against it. 
 
 84. Mr. Harris' Brooder. The brooder is 4 ft. long, 2 ft. 6 in. 
 wide and there is a partition in the middle. This makes a double 
 brooder or a single brooder, as Mr. Harris used it the first year. 
 Each compartment has a hinged window in front; the roof is also 
 hinged, so that it is easy to get at the brooder to clean it. The 
 hover is 2 ft. square. It is made of -J-in. pine boards, and the under 
 side is covered with flannel hanging loose (like a fireless brooder), 
 and the front is of flannel cut and fringed. The heater is 12 in. 
 in diameter; placed in the middle of the hover to prevent the 
 chicks from crowding into the corners, as they are very apt to do. 
 It is made entirely of sheet iron. In the center of the bottom is a 
 hole 3 in. in diameter, and this is where the lamp chimney is 
 placed. Two inches above the bottom (horizontal) there is a piece 
 of sheet iron 1 1 in. in diameter. It is supported by wire rods, and 
 is used to spread the heat and make the heater more efficient. The 
 fumes of the lamp escape above the center sheet by the -|-in. space 
 around the edge. In the center of the top of the heater there is a 
 pipe 1 in. in diameter and 4 in. high. The lower end of this pipe 
 enters the heater 1 in. and the fumes of the lamp pass off through 
 it. As the pipe reaches above the hover, the fumes do not hurt the 
 chicks. The total height of the heater is 5 in. and the hover top 
 rests on it. 
 
 [51] 
 
Built <5 Used by Poultrymen 
 
 A COMBINATION BROODER AND COLONY HOUSE 
 Jesse R. Harris, Uniontown, Pa. 
 
 ■ScUCE- W /HCHE3-- 
 
 t>UST 
 BOX. 
 
 Q 
 
 Scratch i Ntf- 
 
 R~ooM^ 
 
 <?LA££ 
 FROMY 
 
 LAW POOR 
 
 SCRATCH PEN 
 roK. BAST 
 
 Wood Poor 
 
 
 <? J> £ JZ 
 
 [ HE ATE/A 
 
 < 
 
 &LAS.& poo/e£ ' 
 
 Mr. Harris' Colony House and Brooder 
 
 [52] 
 
Houses for Brooders 
 
 85. Feed and Attention of Chicks. The floor is kept well 
 covered with clean litter, and the chicks are fed by hopper after 
 they are eight weeks old. The first year Mr. Harris only used one 
 side of the brooder to hover the chicks ; the other side he had for 
 a scratch pen until the chicks were three weeks old. They were 
 then admitted to the scratching room of the colony house. The 
 second year he used both sides of the brooder to hover the chicks, 
 and admitted them to the colony house when they were one week 
 old. He let the two flocks run together and separated them at 
 night. In the far right-hand corner of the house where the sun 
 seldom strikes, is the drinking fountain. In the other corner of 
 the same end where the sun shines most of the time, he has a dust 
 box. He fills the box with ashes and mixes a little potash with it 
 — this keeps the lice off the chicks. 
 
 [53] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 HOUSES FOR MALES OR SMALL PENS 
 
 86. The Use of Male Houses. As soon as a breeder of stand- 
 ard-bred poultry gains a reputation for high quality stock, it is 
 necessary for him to keep a supply of male birds on hand to fill the 
 requirements of his customers. Females can be penned together, but 
 male birds for sale or for exhibition purposes should be kept 
 separate. Many of the successful breeders of the best strains of 
 standard-breds mate a number of breeding pens of one male and 
 one or two females. These pens are mated after careful study of 
 the features and parentage of the birds, and it is from them the 
 breeder expects his choicest offspring. 
 
 87. A Convenient Male House. One of these male houses is 
 shown. It is 12 ft. wide, and any multiple of 3 ft. long. There is 
 a passageway 3 ft. wide along the north side, and the remainder 
 of the house is divided into narrow pens 3 ft. wide. Each pen 
 houses one male, so that a house 60 ft. long would take care of 
 twenty. The sills are made of 4-in. square stuff, if the house is 
 not over 30 ft. long, and 4 x 6-in. lumber for a longer house. They 
 should be painted with hot tar and placed on stones, or short posts. 
 The lengths of the studs are: Center, 7 ft. 6 in. ; rear, 6 ft. ; front, 
 5 ft. The studs are set up 3 ft. apart. 
 
 88. Labor Saving Devices. The partitions between the pens 
 are boarded solid for 2 ft. The remaining 4 ft. is covered with 
 2-in, mesh wire netting on every three partitions. Each fourth 
 partition is covered with unbleached muslin (instead of the wire 
 netting) to prevent drafts blowing through the house. When the 
 muslin is up, it can be painted with boiled linseed oil to preserve 
 it. In the wooden part of every other partition, a hole 9 in. wide 
 by 6 in. high is cut. The lower edge of the hole is 6 in. above the 
 sill, and the north edge is 6 in. from the center stud. A f-in. 
 board 9x12 in. is nailed on the lower edge, and on this board a 
 galvanized iron pan 8 in. in diameter and 4 in. high is placed for 
 water. One pan waters every two pens. In order to minimize 
 
 [54] 
 
Houses for Males 
 
 the labor of feeding, the pans for the mash are in the lower part 
 
 of the doors. The same size round pan is used as for water, and 
 
 the construction of the shelf is similar. The pans are filled with 
 mash from the passageway. 
 
 89. Doors for Several Purposes. The doors to the pens are 
 3 ft. wide — the entire width of each pen. This simplifies the 
 cleaning, and it also has the additional advantage of closing the 
 passageway when any door is fully opened. Thus, if it is necessary 
 to change a male from one pen to another, by opening two doors 
 he can be driven into the desired pen with ease. If you wish to run 
 one male with half a dozen hens, each in a separate pen, you can 
 easily do it with this style of a house. That would eliminate the 
 use of trap nests. The upper portion of all the pen doors is covered 
 with 2-in. mesh wire netting. 
 
 90. Wire and Muslin Frames for Windows. There is a 1-in. 
 mesh wire covered frame 2 ft. wide by 3 ft. high in the front of 
 each pen. The upper edge rests against the plate. There is also an 
 inner frame of the same dimensions covered with unbleached mus- 
 lin. The inside frame is hinged and can be raised to the roof and 
 fastened up on pleasant days. The frames are made of f x 2-in. 
 stuff. The 2 x 3-in. roost is 2 ft. long, and supported by two pieces 
 |x3 in. These are hinged to the wooden part of the partition 
 15 in. above the sill. The roost is 10 in. from the partition, and 
 rests on a front leg when in position. 
 
 91. Glass Windows Can Be Used. The frame of the house 
 should be covered with 1-in. lumber and heavy roofing paper. In 
 a cold climate it would be advisable to substitute windows for the 
 hinged muslin frames, when the males belong to a breed with large 
 combs. Do not have small openings in the front wall, for the 
 birds to enter or leave their pens. When they can exercise outdoors 
 the wire frames should be removed, and the birds can pass in and 
 out through the window openings. The small openings commonly 
 used damage a male bird's tail and plumage. This house is a con- 
 venience where the poultryman will keep many males in condition. 
 It is excellent for other purposes, such as sitting hens, fattening 
 chickens, keeping young chicks, etc. 
 
 92. Mr. Burhans' Male House. Mr. Burhans has designed 
 a similar house which we will next refer to. It is the result of a 
 dozen different ideas worked out in the past, and he finds that for 
 
 [55] 
 
Built C5 5 Used by Poultrymen 
 
 STOOS- , , 
 CENTER, 7-6 
 REAR <& !"°" 
 
 FROMr S- O* 
 
 IR - O" _* 
 
 A House for Males or Small Pens 
 
 Upper — Cross-section of the male house showing one of the muslin covered par- 
 titions. Three-fourths of the partition are covered with wire netting above, in- 
 stead of muslin. 
 
 Lower — Ground plan. Note that one water pan supplies two pens and that the 
 feed pans are in the doors. All doors have spring (screen door) hinges. 
 
 [56] 
 
Houses for Males 
 
 being cheap, convenient, and adapted to other uses, it comes nearer 
 being his ideal than any house he has ever seen. He uses it for 
 matings during the early part of the spring, later for chicks and 
 hens, then for summering over male birds after they are through 
 with the season's breeding, and finally for fitting his show birds. 
 
 93. Advice Thrown In. "It is time and money gained to mate 
 a couple of real good hens to a male, rather than to place eight 
 more with him which do not happen to be suited to his characteris- 
 tics." This statement is absolutely true, and the longer a breeder 
 
 
 35 
 
 1 
 1 
 
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 iSr.S 
 
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 z 
 
 
 v> n 
 in X 
 no 
 2 V 
 V 
 
 
 35 
 
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 C X r 
 
 fi S 2 
 
 
 
 w_ 
 
 —f-S' 
 
 _^#p_\ 
 
 HEN 
 
 Plan and Cross-Sectio 
 
 •^- Mosl.in (0'i-ec>) on Both Sides of Front 
 
 of Mr. Burhan's House for Males 
 
 follows the standard-bred poultry industry, the more firmly is it 
 implanted in his mind. Another statement of this author is also 
 borne out by the facts. "Give the chicks from two hens the room 
 that the chicks from ten would take up, and the produce of the 
 two good ones will cash in in the fall for more than all those 
 raised from the pen." This, of course, applies only to high-quality 
 standard-bred poultry, where the quality of type and plumage 
 determines the value of the specimen. In chickens sold for table 
 purposes, it would not apply. 
 
 94. The Front is Made of Oiled Muslin. The Burhans' house 
 has a muslin front (oiled) tacked on inside and outside the studs. 
 The ends and back are boarded. The floor space of each pen is 
 4x6 ft. The doors in the partitions are on double spring hinges. 
 An exhibition coop for a single bird may be placed on the droppings 
 board and two birds fitted in each pen. Going through the pens 
 makes the birds very tame, and the size of the pen enables one to 
 handle the birds easily, without having to chase them. There is a 
 yard in front of each pen. The house is 6 ft. wide, 7 ft. high in 
 front and 5 ft. at the back. 
 
 [57] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ADAPTING BARNS FOR POULTRY 
 
 95. A Practical Question. In the fifth issue of The Standard 
 the following question was asked The Standard Club of poul- 
 trymen. "A beginner wants to obtain the greatest number of 
 winter eggs, and is not particular about meat or fancy points. He 
 has room for twenty birds in a remodeled stable that is bright, and 
 can be made warm if necessary. Tell him what birds to buy, how 
 to feed them so they will lay well, and give him any special pointers 
 that will be helpful." 
 
 Mr. Jensen obtained the prize award for his answer to this 
 question, and his plan of adapting his barn for the purpose is so 
 excellent that we include it here. He has followed it with success 
 for the last three seasons, and it has met all his expectations. Last 
 year he cleared $26.96 from twenty-four birds that he wintered 
 and sold on March 22nd to a farmer at 10 cents a pound. 
 
 96. Mr. Jensen s Answer. Starting with the supposition that 
 your barn is at least 16 x 16 ft., we advise your dividing it into 
 two compartments of 8x16 ft. each. Buy 2-in. mesh netting 
 reaching clear to the ceiling. The west half arrange as follows. 
 Make a crate 12 in. from the west and north walls; also along 
 the dividing netting to reach about 8 ft. from the north wall. Then 
 take a couple of boards and place them on top of the crate — this 
 need not be more than 5 ft. high — and fill the space with straw 
 up to the ceiling. This gives you a straw inclosure 6x7 ft. x 5 ft. 
 high. In this inclosure put your roosts not to exceed 2 ft. from 
 the ground ; also your nests and drinking water, if there is room. 
 The other half use as a scratching room. Put in 12 in. of straw, 
 which should be renewed every two or three weeks, also a dusting 
 bath. Use fine sand, in which you can place insect powder or 
 sulphur every eight or ten days. Although the care and feeding of 
 poultry is rather out of place in a book of this kind, we will refer 
 to Mr. Jensen's system, because it explains how the adapted barn 
 had best be used. 
 
 [58] 
 
Adapting Barns 
 
 97. His System. He recommends the selection of twenty Ply- 
 mouth Rock pullets hatched early in March. Those are selected 
 that stand high on good, heavy legs, clear eye and bright comb, 
 with long, straight back and glistening plumage. They are placed 
 in their home not later than November 1st, and fed sparingly dur- 
 ing the first half of that month on equal parts of wheat and oats 
 (one-eighth gallon twice a day) and 10 to 16 ounces of green 
 bone every second day. They are allowed to run outside as long 
 as the weather is fit. Cold will not hurt them as long as it is dry. 
 If they are inclined to stay inside, they are chased out and the barn 
 shut. This is absolutely necessary in order to have the pullets 
 laying during the winter months. If you have to chase them out, 
 see to it that they can get out of the wind. A canvas screen 3x8 
 ft. put on the ground in L-shape is about as good as anything Mr. 
 Jensen has found. He is very positive on keeping the pullets out- 
 side and adds: "Don't let them into the scratching part of the barn 
 as long as they don't lay, and it is not too wet outside." 
 
 98. Feeds Heavier in November. Toward the end of the 
 month start to increase their feed, adding corn on the cob to the 
 same — from four to six fair-sized ears ought to be sufficient — 
 given at noon each day. A hopper should be filled with grit and 
 oyster shell, 2 parts grit and 1 part shell. On December 10th to 
 
 15 th the first eggs should appear, each pullet laying four to six of 
 the first cluster, when she will probably stop until December 20th 
 to 30th. They should be laying ten to twelve eggs every second 
 day if it is cold and stormy. If cold weather, twelve to fifteen each 
 day from February 1st to April 1st. On the first day of April 
 they should be sold to the butcher as they have about outlived 
 their usefulness. 
 
 99. Method of Feeding. Mr. Jensen feeds these laying birds 
 as follows : Morning 2 quarts of warm skim milk, 1 quart of 
 shorts and 1 of bran, well mixed. At noon they receive from 10 to 
 
 16 ounces of green cut bone. At 4 o'clock ^ gallon of whole corn 
 in the litter. After the birds have gone to roost, ^ gallon of wheat 
 and oats is scattered in the scratching shed to start them to work 
 the minute they can see. A cabbage head, a few red beets, or a 
 mess of boiled potatoes once or twice a week in place of the bone 
 gives variety and is appreciated. When the birds show evidence of 
 too much forcing, the mid-day meal is cut out. 
 
 [59] 
 
Built C5° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 STB *\W OlSl TO F» 
 
 SlPES ano B*.CK 
 
 NETTiMi 
 
 R^oo&t-s 
 
 F J 
 
 5C5 
 
 Mr. Jensen's Barn for Wintering Pullets 
 
 The upper illustration is the ground plan, showing the roosting and scratching rooms 
 divided by a wire partition. One large door gives entrance to both pens. The 
 lower is a cross-section showing the straw on the sides, back and roof of the 
 roosting quarters more clearly. Note the strips on the back wall to hold the 
 straw in place. 
 
 [60] 
 
Adapting Barns 
 
 100. A Perfectly Dry House. Mr. Rondeau has a ventilating 
 system for poultry houses which he says cannot be beaten. He can 
 leave straw on the floor for three months if he wished, and it would 
 be as dry then as when he put it in. The house as illustrated is 
 30 ft. long and 12 ft. wide. It is divided into four pens; has a 
 cement floor and a double-pitch roof. The ventilating is done as 
 
 l/ll, 
 
 m 
 
 "i„. 
 
 piT : fll, 
 
 i< 
 
 m 
 
 ^ 
 
 Os 
 
 
 Mr. Rondeau's Ventilating System 
 This can be used in a barn or any style of poultry house and gives good results. 
 
 follows : Light wooden frames are made to fit in the four openings 
 (a) where the chickens enter and leave the house. These openings 
 are 12 in. square. The frames are covered with muslin and they 
 are set in the openings during the winter. Overhead the boards 
 are 2 in. apart, and 12 in. of straw is kept above them. Next, a 
 hole is cut in each gable end. These holes are 2 ft. square covered 
 with muslin (b) . The house has three windows in the front, and 
 one each in the east and west pens. The latter windows have mus- 
 lin in the lower part of the sash (c) instead of glass. The door is 
 in the west end near the back of the house. The droppings boards 
 are along the north side. This is Mr. Rondeau's system complete 
 and he kept twenty White Wyandotte and ten Single-Comb White 
 Leghorn pullets in the house from October to December 31st last. 
 These birds laid 1,823 eggs during that time. 
 
 [61] 
 
Built iff Used b\' Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MOVABLE FENCES AND FENCING 
 
 101. Fences Built From Wire Netting. The most popular 
 poultry fence is made of 2-in. mesh wire netting 4 ft. wide, nailed 
 above 2 ft. of boards at the ground. The latter is necessary, as we 
 referred to in inside partitions, to prevent the male birds fighting. 
 Do not, therefore, use wire on your poultry fence at the ground, 
 if there will be a male bird on each side. This fence (6 ft. high) 
 is sufficient for Minorcas and probably Leghorns, but for the 
 American breeds 5 ft. high would be satisfactory, and for the 
 Asiatics 4 ft. high. A woven wire picket fence 4 ft. high with 
 building paper tacked along the lower half is excellent for the 
 Asiatic breeds. Building paper can be tacked over wire. The top 
 of the fence must not have a scantling or board of any kind run- 
 ning along it, otherwise the birds will fly up on the board and 
 escape. A piece of wire -J to -^ in. in diameter strung along the 
 tops of the posts, with the top edge of the netting wired to it, will 
 prevent the fence from sagging between the posts. The latter 
 should be about 3 ft. in the ground and 16 to 20 ft. apart. 
 
 102. A Better Fence. A more durable and handsome fence can 
 be made of the regular wire fencing that is about H-in. mesh at 
 the bottom and gradually gets larger toward the top, the top mesh 
 being about 4 in. wide. This fence is made of much heavier wire 
 than the common netting, and it will hold its shape under all con- 
 ditions. There is also a fencing made with diagonal meshes that 
 some firms call "poultry and hog fencing." The mesh in this fence 
 is about 2 x 4 in. and it is made of heavy wire that will last. 
 
 103. Portable Fencing for Chicks. Mr. Fuller has an original 
 idea for confining small chicks that illustrates how larger sizes of 
 poultry fencing could be used. He says that the best portable fence 
 for growing chicks is 24 in. wide poultry wire fence. This can be 
 bought at almost any hardware dealer at a lower cost than a fence 
 can be built from other materials. The fencing is 1-in. mesh at 
 
 [62] 
 
Fences and Fencing 
 
 Mr. Fuller's Design of Portable Fencing 
 
 IRON 
 £OP 
 
 DRIVEN 
 ThROfl 
 SCRFW 
 EY£S 
 
 Mr. Cruzan's Fence Made of Netting 
 
 the bottom and gradually gets larger until the top mesh is about 
 3 in. wide. Obtain it in any desired length, and attach it to 
 1 x 2-in. wooden cleats 3 ft. long. The fencing is fastened with 
 small wire staples, and the cleats are sharpened at one end to drive 
 into the ground. The cleats are nailed to each side of the brooder 
 
 [63] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 13 S C 
 
 [64] 
 
 Mr. Batchelder's Fence with Iron Post: 
 
Fences and Fencing 
 
 or colony house, after being driven 12 in. in the ground. Other 
 wooden stakes can be driven down where it is necessary to keep 
 the fence in position. This fencing will make a square or round 
 run of any shape or size. When not in use, pull up the stakes, roll 
 
 Mr. Batcheider's Fence with Iron Posts 
 Showing the convenient gate made without hinges. 
 
 up the fencing and store it away in a dry room. Mr. Fuller adds 
 (and justly, too) that the straight wire fencing with perpendicular 
 cross ties will stand erect, look well and is not expensive, whereas 
 the common mesh poultry netting is too flimsy to stand upright. 
 
 104. Netting Held Up By Rods. Mr. Cruzan has devised a 
 way to use the 1-in. mesh poultry netting 2 ft. wide, so that it can 
 be kept in shape by iron rods. As in Mr. Fuller's plan, the netting 
 is attached by staples to 1 x 2-in. end pieces 2 ft. long. Near the 
 top and bottom of each end piece insert two screw eyes, of sufficient 
 size to accommodate a f-in. iron rod. This iron rod is 3 ft. long 
 and pointed at one end (.C). For every 8 ft. of fence have a 5-in. 
 iron rod 3 ft. long, pointed at one end and with a hook at the 
 other as shown in (B). This hook will hold up the fence. To set 
 it up, take one of the 1 x 2-in. end pieces, stand it upright and put 
 
 [65] 
 
Built £3° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 n 
 
 
 f»*z"S 
 
 /MESH PV/ZE: 
 
 /"* 8"* S' 
 
 Mr. Buttle's Sectional Fenci 
 
 Mr. Ruebner's Portable Fence in Sections 
 
 the f-in. iron rod through the screw eyes. Then drive the rod 
 about 12 in. into the ground. Erect the other end similarly. Now 
 take the ^-in. rods and lace them through the mesh. Drive them 
 into the ground; attach the top strand to the hooks and the fence 
 is complete. 
 
 105. Iron Pipe for Posts. Mr. Batchelder uses a portable fence 
 set up with iron pipe, except the wooden post where the gate is to 
 hinge. One-inch pipe is cut into suitable lengths, after allowing for 
 the height of the fence and one foot to enter the ground. At the 
 corners, and where the gate opens, the pipe should enter the ground 
 18 in. If the ground is hard, use an iron bar to make the post 
 holes, otherwise the posts may be driven. Use a hardwood block 
 
 [66] 
 
Fences and Fencing 
 
 with a hole bored part way through, to cap the iron posts while 
 driving (F). Having set all the posts, make from heavy wire as 
 many 1-in. pot hooks (C) as there are posts, and hang a hook on 
 top of each. Have base-boards of the desired width and set them 
 on edge around the yard outside the posts. Bore a hole in the 
 boards opposite each post (B), except at the corner, where they 
 should be bored 2 in. back from the ends (A). Pass a loop of soft 
 iron wire around the posts and bring both ends through the hole 
 in the board. Place a heavy nail across the hole outside (B), and 
 draw the ends of the loop around this and twist the wire taut with 
 pliers. At the corners a right-angled piece of galvanized iron is 
 put over the ends of the boards as a protection for the wire (A). 
 
 106. Erecting the Fence. Take a roll of 2-in. poultry netting; 
 wrap one end around the iron post where the gate is to open, and 
 fasten it with its own wires (D). Carry the netting around the 
 yard and hang the top strand on the pot hooks, keeping it as taut 
 as possible. Arriving at the wooden post where the gate is to 
 hinge, drive the staple to hold the netting in place. Then draw 
 the wire down to the base-boards all around (except at the gate- 
 way) and fasten by small nails or staples, preferably the former as 
 they are more readily removed. Fasten the netting with staples 
 to the wooden posts in a straight line. Cut it where it meets the 
 iron post on the left-hand side of the gate (D), and tack the end 
 to a 1-in. square stick 12 in. longer than the netting is wide. Six 
 inches of the stick should extend beyond the netting at the top and 
 bottom. Drive a large staple (G) into the base-board where the 
 gate will open. Place one end of the stick in this, and allow it to 
 enter an inch or so. Drive an L-shaped hook (E) near the upper 
 end of the stick to engage the top of post, and the yard is finished 
 — gate and all. 
 
 107. A Sectional Wire Fence. Mr. Buttle has designed and 
 used a sectional wire fence that is practical and inexpensive. The 
 sections can be made almost any size, but a convenient size is 8 ft. 
 long by 4 or 5 ft. high. To build the fence you require 2 x 4-in. 
 uprights for posts ; §■ by 8-in. by 8-ft. lumber for the bottom rail, 
 and §■ by 2-in. by 8-ft. lumber for the center rail. Do not have a 
 wooden rail at the top. The illustration gives the details, and you 
 will notice that the sections are lap-jointed. A nail or a screw is 
 all that is required where each rail laps, to fasten the fence se- 
 
 [67] 
 
Built C5° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 l/^osr^ //v t.or 
 
 -fcj 
 
 T^F£/\C/A/Cr ATrACH£t> To So*fao -" 
 
 Mr. Jensen's Portable Sections 
 The style shown in (A) was abandoned as the fowls flew over. Style (B) was 
 satisfactory. (D) shows a unique idea for fencing a city-lot poultry plant. 
 
 curely. As shown in (D) the sections may be hooked together, if 
 preferred. 
 
 108. Mr. Jensen s Sectional Fence. The following fence Mr. 
 Jensen has found satisfactory for confining Barred Plymouth 
 Rocks, even when they were full grown. Illustration (A) was his 
 earliest attempt at building a movable fence, but he had to aban- 
 don it as the chickens always flew over. He then built the fence 
 (B), and after he had pointed the end pieces, they never flew over 
 again. The section is 16 ft. long by 4 ft. 6 in. high. The higher 
 or brace board is 2 ft. 6 in. above the bottom edge. The two 
 
 [68] 
 
Fences and Fencing 
 
 brace wires are twisted in. Use a straight wire poultry fence, and 
 stretch and fasten every wire — a claw hammer will draw it tight 
 enough. You can drive stakes in the ground to hold it, but for 
 greater convenience Mr. Jensen made pieces (C) out of 2-in. 
 plank. Two of these are nailed to the bottom board of each sec- 
 tion, 2 ft. from each end. If you fasten them closer to the ends, 
 you cannot join the fence and turn a right angle. For greater 
 security, drill holes at the ends of the piece, and drive two iron 
 rods into the ground. This is hardly ever necessary unless the 
 fence is placed in an exposed position. 
 
 109. A Short Cut. Mr. Jensen's yard is 50 ft. wide by 150 ft. 
 long. During the breeding season he divides it into three different 
 lots. The posts are set permanently, but the fence is used when 
 needed and stored when the breeding season is over. He has a 
 short-cut that fellow poultrymen in a similar position on a city lot 
 will find useful. Forty-eight feet of poultry fencing is fastened to 
 a board at each end. This strip of fencing is then laid across the 
 lot (D) from a post at one side to the near post of the 2-foot gate. 
 The two boards at the ends of the fencing are fastened by two 
 nails to the posts. There are two other posts set 16 ft. apart be- 
 tween the division fence and the gate. The fencing is laid up 
 against these and laths are nailed over it with a couple of small 
 nails. Not a staple is used, and as the nails are not driven in far, 
 the fencing is easily detached and rolled up for storing in the 
 hay loft. 
 
 110. A Simple Fence. Mr. Ruebner has used a simple style of 
 fence that is illustrated. A piece of 2 x 4-in. stuff 6 ft. long is cut 
 in two slanting, as shown in (A). This makes two posts, where 
 the netting is 2 ft. wide. Now you need a f-in. board 12 in. wide 
 and 8 ft. long. Fasten the two posts to this board, and make two 
 braces from 1 x 3-in. stuff, 4 ft. 9 in. long. They should be fitted 
 and set down in the posts, with the other ends meeting at the 
 center of the lower edge of the base-board (B). It is necessary to 
 have the braces reach to the bottom of the base-board, as this makes 
 a stronger fence and prevents it from warping. 
 
 [69] 
 
Built £sf Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NESTS AND TRAP NESTS 
 
 111. Location and Size of Nests. The nests in poultry houses 
 are usually placed under the droppings boards. This is done for 
 two reasons: ( 1 ) to economize floor space; (2) to keep the nests 
 dark and the curious birds away. The droppings board forms the 
 top of the nests. Five or six are usually built together, and they 
 are made without a floor and not fastened to the house. The in- 
 side dimensions are: 11 in. wide, 12 in. deep and 19 in. high. 
 There should be a door 10 in. wide in the wooden front from 
 which to collect the eggs. Common boxes of suitable size make 
 good nests. The open side should be about a foot in front of the 
 wall to keep the nest dark. 
 
 112. Trap Nests. Nests are called "trap" nests when there is 
 some device by which the hen is confined to the nest after she has 
 laid. By using trap nests, the poultryman is positive how many 
 eggs each hen is laying, and also the eggs of each individual hen. 
 We want to first refer to a nest used by Mr. Roberts, because it is 
 the simplest trap nest we know, and it is not necessary to visit the 
 house two or three times a day in cold weather to release the hens. 
 This Roberts' nest does not distinguish the eggs of each hen — it 
 simply separates the laying hens from the non-layers — and in 
 the majority of cases that is sufficient. 
 
 113. A Simple Trap Nest. Mr. Roberts has used this home- 
 made trap nest with good success. He builds a box 15 in. high, 
 12 in. wide and 3 ft. long. One end is left open with a teeter 
 board extending 16 in. into the box. Just above the board a piece 
 of poultry netting is stretched across the box. This netting is 
 sufficiently wide to prevent the hen from coming back, but narrow 
 enough to let her put her head under when entering the nest. 
 Just in front of the nest proper there is an "exit" hole, out of 
 which the hen walks into another yard or pen. 
 
 114. Operation of Nest. The hen walks in on the teeter board 
 which lets down as she goes in, and rises into place as she steps off. 
 
 [70] 
 
Nests and Trap Nests 
 
 After she has laid she cannot return to the original pen, but must 
 go out the side hole into another yard. At night all the hens that 
 have laid are in one pen, and those that have not are in another. 
 This method does away with the necessity of watching the birds 
 that enter the nests. Above the nest, Mr. Roberts has a hinged 
 door (not shown in the illustration) which allows him to gather 
 the eggs and remove the nesting material with less trouble. 
 
 Mr. Roberts' Simple Trap Nest 
 
 115. Nest With a Wire Trap. The following plan illustrates 
 a trap nest that can be made from three pieces of wire, staples, 
 hinges, and a box. This nest retains the hen until she is released. 
 The box is 15 in. square and 2 ft. long. The top should have a 
 door in the front half, by which the hen is removed to learn the 
 number of her leg band. At the front end of the box, there should 
 be an opening 10 x 12 in. 
 
 116. The Trap. For the trap you will need three pieces of 
 heavy wire. One piece about 5 ft. long is bent as shown in ( 1 ) . 
 This is the wire door. It is attached by staples or screw eyes to the 
 front of the box, inside and near the top, as is shown in the lower 
 right-hand illustration. The shape of the wire door is governed 
 by the size of the opening, provided you wish to install this trap 
 in nest boxes already made. The two lower angles of the wire 
 door should be sufficiently long to rest against the inside of the 
 front, as shown. (2) shows the wire door resting in position, when 
 it prevents the hen leaving the nest. 
 
 117. The Trigger. The wire door is held up, so the hen can 
 enter the nest, by another piece of wire (3) called the trigger. It 
 is hung out of plumb at the side of the nest, say 9 in. from the 
 
 [71] 
 
Built _f Used by Poultrymen 
 
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 V 
 
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 N£&T- 
 
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 6" 
 
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 E 
 
 5 
 
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 1!- 15" ■> 
 
 s 
 
 LL—-^.— -p. t _. . „■„ _. , thv , ffn, , _________ __ .__, . _ -j ... -h, . ■—- I 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sll 
 
 [ : m^ fc -^ u ^=^|Yf 3 ' i] ^^^ 
 
 - .ffUfa=^^rit ^ttt—m -atr=em 
 
 Mr. Albeck's Five-Compartment Nest for Sitters 
 (A) Front view of nest showing the sliding boards to confine the hens. (B) Draw- 
 ing of the nest. (C) Top view of nest with the runs in position. (D) End view 
 of the runs. 
 
 [72] 
 
Nests and Trap Nests 
 
 front at the top and 8 in. from the front at the bottom — in other 
 words, it is hung so that it will fall and lay against the side of the 
 nest when not in use. When the trigger is set it stands out at 
 right angles to the side and extends three-fourths across the box. 
 In the lower left-hand illustration, the wire door is seen supported 
 by the upper wire of the trigger. When the hen enters she pushes 
 the trigger aside and it falls back against the side of the box. This 
 releases the wire door and it drops on the hen's back. As she con- 
 tinues forward it falls to a vertical position and closes the nest. 
 
 118. The Lock. However, it is necessary for us to have the 
 other wire shown in (4) and called it lock, or it would be possible 
 for several hens to enter the nest at the same time. The lock is 
 wider than the opening and is attached to the front by four screw 
 eyes, as you will see in the lower right-hand drawing. When the 
 wire door is set, the lock rests on it, and when the door falls the 
 lock must fall also. By referring to the two lower illustrations, 
 you will note (a) the lock resting on the wire door, and (b) after 
 it has descended and locked the door. Although it has required 
 considerable space to explain this nest, it is easily built. Anyone 
 can bend the three pieces of wire to the proper shapes, and have 
 the nest working with not over an hour's work. A packing box of 
 suitable size can be used, and the wires made to conform to it. 
 
 119. Nests for Sitting Hens. Nests that are used for sitting 
 hens should be made without a wooden floor and placed around 
 the sides of a pen reserved for this purpose. By all means, keep the 
 sitting hens by themselves, or they will be a continual source of 
 trouble to you. The floor of the pen for the sitters should be earth 
 properly leveled, and slightly moistened with water. A packing 
 box 30 in. long, 16 in. high and 15 in. wide will make two nests. 
 A wooden partition is placed in the center, and either a sliding 
 board or hinged door is used in front, so that the sitters can be con- 
 fined when necessary. Remove the entire top and the upper half 
 of the boards of the back, and tack a piece of burlap on instead. 
 This will give the hen sufficient air when the front is closed, and 
 it will also keep the inside of the nest dark — a necessary point. 
 
 120. Five-Compartment Nest. Mr. Albeck in describing his 
 five-compartment nests for sitting hens says that many failures in 
 hatching chicks are due to setting the hens in the same house with 
 
 [73] 
 
Built £if Used by Poultrymen 
 
 the other fowls. This results in broken eggs, a poor hatch and 
 lousy hens. His plan of placing the sitting hens by themselves has 
 given him great success and is thus described. The nests are built 
 18 in. high in front, 12 in. at the rear and 15 in. square. The runs 
 
 A Simple and Reliable Trap Nest 
 
 The upper views are of the wire parts: (1) The trap. (2) The trap in position 
 behind the opening. (3) The trigger. (4) The lock. The lower left-hand shows 
 th nest with the trap set. The right-hand shows the trap down and locked, so 
 that no hen can enter or leave the nest. 
 
 are 5 ft. long, or can be as long as you wish. A 6-in. board is 
 placed at the bottom in front and a 4-in. board on the partitions, 
 making openings for the hens of 11 x 12 in. A 12-in. board full of 
 1-in. holes for ventilation and made to slide up and down, makes 
 the door to shut the hen in the nest. The top is hinged, so as to 
 have an easy way to examine the hens on the nest, and to care for 
 the broken eggs and chicks. We would recommend that the hinged 
 top be made of a I x 2-in. frame covered with burlap, instead of 
 solid wood. 
 
 [74] 
 
Nests and Trap Nests 
 
 121. Runs in Front of Nests. The wire runs are frames 18 in. 
 high by 5 ft. long covered with 1-in. mesh wire netting. They are 
 held in place by stakes driven in the ground every 15 in., or just in 
 front of each partition of the nest box, with another row of six 
 stakes 5 ft. away (C). The ends are sliding pieces of boards 
 12 x 15 in. After the frames are set up, cover the runs with 1-in. 
 mesh netting 6 ft. wide. 
 
 [75] 
 
Built £ff Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BROOD COOPS, RUNS AND PENS 
 
 122. A Practical Coop. Rearing chickens by natural means 
 can be greatly simplified by having convenient, safe and easily 
 cleaned brood coops. A practical coop should be so built that the 
 chickens can be closed in at night and still have sufficient ventila- 
 tion. It should be large enough to shelter the chickens during cold, 
 wet weather. We include a brood coop described by Mr. Albeck 
 which is convenient, safe and easily cleaned. The coop is built 
 without a floor, but it rests on a wooden floor 3 ft. wide and 4 ft. 
 long. The coop can, therefore, be lifted off the floor and the latter 
 readily cleaned. We would prefer to have the floor fit inside the 
 coop — and removable — so that the rain would not enter between 
 the sides and the floor of the coop, as it would do in Mr. Albeck's 
 coop. The roof is hinged at the front, and by raising this you can 
 see how the chicks are doing and clean and limewash the inside 
 without trouble. 
 
 123. Construction of Mr. Albeck's Coop. The front is built 
 about half wood and half a wire-covered door. The wooden top 
 and sides prevent rain beating into the coop — the sides protect the 
 chicks in bad weather. The door is covered with |-in. wire cloth 
 and it is impossible for mice, rates or other rodents to enter when 
 the door is closed. The door can be held up in place by a heavy 
 wire hook, or by a wooden leg hinged at the lower inside edge. 
 When the top is raised the leg will drop into position and keep the 
 door up. When the door is shut, the leg is folded up against it and 
 rests between two of the slats. 
 
 124. Coop in Use for Six Years. Mr. Jensen has used the 
 brood coop next described for the last six years and says he does 
 not know how it could be improved. The frame is built of ripped 
 
 2 x 4's, and the coop is made of matched lumber from old boxes. 
 The dimensions given are not always suitable for this kind of lum- 
 ber, but they can be worked to as near as possible. The coop is 
 
 3 ft. long, 2 ft. 6 in. wide, 2 ft. 6 in. high at the front and 18 in. 
 
 [76] 
 
Coops, Runs, Pens 
 
 high at the back. The floor is made of good matched lumber as is 
 also the roof, it being covered with roofing paper. The roof is 
 arranged so that it can be taken off for convenience in cleaning. 
 Mr. Jensen has it with cleats on the inside and fastened down 
 with two hooks, but you can hinge it, if you prefer. The door is 
 8 x 12 in. The slide clears a 4-in. opening 21 in. long. He also 
 
 N»Et> Roo* I 
 
 4-0" 
 
 Mr. Albeck's Convenient and Safe Brood Coop 
 
 The coop is not attached to the floor, but can be lifted and placed to one side. The 
 wire-covered front door is a protection against rodents at night, while allowing 
 ample ventilation. 
 
 uses wire screens like the screen doors and windows in dwellings. 
 When the door and slide are closed, the coop is rodent-proof. The 
 slide is used when you want to keep the hen in and let the chicks 
 run ; also when in the yard with the big chickens, you can shut the 
 door and feed the little chicks without the larger ones being able 
 to get at the food. 
 
 125. A Lawn Screen. Mr. Jensen also sends a plan for a lawn 
 screen, or inclosed chick run. Two screens are made 8 ft. long by 
 2 ft. 4 in. high, and one screen 3 ft. long by 2 ft. 4 in. high. They 
 are made of 1 x 4-in. stuff ripped for the end and top pieces. Halve 
 them together and cover with 1-in. mesh wire netting. By putting 
 hooks on the top and bottom you can hook* them together, and with 
 the coop for one side form the inclosed run. 
 
 126. Coop Made of Roofing Paper. Mr. Roberts has made 
 quite an ingenious coop from netting and roofing paper. Two 
 frames of 1 x 3-in. furring, 10 ft. long and 2 ft. wide are made; 
 also two end frames 5 ft. long and 2 ft. wide.. The end frames 
 
 [77] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 could be 3 ft. wide for a smaller coop. These four frames are 
 covered with 1-in. mesh wire netting. The top is also covered with 
 the netting, with a door to lift up at one end. At the other end 
 a shelter is made of a few extra pieces of furring and 2-ply roofing 
 
 Mr. Jensen's Brood Coop 
 
 (A) Front elevation. (B) Side elevation. The front of the coop consists 
 mainly of screens covered with common mosquito netting (wire). 
 
 *■' 
 
 e© 
 
 i"Mesh W"tE Net. 
 
 
 *■ 
 
 i 
 
 l"" 1 " 
 
 
 
 
 jj 
 
 I _f 
 
 <r 
 
 
 
 8'- 
 
 0" -» 
 
 
 Mr. Jensen's Lawn Screen 
 
 (C) Side elevation. (D) End elevation. The screen can be hooked to the front 
 of Air. Jensen's coop and makes a good sized run for the chicks. 
 
 paper. This coop will accommodate from 10 to 50 chickens and 
 costs about $3.25 complete. Furring, 80 cents ; roofing paper, 68 
 cents; netting, $1.60, and nails 20 cents. 
 
 127. Roberts' Portable Fence. Mr. Roberts also illustrates a 
 portable fence made of the same strips of furring. The frames are 
 8 ft. long by 4 ft. wide covered with 2-in. mesh wire, and fastened 
 together with hooks and eyes. The fence is easily moved and it will 
 stand alone without any posts, if slightly offset, as shown in the 
 illustration. Two sections can be built for $2.34. 
 
 128. A Well Made Outfit. Mr. Vandervort, on account of 
 being very much troubled by his neighbor's cats and by hawks 
 catching his young chickens, constructed several movable runs as 
 illustrated. They consist of frames of 1 x 2-in. pieces securely 
 
 [78] 
 
Coops, Runs, Pens 
 
 nailed together. The sides and one end are covered with 1-in. mesh 
 netting and the top with 2-in. mesh netting. A hinged door is 
 placed in one end for feeding and watering the chicks. The runs 
 are 12 ft. long, 3 ft. wide and 3 ft. high. This is sufficiently large 
 for a flock of chicks until the)' are old enough to be out of danger 
 of the cats, when they can be removed to colony houses. As the 
 
 -gOOFfHG- PAPEKs 
 
 Mr. Roberts' Coop and Fence 
 
 runs are light they are easily moved from place to place every few 
 days. This gives the chicks fresh ground and insures good health. 
 Mr. Vandervort believes that they grow as well as if they are 
 allowed to roam about, and he is sure that they are always safe 
 and sound from marauders. 
 
 129. Mr. Crosby's Inexpensive Coops. Mr. Crosby and Mr. 
 Roberts have both the same idea of a practical, inexpensive coop. 
 For a square coop, Mr. Crosby makes the sides 12 in. high and 6 
 ft. long — the end should be width of the coop. He also places a 
 section on top of the run, and covers it entirely. The netting is 
 fastened to slats 1^ in. wide and f in. thick. This makes a satis- 
 factory run (B). If you use A-shape coops, the runs are even 
 easier to construct. Take wire netting the same width as the side 
 of the coop and attach it to a frame. The two sections are then 
 
 [79] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 Mr. Crosby's Inexpensive Coops and Runs 
 
 Mr. Thornhill's Coop Made from a Shoe Box 
 
 [80] 
 
Coops, Runs, Pens 
 
 set up on the same slant as the sides of the A coop. Build an end 
 the same size as the front of the coop. A yard is formed in this 
 manner, without having to use a special frame for the top (A). 
 
 130. A Coop Made From a Shoe Box. Mr. Thornhill has 
 made an economical and suitable outdoor coop for a sitting hen, or 
 a hen and brood of chickens in the following manner. The coop is 
 
 Mr. Thornhill's Coop Opened Up 
 
 built from a shoe box, of which the inside measurements are: 
 Length 48 in., width 20 in., depth 14 in. The coop contains a 
 little over 6^ sq. ft. of floor space and its depth is ample for the 
 hen to move about in. 
 
 131. Construction of Coop. Examine the top and bottom 
 boards of the box and take off the worst, so as to have the best 
 lumber in the floor of the coop. Next turn the box bottom side up 
 and nail a strip of wood — an old plaster lath will do — across it 
 to keep it from falling apart. Now take out the front end board 
 — drawing the nails with a nail puller — and nail strips on the 
 
 [81] 
 
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Coops, Runs, Pens 
 
 inside, flush with the front ends of the box. This will keep the 
 sides together and serve as front cleats to keep the front wire 
 screen in position. See that the box is nailed together securely and 
 especially at the coop end. Next take a piece of board 6 in. wide 
 and 18 in. long, and saw it across diagonally from corner to corner. 
 
 *.V< ; 
 
 A Sheltered Coop for Chicks or Brooder 
 
 fy!f -j,*^ J: - 
 
 A Second Style of Sheltered Brood Coop 
 
 Fasten these slanting pieces to the rear end of the box so as to slant 
 the roof. Now make your roof of the lid boards, cutting them 
 about 22 in. long and cleating them at each end with 2-in. strips, 
 so as to fit the roof end of the box. Hinge it to one side so as to 
 facilitate cleaning, etc. 
 
 Make a frame upon which fasten 1-in. mesh wire netting for 
 the front of the box — to slide up and down as required. Then 
 make a frame covered with 1-in. wire netting for the top of the 
 
 [83] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 box and hinge it to the side. If a little care is exercised in making 
 these fittings, you will have a coop that is roomy, dry, comfortable 
 and safe for the hen and her chicks. Take a board 12 to 15 in. 
 wide and hinge it to the front of the roof, letting it rest on the 
 
 
 F>OR.TA^LEr R.VH POfc. CHICKS v 
 
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 •.—.....•■ ':."'• ■ •*». -„. •. ... ' .., '■••... .. \ 
 
 Mr. Austin's Run for Confining Chicks 
 
 Old carriage rims or saplings can be covered with 1-inch mesh wire 
 
 netting and made into serviceable runs. 
 
 wire frame on stormy days, and turning it back over the roof in 
 pleasant weather. Nail roofing paper over the roof and your coop 
 is complete, unless you wish to paint it as I did. 
 
 132. Cost of Coop in Cents. Box 17^, hinges 15, wire netting 
 7, hooks 3, nails 2, rubber roofing 6^ — - a total of 50 cents. The 
 boxes may be bought from your own shoe dealer. The uses are: 
 ( 1 ) You can place the coop outdoors in the garden and set your 
 hen in it. She will be dry and comfortable and free from molesta- 
 tion. (2) When the chicks are hatched and after the hen has been 
 well dusted with insect powder and the coop thoroughly cleaned 
 and disinfected, the hen and chicks can be returned and they will 
 have a shelter and small yard all to themselves. Here they can 
 scratch around until they are strong enough to have the run of the 
 garden. (3) The hen and chicks can be confined on threatening, 
 stormy days, or on any morning when you wish to prevent them 
 running in the wet, dewy grass. (4) When the chicks are weaned 
 the coops may still be used on the colony plan for small bunches 
 of growing chicks in the absence of more roomy quarters ; assum- 
 ing, of course, that the coops are kept thoroughly clean and disin- 
 fected. (5) They are admirable coops to use with fireless brooders. 
 
 [84] 
 
Coops, Runs, Pens 
 
 133. Mr. Cavanaugh's Coop for the Garden. An excellent 
 coop for confining the mother hen and allowing the chicks the run 
 of the garden has been built and used by Mr. Cavanaugh, the Gen- 
 eral Agent of The Standard. The dimensions of the coop are 
 given in the illustration, and its original feature is a sheet-iron 
 front that slides up and down. This sheet can be held at any de- 
 sired height by inserting a pin or nail into one of the center holes. 
 The nail rests on the roof of the coop. It is well to fully lower the 
 front at night and partially in wet weather. Notice the ventilator 
 in the front, for use when the iron is lowered to the ground. This 
 makes a dark coop in which the chicks will rest quietly until the 
 attendant opens the front in the morning. If the front were glass, 
 the hen would probably tramp some of the chicks in trying to 
 escape before the poultryman came. Instead of the solid door at 
 one end, we would prefer a hinged frame covered with burlap. 
 This would increase the ventilation, and the coop would then be 
 perfect for its purpose. 
 
 134. Coops for Early Spring. When chickens are hatched in 
 early spring it is desirable to have outdoor coops that will protect 
 them from sudden changes in the weather. Such a coop is illus- 
 trated, and it will be seen that half of the front can be covered by 
 an ordinary window. The right-hand compartment of the front 
 should be covered with 1-in. mesh wire netting (not shown in the 
 illustration on account of wishing to depict the interior more 
 plainly). The window is pushed up flush with the left-hand edge, 
 and makes this side of the coop warmer than the other. The 
 sleeping chamber is exposed by pushing window to right. 
 
 135. Another Cold-Weather Coop. A second style of sheltered 
 brood coop is also shown. In this a 4-glass cellar window forms 
 the most of one end, while the front is lathed. It would be well to 
 have a frame covered with 1-in. mesh wire netting, and the same 
 size as the front, to confine the chicks at night. 
 
 136. A Run From Carriage Rims or Saplings. Mr. Austin has 
 made a portable run for rearing chicks, and has found it very use- 
 ful. Four old carriage rims are fastened together 4 ft. apart by 
 three 1 x 2-in. strips 12 ft. long. Two strips are nailed at each 
 end of the rims near the ground and the other at the top. Place 
 your wire over the rims and cut it the right length, so as to have 
 
 [85] 
 
Coops, Runs, Pens 
 
 just enough to tack on the strips. One-inch mesh wire netting 6 ft. 
 wide and 14 ft. long is used — the extra 2 ft. to close up one end. 
 A coop of a hen and chicks is placed at the front or open end. A 
 similar portable run can be made from four saplings 8 ft. long. 
 
 CAVANAUG-HS FEEP/XG PEN FO£ CM/CK2> ^ 
 
 The. Standard 
 
 JZOOW/VG- f>Af>£.fi 
 
 72'/vtesH 
 
 A Pen that Protects the Chicks' Food 
 
 Get these in the woods ; sharpen each end, stick one end 6 in. in the 
 ground, and then bend the other end down and stick it into the 
 ground. Keep the four ends on each side in a row and cover the 
 saplings with wire netting in the same way as the carriage rims 
 were covered. No strips are required when the saplings are used. 
 
 137. Another Use for the Rims. A feeding pen for small 
 chicks can also be made from carriage rims. Use two rims and 
 nail a few plastering laths on them, keeping the lowest lath 4 in. 
 above the ground. Cover the upper portion of the pen with roofing 
 
 [87] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 paper. In fastening the laths to the rims, do -not drive the nails in 
 the full way, so that the run or pen can be taken apart in the fall 
 and the parts stored until the following, spring. Mr. Cavanaugh 
 illustrates and describes in the following paragraph the construc- 
 tion of a feeding pen of this kind that will show you how to use 
 the saplings. 
 
 138. Protecting the Chick's Food. Mr. Cavanaugh's feeding 
 pen was used for chicks that run with old fowls. The food trough 
 is kept full at all times, and the chicks reach it by going under the 
 bottom sill 4 in. above the ground. The top is covered with roofing 
 paper and is, therefore, rain-proof. This is necessary, otherwise the 
 food will be spoiled and wasted. The sides and end of the pen are 
 covered with 2-in. mesh wire netting. This prevents the grown 
 fowls eating the higher priced food intended for the chicks alone. 
 It also allows the smaller chicks to obtain their share of food, with- 
 out taking chances of being trampled by the larger ones. The only 
 dimension in the pen that need be followed is the height (4 in.) of 
 the bottom sill above the ground. 
 
 [88] 
 
Modern Fireless Brooders 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MODERN FIRELESS BROODERS 
 
 139. Advantages of These Brooders. Fireless brooders are very 
 rapidly increasing in popularity, and there is no doubt but that in 
 a few years they will be the favorite type of brooder for raising 
 chicks. It has been learned by experience that the chicks can be 
 kept sufficiently warm in cold weather, and at other seasons of the 
 year the fireless brooder is more easily attended to than a brooder 
 heated by hot air or hot water. They cost nothing to operate; do 
 not overheat or chill the chicks unless misused, and are get-at-able 
 and easy to clean and disinfect. 
 
 140. Mrs. Hinton's Desirable Brooder. One of the simplest 
 styles is used by Mrs. Hinton. She believes that fireless brooders 
 are all right even in very cold weather, if the chicks have sufficient 
 cover. For the older chicks a hover 36 in. square is made of three 
 boards f x 4 in. wide. The four legs are 2 x 4-in. stuff 8 in. long, 
 nailed securely in each corner. On top of the boards three thick- 
 nesses of cloth are tacked. This cloth sags down in the middle so 
 it will touch the chick's backs. Other pieces of cloth are tacked 
 around the edge, so they will hang down to the floor. These are 
 slashed in the customary way, to enable the chicks to go in and out 
 of the brooder easily. 
 
 141. "Growing Like Weeds." Mrs. Hinton places her fireless 
 brooders in colony houses, either 3 x 6 or 6 x 8 ft. From forty to 
 seventy-five chicks are in each hover, and they grow like weeds. 
 These brooders are well liked, because they are easier to clean 
 than lamp brooders. A nest of straw is made under the center 
 of the hover, and in cleaning, all that it is necessary to do is to 
 raise up the hover, replace the straw with fresh, put down the 
 hover, and the job is done. 
 
 142. A New Wrinkle. For very young chicks the hover is 
 covered with a larger dry-goods box. In one side of the box saw 
 out an opening 6 in. square. The box is then placed bottom side 
 
 [89] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 1. Mrs. H. P. Hinton's 
 
 2. Mr. J. W. Clark's 
 
 ttJL 
 
 Different Styles of Fireless Brooders 
 
 [90] 
 
Modern Fireless Brooders 
 
 up over the hover with the opening to the front, and there is then 
 no danger of any of the little chicks getting cold — even with the 
 temperature down around the 40's. In addition, when the weather 
 is cold, Mrs. Hinton puts more cloths on the brooder, just the 
 same, she says, as you put more covers on your bed when it is 
 necessary. 
 
 "There is no excuse for one not having brooders in plenty, and 
 these are something us women folks can make — I make mine. If 
 one can't get boxes, they can be made from lumber, but it requires 
 more work." 
 
 143. Another Style. Mr. Clark's brooder is 18 in. square by 
 12 in. deep. The cloth cover shown leaning against the wall in the 
 illustration, fits into the brooder and can be fastened up by pegs 
 at any desired height. There is a hinged wooden top to the 
 brooder, which, when closed, protects it from the weather. Ven- 
 tilating slides made of galvanized iron are on each side and in front, 
 so that the brooder can be ventilated. It will be noticed the slides 
 on the sides are at about the center of the box, while the front 
 slide is near the top. There are three 6-in. square, hinged doors in 
 front. For young chicks, one door is all that is necessary, and using 
 only one keeps the interior warmer. The cloth top is made by 
 tacking strips of old woolen material to a wooden frame. Several 
 thicknesses of cloth are used, and the strips extend about 4 in. 
 below the frame. 
 
 144. Mr. Jensens First Brooder. Mr. Jensen first makes a 
 frame 2x2 ft. 6 in. out of 1 x 2-in. stuff, then he takes plastering 
 laths and nails on the frame an inch apart. Old sacks or woolen 
 goods of any kind are torn into strips 1 in. wide and long enough 
 so that they will hang down over the laths 3 or 4 in. The frame 
 is placed into one of the compartments of a 3 x 6-ft. brood coop, 
 so that it leaves a space of 6 in. around the hover on three sides. 
 This makes it impossible for the chicks to crowd. Mr. Jensen ad- 
 vises the use of two hovers, as in this way you can clean and sun 
 one while the other is in use. Raise up the frame as the chicks 
 grow larger. 
 
 145. A Fireless That Had Admirers.. Mr. Schultz used a fire- 
 less brooder for the first time this year and was so successful with 
 it that he induced several of his friends to use them. He gets a box 
 of suitable size — about 14x20 in. and 6 or 8 in. deep — at the 
 
 [91] 
 
Built C5° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 Mr. Jensen's Fireless Brooder 
 
 [92] 
 
Modern Fireless Brooders 
 
 store, and cuts a 4 x 4-in. hole in one side 1 in. from the bottom of 
 the box. The piece cut out is made into a door, by using a scrap 
 of leather for a hinge, so that the door opens down and forms a 
 bridge for the chicks to get into the brooder. A wooden button 
 at the top holds the door shut if desired. 
 
 146. Further Details. A frame of inch-square pieces is made 
 to fit loosely into the box and a small nail is driven into each inside 
 corner of the box, 5 in. from the bottom, on which the frame rests 
 when in place. Next, a piece of heavy outing flannel is tacked on 
 the frame so that it will bag down an inch or more. One-half 
 yard of outing is what Mr. Schultz uses. Plenty of fine straw is 
 put in the box to make a nest, so that the cloth will rest on the 
 straw. With the cloth-covered frame in place, cloth side down, 
 the brooder is ready for the chicks. This size is sufficiently large 
 for twenty-five to fifty chicks. Do not crowd them. 
 
 147. What the Fireless Did. Mr. Schultz gives his experience 
 with fireless brooders as follows: "I took twenty-eight chicks from 
 the incubator March 27th and put them into a box made as de- 
 scribed. I placed this box inside a large brooder box outdoors and 
 raised every chick, although we had freezing weather nearly every 
 night for several weeks. Since then I have used the fireless brood- 
 ers exclusively, and now have my third lot in the brooder with- 
 out any loss. 
 
 "These brooders have not cost to exceed 10 cents each besides 
 my work, and I would not accept a lamp brooder as a gift, except 
 to throw away the lamp and use the fireless hover. As the box has 
 no cover except the cloth it must be put inside a larger box with 
 a tight roof to protect it from the weather. 
 
 "I also put feed hopper and water inside the large box, so that 
 the chicks need not go outside in bad weather. They require 
 watching the first day until they learn to run into hover when 
 cold, but it is surprising how soon they learn it and how comfort- 
 able they are when snuggled under their cloth mother. On cold 
 nights when the chicks are young, I close the door of brooder to 
 be sure they do not get out and also lay an extra thickness of cloth 
 on the hover. Try this plan and you, too, will throw away your 
 old lamp brooder." 
 
 148. Another Opinion. Mr. Roberts says: "The fireless, or 
 lampless brooder has come to stay. I believe that more chicks have 
 
 [93] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 Gfit-V. /ROAS 
 
 THE" g,froo£>Ek 
 AS SEEN~ 
 FROMA^OVE. 
 
 
 [ :■ g 
 
 HOVEfZ cfLOTfi 
 
 ik£w>£ view Of 
 
 Tfr£ &&/<*/<£ FOR 
 SVPfLYZA/if^ 
 
 Mr. Robert's Fikeless Brooder 
 
 [94] 
 
Modern Fir el ess Brooders 
 
 been lost by smoke and overheating in lamp-heating brooders than 
 by being chilled. Accompanying is a sketch of a lampless brooder 
 which I made and tested out to my satisfaction, and no more old 
 hens or smoky lamps for me." 
 
 149. A Firekss That Can Be Heated. Mr. Roberts had a box 
 48 x 32^ in. He made the roof in two parts, hinged at the top of 
 each with sufficient slant to shed the water. The brooder was 
 then covered with roofing paper, and a window and door put in one 
 end. Inside, he divided the box 21 in. from the rear end, the 
 wooden partition extending from 5 in. from the floor to 1 in. from 
 the top. From the lower edge of the partition a hover curtain 
 reaches the floor. The hover frame is made of two boards 30 in. 
 long and 6 in. wide. One board is nailed to the back 5 in. from 
 the floor, the other at the same height 11^ in. from the back. Two 
 pieces of 4§x 1-in. stuff are nailed even with the bottom of the 
 hover frames for hover supports. A hover curtain is tacked to the 
 hover frame. 
 
 150. Arranging for the Heater. A box 4 in. wide is made to 
 fit into this frame. To this box nail the hover blanket of flannel 
 so that it will hang down on the chicks' backs. (In very cold 
 weather an extra piece of flannel may be laid in on top of this.) 
 Now get a piece of sheet iron 12x13 in., or wide enough to spring 
 in tight to lay the heater on. This can be a soapstone, two bricks 
 or a jug of hot water, either of which will keep hot for twelve 
 hours. The wooden hover cover is made 1H in. wide, 30 in. long; 
 bore 2-in. holes for the regulator. 
 
 151. Thermostat and Regulator. Mr. Roberts uses a wafer 
 thermostat and regulator in the cover. This controls the damper 
 which lets off the surplus heat through the 2-in. hole. The regu- 
 lator is set so that the damper will lift at 90 degrees. He also uses 
 a piece of soapstone to increase the inside temperature of the 
 brooder in very cold weather. The soapstone is heated on the 
 kitchen stove morning and night. He gives his experience with the 
 fireless in cold weather in the following words: 
 
 "I started mine the middle of last March with fifty-five chicks. 
 I lost three the first week, two the second week. The rest of the 
 fifty are all alive (except those that I sold for broilers) at this 
 date, and a finer lot of chicks I never had. I have had three lots of 
 
 [95] 
 
Built IS Used by Poultrymen 
 
 FIREL&& BROODER* 
 
 anp cfozomriroa^sLi 
 
 1 
 
 Sd 23 
 
 - ^7t?/ZAf POOH TO DHCP OVER S&!S£\ 
 
 ^floor. 7 rr f±tJ_ ins!/j>e doof>^ __ 
 
 — — ) BBBEHnmaannffli 
 
 A Practical Brooder and Colony House 
 
 [96] 
 
Modern Fireless Brooders 
 
 chicks in my brooder this spring — 181 in all — out of which I 
 have lost twenty-two, which is good enough for me. Last year I 
 hatched 154 chicks with hens and raised only seventy-three of 
 them. As I said before, 'no more old hens for me.' ' : 
 
 152. Another Simple Brooder. Mrs. Dobbins' fireless brooders 
 are 18 in. square and 12 in. high. They are made just like a box 
 and then sawed through 6 in. from the bottom, and hinges fastened 
 to the two parts at the back so that the top raises up like a lid of a 
 box. There are six holes 1 in. in diameter in the sides at the top, 
 three on each side, for ventilation. A door 4 in. square is cut in the 
 front of the lower half of the box for the chicks to run in and out 
 of the brooder. There is a frame made to fit inside the lower box 
 just even to where it is sawed through. There is then flannel tacked 
 over the frame so it drops 2 in. in the center. This is used for the 
 hover. Then strips of wood are nailed on each side of the box for 
 this frame to rest on. 
 
 Mrs. Dobbins tells how she operates the brooder and how she 
 likes this system of brooding: "I keep hay chaff in the bottom part 
 of the brooder, the amount depending on the coldness of the 
 weather. If it is cold, I put in more than in warm weather. At 
 night I put chaff over the door in front, leaving about an inch 
 space at the top for ventilation. In very hot weather it isn't neces- 
 sary to bank the doorway. You can tell by the way the chicks look 
 when they come out in the morning, whether you are giving 
 enough ventilation or not. If they come out damp, you may be 
 sure you are covering the doorway too much. After the chicks are 
 three weeks old the hover can be taken out. 
 
 "I think fireless brooders would be suitable for brooding chicks 
 early in the spring, if they were placed in a building where one 
 could have a little heat from a stove on cold, damp days and nights. 
 I have used them outdoors, placed inside of a colony coop as early 
 as March, w T ith good success. I put twenty-five chicks in a brooder. 
 The floor fits inside the colony coop, so water does not run in. 
 It is loose from the coop so the box can be turned back, and the 
 floor cleaned and sunned. I place a wire run in front of this coop 
 8 ft. long, 2 ft. wide and 1 ft. high. This keeps the chicks con- 
 fined until four weeks old, then I turn them out to range." 
 
 153. Changing Outdoor Brooders Into Fireless. Mr. Vander- 
 vort explains how he converted a number of outdoor lamp brooders 
 
 [97] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 3UILD. PAPERS' 
 
 . VefifT/L.A TO£L 
 
 z" 
 
 F/.A'Wfi. 
 
 J*>&OOPERa 
 
 Mr. Jensen's Simpler Brooder 
 
 into fireless. He did this in the following manner: "Four years 
 ago I purchased six Cyphers style-A outdoor brooders. They had 
 been used considerably, and that season became infested with lice, 
 which I found were very difficult to get rid of. The next season 
 I tore out the whole inside of them and applied a good coating of 
 hot white wash and got rid of the lice. Three of them I used 
 for brood coops and the others were made higher and used for 
 colony coops. 
 
 [98] 
 
Modern Fireless Brooders 
 
 "Having heard much about fireless brooders, I thought I would 
 give them a trial last season, so I took one of the old brooders 
 which I had used for brood coops, and converted it over into a fire- 
 less brooder. In one half of it and about 7 in. from the floor, I 
 built a platform of matched ^-in. lumber. In the center of this I 
 fastened the wire cylindrical chick-guard from one of the old 
 brooders. Then I took one of the old circular hovers and tacked 
 rows of slitted felt over its entire surface and about 1 in. apart. 
 This was placed in position on the cylindrical chick-guard as in 
 the old brooder. 
 
 "The holes in the top of the hover gave a good supply of ven- 
 tilation. The other half of the brooder makes good space for 
 feeding and exercising. From this to the top of the platform is 
 connected a runway, which is fixed on hinges to close at night. 
 This brooder proved very satisfactory ; in fact, so satisfactory I 
 am converting the other old brooders into fireless brooders. 
 
 "The first brood I tried in it was a brood of thirty Brown Leg- 
 horn chicks. They were hatched with hens, and after two or three 
 days old were placed in the fireless brooder. I never saw chicks 
 grow better and I only lost one of the thirty. In cold, damp 
 weather the hover is taken out and thoroughly warmed, and also 
 given a good sunning every day." 
 
 154. Mr. Jensen's Second Fireless. Mr. Jensen has also made 
 a simpler style of fireless brooder than the one we previously 
 described. In his latest model it is not necessary to use narrow- 
 strips and plastering laths, as can be seen in the plan of the illus- 
 tration. Four pieces 1 x 2 x 24 in. long are nailed together to form 
 a frame, on top of which is tacked a piece of building paper. Over 
 the building paper are nailed thin matched boards. Under this 
 frame are four legs so as to raise it 5 in. above the floor. Heavy 
 outing flannel is then tacked underneath the frame so it would 
 lack ^ in. of touching the floor in the center. Strips of flannel 
 are tacked all around the edges of the frame, and afterwards slit 
 every 3 in. 
 
 155. Mr. Jensen s Opinion. "Fireless brooders or hovers have 
 come to stay at our place. We have several of them and they all 
 work satisfactorily. During the month of March we had fifty-four 
 chicks in a colony house 3x6 ft. and all the heat and hovering 
 
 [99] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 they got after they were four weeks old was from a fireless brooder. 
 The main thing to observe with this kind of hover is to set it away 
 from the wall, especially a corner, so as not to give the chicks a 
 chance to pile. When the chicks are eight weeks old or more, I 
 use the lath hover described earlier. In that hover every bird can 
 have his back covered and still have his head out in the open." (If 
 the lath hover is to be principally used for the larger chicks, the 
 laths should be about 2 in. apart instead of 1 in.) 
 
 [100] 
 
Hot -Air Brooders 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 HOT-AIR BROODERS 
 
 156. Artificial Rearing is Preferable. It is so simple to attend 
 to several brooders, and especially when they are placed in portable 
 houses, that even if we hatched our chicks under hens, we would 
 much prefer to raise them by artificial means than by natural. It 
 is a great convenience to have thirty-five chicks in one flock and to 
 fully satisfy their wants in a warm, cosy brooder. While the sitting 
 hen has her whims like any other animal, and sometimes refuses to 
 hover her chicks when they are cold and tired, the hover of the 
 brooder is always ready for them to run in and warm up. It is 
 interesting to know how soon little chicks understand where the 
 hover is, and what it is for. Even when they are a few days old, 
 their instinct seems to tell them to run back where it is warm when 
 they wish additional heat. 
 
 157. A Good Hot- Air Brooder. Mr. Deering uses an inex- 
 pensive brooder that gives him satisfaction. In our drawing we 
 represented the upper section with a muslin top, although Mr. 
 Deering has a wooden top tohis brooder. The muslin is preferable 
 in that it gives light to the interior and allows the foul air to pass 
 out of the hover chamber. A special brooder lamp can be bought 
 from companies that deal in poultry supplies, or an old-fashioned 
 hinged burner will do. Buy the best burner you can with a 1-in. 
 wick, and have a tin chimney 5 in. high made to fit it. A H-in. 
 hole should be punched in the chimney and covered with mica in 
 order to see the flame. The top of the chimney is placed directly 
 under the lard pail and not less than 1 in. from the sheet iron. 
 If the top of the chimney is close to the iron, the lamp will smoke 
 and there is danger of its setting fire to the brooder. 
 
 158. Construction of the Brooder. A good stout box of a suit- 
 able size is purchased. The height of the lamp to be used (includ- 
 ing the chimney) is measured, and the box is sawed in two, by 
 sawing through the four sides. A section 2 in. higher than the 
 lamp is cut off — measuring from the top of the box. This section 
 
 [101] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 AN INDOOR BROODER 
 Designed by S. H. Deering, Missoula, Mont. 
 
 JLoup/z Szrr/cW 
 
 )fooP£/v Top 
 
 //oyer. 
 F/e/iffl£L 
 
 AAtO Top 
 
 [1021 
 
 Mr. Deering's Indoor Brooder 
 
Hot -Air Brooders 
 
 when removed will be open at the top and bottom. The exact 
 length and width of the section is measured, and a piece of sheet 
 iron is bought that will just cover the top. Nail the sheet iron 
 around the four edges of the section. On top of the sheet iron nail 
 a strip of wood 1 in. square — through the iron into the sides 
 of the box. 
 
 159. The Heating Arrangement. A wooden floor is then nailed 
 to these strips forming a hot-air chamber 1 in. high under the floor. 
 After you have the floor boards fitted, and before nailing them to 
 the box, saw a round hole in the center floor board into which the 
 open end of a 5-pound lard pail will fit tightly. This conducts the 
 warm air from the hot-air chamber to underneath the hover. Be- 
 fore fastening the pail in place, punch a number of small holes in 
 the bottom of the pail to allow the warm air to escape. Now fasten 
 the wooden floor securely to the box. There should be an opening 
 of 2 in. on one side of the hot-air chamber, in the 1-in. square strip, 
 to allow fresh air to enter the heating chamber. 
 
 The sheet iron should be in one piece, or two if seamed to- 
 gether, so that the lamp fumes cannot enter the hover. Stove-pipe 
 iron is heavy enough. In one side of the section cut out a lamp 
 door. Near the bottom of this door have an opening to admit fresh 
 air to the lamp, and near the top bore a l|-in. "peep" hole. The 
 hover sits on the floor with legs long enough to raise it 1 in. above 
 the pail. The hover is like a small table but is made in two parts. 
 A strip 2 in. wide is nailed around the legs and forms a table with- 
 out a top. Now make a solid wooden top with the sides to come 
 down 2 in. to cover the strips on the legs. The top must fit suffi- 
 ciently loose to allow the hover cloth to go between. 
 
 160. Copying a Fireless Feature. Mr. Deering makes his hover 
 cloth like the poultrymen who use fireless brooders. It is large 
 enough to spread over the frame and hang down close to the floor ; 
 it must be so loose that it will sag down in the middle and rest on 
 the chicks' backs. To allow it to do this, Mr. Deering cuts a 
 round hole in the center of the cloth the size of the pail. A wire 
 ring is sewn in this hole to fit around the pail. This lets warm air 
 above the cloth and keeps it warm and comfortable over the chicks' 
 backs — just like the old hen. This brooder is really a cross be- 
 tween a first-class lamp brooder and a fireless. It would be an 
 excellent heated brooder for cold weather, and as the weather 
 
 [103] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 7ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ2ZZZZZZ. 
 
 Mr. Batchelder's Hot-Air Brooder 
 
 This and the following illustration show the construction. (A) is a cross-section. 
 (B.) the ground plan. (C) the top view. (D) elevation of the front end. (E) 
 elevation of the rear end. (F) sectional view of the back of the hover compart- 
 ment showing the outside air being warmed, and passing into the hover. (G) 
 cross-section of (F). 
 
 The abbreviations show: (a) cleats that extend from side to side of the brooder. 
 (b) cleats and boards that are used in making the hover compartment (y). 
 (d) sheet iron extending from the floor of the lamp chamber (x) to the center 
 of the brooder, (dd) deflecting sheet of iron to carry the fumes of the lamp to the 
 smoke pipe (e). (e) smoke pipes, (f) slashed flannel entrance to hover, (g) slid- 
 ing panes of 8 x 12-inch glass for windows, (h) lamp, (i) lamp door with ven- 
 tilating holes, (k) chick door. (1) ventilating door, (m) inlet for fresh air 
 in (c) and the floor of the brooder, (n) inlets for warm fresh air in the sheet, 
 iron back of the hover, (o) hinged cover, (p) solid cover, (w) tight com- 
 partment above lamp chamber, (x) lamp chamber, (y) hover compartment. 
 (z) exercising room. These abbreviations refer to both illustrations of this brooder. 
 
 [104] 
 
Hot -Air Brooders 
 
 became warmer it could be a fireless. Any mites in the brooder 
 will hide on this cloth. If the top is lifted up and the soiled cloth re- 
 moved, it can be boiled and the mite family will stop housekeeping. 
 
 161. Dimensions. A brooder about 3 ft. square or 3 x 4 ft. is 
 used, depending on the size of the room. A hover 2 ft. square or 
 18 in. by 2 ft. will brood fifty chicks, and that is enough for one 
 brooder — forty is better. For a cover on the brooder while the 
 chicks are young, Mr. Deering takes the balance of the dry goods 
 box — if it is sufficient — and makes the top 2 or 3 in. higher than 
 the hover. The cover is hinged at the back, so that it can be easily 
 raised. We prefer to use unbleached muslin for the cover top 
 nailed on a frame, instead of a top of soiled wood. Two openings 
 with panes of glass to slide on the outside are cut, and screen wire 
 is tacked over the inside. This gives the chicks light and ventila- 
 tion. There is one opening for a door in front by which a runway 
 to the ground is reached. 
 
 162. Cost. Mr. Deering is particular to use dry matched 
 lumber, and especially for the hover top and the floor. A No. 2 
 burner is plenty large, and on some of his brooders he has No.- 1 
 burners. Chicks over three weeks old do not need a cover. They 
 do not require to be confined, as they have learned to return to the 
 brooder when they require warmth. These brooders cost with 
 lamp complete about $3 each. Outing flannel is the best for hover 
 cloth and extra ones are made, so they can be changed every week. 
 Screen wire is tacked around the base to keep the chicks on the 
 floor when the cover is raised. Mr. Deering raised 300 chickens 
 last year and never saw a mite during the season. 
 
 163. An Improvement to Overcome a Trouble. Mr. Dautrey 
 has improved on Mr. Deering's brooder by adding a second floor 
 1^ in. above the wooden floor of the heating chamber. This floor 
 is held up by four feet at the corners, and by using it the floor of 
 the brooder is kept cool and comfortable. Brooders made after 
 Mr. Deering's plan should have an inch of garden earth continu- 
 ally on the floor to keep it cooler, otherwise the chicks will suffer 
 from leg weakness. Mr. Dautrey had trouble with his chicks and 
 conceived the idea of the elevated floor ; this has given him the best 
 of satisfaction. 
 
 164. Another Plan of Construction. Mr. Batchelder uses an 
 excellent brooder that does not heat the floor of the brooding com- 
 
 [105] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 partment, and which has the advantage of resting on the ground 
 and not requiring the chicks to ascend to a platform on entering it. 
 In building his brooder it is necessary to construct a box 4 ft. 4 in. 
 long, 2 ft. wide and 18 in. high, outside dimensions. The box is 
 
 
 ■ \- 1 • 
 
 1 
 
 
 ® 
 
 tf 
 
 7S-C- ' 
 
 CB 1 
 <f 1 
 
 1 
 
 r 
 i 
 
 A 
 
 4»- 
 
 e 
 
 V 
 
 i 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 L 
 
 
 Q) 
 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 "IT* 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 rt,«i ^ % % % % "S}, <\ «* <* ^ <% 
 
 *W -T^fc ^ '*** ? K /% **~ f *- ^ fKi 
 
 Mr. Batchelder's Hot-Air Brooder 
 
 The letters and abbreviations on this illustration are explained 
 
 under the previous cut. 
 
 built throughout of ^-in. planed lumber, or it can be made from 
 packing boxes. As is seen in drawing A, there are six cleats under 
 the top and floor. These extend from one side to the other. The 
 roof is divided 2 ft. from the front end, and the front section 
 should be hinged to one side of the brooder as shown in C. In the 
 front end there is a ventilating door 17 in. long and 3 in. wide; 
 also a chick door 7 in. square. In the rear end there is a lamp door 
 7^ in. square, with a number of half-inch holes 1 in. above the 
 lower edge. In the sides of the exercising compartment are two 
 
 [106] 
 
Hot-Air Brooders 
 
 8 x 12-in. windows. These are made of panes of glass that slide in 
 grooved supports, and they can be opened for ventilation. The 
 windows and ventilating door are covered on the inside with 1-in. 
 mesh wire netting to prevent the chicks jumping out when the 
 windows or door are open. 
 
 165. Further Details. Directly under the opening between the 
 two portions of the roof a |-in. board c 10 in. wide is nailed. This 
 board extends across the brooder. Ten inches from the inside of 
 the rear end of the brooder, at the floor, a cleat c should now be 
 placed. This cleat is f x 1 in., but before it is fastened to the floor 
 a number of f-in. holes should be bored through it on the f-in. 
 side. When the cleat is fastened to the floor these f-in. holes are 
 extended through the floor, so that the outside air can enter the 
 brooder freely through the round openings. 
 
 Seven inches below the top edge of the side of the brooder, and 
 above the cleat c we have just fastened to the floor, there is a cleat 
 |x2 in. extending across the brooder. A similar £ x 2-in. cleat is 
 nailed to the 10-in. center board c at the same level — or with the 
 lower edge 1 in. above the bottom of the center board. Two more 
 $■ x2-in. cleats b (shown in A and B) are nailed to the side walls 
 between the two upper cleats cc. On top of these four cleats cc, 
 bb, a piece of galvanized iron should be securely fastened with 
 brads, and on the lamp side of the rear top cleat and the lower 
 cleat with the ventilating holes in it, another piece of galvanized 
 iron should be fastened. We have now the brooder divided by a 
 kind of steps into two compartments. 
 
 A |-x H-in. cleat should be nailed across the rear end of the 
 brooder, with its lower face even with the top of the lamp door. 
 From the upper side of this cleat to another board f- x 4 in., nailed 
 to the 10-in. center board midway between the galvanized iron and 
 the roof, is fastened the deflecting sheet of iron marked dd in A. 
 
 The smoke pipes e are made of 1^-in. tin tubing and reach to 
 within one inch of the galvanized iron sheet d. They are lowered 
 in this manner so that a greater portion of the heat of the lamp 
 will be retained in the heating chamber x. 
 
 On the right-hand (front) side of the floor cleat with the holes 
 in it and the cleat c over it, there should be another sheet of gal- 
 vanized iron fastened. This iron, however, should be perforated 
 
 [107] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 with two rows of ^-in. holes near the top. These holes are plainly 
 shown at n in F and G. 
 
 It is only necessary for us to nail a slip of flannel f in front of 
 the opening to the hover compartment to complete the brooder. It 
 is better to have two strips, and to cut them alternately every three 
 inches. In this way more heat is retained in the hover compartment. 
 
 The lamp should be made with a 7-in. galvanized iron bowl, 
 and one of the old-style hinged burners. A short tin chimney with 
 a mica window is necessary. The total height of the lamp, includ- 
 ing the chimney should not be more than 7 inches. 
 
 Mr. Fuller's Hot-Air Brooder 
 
 (A) cross-section of brooder. (B) floor plan. (C) drawing of the completed brooder. 
 (D) parts of the hot-air heating system. (E) water fountain for chicks made 
 from a one-gallon bottle and five-cent crock. 
 
 Abbreviations for this and the next illustration: (a) air-tight heating drum fastened 
 to sheet iron, (b) short piece of stove pipe, (c) wire-covered chick guard, 
 (d) hover, (e) special burner that requires no chimney, (f) lamp, (g) 6x8- 
 inch windows, (h) 8 x 12-inch windows, (i) door to hover compartment, (k) 
 guides for sliding lamp board, (m) lamp board in which lamp sits, (n) ventila- 
 tors, (o) door to lamp compartment, (p) door to exercising room, (s) hole in 
 
 top of chick guard in which the pivot of the hover rests. 
 
 [108] 
 
Hot-Air Brooders 
 
 166. What the Builder Has Learned. Mr. Batchelder gives 
 his opinion of this brooder: "I have had very good success with 
 this brooder, and I like it mainly because the chicks are not com- 
 pelled to ascend a stairway or inclined board, when they enter the 
 brooder and hover compartment. They are constantly supplied 
 with warmed, pure air and there is, therefore, no danger of the 
 hover compartment becoming foul. When the ventilating door 1 
 in the front of the exercising pen is opened, the warmed pure air 
 enters at the rear of the hover, flows over the backs of the chicks, 
 and passes out of the brooder by the ventilating door in the front. 
 I consider this an ideal system of ventilation and I have been very 
 successful in growing chicks by means of the brooder." 
 
 167. How to "Keep the Floor Loiv." Mr. Fuller uses a hot- 
 air brooder with a special lamp and burner that enables him to 
 keep the floor low. A good, tight, dry-goods box 3 ft. square and 
 3 ft. deep is necessary for building the brooder. Cut in two pieces 
 from end to end, on an angle, so as to have one end of each piece 
 16 in. deep; the other ends of both pieces will then be 20 in. deep. 
 After removing the end boards from one, place the two deep ends 
 together. Fasten them with four small bolts, so that the brooder 
 can be easily taken apart if it is necessary to store it. This gives 
 us two sections each 3 ft. square. In the section where the hover 
 is to be placed, it is necessary to remove the bottom boards and 
 raise them 4 in. This allows room for the brooder lamp to be 
 placed directly under the heater. 
 
 Make a circular hover 24 in. in diameter. This is placed in the 
 corner of the section with the outside edge 1 in. from the end and 
 one side. Cut a circular hole 6 in. in diameter in the floor, directly 
 under the center of the hover. This is to insert the heater from 
 the under side of the floor. 
 
 Make, or have your local tinner, a piece of sheet iron 18 in. 
 square, with a hole in the center 3 in. in diameter. Over this 3-in. 
 opening fasten a drum of the same material 6 in. high, with the 
 top end solid and air-tight. This inverted drum is attached to the 
 18-in. sheet iron by crimping — no solder must be used, as the 
 heat of the lamp would melt it. This 3 x 6-in. drum is inserted 
 through the 6-in. opening of the floor, and extends up in the 
 brooder about 5 in. Fasten the 18-in. sheet iron to the under side 
 of the floor with small, short screws. 
 
 [109] 
 
Built £j Used by Poulti-ymen 
 
 On the outside of the heating drum and inside the brooder, 
 place a 6-in. piece of ordinary stove pipe 5 in. high, to direct the 
 heat upwards. Outside of the stove pipe \ in., there should be a 
 circle of ^-in. mesh stout wire. The wire is tacked to a solid board 
 top. There is a ^-in. hole in the center of the top to insert the pivot 
 of the hover. 
 
 A wooden pin at the center of the under side of the hover, and 
 inserted in the wooden top of the chick guard, will keep the hover 
 
 Mr. Fuller's Hot-Air Brooder 
 
 The letters and abbreviations on this illustration are explained under 
 
 the previous cut. 
 
 in position. Around the edge of the hover tack two strips of old 
 flannel. The lower edge should be slashed every 3 in. (alternately). 
 Put in two window lights in each side, as shown in the illus- 
 tration, to let in the light and to serve as ventilators. There should 
 be a door in the partition of the hover compartment to connect 
 with the other, or exercising compartment. In the latter have a 
 small door at the front corner to let the chicks out on the ground. 
 As the floor of the heating compartment is about 4 in. above the 
 ground, a temporary floor slanting down from the center of the 
 
 [110] 
 
Hot-Air Brooders 
 
 brooder to the front is made. This slight slant makes it easy for 
 the chicks to enter the hover compartment. 
 
 168. The Special Lamp. Mr. Fuller states that a round, gal- 
 vanized brooder lamp can be bought for 50 cents that is only 3 in. 
 high, and fitted with a burner that needs no flue. This in his esti- 
 mation, is the best lamp for heating brooders he ever used. A cir- 
 cular hole of sufficient size to allow the bowl of the lamp to rest 
 in is made in a board that will slide under the brooder between 
 two 1 x 2-in. wooden guides. The board is long enough so that the 
 flame of the lamp can be placed directly under the opening in the 
 sheet iron, above which the air-tight drum extends into the hover 
 compartment. 
 
 No fumes of the lamp can possibly enter the brooder, and the 
 floor is kept moderately warm. For ventilation four holes 3 in. in 
 diameter are made near the top of the brooder — two in each sec- 
 tion — and covered with tin slides. There should be 1-in. holes in 
 the lamp compartment near the ground to supply air to the lamp. 
 
 Make a tight board cover, hinged at the center, and cover it 
 with tar paper. If the box is not sufficiently tight, it can be lined 
 inside with any kind of heavy building paper to make it warmer. 
 
 [HI] 
 
Built C5 Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SHIPPING DAY-OLD CHICKS AND EGGS FOR HATCHING 
 
 169. Delighted With This Business. A short time ago we had 
 the pleasure of visiting Quality Hill Poultry Yards and talking 
 over the day-old chick business with the proprietors Messrs. F. A. 
 and Wm. Z. Bennett. These fanciers are greatly delighted with 
 their day-old chick trade. Mr. F. A. Bennett told us, "I am just 
 carried away with the day-old chick business. We sent out six 
 shipments one day and from four of our customers we received 
 very nice letters. The other two must have been pleased or they 
 would have complained to us." He allowed us to read a number 
 of letters from satisfied customers who had bought day-old chicks 
 and also stated: "Those are the kind of letters we got and not a 
 kick did we receive. Now you know that's wonderful, when you 
 consider the routes and conditions. We advise everyone to buy 
 day-old chicks instead of eggs for hatching, because it is more 
 satisfactory to buyer and seller. For $10, the cost of one sitting of 
 our best eggs, the breeder can get ten chicks hatched from the 
 same eggs, and we guarantee the safe delivery of the chicks within 
 a two days' journey. The buyer runs no chances, as we guarantee 
 that the chicks will arrive in good condition. The chicks are better 
 off without feed the first day or two and our customers have told 
 us later that the chicks they bought are just doing fine." 
 
 170. Mr. Fields' Box. For shipping day-old chicks Mr. Fields 
 says that a light wooden box 3 in. high is best. This prevents their 
 being jostled up and down by the express clerks, and still does not 
 force them to remain in a cramped position. The latter will often 
 cause deformity. Allow 4 sq. in. of space to each chick. This will 
 give sufficient "elbow room." The box may be made any length 
 and breadth desired, using 4 sq. in. per chick, but 3 in. is the 
 standard height for box. Bore 1-in. holes about 3 in. apart around 
 all four sides of the box. Leave the bottom and top free from holes. 
 
 This shipping box should not be made warm by extra cloth, 
 etc., except in extremely cold weather, as the express cars are gen- 
 
 [112] 
 
Shipping Chicks 
 
 erally hot enough. However, the boxes should be covered when 
 carrying to and from the station to prevent chilling the chicks. 
 Where a large number of chicks are to be shipped the boxes should 
 be nailed in tiers one above the other each with a capacity of 
 eighteen chicks. (That is, each box a yard square.) As many as a 
 dozen boxes may be so arranged. When tiered, be sure to nail a 
 stout leather handle on each of the two opposite sides. 
 
 171. Directions for Shipping. Label the box plainly, with in- 
 structions Not to Be Fed and Watered. The chicks, in emerging 
 from the shell, gather into their bodies enough food and water to 
 last them seventy-two hours. Hence, they will not be real hungry 
 until about the time they reach their destination. Another reason 
 for labeling them thus, is, that the express clerks, in feeding fowls 
 generally dump a great mass of food into the coop. This, in the 
 case of little chicks, would mean death sooner or later. Do not 
 feed the chicks before shipping, but instruct the consignee before- 
 hand to feed and water them as soon as they arrive. 
 
 172. How to Use Baskets. Mrs. Atwell uses the common 
 cheap baskets, called generally "market basket," and costing about 
 8 to 10 cents each for the size holding about one-half bushel. They 
 are about 18 in. long, 10 in. wide and 7 in. deep. She selects a 
 good, flat bottom one and puts a mat of excelsior in the bottom, 
 and then lines the inside of the basket with burlap — double if 
 early in the season when the weather is cold. A bag such as 
 middlings come in answers very well, when cleaned. This is 
 sewn to the top edge of the basket with a large twine needle, also 
 fastened through the holes at the corners and along the sides at 
 the bottom, so as to keep the lining tight and smooth. 
 
 173. Finishing the Top. Another piece of burlap is then taken, 
 doubled if the weather is cold, and laid across the top of the 
 basket. It is sewn all around the edge, except a place at one end 
 which is left open to put. the chicks in. When they are in, this 
 opening is sewn up also. The burlap cover is not drawn tight like 
 the sides, but allowed to sag a little so the baby chicks can feel it on 
 their backs. This kind of a basket will hold fifty chicks nicely, and 
 they travel much better if they do not have much spare room, as 
 they are not thrown about by the jolting of the train. The burlap 
 sides also help to break the jolts and jars. 
 
 [113] 
 
Built & Used by Poultryrnen 
 
 174. Mrs. Atwell Says: "Their own heat keeps them comfort- 
 able. I have used this method of shipping for years and have never 
 had any complaints of dead chicks. I have shipped sometimes when 
 the weather was decidedly uncomfortable for me in driving to the 
 station with them, and I have been almost afraid the 'babies' would 
 
 Three Boxes for Shipping Day-Old Chicks 
 Their construction is explained by Mr. Fields. 
 
 chill on the way, but my customers always report arrival in good 
 condition. This way of shipping has several recommendations. 
 The package is light, convenient to handle, cheap, easily procured 
 at almost any country store, easily prepared, and lastly and most 
 important, it is comfortable for the chicks." 
 
 175. Another's Experience. Mr. Vandervort has given this 
 branch of the poultry business careful attention and has the fol- 
 lowing advice to offer: "A great many persons are very much 
 surprised to hear that chicks only just hatched can be safely sent 
 by express from 200 to 1,000 miles, and reach their destination 
 alive and in good condition. But such is the case, and today thou- 
 sands of them are shipped during the hatching season to all parts 
 of the country. Some people do not know that a chick, which 
 escapes from the shell in which it has been a prisoner for twenty- 
 one days, will stand a lot of abuse and live, provided you are not 
 too harsh with it. How much feed and care a little chick needs 
 is a question open for discussion. Nature has provided a supply 
 of nourishment for the little fellow in the form of the yolk of the 
 egg from which it it hatched. As the chick comes from the shell 
 with the undigested yolk yet in its body, it furnishes all the food 
 that the chick needs for the first seventy-two hours of its life. 
 
 • [114] 
 
Shipping Chicks 
 
 "I have given this matter thorough thought and study, and 
 have come to the conclusion that when the little chicks are packed 
 away for several hours during shipment they continue to gain 
 strength and are much better off than if they were exposed to the 
 sudden changes of running in and out from the hover of the 
 brooder. And this is why so many are safely shipped, and reach 
 their destination without losses and in good condition. 
 
 "After the chicks are hatched and nicely dried off, they are 
 ready for shipment. Baskets are excellent for shipping the little 
 fellows in small lots of from twelve to fifty. These baskets should 
 be strong and low, about four inches is the proper height. Line 
 the basket well with burlap, and cut clover and chaff should be 
 placed in the bottom. Put your chicks in and sew a cover of burlap 
 over the top of the basket, put a label Live Chicks in a conspicuous 
 place, and they are sure to reach their destination in good condi- 
 tion. I like baskets best for they are light, and easily handled. 
 Any manufacturer can supply you with any size basket you wish. 
 
 "If you prefer to ship in boxes make them of light material and 
 4 in. high, and they should be lined the way mentioned for the 
 baskets. If any great number are to be shipped, the chicks can be 
 placed in boxes containing several decks. Don't feed them anything 
 for their journey, as it is injurious to them. The shipping of day- 
 old chicks has come to stay. Buying young chicks will save you a 
 lot of trouble and money, too. Send your orders early and do not 
 expect to have your chicks shipped the day after you order them, 
 for you know you cannot get them until after they are hatched and 
 there may be a lot ahead of you." 
 
 176. A Box With Two Compartments. Mr. Roberts has had 
 good success by using a home-made box as follows: He makes a 
 box 14x8x4 in. deep of \-'m. sheeting (pine). Heavy card or 
 strawboard is used for the bottom, and the top is covered with 
 burlap over which is tacked strips of the sheeting 1 in. apart. The 
 inside is lined with flannel. The box is divided at the center, mak- 
 ing tw T o compartments 8x7 in. These will accommodate from 
 twelve to fifteen chicks on each side, allowing about 4 sq. in, to 
 each chick. When cardboard is used for the bottom, two strips of 
 the sheeting should be nailed lengthwise outside as a protection. 
 Just before placing the chicks in the box, Mr. Roberts puts a hand- 
 ful of feathers or fine shavings in each side. 
 
 [115] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 177. How to Ship Eggs. Eggs for hatching should be securely 
 packed, but yet in a light package so as to eliminate heavy express 
 charges. There are several ways in which to ship eggs for hatching 
 safely. One is a patent egg basket which seals itself when closed 
 by the handle, being made of corrugated pasteboard and divided 
 
 15 S>C 
 
 i. - 14-" 
 
 V/Ffe 
 
 W* 8" 
 
 
 H - 4" 
 
 Mr. Roberts' Box for Day-Old Chicks 
 
 into fifteen compartments. When using these egg carriers always 
 wrap the eggs in soft paper, using sufficient paper in wrapping to 
 make each egg fit tight in its compartment, and thus prevent 
 rocking. 
 
 178. Advice on this Subject. Mr. Albeck gives the following 
 information: In placing eggs in the basket, always place them with 
 the small end down. The air cell of 'an egg is in the large end, 
 and in shipping may become displaced by rough handling, or by the 
 weight of the contents being forced upon the tissues that hold it in 
 place; thus the egg becomes addled, killing the germ. By placing 
 it on the small end this is overcome. 
 
 Also be sure and notify the buyer to unpack and lay the eggs 
 natural for at least twenty-four hours before setting, so the eggs 
 can cool and take their natural shape. This will result in a much 
 better percentage of chicks from the eggs. 
 
 While these egg carriers are easier packed than common market 
 baskets, the baskets are cheaper, will hold more than one sitting, 
 and can be packed for cold weather. Another advantage is that 
 one does not need to carry a stock on hand as they can be bought 
 at any grocery store. In packing these baskets, first line the bottom 
 
 [116] 
 
Shipping Chicks 
 
 and sides with good, clean, heavy paper over which place about 
 2 in. of soft excelsior. In wrapping each egg, have soft paper about 
 8 x 12 in. in size, laying the egg on one corner and give two wraps, 
 then fold ends in and finish wrapping. 
 
 After the eggs are wrapped take soft excelsior and wrap each 
 egg over the paper, and place in the basket small end down. Now 
 take more excelsior and pack sides and small spaces between eggs 
 firmly so every egg is immovable. If more than one sitting is to be 
 packed, cover the eggs with about 2 in. of excelsior, over which 
 lay a piece of pasteboard to make a foundation for the next layer, 
 packing eggs same as the bottom layer. After the eggs have been 
 securely packed, put plenty of excelsior on top, over which sew a 
 piece of muslin. 
 
 In putting on the muslin use a blunt knife, or putty knife, and 
 tuck the ends between the top rim. Now take a large darning 
 needle and strong twine, and sew through the basket and over 
 outer rim. Print on muslin, or use gummed labels, Eggs far- 
 Hatching. As these baskets generally have two handles, they 
 should be tied together as it prevents setting other express packages 
 on top, and also keeps handles in place for handling. 
 
 To the handle there should be a tag stating plainly the con- 
 signee's express office, also postoffice address. Since so many rural 
 routes have been established in the United States, a number of the 
 small towns that receive express from railroads have a different 
 postoffice address, as a rural route goes out of a larger city to their 
 village. When done in this manner, as soon as the eggs arrive at 
 the express office and consignee is not there to receive them, the 
 express agent can notify him that package is there and save 
 much delay. 
 
 179. A Breeder's Views. Mr. Vandervort gives his experience 
 in shipping eggs thus: "It requires considerable skill and a good 
 knowledge of details, to pack eggs for hatching so they will reach 
 their destination in good condition and hatch well. Some use boxes, 
 and while they may be all right, I have had much better results 
 with baskets. Eggs shipped in boxes are liable to be thrown around 
 and roughly handled, while baskets will be handled much more 
 carefully, and are much cheaper. Use baskets with a strong up- 
 right handle, so as to guard the package from other matter being 
 laid upon it. 
 
 [117] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 "I exercise the same care and follow the same rule for packing 
 one sitting as we do for one hundred eggs, except as to the size of 
 the basket; always having our package just large enough to hold 
 the eggs and the necessary packing material. If the order calls for 
 100 or 120 eggs, a bushel basket is needed. 
 
 "First, line the basket with newspapers and then put about one 
 inch of excelsior in the bottom. Now we are ready for the first 
 layer of eggs, which, after wrapping each egg in soft paper, are 
 laid singly, leaving a 1-in. space between the eggs and the sides of 
 the basket; also a ^-in. space between each of the eggs. These 
 spaces are filled with excelsior, crowded in firmly so as to keep the 
 eggs not only from the sides of the basket, but to keep them 
 from shaking. 
 
 "This bottom layer of eggs is then covered with 1 inch of 
 excelsior in the same manner, and all the other layers likewise 
 packed and covered as the others, with the exception of the top 
 and last layer covering, which should be thicker and rounded up 
 so that when the canvas cover is sewed on and drawn down tight, 
 the eggs cannot by any possibility shake around in the basket. The 
 label can best be sewed to the canvas cover before the cover is 
 put on the basket. 
 
 "Have Eggs for Hatching — Handle with Care printed on 
 your label in good size type. Use a darning needle and strong 
 cotton string and sew the canvas to the rim of the basket, drawing 
 it down tight, so that the packing will spring up when pressed 
 with the hand. 
 
 "A basket about the size of a ten-pound grape basket will hold 
 a sitting of eggs. For two sittings, a one-fourth bushel basket is 
 necessary, and for fifty eggs a one-half bushel basket is required. 
 Excelsior for packing the eggs can usually be procured at all 
 grocery or furniture stores. For wrapping the eggs, a soft grade 
 of newspaper is used. The eggs are placed in the baskets on end, 
 preferably with the little end down." 
 
 180. Most Suitable Eggs. The following general information 
 by Mr. Vandervort about the kind of eggs that are most suitable 
 for shipping, and that will produce the most chicks is interesting: 
 "Eggs to grow strong, healthy chicks must be fertile and laid by 
 healthy hens T believe fertile eggs even from healthy fowls, are 
 
 [118] 
 
Shipping Chicks 
 
 largely a question of the right ration. Therefore, in the winter we 
 try to supply our breeders with about one-fourth ounce of cut bone 
 daily, and for the grain ration at least one-half is oats. 
 
 "Fertile eggs to ship safely must have strong shells. For this 
 purpose keep oyster shells before the hens all the time, and plenty 
 of green food. I have heard complaints of shells of eggs being too 
 thick to hatch well in an incubator, when the hens were allowed 
 all the oyster shells they could eat, but our trouble has been to 
 get the shells strong enough, especially when the flock averages 
 five eggs for each hen per week. 
 
 "It is possible that a hen that lays only every other day, or one 
 whose shell machinery is extra good, might lay eggs with too thick 
 shells. I would risk this danger, anyway, believing that a chicken 
 that has not strength enough to pop open his shell has not vitality 
 enough to make a good, healthy fowl. Fertile eggs with strong 
 shells, rightly packed, properly labeled and from the right kind of 
 stock, can be shipped safely by express, and can be depended upon 
 to hatch well on arrival at the destination." 
 
 [119] 
 
Built £sf Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 FOOD HOPPERS AND FOUNTAINS 
 
 181. Dry Feeding Gains in Popularity. Within the last few 
 years the system of feeding all ground grain mashes dry in hoppers 
 instead of moistened with water or skim milk has had a wonderful 
 gain in popularity. In the first place, hopper feeding saves con- 
 siderable of the poultryman's time, and in the second place it is a 
 more natural way for hens to take their food. The primary dis- 
 advantage of feeding wet mashes is that the hens fill their crops 
 with a wet food that is in the proper condition to decompose — un- 
 less it is quickly passed on and digested. "Sour crop" is a common 
 complaint of wet-mash fed hens, and it is a trouble or disease that 
 the dry-mash fed hens are never subject to. A big crop full of wet 
 mash makes the bird lazy, and it is natural for it to sit in a corner 
 of the house until the meal is digested. 
 
 182. Hopper-Fed Hens are Better Layers. Feeders have tried 
 to eliminate the difficulties in feeding wet mash by feeding it in 
 limited quantities, but this is somewhat of a disadvantage because it 
 is possible to supply a balanced ration that will tend to increase 
 egg production through a mash, more easily than in the whole 
 grain. When ground mash is always kept in a hopper the hens will 
 not overeat, and if the mash contains animal food and vegetable 
 matter in addition to the grains, these hens will lay better than 
 other hens that are fed a wet mash once a day. 
 
 183. A Stovepipe Hopper. Mr. Batcheldef gives the construc- 
 tion of his stovepipe hopper that works well. It will not clog and 
 can be easily made from one length of pipe and a few pieces of 
 lumber. Two holes are made near one end, on opposite sides of 
 the pipe, and wires are fastened through these holes to a ring, as 
 shown in the illustration. Another wire or strong cord reaches 
 from the ring to the ceiling of the poultry house. 
 
 184. Construction. The wooden box has the floor about 4 in. 
 above the ground, instead of right on the ground, so that there will 
 
 [120] 
 
Hoppers and Fountains 
 
 be less danger of the fowls kicking straw and dirt into the food. 
 Wooden strips f in. thick by 1 in. wide are nailed on the four top 
 edges of the box and extend inside, in order to prevent the fowls 
 wasting any food. 
 
 Supporting 
 
 Wl*.E„ 
 
 A Stove Pipe Hopper 
 
 (a) Elevation of hopper showing the stove pipe supported from the ceiling. 
 (b) Cross-section of hopper giving the principal dimensions. 
 
 [121] 
 
Built £ff Used by Poultrymen 
 
 185. Adjusting the Pipe. The bottom edge of the stovepipe is 
 about 1 in. above the floor of the box. If it is found that the feed 
 flows too freely, the stovepipe should be lowered a trifle, or if the 
 
 A MOUJ&S 
 
 Hopper 
 
 
 r 
 
 c!ko33 3eCt]om 
 
 A Hopper that Saves the Food 
 
 [122] 
 
Hoppers and Fountains 
 
 feed does not keep the bottom of the box covered the pipe should 
 be raised. The pipe is placed in the proper position and then se- 
 curely fastened by the cord or wire from the ceiling. 
 
 186. Don't Feed Mice and Rats. Some fanciers would use a 
 hopper for feeding dry mashes, if it were not for the loss of grain 
 through mice and rats. Only a short time ago we were told by a 
 
 15" 
 
 A Double Dry-Mash Hopper 
 Mr. Hildebrand made the above hopper from a Columbia oats box. (A) cross- 
 section with the principal dimensions. (B) completed hopper. 
 
 fancier that he caught two or three mice in the feeding thorugh 
 of his hopper when he entered his poultry house one early morn- 
 ing. The state of affairs is annoying, even if we do not consider 
 the unnecessary loss of grain and the pollution of it. 
 
 187. How the Hopper is Made. The accompanying illustra- 
 tion shows a frame made of 1 x 2-in. lumber with a 20 x 24-in. 
 sheet iron top. The legs are 12 in. high and you will notice that 
 a band of sheet iron about 3 in. wide is around each leg, near 
 where the boards forming the frame are attached. The height of 
 the iron top makes it impossible for rats or mice to jump up on it, 
 and they cannot crawl up the legs, because the sheet iron band will 
 not give them any footing. 
 
 The hopper is similar to the one used and previously described 
 by Mr. Batchelder. It is made from one length of stove pipe, a 
 common or special feed pan, two 1 x 6-in. pieces of heavy sheet 
 iron and six stove bolts. The 1 x 6-in. supporting pieces should be 
 bent at a right angle, one inch from one end. This makes each 
 piece L-shaped. 
 
 [123] 
 
Built C5° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 188. Assembling It. The hopper is put together as follows: 
 The feeding pan is placed near one end of the stand, and the stove 
 pipe stood upright in it. The two L pieces are set at opposite sides 
 of the stove pipe, and with an awl or nail a hole is punched 
 through the L piece, pan and sheet iron floor. Now, insert a stove 
 
 Mrs. White's Hoppers 
 (A) hopper for dry mash from which twelve fowls can eat on each side. (B) hop- 
 per for grit. (C) water fountain made from a large round can, with four cups 
 soldered to the side. 
 
 7- SCJ 
 
 I MESH 
 WIRE- 
 ETTINO— i 
 
 Mr. Roberts' Food Hopper 
 
 bolt in the hole and fasten all together. Punch two holes in the 
 long end of the L pieces and bolt them to the stove pipe. The 
 stove pipe is raised 2\ in. above the floor, when a 3-in. feeding 
 pan is used. 
 
 By bolting the parts together, it is impossible for the chicks to 
 stand on the edge of the pan and upset it, which they would 
 probably do if it simply rested on the top of the frame. The fowls 
 
 [124] 
 
Hoppers and Fountains 
 
 jump up on the iron top when they eat from the hopper. It is 
 sufficiently large to hold several at one time. 
 
 The stove-pipe form of hopper is the simplest type we are 
 acquainted with, and there is absolutely no trouble with it. Some 
 of the hoppers with small feeding mouths give considerable trouble, 
 on account of the grain becoming packed in the small opening. 
 This effectually prevents the hopper from feeding, until the poul- 
 tryman takes a stick and clears the obstruction. 
 
 189. A Special Pan. At the left-hand side of the illustration 
 another feeding pan is shown. This is a specially-made pan 12 in. 
 in diameter and 3 in. high. Its main feature is an inside 1-in. rim 
 around the top. This rim prevents the fowls from drawing grain 
 over the sides of the pan. However, if you select a pan with as 
 little flare as possible, we hardly think you will have any trouble 
 in this respect. 
 
 The details of this mouse and rat-proof hopper will prove sug- 
 gestive to poultry raisers who use hoppers of other styles — from 
 which the mice obtain their living — in illustrating a simple method 
 of overcoming this loss. Raise your hopper from the floor, or if it 
 is attached to the wall, nail a strip of sheet iron on each side, so the 
 mice cannot crawl to it. 
 
 190. From a Packing Box. Mr. Hildebrand makes an auto- 
 matic food hopper from a Columbia oats box and it works well. 
 This hopper can be used outdoors or indoors. The dimensions are 
 all given on the cross-sectional view, so that it is not necessary to 
 refer to the construction. 
 
 191. Other Styles. Mrs. White illustrates the two styles of 
 hoppers which she has found most suitable. The long, double hop- 
 pers (A) are made from wholesale shoe boxes, or milliner's hat 
 boxes, and allow about twenty-four fowls to eat at a time. The 
 smaller grit hoppers are made from boxes about 20 in. long and 
 12 in. wide. 
 
 192. Construction of Mrs. White's. The construction of the 
 double hopper is thus described. The top and two sides of the big 
 box is removed, two solid boards slanting from the top to the bot- 
 tom are nailed in, leaving a space at the bottom of about 1 in. for 
 the mash to spill out as the hens eat it. At each end of the hopper 
 
 [125] 
 
Built £s° Used by Poultry men 
 
 HfcN&eit 
 
 [126] 
 
 Mr. Crouse's Food Hopper 
 
Hoppers and Fountains 
 
 a 1-in. square strip is nailed on the bottom to raise the box off the 
 ground, thereby lengthening the life of the hopper, and also giving 
 drainage for any water that may have entered from a heavy, 
 driving rain. In the bottom eight or ten holes are bored with a 
 gimlet for the water to leak out. The tops are covered with 
 Ruberoid or Amatite roofing, and the roofing allowed to drop over 
 the side and extend an inch or so over the end. The tops are re- 
 movable. For at least ten months of the year the hoppers are out 
 in the weather, only being put in when winter weather or snow 
 keeps the fowls housed. 
 
 193. An Original Hopper. Mr. Roberts has found that his 
 home-made hopper gives better satisfaction than any hopper he can 
 buy. He bought an empty box measuring 15 x 15 x 10 in. at the 
 grocery store. The box is stood on edge and th.e front taken off. 
 Now insert it on an angle of about 45 degrees from the front top 
 edge of the box, leaving a space of about 1 in. between the bottom 
 edge of this slanting piece and the back of the box for the grain 
 to sift down. In our opinion, it would be preferable to have the 
 mouth of the hopper 2 in. instead of 1 in. There would then be no 
 danger of the hopper becoming plugged with grain. A piece of 
 1-in. mesh poultry netting is attached to the bottom edge of the 
 slanting front. The netting extends to the front of the hopper and 
 lays on the grain. This prevents waste and is a good idea. 
 Through the back near the top two ^-in. holes are bored, by which 
 the hopper is hung on the wall. 
 
 194. "The Best by Test." Mr. Crouse says that a satisfactory 
 grit or food hopper was a very difficult appliance for him to ob- 
 tain, and he tried many of the ready-made, as well as home-made 
 ones. After considerable experimenting he adopted the form of 
 hopper shown in the sketch as being the most practical. 
 
 To construct, first make two pieces like A in sketch and three 
 pieces like B. Nail one B to side of A, letting the top down about 
 \ in. for the lid, and keeping the front edges flush. If the back 
 edges are not flush, they can be made so with a few strokes of the 
 plane. One end is now complete. Construct the other end in a 
 similar manner, being careful to place A and B together so that 
 the two pieces marked B will be on the inside when the hopper is 
 put together. 
 
 [127] 
 
Built £sf Used by Poultry?7ien 
 
 The other piece B is for the center division of the hopper, to 
 separate it into two compartments, and to make it stronger. Now 
 take a sheet of tin and turn about \ in. on the long side until it is 
 
 A&udcfESSFUL Water Fountain 
 
 i^. 
 
 •-c. 
 
 k 
 
 
 .'" 
 
 
 
 
 BR^^y^y 3 ~ — — — 
 
 
 
 
 8§t§§^« ~~ ~~ 
 
 7" 
 
 
 1 i 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 5"f 
 
 z" 
 
 / ^^: t L^ \ 
 
 
 * ITJU iqV ~~ •> 
 
 , 
 
 ~ Ja ~p ~ SIDE VIEW 
 
 FRONT VIEW 
 
 ~ 7^~ IkON LE^ 
 
 
 A Convenient and Inexpensive Water Fountain 
 
 at a right angle with remainder of the sheet. This part is to extend 
 over the trough to prevent the food from being wasted. 
 
 The tin should then be bent so that it will fit around the 
 curved pieces B at the bottom. Place the |-in. side over the top of 
 the feed trough, and nail the tin to the two end pieces. Then 
 insert the center piece. Complete the back to the top of the end 
 
 [128] 
 
Hoppers and Fountains 
 
 pieces with thin boards. Nail thin boards over the front, beginning 
 at the bottom, and for ordinary dry mash it is best to allow the 
 front to extend down about 1 in. as shown in the sketch. 
 
 Mr. Grouse puts a thin strip of wood about f in. wide under 
 the tin projection at the front edge of the feed trough. This 
 stiffens the tin and prevents the birds cutting their wattles in feed- 
 ing. The wood and tin should be smoothed with a file and sand 
 paper. Fasten the lid with small hinges and attach hooks to the 
 back to hang the hopper up, and it is complete. 
 
 195. Water Fountain. A convenient water fountain can be 
 made from a galvanized iron pail 7 in. in diameter and 10 in. deep. 
 There is no flare to the pail, but it has a wire pail handle at the 
 top. One and one-half inches inside the top a galvanized iron head 
 is soldered. This head is 7 in. in diameter, but it has a 1-in. piece 
 cut off the lower side so that the fountain can be filled and 
 operated. Before the head is soldered, two pieces of ^ x -§-in. band 
 iron should be bent to form the legs ; these pieces are riveted to the 
 pail. A lip 2 in. deep holds the water in place. This is an inex- 
 pensive fountain, and to fill, it is only necessary to stand it upright 
 and pump water into the mouth. The fountain can be cleaned by 
 throwing a small handful of salt and sand into it, adding water 
 and shaking the mixture around inside. 
 
 [129] 
 
Built £5° Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 METHODS OF SPROUTING OATS 
 
 196. Makaing Palatable Green Food. The following excellent 
 system of sprouting oats for poultry is used by Mr. Bennett of 
 Quality Hill Poultry Yards. As he told us, "it is a fine thing." 
 The green food problem presents difficulties to the poultryman 
 during the winter time. It is frequently difficult to buy cut or 
 ground alfalfa or clover hay, and buying vegetables in small quan- 
 tities is expensive. By means of the system of sprouted oats which 
 
 A Sprouting Rack for Oats 
 Front view showing the seven trays in position. 
 
 [130] 
 
Sprouting Oats 
 
 3PROUTJNC OAT3 ■ J.F.LEONARD 
 
 OATd 3PROVTIN&- IN EARTH 
 
 A New Method of Sprouting Oats 
 
 An Inexpensive Sprouting Box 
 This box is used in Mr. Harris' method of sprouting oats for poultry food. 
 
 [131] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 is described and illustrated, it is a simple and inexpensive matter 
 for anyone to supply his fowls in the winter time with an abun- 
 dance of succulent food they will relish. 
 
 197. The Value of the Rack. The simplest way to sprout oats 
 is to put them in a dish in the sink, cover with warm water at 
 night and feed them the next day. This arrangement not only in- 
 
 CORNER 
 l'*2V38" 
 
 %1/A/NERS /4*2 FOR TRAYS _^ 
 (30"lO/V<?) 
 
 GALY1K0N TRAf 15*3*3-6 
 
 A Sprouting Rack for Oats 
 •Side view showing part of the trays in the rack and three partly removed. 
 
 terferes with the house work, but the sprouts are not sufficiently 
 long, where green food is the main consideration. The rack that 
 is shown holds seven trays — one for each day of the week — so 
 that each tray of oats is allowed to sprout seven days before the 
 grain is fed. At that time the sprouts are about \\ in. long, and 
 much better for green food than oats with sprouts only \ to \ in. 
 long. It may be true that the oats with the long sprouts are not 
 as nourishing as the oats with the short sprouts, but that does not 
 
 [132] 
 
Sprouting Oats 
 
 make any material difference when the oats are desired for green 
 food and not for grain food. 
 
 198. Making the Rack. The sprouting rack is a light frame 
 made of 1 x 2-in. pieces, without covered top, bottom or sides. 
 
 'EMPTY TZAY 
 A Sprouting Rack for Oats 
 Top view. The upper tray is filled with sprouted oats, and the one farthest ex- 
 tended has fresh oats in it. The black border around the rack represents the gal- 
 vanized iron tray in which the rack stands. 
 
 There are only four corner pieces and four pieces at the top and 
 four at the bottom to hold the frame together. On each of two 
 sides of this frame seven runners are nailed 2\ in. apart. On these 
 fourteen runners rest the seven trays. The floor of the tray is 
 covered with \-m. mesh wire cloth such as is used for cellar win- 
 dows. The wooden sides are made of pieces f in. thick by 2 in. 
 wide. The rack stands in a galvanized iron tray which catches 
 the excess water. 
 
 199. Sprouting the Oats. The trays are covered with dry oats, 
 and hot water is sprinkled over each tray — using a hand sprinkling 
 
 [133] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 can. The trays are- then replaced in the rack. They are covered 
 with burlap to keep the oats dark and moist. The trays should be 
 drawn out morning and night and sprinkled with hot water. The 
 rack should be kept in a temperature of from 60 to 80 degrees. It 
 is advisable to season the sprouted oats with salt — using a tea- 
 spoonful of salt to each trayful of oats. Fowls prefer sprouted 
 oats to any other green food, and chicks a week old are very 
 fond of them. 
 
 200. The Outdoor Method. Mr. Leonard has a system of 
 sprouting oats that we prefer to the sprouting rack when it can be 
 used. The new way is less trouble than the old, and the chicks 
 will obtain bugs and worms in addition to the oat sprouts. The 
 method is thus explained. Take one bushel of common oats and 
 soak them over night. Make a frame of 1 x 6-in. lumber, 3 ft. 
 wide by 8 ft. long. Place the frame on smooth, hard ground and 
 spread the oats evenly inside it. Cover the oats with 1 in. of loose 
 ground and water every day. When the sprouts show through, it 
 is ready to feed. Then with a garden hoe, work under the roots, 
 pull them up straight and you have the finest green food you ever 
 saw — food that you cannot beat with anything else as cheap, or 
 as simple to obtain. 
 
 201. "Bugs and Worms'" Also. Mr. Leonard says: "Every 
 hoeful has a big lump of dirt on it, also some animal food. Ex- 
 amine some of this earth and you will find it full of bugs and 
 worms. This gives the birds exercise to scratch them out. Green 
 food grown in earth has more strength and substance than when 
 it is sprouted with water in a warm room. I keep three beds 
 going all the time and have raised this season over 400 chicks to 
 broiler size in four weeks. We ate a pullet three months old the 
 other day and she had already started an egg bag, and I think 
 that is going some." 
 
 202. Sprouted Oats Solve the Problem. In reference to the 
 value of sprouted oats Mr. Harris says: "For the fanciers that 
 live on farms it is no trial to secure green stuff for their flocks, but 
 
 ■when it comes to the city fancier, there is a great deal to contend 
 with. I believe all will agree that hens do not have as satisfactory 
 laying record where they do not obtain an abundance of green 
 food. If the city-lot fancier expects the results his fowls should 
 
 [134] 
 
Sprouting Oats 
 
 bring, he must try in some way to overcome this trouble. A 
 sprouting box is, I think, the best and probably the cheapest way 
 to supply green food." 
 
 203. Mr. Harris' Plan. A store box 3 ft. wide, 4 ft. long and 
 3 ft. deep answers the purpose very well. It has drawers or shelves 
 with from 4 to 1 in. of oats sprinkled thereon. The oats should 
 be wet with lukewarm water, and the box placed in a warm room. 
 Leave the oats in the trays until the sprouts are 3 or 4 in. long ; 
 then take sprouts and oats and feed all to the chickens. This makes 
 a good noon meal. The chickens will eat it up greedily and will 
 thrive. It will take from a half to a peck of oats to fill the 
 trays. Have it arranged so there will be sufficient oats for each 
 day's feeding. 
 
 [135] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 OTHER USEFUL DEVICES 
 
 204. A Hook for Catching Fowls. Some poultrymen use a 
 hook for catching their fowls, and if it is used quietly will often 
 prove a time saver. Such a hook is illustrated. It is made of a 
 piece of iVin. wire about 15 in. long, and bent as shown. The 
 
 -fm'l ' 
 
 A Hook for Catching Fowls 
 The upper illustration is a side view of the hook and part of the handle. 
 
 [136] 
 
Other Useful Devices 
 
 hook is fastened by wire to a fishing pole 8 or 10 ft. long for a 
 handle. 
 
 205. Candy Pail Furniture. Candy pails can usually be bought 
 at low cost at the stores. From these, excellent drinking fountains 
 and nests can be made after Mr. Cavanaugh's patterns. The foun- 
 
 CAVAttAUGHS OWDY-PA/J- 
 The. Standard 
 
 E)fZ/NKIMG- FoUNTA/N^ 
 
 Afesr- 
 
 Useful Candy-Pail Furniture 
 
 tain has the upper parts of two staves (about 4 x 5-in. openings) 
 removed. The nest has a couple of the staves cut away as shown. 
 The covers are left on, which keeps the water clean, and the 
 nest dark. 
 
 206. Roost Support. A simple wire roost support is shown. To 
 make it you will need a piece of stout galvanized wire, pieces of 
 heavy galvanized iron for the wall supports and eight round- 
 headed screws. The lengths of the different sides of the support 
 will be regulated by the size of the roost, but the length of the top 
 A should be 2 in. The roost should come within \ in. of the wall, 
 
 [137] 
 
Built & Used by Poultrymen 
 
 and a wire nail driven into the end as shown will keep it in place 
 and prevent its moving endways. If you make a new roost have 
 the rounded top on which the fowls rest 2 in. wide, and the depth 
 3 in. The roost should be planed on four sides and frequently 
 painted with liquid lice killer, or kerosene and coal tar, to pre- 
 vent lice or mites living on it. 
 
 Mr. Batchelder's Appliances and Fresh-Air Door 
 
 (A) rack for water pail. (B) arrangement for preventing food or water pans being 
 
 overturned. (C) fresh-air or ventilating door. The common muslin used. 
 
 207. Wrinkles. Mr. Batchelder illustrates two useful appli- 
 ances and a fresh-air door. The rack for the water pail is held in 
 place by brackets, and is 12 in. above the floor. A common gal- 
 vanized iron pail is used and there is a hook in the wall for the 
 handle to catch on. The water and shelf will keep clean and the 
 pail cannot be tipped over. 
 
 This poultryman also shows a simple device to prevent water 
 and feed pails being upset. Two wires, about the diameter of a 
 lead pencil and long enough to form hooks on the upper end and 
 extend into the ground a few inches at the lower end, are placed 
 
 [138] 
 
Other Useful Devices 
 
 as shown in the illustration. This effectually prevents the chicks 
 or fowls from tipping the water or feed pans over, and will thereby 
 save many useless steps — to say nothing of the waste. 
 
 208. A Fresh-Air Door. Mr. Batchelder also uses a fresh-air 
 or ventilating door. This may be fitted to any poultry house, but 
 preferably to small colony houses that depend upon one window 
 
 r\ 
 
 A Simple Wire Roost Support 
 
 for light, and have but one door, and that at the center of the 
 sunny side. It is so simple that its construction is readily under- 
 stood. Common unbleached muslin over 1 -in. mesh wire netting 
 covers the ventilating openings. "I have given this door a good 
 trial the year around," said Mr. Batchelder, "and I find that it 
 works perfectly on a shed-roof, 7 x 9-ft. colony house facing the 
 south. No other door, window or ventilator is necessary." 
 
 To the Reader — -Have you built and used a house or any poul- 
 try appliance that is "just what the doctor ordered?" If you have, 
 will you not send us a description of it with a rough pencil sketch 
 if you can, so we can include it in the Fourth edition of this work? 
 We hope to improve on this edition and keep the designs right up 
 to date — and all practical. — The Editor. 
 
 [139] 
 
Secrets of Crate Feeding 
 
 There s Money in it! 
 
 Don't Sacrifice Your Culls — Make 
 Money on Them 
 
 You can turn your losses into profit by crate fattening 
 your culls. You can triple your profits by crate feeding 
 your market and table fowls. Weight increased from li 
 to 3 pounds in 18 to 21 days at a cost of 4 to 6 cents that 
 sells for 15 to 30 cents a pound. They gain because they 
 are fed the right foods in the right way and cannot 
 run it off. 
 
 SWIFT'S MANAGER SAYS: 
 
 "$10,000,000 is lost each year in this country by farmers 
 not putting their fowls on the market in proper condition 
 and 10,000,000 other dollars are lost because they do not 
 keep chickens of good breeding." He also says that the 
 large packers will not feed hogs, or sheep, or cattle be- 
 cause there is no money in it, but they ivill feed chickens. 
 That statement should mean something to you. 
 
 SECRETS OF CRATE FEEDING 
 
 Is a book of 86 pages full of the information that will 
 make you money. It was edited by Mr. Frank Hare, now 
 employed by the U. S. Government. He was formerly di- 
 rector of milk feeding stations for the Canadian Govern- 
 ment; author of "Rearing Chickens for Packing Houses," 
 and several other books. The book tells you how to make 
 the crates; where best to locate them; how, what and 
 when to feed; how to kill, dress, pack and ship and gives a 
 reliable list of commission men who will buy them. 
 
 PRICE 75 CENTS 
 
 BIG FOUR POULTRY JOURNAL 
 
 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 
 
HOW AND WHAT 
 TO FEED POULTRY 
 
 Edited by D. E. Hale 
 
 THOUSANDS of dollars have been lost in the poultry busi- 
 ness because the owner or manager did not know What and 
 How to Feed Poultry. It has been said that success or failure 
 depends on the man with the feed bucket. After years of prac- 
 tical experience in raising poultry and visiting poultry plants of 
 every description in various parts of the country, the editor has 
 put in book form not only many tested formulas but the reason <why 
 as told by well known experts. This book is the 
 
 Latest and Best Work on Feeding 
 
 You need this book if you keep ten chickens or ten thousand. 
 Some of the valuable subjects covered are as follows: 
 
 Feeding from Shell to Show Room Dry Mash for Chicks 
 
 Grain Mixture for Chicks Balancing Feeds 
 
 Cornell Dry Mash for Growing Pullets and Helping the Hens thru the Molt 
 
 Laying Hens Sprouting Oats 
 
 The Feeding of Hens in Confinement Ames Crate Fattening Ration 
 
 The Nutritive Ratio Cornell Grain Mixture 
 
 Preparing Pullets for Egg Production Dry Mash for Breeding Stock 
 
 Balanced Rations for Winter Eggs Corning Forcing Egg Mash 
 
 Deep Litter Feeding Color Feeding 
 
 Feeding Turkeys Various Experimental Station Rations 
 
 Milk as a Poultry Food And Many Other Useful Hints on Feeding 
 
 A Book for Handy Reference 
 
 The feeding rations of experimental stations such as Cornell, 
 Purdue, Ames, Connecticut and Missouri are given. The best in- 
 formation by such feeding experts as Rice, Phillips, Quisenberry, 
 Lippincott, Good, Wysocki, Halbach, Hunter, Hale and others are 
 given in a form that is easy to refer to. You couldn't really afford 
 to be without this book if it cost $5, but we want every person 
 keeping poultry to have a copy. Printed on good paper in large, 
 legible type; 92 Pages; illustrated. 
 
 PRICE 50 CENTS 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 BIG FOUR POULTRY JOURNAL 
 
 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 
 
You Need 
 Big Four Poultry Journal 
 
 Because it has 
 
 The very best of writers giving you the latest 
 practical information on poultry raising — not 
 a lot of "re-hashed" information you have been 
 reading for years, but sound, practical informa- 
 tion thoroly tested by competent poultry raisers. 
 
 Its editorials are timely, snappy and fearless. 
 
 Big Four is devoted to the poultry interests 
 of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan 
 and contains from one to two pages, each 
 month, of news items for each of those states. 
 
 It has a department devoted to the Junior 
 Poultry Clubs of the four states and also a de- 
 partment for the Bantam and Pet Stock fanciers, 
 with page after page of short, helpful articles. 
 
 YOU WILL LIKE BIG FOUR 
 
 One Year 50 Cents — Three Years $1.00 
 
 BIG FOUR POULTRY JOURNAL 
 
 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 mini mil iiiii imiiiiij inn inn mil 
 
 002 838 814 7