TWENTIETH 
 
 CENTURY 
 
 POULTRY BUILDINGS 
 
 and 
 
 HOW TO BUILD 
 THEM 
 
 te 
 
 w 
 
 Published by 
 
 EMORY E. BANKS, East Pembroke, N. Y. 
 
 PRICE FIFTY CENTS 
 
TWENTIETH 
 
 CENTURY 
 
 POULTRY BUILDINGS 
 
 and 
 
 HOW TO BUILD 
 
 THEM 
 
 SI 
 
 Copyrighted by 
 
 Emorr E. Banks. 
 
 1910. 
 
 Published by 
 EMORY E. BANKS, East Pembroke, N. Y 
 
<tf ' 
 
 
 
 
 Introduction 
 
 Success with poultry depends more largely on the proper 
 construction of buildings than on any other one thing. The 
 vital points that must be considered are as follows: 
 
 1st. Comfort of the fowls. 
 
 2nd. ( lonvenience. 
 
 3rd. Location. 
 
 4th. Cost of construction. 
 
 This hook is intended for the progressive poultrymen-— 
 the ones who desire practical up-to-date houses and fix- 
 tures. 
 
 I believe the reader will appreciate the fact that these 
 pages do not contain a great variety of plans to suit every 
 idea of both ancient and modern times leaving the would-be 
 poultrymen at sea as to which is the best plan. 
 
 Of course perfection in poultry buildings has not yet been 
 attained and probably never will, however the best plans— 
 the ones that contain the most advantages with the least 
 disadvantages, can, I believe be "sifted" down to a very 
 few. 
 
 Yours for advanced poultry culture, 
 
 EMORY E. BANKS. 
 
 ©GI.A268.1- 6 
 
Twentieth Century Poultry Buildings 
 
 THE SCRATCHING SHED HOUSE. 
 
 Most of the successful poultrymen consider the scratch- 
 ing' shed and roosting' room style of poultry house to be the 
 best. It has many advantages in its favor, the most im- 
 portant perhaps is the many ways that it can be opened up 
 and ventilated to suit all conditions of the weather. For in- 
 stance: In the fall of the year on very frosty nights the 
 windows in front of the roost-room may be closed, leaving 
 the door and front of the scratch-shed open. When the 
 thermometer registers about 25 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit the 
 door between the roost-room and the scratch-shed can be 
 closed (there should be an opening in this door from 18 to 
 2-4 inches square according to the size of the roost-room) 
 and when it gets down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit and below T , 
 close the curtains in front of scratch sheds. As summer 
 approaches the curtain is hooked up and should not be used. 
 The windows should be taken out and the doors left open. 
 
 This style of house is much warmer on a cold winter night, 
 as the roost-room contains only about half of the space to be 
 warmed by the heat given off from the fowls' bodies. The 
 roost-room is also warmer if placed between two sheds or 
 at the east end of a shed. The fowls can keep much more 
 comfortable in the day time as they can retire to the warmer 
 roost-room when cold. They also seem more contented, as 
 they can go from one room to the other, thus doing away 
 with the disagreeableness of confinement to a large extent. 
 
 The fowls seem to have an imaginary hiding place from 
 strangers and unwelcome visitors, by retreating to the other 
 room when they would otherwise become frightened. 
 
 When "sweeping day" comes the attendant can shut the 
 fowls in the roost-room while cleaning the scratching-shed 
 and vice versa, and thus avoid having them underfoot. 
 
 If one desires to mate up an extra breeding pen the 
 scratch shed wi dome in play by putting in temporary roosts 
 and nests. 
 
 THE OPEN FRONT HOUSE. 
 
 The next best to a scratch-shed and roost-room house is a 
 
partially open front "fresh-air" house, with its little roost- 
 ing closet. There seems to be some extreme ideas in the 
 construction of the open front. 
 
 Some fresh air enthusiasts merely use cloth in place of 
 windows, tacking it on the casing instead of a frame as they 
 should. This not only shuts out much light and sunshine, 
 hut also excludes considerable of the fresh air that the cloth 
 window is supposed to give. Others will have the front all 
 open, closed only by a curtain that can be opened at will. 
 This is nothing more than a scratch-shed minus the roost- 
 room. 
 
 Then there is the Tolman fresh air house with the front 
 all open and not even a curtain to protect it from "the 
 bleak winds of winter." 
 
 Whatever success they claim or may have had in these 
 open fronts, it is a fact that these houses are much too cold 
 for the comfort of the inmates. The secret of their "success 
 is in having the snug roosting closets and keeping the hens 
 busy from break of day until dark, and also extra heavy 
 feeding. Now I believe in abundance of exercise, but this 
 can be overdone like most other things. Fowls need a little 
 rest during the day as well as at night and will do all the 
 better for it. Even the Cornell laying house which is 15 
 feet square and 7V> feet high in front with only one-fifth of 
 the front open and a curtain frame to shut down on coldest 
 nights is too much "open" for all weather. Their statements 
 prove it. They said that more eggs were laid per hen dur- 
 ing the winter where the pens were crowded than in the 
 pens where they had plenty of room, with the same feed 
 (per hen) and the same care, and the same kind of hens 
 from the same flock. Of course it was warmer where the 
 pens were crowded which goes to show that the house was 
 too cold for its capacity. 
 
 If we must have an open front house let us by all means 
 have a "happy medium." 
 
 One square foot open front to every six or seven fowls 
 or 30 to 35 square feet of floor space is sufficient for this 
 latitude in winter and this should be closed by a curtain 
 in the coldest weather. 
 
 Of course the windows should be open during mild 
 weather. 
 
THE CLOSED HOUSE. 
 
 The closed front anti-fresh-air house should be antique, 
 but it is a. fact to be regretted that it is still very much in 
 evidence. There are still a great many poultry raisers 
 \vho are as afraid of a little fresh air on a cold day as the 
 old folks used to be of "love apples." 
 
 Just so long as this style of house exists, so will the cold 
 roup and canker cures find a large sale. It is a fact not to 
 be denied that more colds, roup, etc. have been caused by 
 the want of a little fresh air than from all other causes 
 combined. Of course the doors and windows can be opened 
 in mild weather, but the frost will gather on the walls and 
 roof on cold nights which will make the house damp more 
 or less all the time during cold weatheT. That uncomfort- 
 able chill is always perceptible in a closed house 
 
 LOCATION. 
 An ideal location for a poultry house would seem to be 
 on a knoll sloping mostly to the southeast, in an orchard, 
 but this is not always desirable as the orchard may not be 
 conveniently located. Dry ground and convenience are the 
 prime factors in location. If there are no trees, some quick 
 growing fruit trees should be set out. 
 
 THE FOUNDATION. 
 
 A cement foundation is the best and the cheapest in the 
 end. While short posts set in the ground might answer 
 the purpose, they will rot out after a few years, and to 
 make a rat proof house, fine mesh wire netting would have 
 to be sunk in the ground which will rust in a short time. 
 
 To build the cement foundation, stake out where the 
 sills are to be. Then dig a trench about a foot wide and 
 twenty inches deep or below the frost level and fill with 
 small stone and cement. Then build a cement wall about 
 ten inches above the ground, laying the sills on the wall 
 before it sets. 
 
 THE FLOOR. 
 
 A matched board floor is the best, but it is more expen- 
 sive than a cement floor, which is about as good if properly 
 constructed. A gravel floor is all right only it is much 
 harder to keep clean. From four to six inches of the sur- 
 face should be thrown out and replaced with fresh gravel 
 every now and then. 
 
6 
 
 To build a cement floor till in about seven inches deep 
 with small stone and about two indies of coarse gravel, 
 tamping it down well. Then cement about an inch thick 
 roan ling it up against the bottom of sill. The stone makes 
 a porous bed which prevents the dampness from coming up 
 through. This will be as warm and dry as any floor if 
 covered with a thin layer of sand or loam and the usual 
 scratching litter as all poultry house floors should be. 
 
 HALLWAYS EXPENSIVE. 
 
 What is called the Hunter plan of continuous scratching 
 shed house is ten feet wide with scratch shed 10 x 10 and 
 roost-room 8 x 10, without any hallway. The serious ob- 
 jection to this style of house is in passing through so many 
 doors in going from one pen to the other. Some poultry 
 men have changed this plan by adding a hallway in the 
 back, but these hallways are expensive, as they take up 
 room besides adding to the cost of the house, and they only 
 allow the fowls to be let out on one side of the house. The 
 Feathen up-to-date house has an elevated hallway in front 
 which is still more expensive, besides necessitating the un- 
 desirable feature of a higher and therefore colder house. 
 
 CONTINUOUS LAYING HOUSE— PLAN No. 1. 
 
 (Continuous [_ayin^ Mouse- 
 
 Plan No. 1 
 
 Jcratch pe-N 
 8X 14 Tt. 
 
 D03T 
 BOX 
 
 R.O© £> T S 
 
 Roost Roori 
 
 2x4 
 
 Ro O © T S 
 
 Roost Koot-i 
 & x \o\ p-r. 
 
 D '^^ 
 
 _^k 
 
 Coop 
 
 2X4 
 Ft 
 
 [] 
 
 .DcratchPen 
 flxi4 f-r. 
 
 DU5T 
 80X 
 
 -HGRit hopper 
 
 OPCN f"RONT 
 
 Hall Way 
 
 WINDOW 
 I I 
 
 Cj ROOND 
 
 3 i Ft Wide- 
 window OPtN TRONT 
 ' ' ' 
 
 Plan . 
 
 Scratch 
 pc-n 
 
 fixl4fr. 
 
 Water pan 
 
 OPtN TROUT 
 
|qlm>| ' 
 
 fed 
 
 tfnfi 
 
 f^RONT of R005T PEN5-PLAN No. J 
 
 Partition 5et ween Pcns-Plan No. I 
 
 WtOCrE 
 
 Partition Between 5med3-Plan No. I 
 
 ,y'^ 
 
 ■n, 
 
 TOP "DlACiRAM 
 
 Self 5hut»no door 
 that 5wing5 bothway5 
 
 TIN CONE 
 DOUBLE FEED HoppER COVER FOR 
 -+ FEET LONC WATER PAN 
 
 NtSTS 
 
 In this plan we have the desirable low house feature and 
 have only half as many doors to pass through as in tire 
 the usual scratch shed without hallway house (see ground 
 plan), and these doors are self-shutting and swing both 
 ways. There is no hallway except in front of the roost- 
 rooms and this does not lessen the capacity of the house. 
 
 The house is four feet high in the hack and six feet in 
 front and eight feet to the ridge pole, which is three and a 
 half feet from the front, making a short roof sloping to the 
 south as will be seen in the illustration. 
 
 The decided advantage of this roof over the single pitch 
 roof sloping to the north is that it allows more "head 
 room" for the same height of roof. For instance if you 
 had a single pitch roof four feet high in the back and eight 
 feet high in front it would he seven inches lower in the 
 center with the same cost to build an dthe same amount of 
 air space. There is some objection to having eaves in 
 front however Y-shaped troughs can easily be made out of 
 four or live inch boards to carry off all the drip in front. 
 
 The scratch sheds are 8 x 14 feet and the roost-rooms 
 
8 
 
 S x 10y 2 feet. The hallway in front of roost-room is 3y 2 
 feet wide. There is a sash door in front of roost-rooms 
 with an opening fully as large as the window opposite with 
 a half sasli window hinged in the lower half, which is 
 dosed in cold weather, These doors should he placed 2^2 
 feet or their width from the partition between roost-rooms 
 to permit them to swing hack out ot the way when not in 
 use. 
 
 A handy coop 2 x 4 feet is placed three feet from the 
 floor in the front corner of roost-room next to the shed. 
 The side and end should he of lath with a door inside about 
 PS inches square also door outside in the end next to the 
 hallway. 
 
 The roosts are in the hack end of roost-room with plat- 
 form underneath. The roosts should he 2x4 scantling 
 rounded broadside down, nailed to cross pieces and hung 
 with heavy wire to the rafters. The roost platform should 
 also he hung on wires. This prevents the lice from getting 
 so much of a foothold as they do when cleats are nailed to 
 the sides of the house. 
 
 The nests arc shown in the drawing. They arc placed 
 under the roost platform. They should be made 14 x 1(5 
 inches on the bottom, 6* inches high in the front and 16 
 inches in the hack and sides with a door 8 inches wide, 
 hinged at the bottom to get the eggs. The bottom of the 
 nests should not be fastened to the nests but hung to the 
 roost platform by wires. A 5-inch board should be fas- 
 tened to the bottom in front of the nests for a perch. 
 
 The open fronts in the scratch shed are 2y z x 7 feet and 
 3 feet from the ground. They are provided with curtain 
 (cheese cloth) frames hinged at the top which hook up to 
 the roof out of the way when not in use. 
 
 A large three gallon water pan is placed in the partition 
 between sheds next to the door and is then made to serve 
 two flocks. The cone shaped guard above the water pan 
 is made by cutting a piece of tin about two inches larger 
 around than the pan. then cut a V-shaped piece out of the 
 tin as shown in cut, turn in the edges so they won't cut the 
 fowls' combs. Saw an "A" slit in the partition about 
 three inches above the opening for the 1 pan. then slip tin 
 in place and fasten it with a couple of shingle nails. 
 
 The Feed hopper is also made to do double duty by plac- 
 
9 
 
 ing it in the partition. It should be five inches deep, 12 
 inches wide and 6 feet long. Two frames made of lath _ :; t 
 inches apart are fitted over the top "A" shape, one of 
 which is hinged as shown in the illustration. The grit and 
 shell hopper is the same only shorter, being 18 inches long 
 with a partition in the center. The hoppers and water pan 
 rest on a platform about 12 inches wide and six to eight 
 inches above the floor. This keeps them from being 
 scratched full of litter as is the case when on the floor. 
 
 The dust box or bath is about 8 inches deep, 2 feet wide 
 and 4 feet long which stands on legs 18 inches from the 
 floor. 
 
 One of the most convenient time sawing fixtures about 
 the poultry house is the shutting spring door that swings 
 both ways. The top diagram of this door will be seen in 
 illustration. As will be noticed the end of the door and the 
 casing where it is hinged is beveled. This casing is set 
 in or to one side the thickness of the door and strap hinges 
 are fastened to the door on one side and to the casing on 
 the other side. To make a tight door take a long strip 
 of oilcloth and tack on in the same manner. A common 
 door spring is put on each side of the door (as shown in 
 diagram). As the springs conteract each other in holding 
 the door stifly to its place, a catch or. jam (shown in dia- 
 gram) is necessary. There should be about i/o-inch play 
 1 ict ween door and the door casing all around, so that the 
 door may not bind. A narrow strip of old rubber or leath- 
 er may be put around edge of door to make it tight. 
 
 In building the house, 2x4 inch scantling may be used 
 throughout for the frame work. 
 
 Use two scantling for the sills, breaking joints and spik- 
 ing together. It is not necessary to have studding or cor- 
 ner posts if the siding is well nailed to the sills and plates. 
 A cheap grade of lumber covered with prepared roofing 
 may be used at a saving in cost and is just as good. Nepon- 
 set Red Rope Roofing for the sides and Paroid for the roof 
 is considered by many poultrynien to be the best. For the 
 more northern climate it is advisable to line the roost- 
 rooms when they are exposed to the weather, leaving a space 
 of 4 inches which should be packed with some material that 
 is a non-conductor of heat and cold, like fine straw or hay. 
 
10 
 CONTINUOUS LAYING HOUSE— PLAN No. 2. 
 
 Continuous Lavingt House- Plan No. C, 
 
 naif window 
 Haul-Way \ 
 
 nnr window 
 
 ,'3i f T Wide- 
 
 Scratch 
 Shed 
 
 6 ^ 14 Ft. 
 
 
 " 
 
 » 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 R.003T5 
 
 ROODT5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ]. , 
 
 B. ,.C 
 
 
 Scratch 
 
 2>H E-D 
 
 6X ItTT- 
 
 OP6-N Front 
 
 j Roost room 
 6 x iOi ri 
 
 W IN DOW 
 
 ROOST- ROOM 
 
 8 x iOi Ft 
 
 OprM Front 
 
 VfATE-R. Pan 
 
 feeo Hoppe-R^. 
 
 mG-R-ITANO^MELl 
 HOPPER 
 
 G-R.OUND Plan 
 
 Tliis plan is similar to Plan No. 1, as will be seen by il- 
 lustration, except that the hallway is in the back part of the 
 house intsead of the front. This necessitates having the 
 
 Partition Between. Pens- Plan No. 2 Partition Between 3he-ds- Plan No.2. 
 
 coop "coop 
 
 > Oooft , [i OooR 
 
 ■e- 
 
 -s- 
 
 kocot Platform docr 
 
 I coop ; "coop 
 
 DOO R I El OoOR 
 
 43- 
 
 ©— 
 
 Roost Platform Door 
 
 DOOR To NESTS 
 
 -Q £9- 
 
 Back op Roost Rooms - Plan No. £ 
 
11 
 
 back 6 feet high, the same as the front, which increases the 
 cost of the house and makes it somewhat colder on account 
 of more air space, unless ceiled overhead. On the other 
 hand it is much more convenient. The dropping- board 
 may be cleaned and the eggs gathered from the hallway — 
 a decided advantage over the front hallway. 
 
 About the same arrangement for the roosts, nests, water 
 pans, feed hoppers, etc. is made as for Plan No. 1, except 
 of course the nests are next to the hallway with a board in 
 front to darken them as will be noticed in the diagram of 
 the partition between pens. 
 
 The coops above the roosts serve to keep the fowls more 
 comfortable while on the roost, besides the many other 
 ways in which they are useful. 
 
 An opening about two feet square and two feet from the 
 floor, should be made in the partition between scratch-sheds 
 and roost-rooms next to the front end for fresh air. 
 
 THE BREEDING HOUSE. 
 
 T^KEE" P^N f3f\EEDIN^ M ou 5 E: l°X24 FEET. 
 
 Roosts P-oo st e> 
 
 PE M 
 
 <3x io n. 
 
 © 
 
 Pen 
 
 8 X IO Ft. 
 
 T<oo ^T £> 
 
 © 
 
 pErN 
 6 X IO Ft. 
 
 .1 
 
 a 
 
 Cjround Plan 
 The next illustration shows a three pen breeding house 
 10 x 24 feet, which makes each pen 8 x 10. It is 6 feet high 
 in front and 4 feet in the back with a short roof sloping to 
 
12 
 
 tli; 1 south. The doors in front are 2 feet wide with open- 
 ings in the door IS inches square. The windows are six light 
 8 x 10 inch glass. The front doors can be opened in good 
 weather, which practically tuins the house into a scratch 
 shed. The scratch shed plan would not he practical for 
 such a small house as it would make the pens too small. 
 
 THE FARM POULTRY HOUSE. 
 
 FARM / D ot/z.r/5.y //c^j/r /ox^o^-t. 
 
 } 
 
 /o x/o rr. 
 
 /ox /o 
 
 I DOOr 
 
 P wir 
 
 PEN 
 
 /O X to 
 
 \fv/1\fOOW 
 
 5hed 
 
 /OX/O F"T. 
 
 O oo /£. CO 
 
 open mo 
 
 coo* 
 
 GROUND PLAN. 
 
 In this illustration we have a good plan for a farm poul- 
 try house or a poultry farm colony laying house. It is 10 
 x 40 feet with two scratch sheds and two roost rooms each 
 10 x 10 feet. The back side is 4 feet high and the front 7 
 feel with the roof all sloping to the north. 
 
 Of course only one roost-room and scratch-shed may he 
 built where only one flock is wanted, but for an egg farm 
 on the colony plan, I should build these double houses and 
 let one flock have their freedom every other day as I know 
 they will do just as well, if not a little bit better, than when 
 they are allowed free range every day. 
 
 A LOW FRONT LAYING HOUSE. 
 
 This illustration shows a house that was built of second- 
 hand lumber all 4K. foot lengths. It is 14 by 28 feet and 
 4>/j feet high both in front and hack. The sills are 4x4 
 inches and plates and rafters 2x4, no studding being used. 
 The fresh air openings in front are 2 by 4 feet, with two 
 single sash slide windows in front and one at each end. 
 This style of house does very well for one or two pens, as 
 

 f 
 
 ROOST5 
 
 B.O OS TS 
 
 
 
 
 
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 V 
 
 
 
 
 
 z 
 
 P£N J4 x 14 Ft ( 
 
 ) Pen 14 x i4 Tt 
 
 
 
 
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 . i 
 
 V 
 
 J 
 
 J; 
 
 .3 
 
 
 D 
 
 
 1 
 
 • 
 
 f' 
 
 
 
 open winoqw 
 
 WNOO* OPEN 
 
 
 the windows in the cuds allow the sun to shine in the back 
 part of the house sometime during the day. 
 
 COLONY HOUSES. 
 
 EXERtlSINO 
 
 CHAMBER 
 
 3k x4iFEeT 
 
 CHAMBE R_ 
 
 Cpmbination Brooder an ° Colony Mouse- 
 
14 
 
 The Style "A" Colony House is quite popular on some 
 oi the largest and most successful poultry farms. The 'A" 
 House illustrated is 5 feet wide, 8 feet long, 7 feet high in 
 the center and 18 inches at the eaves. The two windows 
 are 3 light 8 by 10 inch glass hinged at top and have long- 
 wire hooks to fasten them open when desired. The door is 
 two feet wide with an opening 18 inches square which is 
 provided with a cloth frame when the house is used for 
 young chicks. A light wire frame door also fits inside and 
 is hinged on the outside door to swing the same way and 
 hooks on to this door when not in use. All the frame 
 needed for this house is two sills or runners 2x6 inches 8 
 feet long, two 2 by 3 plates and one ridge pole 5 feet long. 
 Nail 5 foot boards to runners for the floor; build up the 
 ends next and then put on the roof which takes 7 foot 
 boards. Fasten cleats under the out edge of roof to nail to, 
 the back and front sides. Second grade lumber may be 
 used and covered with Neponset Booting, in fact I think 
 this better than the best matched lumber. 
 
 THE STYLE "B" COLONY HOUSE has proven itself 
 very satisfactory. It is also 5 by 8 feet, 3 feet high in the 
 hack and 6 feet high in front. The door and window have 
 practically the same arrangement as the Style "A" house. 
 (See illustration). 
 
 THE COMBINATION OUT-DOOR BROODER AND 
 ( !OLONY HOUSE is VA by 8 feet, 4 feet high in front and 
 2y 2 in the back. It has a removable nursery 3 by 3 feet as 
 shown in the ground plan. This nursery is only 10 inches 
 high and has a cloth frame cover hinged at the back and 
 which fits tightly against the window and door in front. 
 The door in front of the nursery is 33 inches wide with a 3 
 light window 8 x 10 glass at the bottom so as to light the 
 inside of the nursery. The other door is 30 inches wide 
 with a 4 light sash hinged at top with wire hook to fasten 
 it open. 
 
 The lamp box, heater and hover part of the home-made 
 brooder described on next page (or any brooder heater) 
 can be used in this house, but should be arranged so il can 
 be easily taken out when not in use. The runners must be 
 9 inches wide to raise the floor high enough for the lamp 
 box underneath. A loose board should be fitted in lie- 
 
15 
 
 twesn the runners at each end to prevent the wind from get- 
 ting under the floor. 
 
 A PRACTICAL HOME-MADE BROODER, 
 
 vSlDE DjAOR^AM 
 
 Glads 
 
 'O x i<3 
 
 35I55E: 
 
 BQARlT 
 
 TR.ONT ELEVATION 
 
 Back Elevation Showing Lamp Box 
 
 I have used the brooder shown in illustration for many 
 years and the only fault I find with it is that the chicks 
 have to climb to get into the brooder However, they don't 
 seem to mind it after the first few days. The side diagram 
 shows the brood chamber at "C" which is 32 inches each 
 way, 9 inches high at the back and 17 inches high in front. 
 "B" shows the lamp box which is 12 inches wide 22 inches 
 long and about 8 inches deep according to height of lamp. 
 "D" is a dome above the lamp which is nothing more than 
 a large deep pressed tin basin soldered to a piece of tin 
 large enough to fit over the top of lamp box. The tin is 
 held to its place by nailing a one-inch strip to the top edge 
 of lamp box which forms the hot air chamber shown at 
 "AA". Four %-inch fresh air holes are bored into thel 
 
16 
 
 hot air chamber in the manner shown at "FF." "R" rep- 
 resents the "register" which is 3 1 /, inches above the floor 
 and 11 inches in diameter with tine perforated tin around 
 the top edge l 1 /. inches wide. "H" is the hover which 
 should be round and '2'2 inches in diameter with six inch 
 wood screws for legs as shown at "SS." The hover is "up- 
 holstered" with strips of flannel by 2 inches wide which is 
 tacked on in ruffles outside the "register." A strip with 
 slits cut about every two inches is also fastened around 
 edge of hover. The lamp is the heart of the brooder and 
 a good safety lamp made especially for this purpose should 
 be used. A piece of tin about 11 by 20 inches with a knob 
 on the end will answer for a lamp slide. The bottom of 
 lamp box may also be of tin and the sides and end lined 
 with asbestos — also the floor of brooder above the lamp box. 
 The door to the lamp box should have a three inch hole 
 for ventilation and if exposed to the winds a glass should 
 be fitted on the door cleats leaving an open space at the 
 bottom of door (inside) of at least 1 by 6 inches. 
 
 TIIK "A" BROOD COOP. 
 
 5tyle'A" Brood Coop 
 
 Run Used With A" Coop 
 
 5q.uare Brood Coup 
 
 Feedino, Rack For Chicks 
 
 Chick Ffco Trough nest box for 5ett.no hens 
 
17 
 
 For the natural way of raising chickens the style "A" 
 coops answers its purpose about as well as any. It is 
 easily made, takes little material and sheds rain better 
 than any other coop. The size of the coop in the illustra- 
 tion is 34 inches long in front and 24 inches wide. The 
 sides (roof) are 30 inches long. The floor is removable 
 and fits inside the coop and is nailed to a 1 x 4 inch piece in 
 the manner shown at k 'B", the coop resting on the same 
 piece. The "A" slat coop used with this coop is 34 inches 
 wide and 4 feet long. It is made of lath 7 / s of an inch apart 
 (1 inch wire netting may be used in place of lath). The 
 shelter board shown at "C" is placed between the coop on 
 <oll nights, in the manner indicated by the dotted lines. 
 To let the chicks out and still confine the mother hen, draw 
 the coops apart -21^ to 3 inches. 
 
 SQUARE BROOD COOP. 
 
 The next illustration shows a brood coop 30 inches 
 square, 24 inches high in front, 16 inches high in the back. 
 This coop may easily be built out of a dry goods box near- 
 ly the right shape and size. To get the desired slant to the 
 roof, take an eight inch board 30 inches long and saw it in 
 two pieces in the manner shown at "D." A drop door 14 
 by 30 inches is placed in front. It is best to have a slat 
 coop or run 30 by 48 inches and 16 inches high. ■ 
 
 CHICK FEEDING HACK . 
 
 Where chicks and old fowls are allowed to run together, 
 a slat feeding coop or rack is necessary to keep) the older 
 ones from eating up the chicken food. 
 
 The feeding rack illustrated is 16 inches high, 24 inches 
 wide and five feet long, or it can be made longer if neces- 
 sary. It is made of lath sawed in three pieces for the sides 
 and two pieces for the top The lath is nailed to 1 x 3 inch 
 strips 2% inches apart. The feed trough used in the rack 
 is simply a board one foot wide and a foot shorter than 
 rack with a 2 inch strip nailed around the edges. 
 
 THE SETTING HENS' NESTS. 
 
 Take a box about 16 inches high, 18 inches wide and 30 
 
 inches long. Make a closed double nest with a drop door 
 
 in front as will be seen by the illustration. I find this nest 
 
 1o be the most satisfactory for setting hens. Better hatches 
 
18 
 
 can be secured by shutting the hens on the nests and let 
 them off at a regular time every day. Shut the door so 
 they can't get back on the nest until the eggs cool enough. 
 
 THE TRAP NEST. 
 
 A Simple Trap Nc^t. 
 A simple, yet a most convenient and effective trap nest 
 is shown herewith. It is 16 inches high, 15 inches wide and 
 18 inches long. The top projects over the front 3 inches 
 to make sure of catching the door. The door and trip are 
 made of lath and both are nailed to a three cornered piece 
 which holds the pivot. The hen steps on, the trip as she 
 enters the nest, which pushes it down and this raises the 
 door, which catches into a latch at top of nest as shown in 
 illustration. 
 
 DRY MASH HOPPER, 
 
 *** 
 
 A 5ELf Feedinq Hopper tor DryMash 
 
 Everyone who has had any experience with dry mash 
 hoppers knows how difficult it is to make one that will work 
 freely and at the same time not waste the feed. The hop- 
 per here shown is 6 inches wide, 24 inches long, 24 inches 
 high at the back and 18 inches in front which must be 
 straight up and down. The mouth of hopper is 4 inches 
 deep and 5 inches wide. Lath is placed in front 2' ._. inches 
 
19 
 
 amit to keep the hens from throwing out the feed. A tin 
 is ]>iit in the bottom as indicated by the dotted line to carry 
 tli? feed towards the front. 
 
 PORTABLE FENCE. 
 
 Portable. Fence Panel with gate. 
 
 Portable Fznce Panel 
 
 ( hie of the handiest things about the poultry yard is a 
 few lengths of portable fence. A small yard can be set 
 up anywhere in a few minutes. 
 
 The illustration shows a panel with gate and one without 
 gate 1 . One pane] in every tour to nine should be made with 
 gate depending on the size of yards most likely to be want- 
 ed. The panels are 12 feet long and 4 feet high (or higher 
 for Leghorns). The frames are made of 1 by 4 inch strips. 
 
20 
 
 Tlie middle strips should be 1 ' - or 2 feet below the top 
 wire. By using 1 inch mesh wire below the middle piece and 
 two or three inch mesh above, the panel may be used for 
 either fowls or chicks. A shoe, as seen in illustration, takes 
 the place of posts. The opening in the center of shoe 
 should be wide enough to admit two panels, so to let them 
 slip by about four inches. A narrow piece about three 
 inches long nailed to panel on each side of shoe at top holds 
 it to its place. The shoe should be about four feet long and 
 two feet high. 
 
Handy Egg Record and 
 Poultry Account Book 
 
 A 12 Months Record for 12 Pens 
 
 The simplest and most convenient 
 system ever devised for keeping 
 an accurate record of eggs laid, rec- 
 ord of hatching, income and expense 
 account, etc. 
 
 Printed on the best paper that will 
 not blot, and bound in extra heavy 
 dark colored paper cover. 
 Price 15 cents. 
 
 For sale by the leading poultry papers and supply 
 dealers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the pub- 
 lisher. EMORY E. BANKS, 
 
 East Pembroke, N. Y. 
 
 One copy del. to Cat. Div. 
 hi l 2\ nw 
 
I ML 2 
 
 SSSLSL co ^ress 
 
 002 838 826 3 •