Pratt's Practical Pointers on the Care of Livestock and Poultry Part 14

~Poultry Houses~

When locating the poultry house remember that it is a great advantage to have soil which is light and naturally well drained, since such soil dries off quickly after a rain and is "much warmer," as poultrymen express it. Heavy soil, even stiff clay, may be made to serve the purpose admirably if provision is made to drain off all surface water.

But avoid a site on which water settles in pools, as the surface soon becomes filthy and is a menace to the health of the flock.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NEW JERSEY MULTIPLE UNIT HOUSE Two units combined to house two hundred fowls]

The birds should have the benefit of several hours of suns.h.i.+ne each day.

So locate the poultry house where the sun can strike it freely. The shelter of tall buildings on the north, or even on the east or west, is frequently an advantage during the winter months, but the south side should be open if conditions permit. Shade trees and large shrubs about the house are a source of comfort to the fowls during hot weather and may be used to screen or partially hide the poultry plant.

The poultry house must be dry, well-ventilated, free from draughts, light, sunny and cheerful. And if it is planned with reference to the convenience of the poultryman, so much the better. The most simple and inexpensive form of construction should be used. In all sections of the country, excepting the extreme north, a single wall of matched boards on a light frame is perfectly satisfactory. Unmatched boards with battens nailed over the cracks or a layer of lightweight roofing paper over all are equally good. In fact, in case of necessity, one may use the roughest of lumber, and by covering the entire structure with roofing paper make a building which is tight and comfortable and acceptable in appearance.

The rear and end walls and roof must be _tight_ to insure dryness and prevent all draughts. Windows and doors may be placed in end walls, but these should usually be located forward of the center of the building and made to fit snugly. The rear part of the house, where the roosts are located, must at all costs be protected against cross-currents of air.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ROOST]

The south or front walls, on the other hand, should have ample openings to admit air and suns.h.i.+ne. The open-front or fresh-air type of house is much superior to the old tightly closed type. Plenty of fresh air means comfort, health, vitality and increased production.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]

+ -------+ | "~PRATTS MAKES HENS LAY~" | | | |~What is Pratts Poultry Regulator?~ A positive tonic and conditioner for| |poultry of all kinds and ages. _A health-builder and health-preserver._ | |Not a food. | | | |~What does it contain?~ Roots, herbs, spices, mineral substances, etc. | |Each ingredient performs a certain duty. The combination spells "health | |insurance." | | | |~What does it do?~ Pratts Poultry Regulator makes and keeps poultry | |healthy, vigorous and productive. It shortens the molt, sharpens the | |appet.i.te, improves digestion and circulation, hastens growth and | |increases egg-production. _It saves feed_ by preventing waste due to | |poor digestion. _It prevents disease by_ keeping the birds in condition | |to resist the common ailments. | | | |~Has it been fully tested?~ Yes! In general use for nearly fifty years. | |The _original_ poultry conditioner. Imitated, but unequalled. | | | |~Does it give general satisfaction?~ Positively! _Satisfaction | |guaranteed or money refunded._ Test it at our risk. Increased egg | |production will prove that "Pratts makes hens lay." | | | |~How is it best used?~ Daily in small quant.i.ties. For adults, | |tablespoonful daily for 10 birds. Younger stock in proportion. Mix with | |dry or moist mash. | | | |~What does it cost?~ Nothing, because _it pays big profits_. About a | |cent a month per hen is the investment required. | | | |~Where can I get it?~ From 60,000 Pratt dealers. There is one near you. | |Direct from the Pratt Food Co., prepaid, if your dealer can't supply | |you. | | | |[Ill.u.s.tration: PRATTS EGG PRODUCER] | |[Ill.u.s.tration: PRATTS POULTRY REGULATOR] | | | | "~YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED~" | | | + -------+

[Ill.u.s.tration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]

_Cincinnati, O.

I have been using your poultry foods and remedies with the best of satisfaction and results for the last ten years.

FRED O. FLAHERTY._

[Ill.u.s.tration: SIMPLE A-SHAPED HOUSE]

From a quarter to a third of the front wall should be left open. Cover the openings with one-inch mesh wire netting to keep the fowls in and repel all enemies and food-seeking sparrows. Cloth-covered frames should be provided to close these openings and keep out driving storms. The cloth, should be open in texture, as coa.r.s.e cotton or heavy cheese cloth, not "boardy" and air-tight. Frames may be left loose to hook or b.u.t.ton on inside or outside, or hinged to the top of the openings and swung up against the roof when not in use. In some cases, as in the Tolman house, these openings are never closed, day or night, summer or winter.

It is advisable to provide one or more gla.s.s windows in addition to the openings referred to above in order to admit light when the cloth-covered frames are closed. The windows may be placed in either the front wall or the side walls. In the latter case the sun is admitted to the building more hours each day, which is a big advantage during the fall and winter months.

Poultry house floors may be of cement, boards or earth. Cement is best for large, permanent structures. Board floors are excellent in houses of any size and are almost a necessity in small ones which may be moved frequently. Earth floors seem to be favored by the fowls, but if used the earth should be filled in to bring the floor level several inches above the surrounding ground. This to insure dryness.

The accompanying cuts show typical designs of satisfactory poultry houses. When building, just bear the above principles in mind and the results will be satisfactory.

The Tolman type is a strictly "fresh air" or "open front" house. For a flock of thirty to forty birds this house should be ten feet wide, sixteen feet front to back, seven feet to peak of roof, front wall four feet and rear wall five feet high. The highest point of roof is five feet from the rear wall.

The entire south side is a wire-covered opening, save for boards placed as shown in the cut. A full-sized door is located in the east wall opposite the window in the west side. Roosts are placed near the north wall, level with or slightly above the front opening.

[Ill.u.s.tration: V-SHAPED FEED TROUGH]

[Ill.u.s.tration: NEST BOX]

[Ill.u.s.tration: DRY MASH HOPPER]

[Ill.u.s.tration: GRIT OR Sh.e.l.l HOPPER]

[Ill.u.s.tration: WATER BUCKET]

_Port Dover, Canada.

After a long experience I find Pratts Poultry Regulator to be absolutely the best tonic to keep a flock of poultry in condition.

Just as soon as I find a pen is not doing well, I use the Regulator in their mash. Almost immediately I notice their appet.i.tes improve, their combs redden and they lay better. I have also made trial of your other remedies and I find them all absolutely reliable.

JOHN S. MARTIN_

For a flock of one hundred or more birds the New Jersey Multiple Unit Laying House is to be recommended. Each unit is twenty feet square, accommodating a hundred fowls. Similar units may be added for each hundred additional birds. The drawing on page 48 shows two units.

In this house the front studs are nine feet high, rear studs are four and a half feet high.

Simple, inexpensive furnis.h.i.+ngs are best. The cuts show home-made equipment which will meet all practical requirements.

~Getting the Eggs~

Early-hatched, well-matured pullets are the most dependable layers during the fall and early winter months. Some few yearling hens may continue to lay fairly well during their molting period, but, as a rule, egg production drops with the feathers and does not begin until the new coat of plumage is completed and the system readjusted. So yearlings, taken as a whole, do little toward filling the egg-basket until January or later.

Get the early-hatched pullets into winter quarters by late September or early October before they begin to lay. But be sure the house is fully prepared in advance. Clean house! Disinfect thoroughly with a strong solution of Pratts Poultry Disinfectant. Kill every germ. Avoid possible loss.

_Cherokee, Iowa.

I have used Pratts Poultry Regulator for the last twenty years and always had the best of results. It is a great egg producer and the best feed to keep little chicks strong and guard off that terrible disease, bowel complaint. In fact, I cannot do without it.

GEO. WM. LYON._

~Get Fall and Winter Eggs~