Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 250, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 October 1911 — CLEAN WATER FOR FOWLS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CLEAN WATER FOR FOWLS

One of the difficult problems tor the poultryman to solve is how to easily provide pure, fresh water for his fowls. Many patent fountains which are on the market are automatic and keep before the fowls a certain quantity. Under certain conditions these fountains serve an admirable purpose. Under more adverse conditions many of these patent contrivances fail to give satisfaction for the simple reason that it is Impossible to keep them dean.

If fowl were fed only whole grain and the weather was always cool, it would be a comparatively easy matter to provide satisfactory automatic drinking fountains, but as soft food forms a considerable portion of the diet for laying hens and. fattening fowls, these fountains are necessarily more or less fouled and in warm weather soon become unfit for use aa drinking fountains on account of the tainted water and disagreeable odor. A simple wholesome arrangement may be made as folows: Place an ordinary milk pan on a block or shallow box, the top of which shall be four or five inches from the floor. The water or milk to be drunk by tht fowl is to be placed in this pan. Over the pan is placed a board covet supported on pieces of lath about eight inches long, nailed to the covei so that they are about twp inchei apart, the lower ends resting upoi the box which forms the support ol the pan. In order to drink from the pan 11 will be necessary for the fowls tc Insert their heads between these stripi of lath. The cover over the pan and the strips of lath at the sides preventi the fowl from fouling the water in anj manner except in the act of drinking Where drinking pans of this kind are used, it is very easy to cleanse and scald them with hot-water as occasloi demands. This arrangement can be qarried i little further by placing a pan, oi what would be still better, a long narrow dish, -something like a til bread tray, on a low shelf, and hinging the cover to one side of the poultrj house so that it can be tipped up ii front for the removal of the dish oi tor filling it with water. Whatevei device is used, it must be easUy cleaned and of free access to fowls at al' times.