Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 183, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1919 — ROOM IN THE POULTRY HOUSE [ARTICLE]

ROOM IN THE POULTRY HOUSE

The majority. of growers put too many fowls together in one poultry house. A house ten feet square should not contain over a dozen large fowls and 15 small ones. For 100 hens a house 16 by 60 and divided into two or three apartments will answer. If two apartments are used there will be 50 in a flock, the space being 60 by 30 feet for 50 fowls. An excellent plan is a house 16 by 32 feet, divided into two compartments, 16 by 16 feet each, with 25 hens in each compartment. The space gives ample room for scratching under shelter in winter. An extra shed for scratching will also be appreciated by the hens. It can be built at a small cost and will afford ample room. In summer the fowls can roost under the sheds. The yards should be about ten times the space of the houses, but the larger the better, and the deeper the houses and sheds, that is, depth to the rear, on the ground—the more comfortable the fowls. Each house can have a double yard, so as to change the fowls from one yard to the other. A yard in front and one In the rear is an excellent plan. The best way to estimate how many hens to keep in a building is to multiply the width by the length and divide by ten. For Instance, if a house is 9 by 16 feet, multiply the two figures together, making 144 square feet, divide this by ten, and there is a fraction over 14. Do not put more than 15 hens in such a house.