TJic Country Gentleman s Magazine 



by the severe training of their chickenhood, 

 may be comparatively much less hurt by 

 sleeping in a hovel than the different varieties 

 of more generous descent. Still, as the 

 smaller classes of cattle and sheep are now 

 much improved, even on their native uplands, 

 by closer attention and more genial treat- 

 ment than formerly, all sorts of poultry are 

 much the better for comfortable roosts in 

 roomy, well-roofed houses. Perhaps nothing 

 is worse than a leeky roof and a penetrating 

 draught. Indeed, a duck's fondness for water 

 is fully equalled by a hen's aversion to it. As 

 for draughts, geese and ducks are the only 

 poultr)- little affected by them, while other 

 classes pay the penalty of exposure to them in 

 much the same way as man himself, by suffer- 

 ing from sore throats, weak eyes, swollen head, 

 and general debility. This state of things is 

 particularly true of such stocks as are con- 

 fined within too limited runs during the day, 

 and are too crowded on their roosts at night. 

 Yet there must be abundant fresh air admitted. 

 If the walls of the house be of stone or 

 bricks, this can be done through openings 

 in the roof fonned by raising one or more 

 tiles or slates high enough up to save the 

 fowls from the direct current of colder air. 

 If the house be of wood, and the roof of felt 

 or other tarred cloth, the object will be best 

 gained by slight crevices between the boards, 

 or holes bored through the door, or by the 

 door itself being a loose fit, always guarding 

 against a cold current rushing through the 

 heads of the fowls. In summer, when the 

 atmosphere is not too damp, the slip admit- 

 ting into the yards, when not placed opposite 

 the door, may be left open at night, wholly 

 or partially, as the temperature outside de- 

 mands. In a house made of boards over- 

 lapping one another, the roof may be made 

 I)erfectly tight, and a plentiful supply of fresh 

 air be obtained from the effect of the 

 sun's rays on the side-boarding and door. 

 Hence most experienced poultry-fanciers pre- 

 fer wooden houses to all others ; and certainly 

 in warm weather they merit the preference 

 awarded to them ; while in winter any too 

 open part can be stopped up with straw or 

 hay, and if necessary, the whole walls may 



be made weather-proof by a screen canvas 

 placed over them. Ventilation is also a very 

 easy matter when the houses are not confined 

 by their vicinity to other larger erections, as 

 may be seen in the middle of a park devoted 

 chiefly to the poultry of its wealthy owner. 

 In such a situation, where room abounds, 

 small moveable houses are decidedly the 

 best. 



All houses, of whatever material formed, 

 should be high enough for a large-sized man 

 to stand erect in them, except under the 

 lowest part of the roof, where there is no 

 occasion to enter unless in a stooping posture 

 to gather the eggs. This implies that the 

 roosting spars should be placed under the 

 highest part of the roof, and the nest under 

 the lowest part, as they should be. Where 

 room is precious the nests should be covered 

 in above, thus dispensing with all other 

 assistance to the birds when flying to the 

 roosting spars or descending from them. 

 The spars may be made of any soft wood 

 from 3 to 3j^ inches wide, a little rounded on 

 the upper side, and the sharp edges taken off, 

 We do not find any necessity for retaining the 

 bark, if the spar be made of sawn fir. 



The height of the perch should not exceed 

 3 or 4 feet, and should never be very near 

 the roof, otherwise the cocks' combs will run 

 imminent risk of being frost-bitten by coming 

 in contact with the roof All poultry, for 

 the sake of cleanliness, should have this spar 

 or perch — Cochins not excepted, although 

 theii's need not be more than 2 feet above 

 the floor. Indeed, all lumpish poultry, in- 

 cluding the strong-winged but tender-toed 

 Dorking, should have low roosts ; and when 

 the more active breeds, as Game, Hamburghs, 

 and Spanish, are allowed to mount 5 or 6 

 feet above the floor, the range of nests should 

 be closed in above with a wide board to aftbrd 

 them a landing-place when they leave their 

 perch. Earthen floors are the best, but to 

 remove from the fowls all temptation to scrape 

 them up, they should be beaten hard, well 

 watered on the surface, and then smoothed 

 down with a trowel. 



When the houses are numerous it will be 

 a great advantage to have them planned so as 



