EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



255 



DROPPINGS PLATFORM. 



In order to facilitate cleanliness in the house and to greatly reduce 

 the amount of filth, droppings boards should by all means be used. 

 By using a little precaution in placing the droppings boards so as not 

 to obstruct the light the entire floor space beneath can be utilized for 

 a scratching floor. At least six inches should be allowed between the 

 droppings boards and the roosts, the distance depending entirely upon 

 the arrangement of the roosts. If the platform is made in sections it 

 can be handled much more easily, as it is frequently found desirable 

 to remove them in cleaning. Smooth flooring is the most desirable ma- 

 terial to use; when expense is not considered the cleaning is greatly 

 facilitated if this is covered with tin or sheet iron. 



ROOSTS a."^z' 



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Fig. 7. Nests located under droppings-boards. 



PARTITIONS. 



Although drafts are prevented to a considerable extent by having all 

 the openings on one side of the house, yet in long houses drafts can be 

 created by the wind driving in one window and out another. In order to 

 avoid this solid partitions of boards or a combination of wire screen 

 and canvass can be installed at intervals of about 50 feet. Occasionally 

 these solid partitions extend out only the width of the roosting chamber, 

 but all partitions should be solid for two to three feet from the floor to 

 break drafts and prevent fighting through the wire netting. 



NESTS. 



Convenience in handling and usefulness are the main requirements for 

 satisfactory nests. Portable nests greatly facilitate cleaning while 

 darkened nests not only afford a feeling of security on the part of 

 the hen but also tend to reduce the amount of egg eating. 



Fig. 7 shows a method of locating nests under the droppings boards 

 still maintaining these requirement^. After the droppings boards have 

 been made, the nests are constructed and placed underneath, merely 



