EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X. 605 



a small part may be curtained off from the rest of the house so that the 

 heat from the fowls' bodies will warm it sufficiently. The scratching or 

 exercising part should be light and cool, but free from draughts. 



Pure Air. — Ventilation must be secured, as fowls cannot remain in a 

 healthy condition in foul, damp, stagnant air. But in securing change of 

 air we must be careful to prevent draughts, especially in those apartments 

 where the fowls roost. 



Roosts. — Roosts should be made of 2x3's. They should be planed off 

 smooth, rounded slightly on the upper corners and should be free from 

 splits or cracks, as vermin lodge in these crevices and are hard to dis- 

 lodge. The roosts should be placed low — not more than 3 feet from 

 the floor — and should be at least 18 to 20 inches from the wall. If more 

 than one roost is used, all should be on a level, for if you put one higher 

 than another the fowls will crowd for the higher roost. Low roosts are 

 easier to mount and to fly from. A drop board should be placed under 

 the roosts 20 inches in width for single roosts and 36 inches for two 

 roosts. This must be made of planed inch lumber, so that it can be easily 

 cleaned at least twice a week. 



The nests can be placed under the drop board. They must be 15 inches 

 wide and 18 inches deep. Hens like to steal away in a quiet place to lay, 

 so it is best to leave the opening on the side next to the wall. A little 

 drop door may be arranged on the back from which to gather the eggs. 



Roosts, nests and drop boards should be so arranged that all can be 

 taken out easily should you wish to give the quarters a thorough cleaning. 

 The inside must be whitewashed now and again. This will add to the 

 appearance as well as imprison vermin that may be lurking about in the 

 crevices. 



A ground floor serves a good purpose. Raise it 4 to 5 inches above the 

 ground outside. Put in 3 Inches of coal ashes or gravel and fill in the 

 remainder with sand, or make it entirely of sand. In August the upper 

 2 inches of sand may be removed and the space filled in again with fresh 

 material. Let this be done early, so that the fioor may be well dried out 

 before the poultry have to be inclosed. The sand floor should then be 

 covered with chaffed clover hay, alfalfa or straw, which must be frequently 

 renewed. As has been already mentioned, the drop board and roosts 

 should be put in so that they may be easily taken out for cleaning and a 

 sun bath. 



The partitions ought to be made of matched lumber to about 4 feet in 

 height, and the remainder of wire netting. Each partition should have 

 a door large enough for a person to walk through. Down at the bottom 

 of the wall, leading from the pen to the yard or scratching pen, there 

 should be a small opening, 10x12 inches, through which the hens may 

 pass in and out. 



A cheap, convenient, suitable house for the ordinary farm is made 

 somewhat as follows: It is made in the form of a lean-to 16 feet long, 

 10 feet wide, 8 feet high at front and 4 at rear. The frame is made of 2x8 

 scantling. It is single-boarded and battened all around except in the little 

 roosting compartment farthest from the door. This part is made warm 

 by means of paper and matched lumber on the outside, and in front of the 

 roosts there is hung a canvas drop curtain which in severe weather may 



