POULTRY, BIRDS AND BEES ^51 



The foundation is of stone or concrete, set in the ground 

 at least one foot, and extending above ground six inches. 

 A sill 4x6 inches is placed on top of the foundation and 

 the studding spiked on top of the sill. The house is 43^ 

 feet high at the back and 8 feet high at the front. It has 

 a shed roof made of boards covered with prepared roofing. 

 The studdings are placed two feet apart and boarded with 

 rough boards. The building is then papered with building 

 paper and sided. 



Doors and Windows. — A door is placed in each end, 

 near the south side; and four windows, about 2x4 feet in 

 size, are made in the south side. They are placed high, so 

 the sun will shine clear to the back part of the coop. There 

 will be an opening near the floor on the south side, through 

 which the hens may be let out, or a door may be placed in 

 this side, if desired. The windows are made to slip up and 

 down, the same as in a house. At least one of the windows 

 is provided with a musUn or duck curtain; and, except in 

 the most severe weather, the upper sash is let down and the 

 opening covered with the canvas. The canvas may be on 

 a frame, hinged at the top, or simply tacked in the opening. 

 This provides ample ventilation without draught and keeps 

 the air pure and dry. In cold weather the windows may 

 be partly closed, but never entirely. 



Inside Finish. — The inside may be left with the bare 

 studding or preferably ceiled with matched lumber. The 

 house is partitioned into two parts, the lower three feet 

 of the partition being of boards, so that the fowls cannot 

 fight, and the upper part of wire netting. 



Roosts. — To make it easy to clean the coop, and to 

 leave all the floor space available for feeding and exercising, 

 a platform three feet wide is built against the north wall 

 2}4 feet from the floor. This is to catch the droppings and 

 should be made of matched lumber. Arms of ? x 4's, 234 

 feet long, are attached to the back wall one foot above the 

 platform, to extend out over the platform. Legs are placed 

 under the outer ends of these arms to hold them level with 

 the platform. On top of these arms and at right angles to 

 them are placed two poles, or 2 x 3's edgewise, with corners 

 rounded off, for roosts. The back roost is about one foot 



