A SELF-SUPPORTING HOME 



ing, they will be better than this year's birds, 

 which cost more. The number must be 

 regulated by the size of the chicken-house. 

 Every fifteen birds require twelve by twelve 

 feet of floor space. It is better to have ten 

 birds well cared for than twenty in crowded 

 quarters. 



Two cockerels (the name which distin- 

 guishes roosters under one year old) will 

 have to be bought in January, when the 

 eggs are to be used for hatching, but are 

 not necessary at first. Before the birds ar- 

 rive, get two large, empty cases from the 

 grocery store. Remove the boards from the 

 top of each, and make a lid of slats and wire 

 netting. Put hinges, four inches from each 

 end, at the back, and a catch to fasten it 

 down in front, to convert the boxes into 

 coops. Stand them in some outbuilding, 

 light and airy in the daytime, but which can 

 be closely shut up at night. They must be 

 whitewashed inside, and have a perch across 

 the centre, and two or three inches of sand, 



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