138 A Batch of Nest- Eggs. 



Cleaning Out the Poultry-House. The work most dreaded 

 by those who keep poultry is cleaning out the poultry-house, 

 and as it should be done at least once a day in summer, those 

 who are busy at some other occupation are not willing to be- 

 stow the necessary labor, and consequently neglect the work 

 to a certain extent, thus inviting lice, which entail more labor, 

 while the hens, being tormented by the pests, fail to lay, and 

 the result is that they become unprofitable. Much of this 

 trouble may be avoided by the use of board floors, which also 

 protect the fowls from dampness in winter. With such floors 

 the cleaning out of the poultry-house becomes an easy matter, 

 only the sweeping the floor with an old broom being neces- 

 sary. To do this, go to the poultry-house in the morning, 

 taking a pail of dry earth with you. Carefully sweep off the 

 floor, remove the accumulations, and then scatter the dry dust 

 over the floor, placing the larger portion under the roosts. Do 

 not be afraid to throw or scatter it over the nests, walls, or 

 any other portion of the house, as lice do not relish dry earth, 

 and if you prefer to use sifted coal-ashes, so much the better. 

 The next morning, when you begin to sweep, you will find no 

 difficulty, as you sweep the droppings away with the dust, and 

 they will not stick to the floor. The work can be done as 

 quickly as the sweeping of an equal area of the floor of the 

 dwelling-house. 



If you do not care for the droppings, you may use fine air- 

 slaked lime freely occasionally, in place of the dust, as it will 

 cause lice to scamper away, and will greatly aid in destroy- 

 ing disease-germs. If preferred, a handful may be mixed 

 with the dry earth or dust. But when you use a board floor, 

 do not forget that it provides a secure harboring-place for rats ; 

 hence have half-inch wire around the edge of the house, ex- 

 tending into the ground, and have boards of the floor re- 

 movable. 



