144 



EQUIPPING THE POULTRY HOUSE 



the warmest. By so doing space is utilized which usually is not 

 high enough to allow the attendant to work conveniently (Fig. 93). 

 Amount of Space Required. — The amount of perch room which 

 should be given the birds will depend upon the breed, size of the 

 flock, and season of the year. The large meat breeds require 

 materially more room than the light active egg breeds. Not 

 less than seven inches for the small breeds, eight to nine inches 

 for the general purpose breeds, and oftentimes twelve to fourteen 

 inches of perch room will be needed for the very heavy breeds, 

 like the Brahmas. In the summer enough perch room should 

 be available so that the birds can spread out and keep cool. 



After Rice and Rogers, Cornell Bulletin Q74. 



Fig. 93. — Arrangements of nests, perches, and dropping boards. A, suspended; B and 

 C, attached to back wall. 



Wood is the common material used for perches, the size vary- 

 ing from small, round sticks with a diameter of two inches up to 

 two by four scantling. It is a generally accepted fact that best 

 results are obtained when the top surface of the perch is not over 

 two inches wide. Wide boards or timbers greater than four inches 

 do not allow the birds to lock their toes around them as nature 

 intended, while, on the other hand, narrow, short, or pointed 

 perches are very apt to induce corns. The best perch is made by 

 using a two by two inch stick which has been planed and the upper 

 edges rounded. Such a perch should be supported every five feet. 



Construction of Perches. — The perches should always be easily 

 removed, either as a unit or separately. There are a number of 

 different ways of supporting them. When narrow pens are used 

 they are sawed the exact width of the pen and allowed to set in 

 notches cut in strips, the strips being fastened to the inside wall. 

 For wider pens the roosts must be provided with supports in the 

 centre. When 2x2 inch scantling is used, they should be sup- 



