ALLEYS 151 



eirable place for such a coop is at one end of the perches, on a 

 level with the dropping board. A slatted bottom is essential, as 

 it keeps broody hens from squatting on the floor. The sides of the 

 coop may be constructed of slats or one-inch-mesh wire. They 

 should be so made as to admit of easy cleaning, a door being pro- 

 vided which will allow the birds to be easily removed or placed 

 in the coop. 



Such a coop may also be used for the housing of surplus cockerels 

 when the alternating system is used. It is a desirable and necessary 

 adjunct in the equipment of the laying house. 



Dust Wallows. — Large, deep, dust boxes are essential in the 

 laying pens. A dust bath is as necessary for the health of birds as 

 a water bath is to the health of many other animals. By its use 

 the bird is enabled to rid itself of lice and to remove all scales and 

 dirt from the skin. It should be deep enough to hold about six 

 inches of dusting material, and is usually located in a comer of 

 the pen, elevated above the floor so that it will not get filled with 

 straw or other litter from the floor. If flat-topped nests are used, 

 the dust box may be placed above the nests. In some cases it is 

 placed at one end of the dropping board. Some authorities rec- 

 ommend the enclosing of the dust box, allowing the birds to enter 

 and leave through a small opening. It is claimed that the inside 

 of the house is kept cleaner and more free from dust, which may 

 have a detrimental effect upon the birds. Practice hardly warrants 

 the enclosing of the box, as the birds usually come from the box 

 to shake their feathers, bringing the dust with them. 



For dusting, the substance should be very light, fine, and dry. 

 The finer the better. Being designed to kill lice, it must be fine 

 enough to fill the breathing pores of these parasites. Sandy loam 

 mixed with road dust makes a fairly good dusting material. If 

 sand or road dust is used, sifted coal ashes aid in making it finer. 

 A good dusting material is composed of equal parts of loam, sand, 

 and sifted coal ashes, with about three per cent by weight of 

 kerosene oil, thoroughly mixed together. The dust box should be 

 placed where sunlight can shine into it, and must be kept free 

 from all litter and other foreign matter. 



Alleys, or hall-ways, are often constructed in the rear of long 

 poultry houses with the idea of facilitating the work of caring for 

 the birds. Each separate pen opens from the alley. If extremely 

 long houses are divided into a large number of small pens, the alleys 

 have many advantages. It is sometimes practicable to construct a 



