POULTRY HOUSES 385 



unnecessary. In the colder North, an arrangement by which 

 one sliding glass window can be arranged in connection with 

 cloth-screened openings, will give the best satisfaction. The 

 windows should have a covering of wire screening, with cur- 

 tains that are to be used only in severe weather. Some men, 

 in fact, keep permanent open fronts in their houses, never 

 using glass or cloth screen, and do not consider that their 

 birds suffer from cold at any time. 



Perches should be in the warmer part of the pen, free 

 from drafts, and not high above the floor. The perches 

 should be 12 inches apart, and not nearer the wall than 15 

 inches. They should be fastened together in a frame and 

 hinged to the wall, being supported level with standards, or 

 legs. It is a good plan to have a board platform a few inches 

 below the perch, on which the droppings may be caught. 

 The perches may be raised as desired, and the droppings 

 removed. Perches of 2x4 pieces, on edge, with rounded 

 corners are recommended. 



The nests should be against the wall, and be 12 or 14 

 inches square, according to the size of fowl. Nests are some- 

 times placed below the dropping board, the hens entering 

 from the back and the eggs being removed from the front 

 by means of a hinged door. These nests are rather dark, 

 which is an advantage, for hens under such conditions rarely 

 eat their eggs. Open nests may be fastened to the side of 

 the pen if desired, a common method. Trap nests are used 

 in many houses today. The principle of this nest is that 

 when the hen enters, she springs a trap door, and so is con- 

 fined until released by the poultryman. Thus he knows 

 just what hens lay each day, and makes a record of the same. 

 Hens laying in trap nests usually are numbered with a 

 metal leg band. 



