44 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 
A coop for breaking up broody hens is de- 
sirable, if hens of the breeds which have the sitting 
habit are kept. It may be made easily enough by 
using laths for the sides and the bottom and may 
be hung on the wall. It should be large enough for 
the hen to move about in comfortably, but she will 
soon lose her broodiness in such quarters, finding it 
very unpleasant to sit on slats with wide spaces 
between. Some people use poultry wire instead of 
laths. There is no need of starving a sitting hen 
or abusing her in any other way. Indeed, bad 
treatment will make her slower in beginning to lay 
again. Our grandfathers who used to duck sitting 
hens in the watering trough and slap them on the 
barn floor simply did not know any better. There 
has been progress in the poultry world. 
