POULTRY KEEPING 567 



and the angle where the two meet should be about 75. The back 

 should be boarded up tight. The front should be boarded down 

 about one-third of the way from the top and the remainder slatted. 

 This is probably the most common coop in use in this country. 



Another very good coop for hens with chicks in cool weather, 

 consists of a house three feet six inches by four feet two inches. It 

 should be three feet high in front and two feet six inches in the rear. 

 Hinge the front side on as a door which should have a light in it; 

 then board the remainder tight and cover with building paper. The 

 hen may be confined in a crate within and the floor covered with fine 

 litter. This will prevent the hen covering the chicks with chaff 

 when scratching. As soon as the chicks are a week old the crate can 

 be removed as the chicks will then be active enough to keep out of 

 the way. 



Early chicks can often be kept in an unused stable or building 

 that is well lighted. A fairly constant temperature aids growth 

 and thus gives more satisfactory results. Later in the season, after 

 the cold winds and rains are over, place the hen and chicks in a 

 small coop out of doors. The coops may be used without floors un- 

 less rats are troublesome, in which case they will need perfectly solid 

 floors. The coop should be moved every day or two to prevent kill- 

 ing the grass under it, and secure clean premises. If hawks and crowa 

 are troublesome, a run can be made in front of each coop, using 

 inch mesh wire netting when the danger is great. If the danger 

 of loss from this source is not serious use a two-inch mesh netting 

 to allow the chicks to go through and forage outside. The runs 

 should be moved to fresh ground every few days. 



A barrel may be converted into a coop for housing a hen and her 

 chicks. Dig a hole in the ground large enough to admit one-third of 

 the barrel. Then place the barrel on its side in the hole and put the 

 earth in it, even with or slightly above that outside. The head 

 should be left intact in one end. Remove the other end and drive 

 stakes in the ground before the opening two inches apart, thus con- 

 fining the hen and allowing the chicks to pass through. Packing 

 boxes may be used in various ways if covered with building paper, 

 but in general it will be found more satisfactory to build good, sub- 

 stantial coops which can be used for several years. (Mich. B. 245.) 



Brooders. For those who wish to raise large numbers of early 

 chickens, or who keep only non-sitting breeds, the brooder is a neces- 

 sity. In buying a brooder the chief points to be observed are: a 

 good lamp, a heating device giving off the heat from a central drum, 

 and an arrangement which facilitates easy cleaning. The brooder 

 should be large, having not less than nine square feet of floor space. 

 The work demanded of a brooder is not as exacting as with an in- 

 cubator. The heat and circulation of air may vary a little without 

 damage, but they must not fail altogether. The greatest trouble with 

 brooders in operation is the uncertainty of the lamp. The brooder- 

 lamp should have sufficient oil capacity and a large wick. Brooder- 

 lamps are often exposed to the wind, and, if cheaply constructed or 



