The housing of the birds depends mostly on local HOUSING. 

 conditions, as to whether there is, or is not, vermin, 

 such as mongoose, serval cat, etc., in the neighbour- 

 hood. In most parts vermin proof houses, and in all 

 parts, easily disinfected houses, are a necessity. 

 Wooden houses are unsuitable. Insect pests under 

 the best conditions are difficult to keep under, and 

 to build wooden houses is to ask for trouble. Corru- 

 gated iron affords the safest house. The objection to 

 iron is that it attracts the heat, but this can be 

 obviated by covering the house with a grass or reed 

 thatch. These houses can be made any shape but 

 should never be made too large to be portable, fre- 

 quent shifting to fresh groiuid being one way of 

 avoiding disease. I have found a triangular sliape 

 the most satisfactory. The frame should be of cut 

 timber, 8 ft. by 4 ft. broad at the base. Two corru- 

 gated iron sheets 8 ft. long are used either side, and 

 one 8 ft. sheet bent in half is placed over the length- 

 wise beam at the top. One end should be filled in 

 with iron, the other should have a hinged door, the 

 peak at either end being filled in with doubled fine 

 mesh wire netting, allowing a through current of air 

 without any risk of depredations by mongoose, etc. 



The perches should be entirely separate — straight To PREVENT 

 bars of cut timber, with rounded edges, raised about disease. 

 three inches from the ground by blocks fixed either 

 end. A house of this description lends itself to easy 

 disinfecting. Place a small quantity of damp grass 

 down the centre of the house, well away from the 

 joists. Sprinkle with carbolic or other disinfectant, 

 put a light to it and close up the house and allow the 

 grass to smoulder. This done monthly will greatly 

 assist in eradicating insect pests, and, incidentally, 

 to keep away infection. 



Cleanliness is of paramount importance and must 

 be carried into every department and every detail. 



Another vermin proof house, and one that may a serviceablB 

 appeal to the poultry farmer who has the timber con- house. 

 venient while corrugated iron is at its present high 

 price, can be made of poles. The poles should 

 be let about a foot into the ground and placed close 

 together, and covered inside and outside with wire 

 netting. The roof should be formed of corrugated 

 iron, or of thatch covered with wire netting. 



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