A GOOD SHELTER COOP. 45 



she is put in the inner portion of the coop, and a piece of 

 canvas or sacking hung over the bars of the outer half. If the 

 top be netted over, a little food and the water vessel may be 

 placed in the outer compartment at night, and the chicks will 

 be able to run out and feed early in the morning, being pre- 

 vented by the canvas from going out into the cold air. It will 

 be only needful to remove the coop every two days for a fe\v 

 minutes, to take away the tainted earth and replace it with 

 fresh. 



But a simpler coop will do well under a shed; and when a 

 shed is not at command, the very best coop for chickens we 



are acquainted with is one we 

 made and described years ago, the 

 chief feature of which is a raised 

 inside floor. The coop is shown in 

 Fig. 10, and the floor in Fig. 11. 

 The best size is two feet square, 

 for which twelve-feet planks, nine 

 inches wide, will cut all the lengths 



Fig. ll.-Floor of Coop. without wafite . bes i d es this will 



be needed some inch-square stuff to serve as framing at each 

 corner, and along top and bottom of the front. To these 

 pieces the boards are nailed, and we have made three coops 

 complete in an afternoon. Each side takes two boards two 

 feet long, and a half board cut diagonally ; the back two 

 boards. The top requires three boards, one-fifth of twelve feet, 

 with slats cut from the same length over the joins ; and the 

 fifth piece is used in front as shown. The front may be either 

 wires inserted into the top and bottom rails, as shown, or be 

 made of laths nailed on. 



The roof, when nailed on, projects an inch and a half all 

 round the coop ; but besides this there is a loose shelter-board 

 hinu'rrl to the front of the roof so as to be capable of detach- 

 ment. This is easily done by driving two small staples into 



