THE 



PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



CHAPTER I. 



HOUSES, RUNS, AND ACCOMMODATION. 



WHERE poultry are to be kept, however small or large the 

 number, the first practical question is, of course, the house 

 and run, or number of such, which they are to occupy. 

 And as regards the sheltered part of this, the essentials are 

 the same, however the open runs may vary. The house 

 must have perfect protection from weather and draught, 

 but with ample supply of fresh and pure air, also a fair 

 amount of light. Beside this, there must be enough shelter 

 from the weather by day, dry underfoot. And both must 

 be kept clean easily. 



Let us first consider the smallest scale, say from four to 

 eight fowls to be kept at the bottom of a yard or garden. 

 If the affair has to be put up, the best general arrangement 

 will be as in Fig. i, a house in one corner, a roofed shed 

 carried out at its side, and as much open run in front as can 

 be afforded, or perhaps the whole yard. The house will be 

 walled in ; but the shed should be open in front, though 

 with a closed end wall, unless it runs all across, in which 

 latter case it may perhaps comprise all the run which can 

 be afforded. In any case, in confined space the shed should 

 be boarded up a foot from the ground, and netted above, 

 that the few birds may be confined in specially bad weather ; 



