1911 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



315 



of only about 50 per cent, when I had been 

 getting 90 to 95 almost all winter. Had the 

 nest been on a piece of rising ground in- 

 stead of being on a dead level it would 

 doubtless have turned out better. Well, in 

 order to give the necessary privacy and pro- 

 tection we will get a good tight grocery box. 

 These can be had at almost any country 

 store or grocery. If you arrange before- 

 hand for the boxes you can have them 

 saved with the covers as well as the rest of 

 the box. Now from the cover select two 

 pieces wide enough so that, when nailed to 

 the box as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 (see page 

 308) it will leave an opening or doorway suf- 

 ficient for the hen to go in easily, and long 

 enough so she can step over into the nest- 

 box already described. The two boards, 

 say 6 inches wide, are nailed at the back end 

 of the box, flush with the top of the box. 

 This is quickly done; and if you should 

 wish to use the box at some future time, it 

 is an easy matter to pull off these boards 

 and use the box for some other purpose. I 

 would suggest, however, right here, that 

 you not only nail these boards on very se- 

 curely, but that you clinch the nails 

 for handling it and carrying it about; un- 

 less well nailed the box may come to pieces. 

 Now, if there are no rats, polecats, nor pos- 

 soms prowling about, your nest is complet- 

 ed. If, however, you have had a sitting 

 hen and nest of chickens taken by these 

 night prowlers, you will see why some pro- 

 tection is needed, such as is shown in cut 

 No. 2. It is simply four pieces of lath nail- 

 ed so as to make a frame just the size of 

 our box as it stands on the ground. We 

 put it on this frame covered with inch 

 netting. I now arrange the door to be 

 shut down nights, as shown in Fig. 2. You 

 simply take a piece of galvanized wire and 

 bend it in the shape of a letter U; cover it 

 with some netting by twisting the ends of 

 the wire netting around the large galvanized 

 wire. Let the end of this large wire project 

 two or three inches. This projection pushes 

 down into the soft ground when you wish to 

 close up the coop for the night; and I do 

 not know of any surer way to protect your 

 sitting hen, and hens with chickens, than 

 to shut them up nights and let them out in 

 the morning. This is some trouble, but I 

 am sure it pays one to see his chickens, big 

 and little, at least twice every day. With 

 laying hens, when going out to gather the 

 eggs we make at least three trips every day. 

 This door to our hen's-nest is hinged to the 

 box by driving a poultry-netting staple near 

 each corner. When you want to open up a 

 coop to let the hen or chickens out, just 

 raise it up so as to release the wires that 

 stick in the ground, and swing the door up 

 against the top of the box, catching it over 

 the head of a small nail. With this ar- 

 rangement your poultry is not only secure 

 during the night, but you can pick up the 

 whole thing, poultry-netting, frame, and 

 all, and carry the chickens anywhere; and 

 if you buy a large box, the whole thing, 

 hen and all, can be carried about. 



There is a simpler way of protecting the 

 sitting hen or hen with chicks; but on some 

 accounts I do not like it as well. In mov- 

 ing the hen and chickens about, however, 

 for different purposes, this other plan has 

 some important advantages. It is lighter 

 to handle, and there is less danger of the 

 bottom getting off so as to let the chickens 

 out. This second plan is as follows: Tack 

 your poultry-netting with the proper staples 

 right directly to the bottom of the coop or 

 brooder, and have said strip of poultry-net- 

 ting long enough to turn up and form the 

 door. The spring of the netting will allow 

 the door to open and close. When shut up 

 for the night it is simply raised up and 

 hooked to a couple of nails. When you let 

 the chicks out in the morning, lay a brick 

 across the outer edge of the netting to hold 

 it down. This answers the purpose nicely; 

 but if you have a sitting hen inside it is not 

 so convenient to take charge of her. Nei- 

 ther is it as handy to clean out th« litter and 

 put in fresh; but if you have the whole ar- 

 rangement set up on four half-bricks your 

 poultry-house will clean itself, for the drop- 

 pings will all go down through the netting. 

 This latter arrangement is all right for hot 

 weather. When cool, of course it should be 

 set down on the ground, or covered with 

 coarse litter that does not readily rattle 

 down through the meshes of the netting. 



By the way, this same arrangement 

 makes an excellent fireless brooder. All 

 you have to do is to take a box of the prop- 

 er size for your number of chickens — 25, 50, 

 or even 100. If they are put in the box 

 right from the incubator, cover the wire 

 cloth well with clover chaff, and then tack 

 a piece of burlap so as to drop down just 

 over the backs of the chickens. With this 

 sort of arrangement it is a convenience to 

 ha\ e the roof removable. Xail on it a cou- 

 ple of cleats and simply drop it down in 

 place. I forgot to say in the proper place 

 that the raising-up of one end of the box 

 gives the roof a proper slant to shed the 

 rain. In case the boards composing the 

 bottom of the box are not sufficiently tight, 

 it is an easy matter to cover the whole roof 

 with something. Neponset answers nicely, 

 and still leaves the whole apparatus very 

 light to carry about. Now, this box I have 

 described answers very well for a hen and 

 chickens even if she has fifteen or twenty, 

 for, say, two or three weeks. Pretty soon, 

 when there comes a warm night, j ou will 

 find they need some more ventilation; and 

 this is easily arranged by putting a block, 

 or, a little later on, a brick under each of 

 the front corners, raising up the wire cloth, 

 frame and all; and if more air is still need- 

 ed, put a half-brick under each of the four 

 corners. Now, when the chicks are weaned, 

 and want still more air, make the cover 

 movable if it has not been done alrea-ly, 

 and block up, say, one inch all around, ac- 

 cording to the weather and the number of 

 chickens. After they are weaned let them 

 still occupy their old home nights, but put 

 in some strips of lath for them to roost on. 



