PO UL TR T- CRAFT. 



wide may be left clear across the front. For spring and summer use it is 

 better to leave the joints, between boards on the sides, uncovered. The 

 joints in the roof should be covered with strips of lath or batten. The slide 

 door can be placed outside if desired. Coops of this style are often made 

 with hinged roofs, sometimes with only a part of the roof, or the lower half of 

 the back on hinges to allow the coop being cleaned without being moved. A 

 point to be always observed in making a coop of this kind is : if the roof is 

 nailed fast, the door must be next a corner, to facilitate cleaning. The coop 

 pen shown in the figure is 4 ft. long, 2 ft. high, 2 ft. wide between the side 

 rails. The top and bottom rails are of i-in stuff 2 in. wide. The sides and 

 end are made separate ; then the end is nailed to the sides, cross braces of lath 

 nailed to the lower edges of the top side rails, the laths put on the top, the last 

 lath at the open end being 4 in. from the ends of the side rails ; a single strip 

 of lath is nailed to the lower edge of the bottom side rails 4 in. from the end, 

 and the pen is complete. When coop and pen are placed together, the ends 

 of the side rails overlap the sides of the coop, and fitting snugly, hold the pen 

 firmly in place. The coop is taken apart by simply taking off the top laths, 

 removing braces, and knocking out the end. The spaces between the slats 

 should be : on top, 3 in. ; on sides, 2j in. for medium to small hens, 3 in. for 

 medium to large ones. The material for a coop and pen as shown in the 

 figure will cost about fifty cents. 



59. Roosting Coop for Growing Chicks. Fig. 46 shows a roosting 

 coop of the general type used for growing stock when on summer range in 



fields and meadows. The front is 

 sometimes all of lath or netting, 

 sometimes boarded part way down, 

 and sometimes made close with tight 

 door and movable window. A coop 

 with the front last mentioned can be 



used in cold weather. These roost- 

 Fig. 46. Roosting Coop for Growing Chicks. ing coops are usually without floors. 

 They should be of a size easily handled 6 to 8 ft. long, about 3 ft. wide, 

 2 to 2j ft. high in rear, and 3 to 3^ ft. high in front. Two roosts are placed 

 in each pen about a foot from the ground. Coops of this kind can be bought 

 in knock-down bundles at reasonable prices. 



60. Incubators. The large poultry keeper takes it for granted that 

 incubators are to be a part of his equipment. A few of the older breeders, 

 whose trade is principally in stock and exhibition birds, still hatch with hens ; 

 but for producing broilers and pullets in quantities for early layers, the 

 artificial is the reliable method. On most large plants where hens are used 

 their work is complementary to that of the machines. The small poultry 

 keeper is often at a loss to know which method of hatching to use. It depends 

 on the person as much as on circumstances. Some people cannot run an 



