126 



as in flying higli they are apt to fall and break their 

 eggs or do other injury. 



The nests should be low and approachable by similar 

 easy steps, and so constructed that the hens shall not 

 need to fly down roughly upon the eggs, with danger of 

 breaking them, but be able to step on easily. Common 

 square boxes serve very well as nests, and there should 

 be three or four to each half-dozen laying hens. The 

 surface of the hay in the nests should be as high as it 

 can be without danger of the eggs rolling out, and should 

 be concealed from view as much as possible. For setting 

 hens it is well to place dry earth in the bottom of the 

 nests below the hay. The earth serves to keep an equi- 

 table temperature, and the little moisture arising from it 

 seems to be favorable to the process of hatching. 



Fowls should always have a place to scratch in, and 

 in absence of a better provision for this purpose, a box 

 of earth, fine sand, or wood ashes, may be placed in the 

 coop and frequently renewed. 



For the convenience of access all parts of the coop 

 should be easily approachable so that it may not suffer 

 from the want of frequent and proper cleanings. 



However large a henery may be, it is recommended 

 that the various apartments should be of moderate size, 

 and it is a good plan to provide separate quarters for 

 each variety of fowl. This wall preserve the purity of 

 the breeds, and, as small coops are thought to be favora- 

 ble to the hens' laying, it may be economical also. In 

 winter, a good many hens may be kept in a small place, 

 with the advantage of comfort caused by the animal heat 

 of their bodies, provided that the atmosphere be not con- 

 taminated by offensive accumulations of dung. 



