1 8 POULTRY BREEDING IN 



THE GLASS-COVERED RUN. 



The floor of this compartment should be composed 

 of at least six inches deep of finely-sifted gritty stuff, 

 such as road dust, ashes, and sand, and on this it would 

 be well to sprinkle occasionally some flour of sulphur, 

 which would prevent vermin breeding on the fowls. 

 It is the universal belief that fowls powder themselves 

 to get rid of vermin on their bodies ; but such is not 

 exactly the case. The fact is, fowls, like all other 

 feathered tribes, perspire freely, particularly so during 

 night time : this perspiration clogs their feathers ; con- 

 sequently they perform their ablution in gritty dust on 

 the same principle that human beings do in water, to 

 get rid of the dried perspiration and to expand their 

 feathers. The -same can be seen performed by the 

 birds of the air, which, on a dry, hot summer day, 

 make their ablutions in the dust of the roads. 



In this run the fowls ought to be kept close during 

 wet weather, as wet feathers are most injurious to their 

 health, particularly when in a confined state. 



THE ROOSTING AND LAYING ROOM 



Should be kept scrupulously clean, Swept out daily, and 

 occasionally thoroughly whitewashed, the floor slightly 

 sanded over daily. 



The nests, in a sanitary point of view, ought to be 

 made of earthen ware, partly filled with fine sand or 

 cocoa-nut refuse, and slightly sprinkled over with flour 



