144 EQUIPPING THE POULTRY HOUSE 
the warmest. By so doing space is utilized which usually is not 
high enough to allow the attendant to work conveniently (Fig. 93). 
Amount of Space Required.—The amount of perch room which 
should be given the birds will depend upon the breed, size of the 
flock, and season of the year. The large meat breeds require 
materially more room than the light active egg breeds. Not 
less than seven inches for the small breeds, eight to nine inches 
for the general purpose breeds, and oftentimes twelve to fourteen 
inches of perch room will be needed for the very heavy breeds, 
like the Brahmas. In the summer enough perch room should 
be available so that the birds can spread out and keep cool. 
After Rice and Rogers, Cornell Bulletin 274. 
Fic. 93.—Arrangements of nests, perches, and dropping boards. A, suspended; B and 
C, attached to back wall. 
Wood is the common material used for perches, the size vary- 
ing from small, round sticks with a diameter of two inches up to 
two by four scantling. It isa generally accepted fact that best 
results are obtained when the top surface of the perch is not over 
two inches wide. Wide boards or timbers greater than four inches 
do not allow the birds to lock their toes around them as nature 
intended, while, on the other hand, narrow, short, or pointed 
perches are very apt to induce corns. The best perch is made by 
using a two by two inch stick which has been planed and the upper 
edges rounded. Such a perch should be supported every five feet. 
Construction of Perches—The perches should always be easily 
removed, either as a unit or separately. There are a number of 
different ways of supporting them. When narrow pens are used 
they are sawed the exact width of the pen and allowed to set in 
notches cut in strips, the strips being fastened to the inside wall. 
For wider pens the roosts must be provided with supports in the 
centre. When 2x2 inch scantling is used, they should be sup- 
