ROOSTING QUARTERS 145 
ported every five feet; when 2x 4 inch is used every eight feet will 
do. If dropping boards are used, the perches are usually placed 
above them at a distance of about eight inches, or high enough 
so that a hoe can be freely manipulated under them when cleaning. 
A very simple and efficient method of constructing perches is 
to make them as one unit, hinging the unit to the back wall and 
supporting it by two or more legs at the front. Such a perch can 
be raised when cleaning, and also it may be hooked to the ceiling 
during winter days, thus keeping the birds off their perches and 
on the floor where they will be working. In determining the exact 
height of the perch, the character of the birds is to be considered. 
The light, active birds fly 
high with no injury to them- 
selves, and perches for Leg- 
horns can safely be four feet 
above the ground; for the 
Cochins and Langshans one OOP ) 
or two feet is usually high Ve iu, 
enough. The roosts in any , j c EE, 
one room must always be Fig. 54. —aoating closets to pagent drafts 
level with each other. The Cee eee ee be placed in front of 
height of the perch will be , 
determined in part by the character of the floor. With a soft 
floor provided with an abundance of litter, there is less danger of 
birds injuring their feet when jumping from the roosts. 
Thereareanumberof patented roostsand supportsonthemarket, 
made of iron and other material; the general advantage claimed for 
these is that they are proof against mites and lice, but they have 
little if any advantage over well-constructed, portable wood roosts. 
Roosting Quarters.—When the roosts are placed at the back 
of the building, it is often the practice to build solid partitions be- 
tween the pens. In long houses this partition may be constructed 
every twelve or fifteen feet at right angles to the perches and back 
wall, extending two feet beyond the front perch. This divides 
the roosting area into separate compartments, which are often 
called “closets” (Fig. 94). In the past it has often been the 
practice to provide muslin drop curtains in front of the perches 
to still further confine the birds. Such a practice, however, is 
usually undesirable except in very narrow houses where the birds 
perch close to the open front. The construction of the above- 
mentioned cross partition or fin is a very necessary feature in all 
10 
