ALLEYS 151 
sirable place for such a ccop is at one end of the perches, on a 
level with the dropping board. A slatted bottom is essential, as 
it keeps broody hens from squatting on the floor. The sides of the 
coop may be constructed of slats or one-inch-mesh wire. They 
should be so made as to admit of easy cleaning, a door being pro- 
vided which will allow the birds to be easily removed or placed 
in the coop. 
Such a coop may also be used for the housing of surplus cockerels 
when the alternating system is used. It is a desirable and necessary 
adjunct in the equipment of the laying house. 
Dust Wallows.—Large, deep, dust boxes are essential in the 
laying pens. A dust bath is as necessary for the health of birds as 
a water bath is to the health of many other animals. By its use 
the bird is enabled to rid itself of lice and to remove all scales and 
dirt from the skin. It should be deep enough to hold about six 
inches of dusting material, and is usually located in a corner of 
the pen, elevated above the floor so that it will not get filled with 
straw or other litter from the floor. If flat-topped nests are used, 
the dust box may be placed above the nests. In some cases it is 
placed at one end of the dropping board. Some authorities rec- 
ommend the enclosing of the dust box, allowing the birds to enter 
and leave through a small opening. It is claimed that the inside 
of the house is kept cleaner and more free from dust, which may 
have a detrimental effect upon the birds. Practice hardly warrants 
the enclosing of the box, as the birds usually come from the box 
to shake their feathers, bringing the dust with them. 
For dusting, the substance should be very light, fine, and dry. 
The finer the better. Being designed to kill lice, it must be fine 
enough to fill the breathing pores of these parasites. Sandy loam 
mixed with road dust makes a fairly good dusting material. If 
sand or road dust is used, sifted coal ashes aid in making it finer. 
A good dusting material is composed of equal parts of loam, sand, 
and sifted coal ashes, with about three per cent by weight of 
kerosene oil, thoroughly mixed together. The dust box should be 
placed where sunlight can shine into it, and must be kept free 
from all litter and other foreign matter. 
Alleys, or hall-ways, are often constructed in the rear of long 
poultry: houses with the idea of facilitating the work of caring for 
the birds. Each separate pen opens from the alley. If extremely 
long houses are divided into a large number of small pens, the alleys 
have many advantages. It is sometimes practicable to construct a 
