50 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



and can be removed weekly. Whether the house is a large 

 or a small one the perches should be made removable, so as 

 to facilitate cleaning, and once every month the ends can 

 be dipped in petroleum or carbolic acid, by the doing of 

 which insects are kept away easily. Many people would be 

 surprised at the myriads of insects wbich swarm over birds 

 when they are roosting that are not so protected, but dipping 

 the ends effectually prevents their reaching the fowls. 



Nest boxes will, of course, require to be fitted into the 

 house, and in numbers sufficient to prevent any crowding of 

 the hens, or they will fight for possession, and perhaps be 

 thus led to lay away. These nest boxes can be made in a 

 variety of ways, and if the house is a small one a couple of 

 bricks, a box, or a basket can be used. Perhaps the first 

 named is the best, as it is most easily cleared away, and can 

 scarcely be neglected when the house is cleaned out, for 

 the nest must be renewed constantly to keep it supplied with 

 straw. In such a house as this, where room is not over 

 plentiful, the nests may be arranged with a shelf above them, 

 and if the perch is above that, then the hens will be quiet 

 and retired, and no droppings can reach them. But, of 

 course, such an arrangement necessitates great attention to 

 cleanliness, and for this reason it is most important to have 

 shelves removable, and to see that they are taken out at 

 least every week. We have found in practice that if this is 

 not done the nests below get neglected, and the backs of the 

 shelves become harbours for insects, and dirt of all kinds. 



It may be taken as a standing rule, that one nest will be 

 required for every three hens ; and in large houses, where 

 forty or fifty birds are kept, a different plan to any yet spoken 

 of will have to be adopted. We do not like nests in sets as 

 usually made, because there are no facilities provided for 

 easy cleaning, rather the reverse ; but the following plan is 

 one that can bo adopted with safety : — In a house for fifty 



