Planning Poultry Runs. 29 



weather, simply because the fowls' roosting-place adjoined a 

 stable or cow-house. When it is remembered that the reason 

 why fowls do not lay so well in cold weather is that much of 

 the natural heat usually expended upon egg-production and 

 flesh-forming is required to make up for the more rapid 

 exhaustion of that heat, it will be seen that the value of such 

 an arrangement as we have suggested is very great. 



Supposing, therefore, that the place has been chosen in 

 accordance with what we have already stated, then the 

 amount of ground and the number of divisions into which 

 it has to be partitioned out must be decided upon. If a 

 number of breeds are to be kept, and there is not sufficient 

 ground at command to scatter them widely apart, then the 

 decision as to the number of runs to be given should be 

 very carefully made, and it will be much better to limit 

 the number than to cramp the birds. Birds which are 

 only required for supplying eggs can no doubt be kept in 

 confined runs, but breeding stock should have good large 

 runs, or their eggs will not hatch so well, nor the progeny 

 be so vigorous and strong. In many places a large grass 

 field is allotted to the fowls, and on one /Side of this a row 

 of houses and sheds are built, each having a gravel run — 

 say twenty yards long by three or four yards wide — and 

 the various flocks of birds are allowed in the grass field by 

 turn throughout the day. This is a capital plan where it 

 can be adopted, and we recommend it to our readers ; but 

 if runs can be given to each breeding pen twenty yards 

 square, two-thirds grass and one-third gravel, they will do 

 equally as well. The first-named plan is advantageous in 

 one way — namely, that the houses can be all placed together, 

 and if a passage runs behind, the birds can be seen at 

 night, or the houses cleaned without going into the open 

 air. And as they can also be used for chickens as well as 

 for the breeding stock, this will be found a very great 



