Defence against Rats. 67 



pings from the same will not fall on to the birds, nor yet 

 saturate the ground in front of the house. 



The floor of the house should be dug out to a considerable 

 depth, especially if the soil is at all clayey in its nature, 

 and filled in, first with a few inches of rubble stones, and 

 then levelled up with dry sand. If rats are troublesome 

 they must be guarded against, or they will make great 

 havoc with the chicks, as we have known them carry off fifty 

 — even taking birds from under the hens — within a very few 

 days. Two most effectual plans can be adopted, either of 

 which will prove a sure protection. One is to get a large 

 number of bottles, or thick glass of any kind, and break them 

 up into moderate sized pieces, so that the rubble stones will 

 be almost covered. The other is to get some very strong wire 

 netting, not larger than three-quarter inch mesh, and lay 

 this over the stones, bringing it up the sides of the house 

 above the ground. Either of these must be done before the 

 sand is put on, which can then be spread orl as before des- 

 cribed, and a sure preventive will be provided against the 

 destructive rodents. The wire netting will only last about 

 three or four years, as it then gets rotten ; but the glass 

 will not be affected in that way, and is probably both 

 cheapest and best. A floor made in this way, supposing 

 that the sand is about twelve to eighteen inches in depth, 

 is warm, clean, and not easily contaminated, but it will 

 require to be raked over every morning and all droppings 

 removed, to be dug over twice or thrice each season, and be 

 renewed every year or two. Sand is, however, inexpensive 

 in most places, and hence there need be no bar to its use. 



The hatching boxes and coops are placed on the sand 

 (these are described in the chapters on hatching and 

 rearing), and it is well to have a shelf at the back of 

 the house, say about 2J or 3 feet above the ground, under 

 which the boxes and coops, can be placed ; this shelf can be 



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