The Hatching Box. 1 6; 



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nsed as a fattening place later on in the year, if not in a 

 dwelling-house, and, if dark, the inmates will thrive more 

 rapidly than in light, but hatching and fattening must not 

 be carried on at the same time. An earthen floor is best, 

 though when it is made of brick, cement or wood, the same 

 result can be arrived at by laying down ashes or fine earth, 

 about a foot thick, over the same. Upon this, all round the 

 room, hatching boxes may be placed, if the first plan we are 

 about to describe be adopted. 



The kind of nest box we prefer, having used it for many 

 years, is a plain deal box, about eighteen inches in height, 



Kg. 7.— Hatching Box. 



and fifteen inches square, similar to that shown in Pig. 7, 

 which should be kept by all dealers in poultry supplies. It 

 is made without bottom, or only with wire netting to keep 

 out rats, but with a solid top ; the upper two-thirds of the 

 front forms a door, which may open either upwards or down- 

 wards, the latter preferred, and, if hinged and provided with 

 a simple catch, is easily opened and closed, and, when closed, 

 the inmate is perfectly secure, and cannot be molested. 

 Holes for ventilation are bored in the top and the sides, and 

 a coat of whitewash inside completes the whole. We have 

 often made half-a-dozen of these boxes in a single afternoon 

 at a small cost, but they can also be bought at reasonable 



