278 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



will generally consist of nests, perches, a broody coop, and a 

 shelf for the watering device and feed hoppers. A dropping 

 board lieneath the perches is desirable, where bedding is 

 expensive or the manure is to be saved for gardening ])urposes. 

 It is essential if the nests are located below tlie perches. 



Nests. — The desirable qualities of a nest arc that it be 

 roomy, easily cleaned and sjirayed, dark, conveniently 

 located, and capaljle of being closed. For the common 

 farm l)rceds a nest fourteen inches square and six inches 

 deep is a good si/e. At least fifteen inches of head room for 

 the hens sliould be provided. There should be one nest for 

 cA'ci'y eight liens in fariu Hocks of urdinarv' size and produc- 

 tion. In high producing ficjcks thei'c slnjuld be one nest 

 for every four nr ll\'e hens. ]'"nougli of tlie ])arts sliould be 

 renio\alile so that cleaning and thorough spraying are 

 possible The wlidle battery of nests should be so arranged 

 tliat they can be taken out of the housi; for cleaning, sjiraying, 

 ard siuining when it ap])ears desirable. 



Dark nests are highly desirable because tlie hen Ioa'cs seclu- 

 sion for laying. If her whims are satisfied in this particular 

 she is ver>' miuh less likely to steal her nest in nndesiralile 

 placch. If the nests are dark, fowls are far less likely to get 

 to scratching in the nest, break an egg, and contract the 

 \'iee of egg-eating. Arranging it so the fowls may be easily 

 shut out, precludes their roosting in the nests and fouling 

 them. '1 his they are prone to do, jiarticularly at molting 

 time, in order to esca])e lieing crowded by other birds on the 

 perch. While the new feathers are coining through tlic\- are 

 sensitive to being touched liy other birds. 



For con\-enience the nests should be pla< fd at such a 

 height that the person gathering the eggs, who iiresumably 

 has a basket or bucket in one hand, may pick up the eggs 

 with the other without bending o\er. 



Probabl\- the coniuionest location for tlie ne-ts is under- 

 neath the perches, though it is not necessarily the ln>-t. Nests 

 and perches are the two commonest locations for inlVstations 

 by mites. It would seem that the chance of (lis(()vering and 

 eradicating them before they have infested both the perches 

 and the nests, and so drain the vitalitv of the laving hens both 



