22 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



try, accessible to the house, yet not too public, and build a 

 wire enclosure. One of about 30 feet each way will be large 

 enough for about a dozen pairs of birds. If there are to be 

 many more birds than this, or other kinds, it is better to 

 build larger and divide it into the desired number of sections 

 of about the above size. Posts from small trees cut in the 

 woods, sharpened at one end and driven with a mallet, will 

 sufl&ce. For keeping a few birds, it is safest to have the pen 

 wired on top, as then the few birds will be quite secure. On 

 large game farms they use larger open fields, with fence at 

 least 8 feet high. For a small covered pen 6 feet will do, 

 high enough so a man can spade over the ground if the pen 

 is not moved. 



For small pens use f -inch mesh wire next to the ground, 

 for special precaution, and i-inch size above this, with i|- 

 inch overhead. The f-inch wire need extend only 2§ feet 

 from the ground, and the i-inch size above that. The 

 wire should be sunk into the ground not less than 6 inches, 

 to keep vermin from digging under. Some advise having 

 it also extend horizontally outward underground from 4 to 6 

 inches, as an additional precaution. This will depend upon 

 whether rats are abundant or not. Ordinarily trapping 

 should keep vermin down. Posts should be set about 10 

 feet apart. Instead of sinking wire under the ground, board 

 or slabs can be used for the lower part, buried the same as 

 the wire, having the wire stapled to the top of the board. 



Open Yards. If desired, and the stock of birds is large 

 enough to risk losing a few, a larger enclosure open above 

 can be used. In this case the fence should be 8 feet high, 

 the wire of |- or i - inch mesh 2 J feet up, the rest i J-inch mesh. 



Birds when pursued will sometimes scramble up 4 or 5 

 feet, but seldom as high as 8 feet. Plenty of evergreen 

 boughs, brush, or planted evergreens, and weed clumps are 



