COLONY HOUSES 29 



told that if a stable lantern is hung from the 

 roof, so that the bottom is two or three inches 

 from the floor, the birds will collect round the 

 light and not crowd, though I have not yet 

 tried it.) Besides losing birds by suffocation, 

 the crowding interferes greatly with the gen- 

 eral thrift of the flock. 



I differ from many others in the matter of 

 allowing birds to perch early. I am always 

 pleased when they take to the perch, because 

 crowding troubles are then at an end, and I 

 have not found that my flock has crooked 

 breast bones in excess of the number in other 

 flocks which are not allowed to perch as early 

 as mine. 



The birds stay in the colony houses until 

 they are about five months old, when they 

 are moved to the laying houses. The latter 

 have gradually been emptied of those birds 

 whose life of usefulness, as far as I am con- 

 cerned, is at an end. I endeavor to restock 

 half my houses every year with pullets, the 

 the other half containing hens from which I 

 breed the next year's pullets. I believe that 

 it would be better to restock three-quarters of 

 the houses every year, as far as the income 



