LAYING HOUSES AND MANAGEMENT 39 



Only once a year is the litter "completely 

 cleared out, at wbicli time the floor is tarred 

 or creosoted before the fresh peat moss or 

 sand is put in. The houses are so perfectly 

 dry that it is not necessary to clean out com- 

 pletely more often. The dropping boards are 

 cleaned twice a week, and in spring, summer, 

 and autumn are disinfected once a month by 

 means of a spray pump throwing a strong 

 commercial disinfectant. At the same time 

 the back of the house, both above and below 

 the dropping boards, and the partitions, are 

 treated in the same way. The perches are 

 taken out of their sockets and creosoted every 

 month, except in winter, when paraffin is used 

 because it dries quicker. 



My houses, being 180 feet long by nine 

 feet wide, have a floor space of 1620 square 

 feet, which gives four square feet per bird 

 when 400 birds are in one house. The grain 

 is fed in the morning in the litter on the floor, 

 at the rate of about twelve pounds per 100 

 birds. Whatever the state of the weather the 

 scratching in these six inches of dry litter 

 promotes exercise [and keeps the birds 

 healthy. Little §hould be expected from a 



