ROUTINE OF MANAGEMENT 55 



themselves of the water. The birds stretch themselves 

 out on the sand and running boards and dry their 

 feathers in the sun, as shown in Fig. 20. In about an 

 hour the tubs are cleaned, emptied and turned upside 

 down. By emptying them the birds are prevented 

 from drinking the water which becomes quite foul and 

 milky from bathing. Turning them upside down in- 

 sures a tub free from droppings for the next bath. 



Cleaning the houses. — Every Saturday, year in and 

 year out, our houses are cleaned as follows: Begin- 

 ning with the topmost nest, unless it has been freshly 

 made or contains eggs or squabs, the bottom board is 

 pulled out and the entire mass of nest materials and ex- 

 crement is scraped on the floor. Each nest in turn is 

 thus cleaned, going from top to bottom, so that what 

 falls from one nest in taking off the bottom board will 

 drop into a nest not cleaned. Each cross tier is taken 

 in turn, and when all the nests are cleaned the floor is 

 scraped, the scrapings being shoveled into a wheelbar- 

 row in the entry for removal to the manure heap. Pow- 

 dered carbolated lime is sprinkled in every nest and on 

 the floor of the pen after each weekly cleaning. _ Care 

 is used to fill all cracks and corners, and enough is put 

 on all moist places to absorb the dampness. Clean 

 sand to the depth of a quarter of an inch is then placed 

 on the floor. The four boxes containing grit, cnar- 

 coal", oyster shells and salt are also removed, the boxes 

 cleaned and a fresh supply put in each. 



Tobacco stems and hay, cut in six-inch pieces, in 

 ample supply for nest building, are also placed within 

 the pen at each weekly cleaning. This weekly cleaning 

 is expensive, but the manure pays the bill. 



