NATURAL HATCHING AND REARING 



155 



Some wear a glove or mitten when handling sitting 

 hens. Some are cross and pick so hard they draw 

 blood. If one has a hasty temper, the glove will at 

 least save bad words. 



BROOD COOPS FOR HEN AND CHICKS 



Suitable coops must be provided for the hen and 

 young chicks. There are almost innumerable num- 

 ters, varieties and styles. The old-fashioned A coop 

 showh in Figures 54 and 55, is cheap, easily made and 

 very serviceable. With a yard attached it is more 

 comfortable for the hen. A modification of this coop 



FIG. 58 — FRAMEWORK OF COOP AND RUN 



is shown in Figure 56, where a yard is made of inch 

 mesh wire netting eighteen inches high and covered 

 with netting also, which coop is valuable where hawks 

 and crows are abundant. The yard should be made 

 about four feet square. 



A very convenient coop is shown in Figures 57 

 and 58. This is a square coop easily made from a 

 grocery box and should have a tight roof either of 

 matched boards or covered with paper. It has a floor 

 and a small yard attached. The framework of the 

 yard is shown in Figure 58 at c and one side of the 

 yard and coop at d. At night the slide b in Figure 57 

 can be let down, which will keep out rats, minks, cats 



