THE KIND OF HOUSE TO BUILD 43 



iceable and may be hung to the walls with screw 

 eyes. Often the nests are put under the dropping 

 boards and entered from the rear, but such an ar- 

 rangement makes it difficult to reach any eggs which 

 may be dropped in the alley back of the nests as 

 well as decreasing the floor space. 



Dark nests are not required, but there is less dan- 

 ger of the hens acquiring the egg-eating habit if 

 they are used. One amateur makes boxes three feet 

 long with an opening at one end and a hinged cover. 

 He finds that there are fewer broken eggs and less 

 quarreling when several hens crowd into such a 

 nest at the same time than when they are given 

 individual nests. 



The covers should always have a sharp pitch so 

 that the hens cannot roost on them. In many cases, 

 egg or orange crates turned on their sides are prov- 

 ing very satisfactory nests. Nest eggs are of value 

 in teaching or rather coaxing the hens to lay in 

 the nests instead of in the corner. 



It is a good plan to have a platform for the feed 

 and water dishes, so that the hens cannot scratch 

 litter into them. A galvanized water pail is as sat- 

 isfactory as a patent fountain when this plan is fol- 

 lowed. 



