92 MY POULTRY DAY BY DAY 
Overcrowding, whether it be in a brooder, coop or house, is a 
fatal mistake. 
Any suitable form of coop may be used. One of the most in- 
expensive and convenient forms is the calico coop, described in 
The Journal of the Board of Agriculture for January, 1916. This 
coop has a floor space of 6 feet by 6 feet, and a substantial frame 
or skirting which surrounds its floor and encloses and supports 
the litter bed. 
The litter board may consist of short, dry lawn clippings or soft 
meadow hay cut up as finely as the chaff-cutter will allow. Short- 
cut clover or lucerne is also an excellent litter for chickens. The 
chickens will consume large quantities of this litter, and it should 
therefore be regarded as forming a considerable proportion of 
their bulky food. This being so the litter should be changed 
directly it becomes tainted. A deep litter bed will often suffice 
for two flocks of chickens without becoming tainted, but its life 
will depend upon the dryness of the land, the weather, and the 
care expended in adjusting the roof of the coop so as to exclude 
driving rain. Any portion of the bed which may become wet 
should be at once changed. 
The best position to raise chickens is upon a fine grass turf in 
which there is a good admixture of White Dutch Clover. The 
ground should, if possible, be dry and level, and the grass kept 
short. 
The coop should be placed upon a couple of cross supports 
so that its floor just clears the ground. Each of the four sides 
of the coop has a small trap door, opening directly across 
the upper edge of the floor frame or skirting, and fitted with 
a short ladder board to allow the chickens to enter and leave 
the house. 
The litter bed should be made level with the top edge of the 
floor frame—a depth of 9 inches—and the dry food should be 
evenly distributed throughout the litter. If this has been satis- 
factorily done a grain or two of chick food can be found within 
every square inch or so of the litter. 
After the dry chick food has been added and the surface made 
