114 MY POULTRY DAY BY DAY 
I am not sure but that in some sheltered spots in the south of 
England a house made of tar-felting stretched on a skeleton frame- 
work of wood might not give perfectly good results. The felting; 
of course, would have to be of the very best quality and thickness, 
and be without a flaw. One of these days I expect to see some 
poultry pioneer experiment with a house covered with tar-felting 
in place of wood. The cost both in material and labour would be 
trifling compared with one-inch matching at 30s. per square. 
The internal fittings of a house should be as simple as possible, 
and capable of easy removal. Perches should be made of scant- 
ling—or quartering, as it is sometimes called—2 inches by 2 inches; 
with the corners planed off roughly. The perches should be fixed 
from 2 to 8 feet from the ground and about 1 foot above the 
dropping-board. In large houses; it is best to place the perches at 
right angles to the length of the house, so that too many birds 
cannot get on one perch. In this way “crowding ” is prevented. 
In small houses, up to 12 feet long; perches are better placed length- 
ways. The dropping-board should protrude at least 18 inches 
beyond the outermost perch so that the floor of the house will be 
kept reasonably clean. 
Nest-boxes, one to each eight birds, should be placed under the 
windows against the inside front of the house, making the structure 
itself one of the sides of the gangway leading to the nest-box. 
To prevent egg-eating it is better to keep the nest-boxes dark. 
and for this reason the entrance to the nests should run along the 
unlit gangway composed of the inside of the house on the one side 
and the nests on the other. The fowls themselves prefer a dark 
cosy corner to lay in. 
It would serve no useful purpose to elaborate the various types 
of houses that are suitable for poultry, so long as the primary needs 
are kept in mind—light, air, warmth and ventilation. 
There are, however, one or two special types for farmers that 
may be mentioned. There is the usual portable field-house on 
whee!s. The idea is that the house may be moved from place to 
place on a farm, where the birds can pick up food and manure the 
ground at the same time. This method has the obvious advantages 
