WITH 4200 HENS 63 



found satisfactory. Braces of 2x3-7 redwood are used, 

 which should have the steepest possible pitch to obviate 

 birds climbing them. No top boards are used. 



The gates are built with the upper crossbar 18 inches 

 below the top of the wire. All gates swing inward, the 

 upper ones (nearest the house) toward the house rather 

 than away from it. 



Hospital, Observation and Ciill Houses 



We have several small houses, with appropriate yards, 

 used for hospital, observation, and culling purposes. All 

 of these are made up of odd buildings accumulated dur- 

 ing our earlier experience on a leased place. Such spare 

 quarters are not only a great convenience but an absolute 

 necessity on a plant of any size. The construction of 

 the buildings and their size is of no importance. We 

 make a special point, however, of providing not only 

 tight, comfortable sleeping quarters in all such places but 

 in addition ample shade and shelter and water faucets 

 are provided in each. 



In the hospital section at least two divisions should be 

 a\'ailable, a small one in which sick birds are first isolated 

 and a larger one for what we call the convalescents. The 

 isolation yard on our place is surrounded with a solid 

 board fence about 3 feet high, with 5 feet of netting above 

 it. The house is but 4 feet deep and has a dropboard 2 

 feet above the floor ; but roosting quarters are provided 

 on the floor as well as on the dropboard. Fresh straw 

 is put into these quarters after each cleaning and the 

 houses are always sprayed when cleaned. 



