158 



HOUSING 



yards are not too small, will shut in the lighter breeds, like 

 the Leghorn. Sometimes a few birds of the flock will persist 

 in flying over, having discovered their powers of flight. 

 This habit must be broken before others contract it from 

 seeing them, and it can be done by clipping a wing, cutting 

 the primary flight feathers off about one inch from the wing 

 proper (Fig. 86). 



Woven wire makes the best poultry fence. Owing to the 

 fineness of the wire, the common hexagonal poultry netting 



GROUND LINE 



Crotcr^sticks^ wTtichhold 

 the wire under around 



Fig. 86. — An ideal fence for poultry. Hexagonal mesh poultry netting is used. 



does not last very long unless it is painted. Painting makes 

 any wire fence more durable, and imless galvanized, it 

 should be painted at least every two years. 



In planning the yards, make few gates, but their location 

 and construction is important. It takes considerable time 

 to open and close them, and they are apt to get out of repair. 

 Where gates are necessary, locate them in the natural line 

 of travel from one pen to the other, or from the feed house 



