76 The Hen at Work 



cleared up we must make up our minds whether 

 we want a yard or not. 



There was a time when everyone who kept hens 

 thought a yard was necessary, but this idea is 

 rapidly passing away, for most excellent reasons. 

 Unless you can provide a double yard, so hens can 

 change from one to the other, or can give the 

 birds room to wander over a large piece of well- 

 drained ground, it is much better to have no yard 

 at all. 



That type of yard where the hens gather in 

 drowsy groups studying the insect problem ; where 

 the flies gather in summer, and the mud in winter ; 

 where rain stays for hours after a shower, and then 

 leaves a hard, fowl-smelling surface in the hot sun, 

 cannot be ended too soon. It spreads disease and 

 disgust among the hens, and those who care for 

 them. But there are still thousands in daily use, 

 as your new tan shoes will find to their cost, if you 

 go about looking for poultry items of interest. 



The Double Yard. — -There are, here and there, 

 especially in poultry books, double yards, which 

 give great satisfaction, especially to editors and 

 authors. The plan is to let the hens run on one 

 side of a divided yard while you are digging up and 



