CARE OF THE CHICK. 



23 



excrement of the chickens very soon renders the ground under them a propa- 

 gator of disease. Fresh water should be given daily, and if given in shallow iron 

 dishes or in dishes containing iron scraps, the rust which forms will be beneficial 

 to the chickens in preventing disease. No straw should be placed under the 

 coops, as the young chicks will be more liable to become entangled in it and 



Fia. 9. — Coop with Moor. 



trampled by the hen. It will be well, however, to place fresh sand or sifted ashes 

 under them frequently, especially if they cannot be moved every day. 



In Figs. 6 to 12 we give several designs for coops. Fig. 8 represents a square 

 box without top or bottom, three sides being made of common barn-boards 

 twelve inches wide by two feet long, and the fourth-side slatted with plastering 

 lath. The cover is made of three pieces of barn-board, each twelve inches wide 

 by thirty inches long, nailed to two gables cut out of six-inch fencing. The 





Fis. 10. 



Fie. 11. 



whole is made of pine, and is very light and convenient. Fig. 9 represents a 

 triangular coop made with a floor and door in order to exclude rats. The man- 

 ner of making and using the floor is shown in Figs. 10 and 11. The same floor 

 may be used in the coop first described, and a door may be made to slide in behind 

 the slats. A hen-coop should never have a floor in it i f it can be avoided, however, 

 as it is necessary to the health of both hen and chickens that they should have 

 access to the ground. If a floor is used it must be frequently cleansed ; if there 



