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front. Tteese houses are 5 ffjet Jong and 3 f.ept deiep, 30 i^fibfts 

 high jri front and 20 inches at the back, with a roosting closed 

 20 by 24 inches, about 10 inches jclpar from the floor, which al- 

 Ijows Jhepi all of the J 5 feet of floor space for scratching. Over 

 the front' ojf jthe cjoseit I placed a curtain which drops down ^q 

 within 2 inkch/ts of closet floor. This I only use on very cold 

 nights during zero weather. I haye always found that the hens 

 were just as willing to lay their eggs in nests that were placed 

 on the sj.dfi walls, j,ust aboye their heads or on a level with ^oor 

 of roosting clos.et, as any other. Sometimes I cover the nests 



Golden Seabright Bantam Hen. 



with a piece of tarred paper by just tacking the paper around one 

 end and side, leaving only one end exposed to light upon, then 

 draw the paper up to wall as high as need be and tack it there ; 

 this not only darkens the nest but stops roosting on edge of 

 nest, as some fowls are wont to do- 



My floors are always covered with plenty of litter from the 

 hay mow, and how the birds love to scratch and dig for their 

 feed, as I am sure to cover every grain fed so they will have to 

 work for it. In this house I usuSIfy keep a breeding pen of male 

 and four or five females the year around, and let me say right 

 here, that I never knew what a cold or case of roup was, every 

 bird was as healthy as they could possibly be while in their 



