3 68 



Chicken Coops. 



[SEPT., 



One of the most important factors in the successful rearing 

 of chickens is the coop, and chick-raising is greatly facilitated 

 by the provision of suitable coops for 

 Chicken Coops. the young birds and their mothers. 



The number of people who have adopted 

 the colony plan of rearing is increasing every year, but 

 the number of coops which fulfil every essential of what a really 

 good coop ought to be is small in comparison with the number 

 of those which are either totally unfit for chick-rearing] or 

 defective in one respect or another. 



Fig. i. 



The essential points of a good coop are (i) it must be lightly 

 but strongly made, so that whilst it is portable the frequent 

 changing from place to place may not shake it to pieces ; 

 (2) it must be proof against prowling vermin and birds of prey, 

 as chicks are always subject to their attacks ; (3) the coop 

 must afford the hen and her brood protection against storm 

 and rain, but at the same time it must not shut out the air, 

 of which they require a liberal supply ; (4) it must be roomy 

 enough to accommodate the brood not only by night, but 

 also during the daytime when the weather is unfit for running 

 in the fields. I have prepared a few sketches of coops which 

 have been found suitable for chicks at various stages of their 

 lives and in varying conditions of the weather. 



The coops and runs are made of light durable wood and wire 

 netting, and their construction can be seen from the illustrations, 

 so that only a brief description of the, various figures will be 

 required. The coop shown in Fig. 1 is the^only one which has 

 not a run either permanently or temporarily attached, but 1 



