POULTRY FENCE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3847, 15 November 1883, Page 4

POULTRY FENCE.

HoAV to construct a "cheap aud durable " fence for poultry yards is one of the problems that puzzle a good many poultry keepers besides the correspondent of the Poultry Messenger. It has puzzled me not v little iv time past, but it don't trouble mo iioav. I don't Avaut a cheap fence. Had one once. AY. H. Todd beguiled us into making it Made it in panels twelve feet long, just like the lath fence described in tho Prairie Farmer of June 10th, except that avc had a board ten or twelve inches wide at the bottom. Wo had it wired to the posts and for a few weeks all went well; then trouble commenced. One day avc HfiAV the saucy Houdan cock strutting up and down his side of the fence and daring tho dark Brahma cock on the other side to fight. AYe Avatched them a while, and finally concluded that tho Brahma wouldn't fight, so went away laughing at the airs of the Houdan. AVhen avo came back, tAvo hours later, avc didn't laugh, avc —Avell the other half of us SAVore, and this half looked Avhole volumes of mad. The Houdan cock Avas hiding under the bushes, a pitiable sight; and tho lordly dark Brahma was making himself quite at home among his enemy's Avivcs. That breeding yard was spoiled, and avo had lots of orders for Houdan eggs. Upon examining tho fence we found a lath broken short off; the Brahma had evidently made a lunge at his antagonist and gone clear through. Another ten-inch board above the bottom board made fighting impracticable. Tavo Aveeks later a young tornado came along in tho night, and the next morning the greater portion of our fence ay as flat on the ground, and tho fowls hopelessly mixed. The matronly partridge Cochin hens, Avho Avcre old enough to knoAV better, Avero found in the cornfield Avith tho Houdan cock. Our beautiful light Brahma, that avo had always considered a very moral and upright rooster, and Avho had ahvays seemed quite content Avith his baker's dozen laAvful wives, had actually coaxed several of tho buff Cochin biddies into his domains, and the sober, dignified old partridge Cochin rooster Avas strutting round Avith an impudent little Houdan pullet. The only fowls on tho Avhole place that didn't fall from grace avcic the Plymouth Rocks; but a stiict regard for truth compels mo to state that they Averc fastened into their house. AVo concluded that that style of fence moved too readily by half, so avc had it nailed securely to tho posts, and concluded that our troubles wero over. But avo reckoned Avithont our host. During tho next year and a half it took half our time and all our patience to mend that fence. AVo never dared to go out of doors without a hammer in hand, a bundle of laths under one arm, and a handful of nails in our apron pocket, for fear that avo Avould find n loose lath or a broken one. Whatever else avc may do during our earthly pilgrimage Aye Avill never have another " cheap " lath fence. Tho fence made of wire Avith laths aa'ovcii between is even worse than the other, and it looks like sin besides.

What shall avc do for a fence ? AVell, others may do as they please, but avo will haA'oarea'l fence, made of regular fence pickets nailed firmly to regular fence stuff,

and all fastened to posts that aro securely set in the ground. That fence costs something, but then it Avill last a good many years, and you ahvays Icuoav where to find it. Of course it isn't handy to moA'e, but Avho wants to move it. Still it could be made with panels and some means devised Avhorcby they could bo fastened firmly to the posts.