It is frequently said that when hens are not cooped they roam so far that the chicken become fagged, and that oftentimes they are left behind by the hen. I believe that if the hen and chicken are well fed, and at short intervals, this will not occur; but should giving them their entire liberty be objectionable, the plan of enclosing a small run with laths, wire-work, or netting, may be had recourse to. These contrivances may be either moveable or fixed; in the latter case the ground in the run may be turned up with the spade or fork occasionally, so as to give the hens fresh soil to scratch in. Many persons say they cannot confine their fowls in this manner, as they fly over; a little attention to the habits of the birds would enable them to prevent this inconvenience. Fowls never fly _over_ any boundary, but always _on to_ it, preparatory to descending on the other side, and if the top is constructed in such a manner that they cannot rest upon it, they evince a great disinclination to attempt the passage. The plan I adopt is to have five or six feet laths of a greater or less degree of stoutness as required, nailed three inches apart to two horizontal rails, the lower near the ground, the upper being eight inches below the tops of the laths, which are pointed. I have found that this fence is sufficient to confine Dorking, Spanish, and even Hamburghs, but then the fowls have always an unlimited supply of every variety of food; and when I receive a bird I usually lighten one wing by running the scissors down each side of the ten primary quill feathers, which is a much better plan than cutting the shafts across, as in the latter case the bird is much disfigured. In accordance with my suggestion, Messrs. Greening, of Church Gates, Manchester, have manufactured some of their patent fencing on the same plan, namely, spiked at the top and chicken proof below, as shewn in the cut; from experience I can recommend it as most efficient, and from its great strength and durability it is much more economical than the ordinary hexagonal pattern in common use. [Illustration] During summer it is not requisite to remove the hen and chicken from these runs at night, but a little house made of a few boards nailed together, so as to resemble a dog-kennel, made water-tight, is necessary for shelter. Some of the most successful breeders of Cochins have their grounds thus partitioned out and furnished with rude huts, boarded at the sides and covered on the top with some of the patent asphalte felt now so much used for roofing. This, if properly tarred, is perfectly waterproof, and being a bad conductor of heat, is warm in winter and cool in summer.