CO 

 ••-I 



These figures must not be taken to mean that hens 

 will lay better in a cold house than in a warm one, but 

 that fresh air is essential to health, and health is a factor 

 in egg production. When one tries to retain the animal 

 heat of the body to maintain the heat of the house, one 

 necessarily allows but little air circulation, hence the air 

 becomes foul or stagnant, which is not healthful. 



The above results indicate that the free admission of 

 fresh air is a very essential factor in house construction. 

 House No. 3 in Fig. 1, which gave the poorest results 

 for each of the five consecutive winters, was operated quite 

 successfully the sixth and seventh winters by introducing 

 more fresh air; that is to say, one-half of the windows 

 were removed until about December 1st, and when these 

 were put in, the openings (about one foot square), where 

 the fowls go out into the yard at the north side were left 

 entirely open. These except during mild days appear to 

 supply sufficient air to keep the birds doing nicely. This 

 statement is made as a means of helping any person who 

 may have a similar house, and who wishes to continue 

 using the same. 



Our experience is that all four houses, while fairly 

 satisfactory, especially No. 4, are not all that may be 

 desired, for the reason that they must be adjusted accord- 

 ing to weather conditions — that is to say, on bright, sun- 

 shiny days, the doors, movable windows, or cloth screens 

 should be opened for nearly all the day, or, again, for but 

 an hour, depending upon the sunshine and temperature. 



The slope or shanty roofs on houses Nos. 1 and 2 have 

 not been as satisfactory as the pitched roofs on houses 

 Nos. 3 and 4. The roofs on the latter houses are more 

 durable and the houses themselves much cooler in summer, 

 and furthermore, the straw lofts in these houses are very 

 effectual in preventing dampness in the houses; no frost 

 collects upon the walls or ceilings. 



We have tried several houses with curtain fronts, and 

 we are pleased to say they work fairly well, when used in 

 a house as in Figures 5 and 6, which is practically the 

 same style of house as No. 4 in Figure 1, but these require' 

 adjusting according to the weather, and if they are not 

 kept brushed, the dust and dirt will gather to such an 

 extent as to prevent free ventilation, so that they will not 

 ventilate very well. Our experience has been that such 

 cloth screens should be of the cheapest cotton; heavy cotton or duck scarcely 

 ventilates at all. There is yet another objection to these cloth screens, in that 

 the hens, especially the lighter breeds, become notionate about trying to lay or 

 roost upon the screens. 



To the person who is breeding the tender varieties or those with large combs, 

 some means must be taken to keep them fairly warm at night or their combs will 



