258 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



FARMERS COLONY HOUSE. 



The average farmers flock varies in size but in the designing and con- 

 struction of a farmers colony house seventy laying hens will be taken 

 as a basis. Figures 9, 10, and 11 are drawings of houses adapted to 

 this number and one which has been in satisfactory use at the college 

 for some time. Also see figure 5. 



The house 14x24 feet in dimensions is built on a wall 6x8 inches above 

 the ground which is filled in to the top making the floor dry at all 

 times of the year. The south or front side is 6 feet 8 inches high, the 

 back 4 feet 8 inches, while the plate and sills are made of 2x4-inch 

 material thus making the studding 6 feet long in front and 4 feet in the 



K-3'6" > 



Fig. 9. Farmers' colony house, end view. 



back, these being placed 2 feet apart. The combination type roof being 

 comparatively flat having one foot rise to every three feet horizontal 

 run, is covered with a special prepared roofing. With this house, a 

 shed or single span roof could have been used to an equal advantage. 

 The front shows the style of ventilation, which is of the muslin front 

 type. It consists of four windows, each having for its upper sash a 

 muslin frame 2 feet 4 inches by 1 foot 11 inches which slides up and 

 down, while the lower sash is a six light 8xl0-inch glass window. There 

 is approximately 16 square feet of muslin to 336 square feet of floor 

 space or 1 square foot of muslin to every 21 square feet of floor space, 

 and also an equal amount of glass. The muslin frames are of a con- 

 venient size for the control of ventilation, it being possible to open 

 as many as necessary to supply the required fresh air, varying the num- 

 ber with the nature of the weather, and by placing the muslin frame as 

 the upper sash there is no draft on the birds on the floor. During the 



