Questions on Poultry House Construction. 363 



Q. 9. Is it necessary to have double walls and dead air space in a 

 poultry house in this state? 



Ans. 9. Page 282, paragraph 4. The walls on all sides, except the 

 south, are made of one thickness of* matched pine lumber, with the 

 plain side on the inside of the house, in order to improve the appear- 

 ance and to make it more easily white-washed. The outside, except the 

 south side, is covered with one thickness of " red rope roofing." Half 

 of the roof is covered with " red rope roofing," the other half with 

 " paroid " to determine their relative efficiency. The side, ends and 

 front are painted a light straw color, which is more attractive than the 

 red, which is the color of the paper. It serves the double purpose of 

 attractiveness and durability, both of which count for much in a poultry 

 establishment. The only part of the house that is double-boarded is 

 a portion directly back of and above the roost platform. An air space 

 is formed between the studding and the inner boarding, which is opened 

 above and below. Holes were bored through the plate, which permit 

 the air to circulate freely up between the studding, through the plate 

 between the rafters and out into the room again. This makes the 

 inner wall warmer than it would be with a dead air space, owing to 

 the fact that the air is continually changing, and therefore must be 

 nearer of temperature of the room than it could possibly be with a 

 dead air space, which in time becomes as cold as the outside boarding. 

 For this reason a " dead air space " is objectionable. A cold, dead air 

 space would in turn cool the inner boarding, in which case it would 

 become as cold as the dead air space, thus causing condensation of 

 moisture from the warm air, making the walls wet. This moisture in case 

 of extreme cold would freeze causing the walls to be covered with frost. 



The front of the house is made of one thickness of shiplap without 

 paper either inside or out, which is a loose construction. This type of 

 wall more readily warms up the air on the inside when the sun shines 

 than would a double wall, and owing to the fact that all other sides of 

 the house are made tight, this warmed air does not readily pass out 

 because the house is free of draft. The principle of this construction 

 is best expressed by the comparison that " you cannot blow into an 

 open bottle." In a house that is tight on all sides, or with an open 

 bottle, the air will change gradually and surely. 



It will be observed that the frame work is made wholly of two by 

 fours, with the exception of the rafters which are two by five. The 

 studding being placed four feet apart and the rafters two feet apart 

 between centers. The boards are laid horizontally. 



