RURAL ENGINEERING. 691 



RURAL ENGINEERING. 



Poultry house construction and its influence on tlie domestic fowl, C. L. 

 Opperman {Maryland St a. Bui. 11,6, pp. 31, figs. 13). — This bulletin reports the 

 results of 2 years' study of types of poultry houses best adapted for Maryland 

 conditions. 



The main house used in these experiments was 90 ft. long by 15 ft. wide, 9 

 ft. high in front and 4 ft. 6 in, high in the rear. This building was divided into 

 6 pens 15 ft. square, known respectively as (1) the tight house, (2) the glass- 

 front house, (3) the cloth-front house with hooded roost, (4) the open-front 

 house with hooded roost, (5) the cloth-front house without hooded roost, and 

 (6) the open-front house without hooded roost. The operation of the windows 

 and curtains applies only to the months from November to March, inclusive, 

 and to the early part of April. The brooder house used is also illustrated and 

 described. The cost of the tight double-wall house was greater than that of 

 any other type. The foundation stock used was pure-bred white Leghorn, 40 

 hens constituting a pen. 



The results of experiments thus far show that the fowls kept in the less 

 expensive houses gave as high returns as, and in several instances higher than, 

 those confined in more costly buildings. The general health of the fowls in the 

 different pens was practically the same during the first 2 years. The only 

 apparent difference was the absence of bright red combs in the first 2 pens, due 

 presumably to the lack of fresh air. The excessive moisture in the tight house 

 caused the plumage of the fowls to appear rough and dirty. It was also noticed 

 that the plumage of the fowls which were allowed free access to the yards at 

 all times was brighter and did not have the scraggy appearance of the fowls 

 which were confined. There was very little difference in the amount of food 

 consumed by the fowls in the 6 experimental pens. The influence of construc- 

 tion was not noticeable during the pullet year of the first generation on the 

 vitality of the developing embryo. During the second year there was an in- 

 crease in the number of total eggs hatched in all pens except in the first and 

 third. The eggs from the fowls in pens 5 and 6 produced 20 per cent more 

 chicks than did the fowls in the first pen. The results of hatches 1 and 2 would 

 indicate that the influence of environmental conditions on the progeny was not 

 positive enough to be of significance, but for hatch 3 there was a noticeable 

 variation in favor of pen 6. 



An unknown disease, believed to be due to soil contamination, affected the 

 chicks the second year and influenced the results to some extent. In that year 

 the progeny of pen 6 were more resistant to disease than those of any other 

 pen. " The offspring from the tight house were fully as resistant as those of 

 any pen except No. 6. This would indicate that the parent stock was still 

 vigorous in spite of their abnormal housing conditions. All results point to the 

 fact that the most desirable conditions for maintaining the vigor and productive 

 power of the breeding stock are those found in the open-front house with 

 exposed roost." 



"The present data indicate that egg production is largely influenced by the 

 action of individual hens, rather than by environmental conditions. This, of 

 course, applies to the first generation. It may be found that future generations 

 will show a moi'e definite variation in favor of the fresh-air houses, or vice 

 versa." 



A dry-mash hopper for laying hens is illustrated and described. 



Practical poultry building's. H. L. Bi.anciiard (Washington Sta. Bui. .',, 

 spec, scr., pp. 3-,iy, figs. 17). — This bulletin gives illustrations, plans, specifica- 



