16 PROFITS IN POULTRY. 



pitch, but within a ceiling is placed at the hight five and 

 a half to six feet. This may be of slats, or plastering 

 lath, placed the width of a lath apart, and in the winter 

 the space above may be filled loosely with straw. Thus, 

 with ventilating doors above, there can be no direct draft 

 upon the fowls. In such a room there will always be a 

 circulation of air. The air warmed by the bodily heat 

 and the breadth of the fowls, rises into the upper part of 

 the room. There is a constant current of cool air flowing 

 down against every window, and this causes a circulation 

 up through the roosts, down by the window. After a 

 while the air may become charged with carbonic acid gas 

 from the breath of the fowls. This is heavier than the 

 air, hence would, after being chilled by the window, not 

 be likely to rise, but would in part flow off into the other 

 compartment, through the passage for the fowls near the 

 window. The closeness of the quarters for the number 

 of fowls stated, will secure a high temperature at night, 

 provided the walls and roof are reasonably tight, without 

 danger. Perhaps the best way to secuie a warm roof is 

 the following : lay first a roof of hemlock boards, laid 

 with the slope ; upon these, shingling laths, and shingles. 

 This secures an air space an inch thick under the shingles, 

 in addition to the board roof. So constructed, no rafters 

 would be needed, but one scantling, set edgeways and 

 supported by posts in the middle of each side, and in the 

 partition, to make the roof stiff. 



The roosting-room is supplied with a large dust-box, 

 always well filled, and two ranges of nest boxes, with 

 sloping tops, as shown in figure 2. The chickens can not 

 stand on these tops, and being set on each side of the 

 room, they are made to support the roosts, which should 

 not be higher than two feet, or two and a half feet from 

 the floor. The best form of roost is made by taking two 

 straight grained, smooth pine sticks, two inches wide and 

 one inch thick, and nailing them together "["-fashion. 



