106 Farm Poultry 



years. The "submerged cement floor" undoubt- 

 edly approaches the ideal. In constructing this 

 floor the ground should be slightly excavated so 

 that the top of the cement floor when finished 

 will be a trifle lower than that desired for the 

 fowls. The cement may be placed directly on 

 the ground if the earth is firm. If the earth is 

 not firm it should be further excavated and filled 

 with stone, which should be thoroughly pounded 

 before applying the cement. See Fig. 33. After 

 the cement hardens, sand or gravel may be used 

 to cover it to a depth of from one to three 

 inches. Some poultrymen prefer to place the 

 cement floor somewhat higher than the surface of 

 the ground in order to secure good drainage, de- 

 pending on litter to protect the fowls from coming 

 in contact with the cement when the weather is 

 cold. A cement floor properly constructed is a 

 most excellent protection against rats and mice. 

 Windows. For the colder latitudes, windows 

 should not be large, nor more than one to every 

 ten feet in length for a house twelve feet wide. 

 These should be placed on the south side and 

 at such distance from the floor as to allow the 

 greatest possible amount of sunshine to fall upon 

 the floor during the cold winter months. Of 

 course the size and form of the windows will 

 determine largely their location, but if ordinary 

 windows, having from four to eight lights of a 



