HOUSING FARM POULTRY 19 



dry and are the best of disinfectants and germicides that we 

 know. They aid materially in preventing disease. Very much 

 glass space is undesirable, not alone because of the additional 

 expense aryl breakage, but it is estimated that glass allows about 

 four times as much heat to escape from the building as the 

 ordinary board wall. In this respect it is not much better than 

 the muslin curtain, and on sunny days the curtain may be raised 

 to allow the sun's rays to enter without reflection in any di- 

 rection. 



Convenience. 



It seems to be more or less a fault in human nature that 

 those tasks are more often neglected that are a little out of our 

 way, or are a little difficult to get at. There is no animal around 

 the yard that responds more quickly to kind, sympathetic and 

 regular treatment than does the hen. The poultry house should 

 not be located, as it too often is, after all other buildings, sheds 

 and yards are planned, and then find that there is room out 

 behind the barn or some other out-of-the-way place for the 

 chicken house. Much of the work in caring for the fowls is 

 done by the women or is not done at all, and therefore, the house 

 and yards should be readily accessible to them. All gates, doors 

 and other fixtures should be made as simple as possible, yet se- 

 curely fastened and easily operated. There should be plenty 

 of room to get inside the building. The nests, feed hoppers, 

 etc., should be easily reached, so that cleaning and refilling is 

 made as easy as possible. It is sometimes advisable to arrange 

 the nests so that the eggs may be gathered without going into 

 the house. 



Protection from Vermin. 



The house should not be located close to the grainery, barn 

 or other buildings where grain is stored that afford breeding 

 places for mice and rats, to prey upon the fowls. The building 

 should be made as tight as possible to exclude all such enemies. 

 All nests, perches, etc., and the interior surface of the house 

 itself should be as smooth and free from cracks and unnecessary 

 corners as possible. The internal fixtures should be solid, yet 

 easily taken out to clean and disinfect. 



Cost. 



Many who have gone into the business of poultry raising 

 have failed because of the lack of consideration of this factor 



