POULTRY HOUSE CONSTRUCTION. IT) 



be so made as to be readily opened during the day but require 

 considerable attention as they need to be closed before each rain. 



TYPES OF FOUNDATIONS 



Portable colony houses should be built on two runners, either 

 of 4x4 material or better, two small trees of some durable wood 

 which may be flattened on top and tapered off at both ends so 

 as to make a satisfactory runner. Usually it is better to treat 

 these runners with some wood preservative before building the 

 house, and then, so far as possible, keep them off of the ground 

 by standing them on blocks or stones. Some use 2x4 pieces 

 spiked together, and as fast as the lower one becomes soft, it is 

 removed and a new one spiked fast. A stationary house may 

 be placed on four foot posts set in the ground at intervals of 

 about four to six feet. Cement posts may also be used or bet- 

 ter still, a three foot cement wall built as a foundation under 

 the house. Some houses are made by laying the sills on the 

 ground and replacing them whenever they rot out. This is the 

 cheapest as a good sill will last for several years and can be 

 readily replaced. This method is often used on commercial 

 farms. It is not, however, to be recommended as the sill is not 

 usually replaced until the building has become dilapidated and 

 much lumber injured, costing in the end more than a durable 

 foundation. 



Where rats are at all troublesome a substantial cement founda- 

 tion is a good investment. This should always be brought from 

 six inches to a foot above the surface and then filled in with 

 coarse material such as gravel, etc. In extremely wet locations, 

 especially in clay soil, it often pays to excavate under the entire 

 house and replace with stones or other coarse material, and then 

 connect with tile drains to remove all the water from under 

 the house. In many localities where stones are abundant, poul- 

 try houses are placed on stone walls, but unless cement is used 

 to fasten the stones together securely, rats will often work under 

 the house and do a great deal of damage. A loose stone wall 

 soon becomes an ideal dwelling place for rats and should, on 

 that account, never be placed under poultry houses. 



KINDS OF FLOORS 



In many localities a sand or dirt floor is cheap and advisable. 

 Hens like a dirt floor if it is dry. It makes a natural dust wal- 

 low but must be replaced frequently in order to keep the house 



