16 BULLETIN No. 215. 



sanitary. A dirt floor must always be well above the outside 

 surface so that the water drains away leaving the floor dry and 

 comfortable for the fowls. Where a cement foundation is used 

 for the house, one can frequently tamp the surface hard and 

 then fill in to the top of the foundation with sand. This sand 

 should be replaced each year before cold weather. 



A cement floor is much easier to keep clean and is durable and 

 rat proof. A cement floor should never be left bare but should 

 be kept constantly covered with at least three inches of sand 

 and with from six to ten inches of straw in winter. When sand 

 cannot be had, extra care should be taken to keep the floor 

 heavily littered so that none of it becomes bare. 



In case a cement floor is used, it should always be built so 

 as to be just even with the top of the foundation so that the 

 entire surface is smooth and easily cleaned. Where a cement 

 floor and foundation are placed in a house, it is usually better 

 to put in the floor before constructing the house. The method 

 that has been found most satisfactory is to dig a trench for the 

 foundation, fill it with concrete, erect the forms to the desired 

 height and fill with concrete. As soon as the foundation is at 

 all hard, remove the form from the inside and immediately fill 

 with cinders if available. Tamp hard and then immediately lay 

 the cement floor as shown in Figure 7. By building the cement 



floor while the foundation is 



>:-.'>. >" lJ --.>;.v.-^---'v:../. il '.{r..-."i T ^- green, the floor and the foun- 

 dation become well fastened 

 together, making it absolutely 



Figure 7. A well-constructed floor for a + rkT . nn f A /> AT npnt flnm* in 

 poultry house Is shown above. rat P r< r - A Cement D 



a poultry house should be 

 reasonably smooth so as to make cleaning easy. 



WALLS OF THE POULTRY HOUSE 



Walls of poultry houses must keep out rain, snow and cold 

 winds. They should also give strength and rigidity to the 

 house, and must be made in such a way that they can be readily 

 disinfected and cleaned. They must also be reasonably durable 

 and not too expensive. To fulfill the first requirement the walls on 

 the north, east and west are usually made wind tight. Cement 

 blocks have been used in some localities and are giving good ser- 

 vice. Solid cement walls should never be used in the poultry 

 house as they become damp and frost covered and can never be 



