516 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



walls, had glass windows, and in winter the air within was 

 kept at as comfortable a temperature as possible. Some- 

 times these houses were lathed and plastered. Not much 

 attention was given to ventilation. Houses of this sort are 

 not built as much as formerly; and, if they are, cloth screens 

 on the front or south side replace most of the glass, pure air 

 being regarded as a necessity. In many cases, these houses 

 have open front windows, except in the coldest winter 

 weather, when the cloth screens are dropped. Laying pen 

 houses are of different styles, a common one having a simple 

 single-pitch shed roof, with a height of 6 or 7 feet at the 



Figure 250. A large laying house and yards. Photograph from Prof. F. S. 



Jacoby. 



south, and 4 or 5 feet at the rear. It is best to have the 

 house of a depth that will allow sunshine to reach as near 

 the back wall as possible. A depth of 14 feet and a width 

 of 12 to 14 feet for each pen is a satisfactory size. One 

 should allow 5 square feet for each bird in such a house. In 

 a house of this sort the floor should be made of concrete in 

 order to make it rat-proof and to keep it dry. This floor 

 may be covered with cut straw or chaff, and be used in cold 

 weather as a scratching shed. The walls should be tight 



