128 PRACTICE OF POULTRY-HOUSE CONSTRUCTION 



tamped enough to bring the water to the surface. The frame should 

 be filled to within about an inch of the top (Fig. 81, d, e), and the 

 remaining space should be filled with a wearing coat composed of 

 one part of cement and three parts of sand, mixed in the same way. 

 This should be smooth and the corners bevelled to prevent chipping. 

 During the process of pouring the concrete, anchor bolts should be 

 imbedded every ten feet, allowing them to project above the frame 

 about five inches if a 4 x 6 inch sill is used. It will require from 

 two to three days for the mixture to harden before taking the 

 frames away, but before much pressure is put on the wall it should 

 be allowed to season. It will season more quickly and become 

 harder during moist weather than when it is exceptionally dry. 

 For this reason, it is desirable during very dry weather to wet the 

 wall down occasionally. Fifteen days is usually required for proper 

 seasoning before the operation of building the house should be 

 commenced. 



Construction of Frame. — After the concrete wall is finished, 

 the guide lines should be re-stretched in order that the sills may 

 be laid true. They should be laid to the outside string, as they are 

 apt to vary some in width. The sills should be bolted firmly to 

 the foundation, washers being used so that the nuts may be set 

 very tight and not wear into the wood. The corner stud posts 

 should be nailed to the sill, flush with the outside of the sill. The 

 corner posts should be made plumb and held perpendicular by 

 nailing scantling braces running each way; if these four posts are 

 properly plumbed, the plates being nailed on them, a perfectly 

 upright building is secured. It is possible by the use of the square 

 to insure perfect fit when marking and cutting the rafters. But 

 usually it is desirable to cut one pattern rafter, putting it in place 

 to see if it fits properly, then using it to cut the others by. 



Plans and Specifications of Laying Houses. — The following 

 description of the plan shown in figure 85 gives the important 

 features for a standard-unit laying house. 



Double-Unit House. — The outside dimensions are 40 x 20 feet, 

 sills to be 4 x 6 inches, and to be bolted to a concrete foundation 

 wall eight inches wide and twenty inches deep. This is laid on 

 tamped cinder or crushed stone, the entire depth of the foundation 

 trench being three feet. 



The shed-roof type of construction is used, with nine-foot 

 studding in front and a height of four and one-half feet in the 

 back (Figs. 83, 84, and 85). All studding and rafters are 2 x 4 inch 



