CHICKENS 



235 



''D" is the summer ventilator. 



'^E" is the emergency curtain made of burlap and hung at a 

 distance from the dropping board equal to the width of and 

 down to the same level as the dropping board. On many still 

 zero night this curtain can be lowered and the rest of the win- 

 dows kept open. This makes it much easier to keep the rest of 

 the pen dry, gives the birds much purer air and yet protects 

 them from the extreme cold. 



*'F" is a ceiling which makes an air space between the birds 



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i 



Fig. 134. — Lavincr hous 



and the cold roof and also prevents the draft that would result 

 when the summer ventilator is open. 



Equipment for the laying house is shown in the illustration, 

 except for the mash hopper. "H," "H'," and "H'"' represent 

 three tiers of nests above which are the broody coops. The nests 

 should be twelve inches by fourteen inches by fourteen inches 

 liigh. The openings should be to the rear. The top of the bottom 

 nests furnishes the bottom for the next tier, etc. The nests as 

 all other equipment should be easily removable for houseclean- 

 ing and in case the mites should get into the house. Most houses 

 are supplied with mash hoppers that furnish about four feet of 

 opening for one hundred birds. Probably double this amount 

 would enable the weaker birds to greatly improve their Qgg 

 record. The water pail rack shown in the illustration can be 

 improved by enclosing with lioards and filling with straw which 

 will prevent the water from freezing so quickly. The mash hop- 



