278 THE RURAL EFFICIENCY GUIDE STOCK 



to a clay soil. The former is more easily kept in a sanitary condition and 

 drains more readily. If the soil is not naturally dry, it should be made so 

 by a thorough under drainage. 



Sunlight and Dryness. Select a light and dry place. Sunlight is a great 

 germ destroyer. A poultry house should not be built in a hollow where cold 

 air settles. 



Temperature. It is well to build it in the lee of a wind break for protec- 

 tion. Keep the lowest probable temperature in mind as the comfort of the 

 fowls is the main consideration. Depend on ventilation to let the heat escape. 



Housing. 



Give Hens a Home. The hen should not be just housed she should be 

 given a home. Rather than ha.ve the building damp, cold, dark or full of 

 mites, it should be clean, light, cheery and comfortable. As Professor Rice 

 of Cornell says : "The singing hen is the laying hen." The hens will not sing 

 unless you keep them comfortable and happy. 



Make House Convenient. Save labor and you save money. Everything 

 that aids you in lessening the amount of labor in caring for your flock will 

 increase your profits. Do not build the house too far away from the other 

 buildings. Make it of easily cleaned material. Have dropping boards, a place 

 for surplus feed, handy nests and a barrel close by for manure. Have dropping 

 boards and roosts readily removable to make cleaning easy all to save 

 time. 



Make House Comfortable. Allow at least two cubic feet of floor space for 

 each fowl. Never build a poultry house more than seven feet high in front 

 and five feet high in the rear. It must be low to be comfortable for the hens. 

 The hen is a great heat maker. Her temperature averages about 108 and a 

 flock of one hundred hens will throw enough heat from their bodies to keep 

 the temperature safe even if the thermometer goes below zero. 



Make House Light and Dry. Let plenty of sunlight in the house as it 

 is the best germ destroyer in the world and poultry will not do well if housed 

 in dark, gloomy quarters. Have a good ventilating system and dry floor 

 to make the house dry and comfortable. Have the floor higher than the 

 ground surrounding it. If a house is built warmly and has a glass front, it gets 

 hot during the day and cools off quickly at night. Such a house is always damp 

 because there is no circulation of air to dry out the moisture which condenses 

 on the walls. The partial open front house is conceded to be the best for 

 most sections. Cold does not hurt hens but they are injured by sudden changes 

 of temperature. If the thermometer drops below zero, muslin curtains can be 

 stretched across the open windows to prevent the hens freezing their combs. 

 Such curtains keep out cold, snow and wind but permit the air to pass through, 

 keeping the house dry. When muslin is used, allow one square foot of muslin 

 placed on the south side to every 15 square feet of floor space in houses of 

 15 feet in width. If the house is ten feet wide, use one square foot of muslin 



