1046 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



be a shed, where the fowls can scratch and exercise during the 

 day. The shed should cover nearly or quite as much ground as 

 the main building, and should be constructed so as to keep out 

 snow, rain, and wind, and admit plenty of light. But where the 

 winters are so mild that fowls can run out of doors the greater 

 part of the time, one-third less house-room will be sufficient, 

 and the shed may be open on the least exposed side. 



Concerning the height of poultry -houses, an experienced 

 poultry raiser says : " I am dead set against low hen-houses. 

 My belief is that all parts of it should allow a person of average 

 height to walk erect; and I further believe that plenty of air 

 space above the fowls is a vital necessity where a number are 

 housed together." 



Warmth is best secured by double boarding, with building- 

 paper between; by double walls, with the space filled with tan- 

 bark, chaff, or sawdust; by thick walls of stone or earth; and 

 by building, whenever practicable, in sheltered situations. From 

 my own experience, I can not recommend artificial heat in 

 poultry-houses, except for raising early chickens. Fowls kept 

 in houses artificially warmed during cold weather are very sen- 

 sitive to cold, and consequently more liable to attacks of roup 

 and kindred diseases than fowls wintered in houses where 

 warmth is secured by natural means. 



For light there must be plenty of glass in the south side of 

 the house, and if there be a window in the east end to admit 

 the morning sunlight so much the better. The windows should 

 have shutters to close over them at night in cold weather, and 

 should be protected inside by wire netting. By the use of the 

 netting for the windows, and a screen door, the poultry-house 

 can be converted into an open shed in summer, and will be 

 much better for the fowls. 



For ventilation there should be an opening at the highest 

 point, near or in the roof, sheathed to exclude the storms, and 

 an opening near the floor, so arranged that there will be no 

 current of air to strike the fowls when on the roost. 



Convenience should also be studied, and one of the most con- 

 venient things about a fowl -house is a passage-way, either 



