62 



FIRST LESSONS IN POULTRY KEEPING. 



together, the floor being littered with hay, straw, or some such material into which the grain 

 was thrown and the fowls obliged to scratch for it. The practice is so general now that many 

 will be surprised to learn that so recently as ten years ago there were probably several poultry- 

 men making no provision for exercise to every one who did make such provision. In the 

 ordinary closed house the floor is often littered to furnish exercise, though there is not the same 

 provision for fresh air as in the so-called scratching room house. 



3. Styles of Roofs. 



In describing these we will consider only roof plans for which there is a practical rea- . 



son. In these we may have : 



(a). The Single Pitch Shed Roof Sloping North. 

 With this style of roof we may have either a moderately high (for a poultry house) 



front (or south) wall, and a low rear wall, or if we wish the wall at the back of ordinary 



height, the front wall must be quite high. Houses are sometimes built the latter way, 



but it is not an economical plan, and has, on the whole, no special advantage. 



(b). The Single Pitch Shed Roof Sloping South. 



This plan is more popular for brooder houses than for houses for laying stock, though 

 one may find a good many houses for adult stock built with such roofs. 



(c). The Double Pitch Roof With Equal Sides Pitching North and South. 

 This is probably more generally used than all other styles of roofs combined. 



Monitor Top Roof Poultry House. 



(d). The Double Pitch Roof With Equal Sides Pitching East and West. 



This plan of course is out of the question on long houses running east and west, but 

 it could be used to good advantage much oftener than it is on small houses, as will 

 appear in some of the house plans to be given in following lessons, 

 (e). The Double Pitch Roof With One Long and One Short Pitch. 



This is often used on low houses with walk at one side, the short pitch being over the 

 walk. 



(f). The Monitor Top Roof . 

 (g). The Semi- Monitor Top Roof. 



The last two styles should be considered only when peculiar conditions make it neces- 

 sary to build houses of such styles. 



Height of Walls. The poultry house should be high enough to allow a man of average 

 height to work comfortably in it at any work that has to be done there. The relative height of 

 opposite walls will depend on the roof plan, or vice versa. 



It is a mistake to try to economize in material, or to make houses warmer by making them too 

 Jow for convenience of those doing the work in them. 



4. Quality of Construction. 



Many poultry houses are bu.it much better than is necessary, either because the builder 

 thinks that the more substantial building will be easier to operate, or because he wants the 

 building dene once for all. It is better to begin with the least expensive buildings that will 



