36 PO UL TR T- CRAFT. 



the roosting rooms are warmer. The fronts of the sheds are of wire netting, 

 with cloth curtains (on light wooden frames hung on hinges) inside, which 

 are let down in stormy weather and on cold nights. Each section has a 

 capacity of twenty to thirty fowls. 



Materials. 



23 short cedar posts to go under sills. 

 Dimension lumber: 



5 pieces 2 x 4 in. 10 ft. long; 4 pieces 2 x 4 in. 18 ft. long; 



19 pieces 2 x 4 in. 12 ft. long ; 4 pieces 2 x 3 in. 18 ft. long ; 



2 pieces 2 x 3 in. i6ft. long; 6 pieces 2 x 3 in. 14 ft. long; 



5 pieces 2 x 3 in. 12 ft. long : 



356 sq. ft. 



Sheathing 1000 sq. ft. 



Matched flooring T , 200 sq. ft. 



Roofing paper to cover IfeMS! 800 sq. ft. 



120 sq. ft. 6ft. wide wire netting, 2-in. mesh; 64 sq. ft. 4 ft. wide wire netting; 12 yds. 

 muslin for curtains; 4 6-light sash, 8 x 10 glass; 5 pr. 6-in T hinges; 2 pr. 3-in. T 

 hinges ; locks, latches, nails, etc. 



NOTE. Studs should be placed as indicated by the small white squares in the 

 diagram, rafters 2 ft. apart at centers. The plan may be changed to slightly lessen the 

 cost and increase a little the capacity of the house. Records of numerous flocks kept in 

 houses of this kind seem to show that the better plan is to have the two parts of the 

 section of equal size, and cover both floors with scratching material. With such an 

 arrangement, each part being 9 x 10 ft., all studs and rafters in a house with 18 ft. 

 sections are placed 3 ft. apart. 



41. Suggestions for Scratching Shed Houses. The style of house 

 described in f 40 is the one most generally used. The original plan was for 

 a close house, of which a part could be made an open shed at will. There is 

 reason to think that in principle this is the better plan, though the particular 

 design first given had objectionable features. In Fig. 17 are shown some 

 suggestions for houses in which the scratching sheds can be open or close at 

 will. The drawing at A represents a house with sections of different 

 dimensions, the first 16 ft. long, the next 24 ft. long. Each section is 

 divided into two equal parts, one of which can be made, practically, an open 

 shed by opening the door, which is 4 ft. wide in the small section, and 6 ft. 

 wide in the large one. The half-windows light the sheds when the doors are 

 closed. The design at B shows another arrangement for fronts of shed rooms 

 of same dimensions as at A. The doors proper are but 2 ft. wide. The half- 

 windows are placed I ft. from the ground. The upper half of each front, 

 exclusive of the door, can be opened or closed at will. By an arrangement 

 of double hinging, shown in detail in Fig. 18, the shutters swing either in or 

 out. In winter, when it is desirable to admit the sun, the shutters swing in. 

 For warm weather, the shutters swing out, is an awning, excluding the sun 

 from the shed, shading the half-windows, and making the shed during the 

 heat of the day an ideal ccol place for hens. The stop over the joint between 



