POULTRY HOUSES. 179 



number of fowls kept ; and if any error is to be tolerated, it might 

 better be on the side of small buildings. It is said, on good authority, 

 that infectious diseases are not to be feared, even in the case of con- 

 fined accommodations; and laying, in the winter season, is rather 

 promoted than otherwise, when fowls are thus situated. A medium 

 eon re e should be adopted, as at once the wisest and most economical. 

 If fowls are not sufficiently defended from the cold of winter, they 

 become torpid ; if exposed to intense heat in summer, they are 

 enfeebled. To avoid the numerous diseases which are induced by 

 dampness, care should be taken that the poultry house should be in a 

 dry situation, and properly defended from the effects of rain. A due 

 re : rd to ventilation is indispensable to guard sgainst an infected 

 atmosphere, and suitable facilities should be afforded for the necessary 

 exercise which all kinds of poultry daily demand. Arrangements for 

 securing an ample supply of water must never be Overlooked, and it is 

 advisable to have receptacles of ashes or dry sand within the enclosure, 

 in which the fowls may enjoy the luxury of rolling themselves, in 

 order to free themselves from vermin, and for amusement. 



When poultry are kept on a large scale, a yard is set apart for 

 their use, enclosed either by a wall or by a fence of paling, of sufficient 

 height to prevent any escape. This yard should be well drained, 

 but if a stream of water can be made to flow through it, it is an impor- 

 tant advantage. A part of the yard should be floored or flagged, to 

 feed the fowls upon ; a part should be covered with sand or gravel, 

 for them to wallow in ; a part should be laid down in grass, or planted 

 with such plants as furnish them proper food; and somewhere, there 

 should be a deposit of dry mortar, or broken oyster shells, so prepared 

 that the fowls may pick and scratch amongst it. 



It is reckoned best to have various roosting-houses constructed for 

 the different kinds of poultry, and a separate nest provided for each ; 

 as, without this precaution, the same nest will frequently have three 

 or four visitors. The best kind of nests are said to be those made of 

 wood, wicker baskets being calculated to let in the cold air. The 

 floors of the roost-houses should be kept sanded, and in fine weather 

 the doors should be thrown open to give access to fresh air. 



In the erection of poultry houses, of course, considerations of fancy 

 or economy will furnish the rule in fixing upon a plan. A sufficiently 

 good, and in every respect suitable poultry house, may be built very 

 readily, and at an insignificant cost; but others are in existence which 

 exceed in expense many dwellings considered comfortable, and even 

 elegant, inhabited by mankind. It is necessary, therefore, to describe 

 several sorts of poultry houses, from those on the most magnificent 

 scale, down to that which will merely answer the purpose for which 

 it is erected. Dr. J. C. Bennett, 



