110 PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY-HOUSE CONSTRUCTION 



houses than small- or close-comb breeds. Birds of low vitality 

 with poor circulation will be much more liable to freeze their 

 combs than those of high vitality. A cold, damp atmosphere will 

 do more damage than a cold, dry atmosphere. The house should 

 be so arranged that the temperature of the birds' bodies may be 

 conserved. At night during very cold weather the use of muslin 

 drop-curtains in front of the perches is sometimes helpful. 



Any arrangement which will make it possible to cool the house 

 off during the hot summer nights will be very desirable. One 

 method used is to provide a small hinged opening in the back of 

 the house which when open allows the air to circulate freely 

 between the ceiling and roof over the roosting quarters. 



Rats and Mice. The house should be built, as nearly as pos- 

 sible, to be proof against rats and mice. These enemies are often 

 a source of great loss. The cost of a good concrete floor will often 

 be saved in one year by keeping out rats. The protection against 

 rats affords great saving in the feed bill, for a family of full-grown 

 rats will eat or waste as much dry mash as a flock of twenty-five 

 laying hens. 



Sanitation, The internal construction of the house should be 

 as plain as possible. If matched lumber is used, it offers less 

 hiding-places for bacteria, lice, and mites, so that a spraying with 

 a good disinfecting solution will reach all possible hiding places. 

 All internal fixtures, such as nests and perches, should be made 

 movable, so that they can be taken out of the house and thoroughly 

 cleaned and disinfected. 



Size and Type of House. The exact form of house has a 

 definite influence on the cost of construction. The type selected 

 will be determined by the number of birds to be kept and by the 

 character of the land upon which it is to be located. The small 

 colony house costs more for its capacity than the continuous 

 house. In the latter a light door or muslin partition answers for 

 two outside end walls. Aside from the importance of economy of 

 construction, the colony house is colder, having more surface 

 exposed to the varying weather conditions, and more labor is 

 required to care for the birds kept in them. The larger the house 

 and the larger the flock, the less will be the cost per bird for 

 shelter and labor in caring for them. There are three different 

 designs into which all types of poultry houses might logically be 

 grouped: (1) The small single-pen colony house. (2) The long, 

 continuous house of two or more pens. (3) The large single-unit 



