114 PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY-HOUSE CONSTRUCTION 



sunlight in the back part of the house and the floor space is very 

 large. Such a unit will have a capacity of one hundred birds, allow- 

 ing four square feet per bird; it is adapted to all climates where poul- 

 try are commercially kept in the United States, and is one of the most 

 efficient producing units. This unit is adapted to both the intensive 

 poultry farm and the general farm where large flocks are kept. 

 The capacity of houses with this unit can be increased indefinitely 

 by the addition of other such units. For example, if five units 

 were used the house would be twenty by one hundred feet and 

 would have a capacity of five hundred birds (Fig. 71). 



Type of Roof. The type or form of roof should be studied 

 carefully, as it is the most expensive part of the house. It usually 

 covers only one floor, and must be made water tight and strong 



SHED 



TWO -THIRDS SPAN 



EVEN SPAN 



HIP 



FIG. 72. Six types of roofs for poultry houses. The shed roof is most common 

 and is the best. 



enough to support heavy snows and windstorms. The accompany- 

 ing sketch (Fig. 72) shows six different types of roofs used for 

 poultry houses. Each of these has a variety of uses. There is 

 much difference in the lumber and labor required to build the dif- 

 ferent types. Care should be used to build the best and get the 

 most economical type. The three^ which offer the best conditions 

 in most instances are the shed roof, the two-thirds span, and the 

 even-span or gable roof. In these three types of roofs with a uni- 

 form floor space and equal pitch, the amount of material is about 

 the same. 



In actual practice it is possible to construct the shed roof with 

 less pitch. When this is done, the shed roof is the most economical, 

 requiring less labor to erect; a higher front is possible, which enables 



