12 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



therefore, consider only a few of the cheapest and most satisfactory 

 small houses adapted to this climate. 



The first requisite in the house is pure air. To secure this the 

 ventilation must be at the bottom. Some people think that the 

 bad air ascends, but this has been proved a mistake the foul gases 

 descend ; the pure air and the warm air are lighter, and they rise 

 and we want to keep them in, but if we have an opening for ven- 

 tilation at the top or near the top of the house, we lose the 

 warmth. A loss of warmth at night in the winter means a loss of 

 eggs, or more food is needed to supply this loss. The ventilation 

 should either be at the bottom, or one entire side of the house 

 should be left open. 



A Variety of Houses 



The accompanying rough little cut of a "mushroom" house will 

 give some idea of the bottom ventilation. Houses like this were 

 used by a successful poultryman. He made a tight frame five feet 

 square and five feet high. This he covered with canvas and the 

 roof he made of rubberoid roofing. He left a space below of ten or 

 twelve inches. These "mushroom" houses were tipped over every 

 day to be sunned or cleaned. I improved upon his plan by making 

 a door of one whole side, for I wanted to be able to handle my fowls 

 at night without tipping the house over. Perches should be placed 

 about twelve inches above the open space, and in case of heavy 

 breeds, a small ladder or run board should be placed for them to 

 reach the perches easily when going to roost. The advantages of 

 such a house are its lightness and the free circulation of air without 

 draughts on the fowls. These houses can be covered with matched 

 lumber, shakes, canvas, burlap, rubberoid, or even common domestic 

 muslin, which may be oiled or painted with crude petroleum. 



The open front house is admirably adapted to California climate. 

 It is now meeting with favor even in the rigorous climate of the 

 East, where poultry raisers begin to realize the value of fresh air 

 without draughts, if they want to have vigorous hens that will lay 



