ECONOMICAL BACK YARD POULTRY HOUSES 



27 



mer to make the house cooler and more , comfortable. 

 An entrance for the fowls may be provided in the front, 

 if desired, but the rear trap door should always be avail- 

 able for the use in stormy weather, when the fowls will 

 remain below indefinitely rather than use an outside 

 entrance. 



Fig. 43 gives a floor plan of this house, Fig. 45 gives a 

 sectional view lengthwise, and Fig. 44 shows a general 

 view. While the dimensions can be varied to suit in- 

 dividual needs, the house as planned is 8x12 feet on three- 

 foot posts. The walls are five feet high and the ridge is 

 eight feet. It will accommodate twenty to twenty-five 

 fowls, or even thirty in a pinch. The following bill of 

 materials will be found sufficient to construct it: 



BILL OP MATERIALS FOR BACK YARD POULTRY HOUSE 



Use 



FIG. 44 SMALL ELEVATED POULTRY HOUSE. 



referred to, no chicks at all can be raised, but a good- 

 sized laying flock is maintained by purchasing early 

 hatched pullets in October, or by November 1st at the 

 outside, and feeding heavily for eggs until production be- 

 gins to drop off in the summer. Then the layers are 

 killed for table use, and a new flock purchased in the fall. 

 The plot of ground here utilized probably is not over 

 12 to 15 feet square but, as here utilized, will accommo- 

 date a flock large enough to supply all the eggs that 

 will be ased by an average family and enough more to 

 pay the cost of all feed purchased. 



ELEVATED POULTRY HOUSE 



A Low-Cost House With Sheltered Exercising Room 



Underneath Affords Comfort for the Fowls 



All the Year. 



Where a small flock only is to be kept, simply to 

 supply the home table with fresh, high-quality eggs and 

 possibly a few young fowls for spring and summer frys, 

 the house shown in perspective in Fig. 5 will be found 

 convenient and economical to build. 

 This house stands three feet above 

 the ground, with the space under- 

 neath closed on three sides, afford- 

 ing a scratching pen for the hens at 

 practically no additional cost. The 

 space is reached from the floor above 

 by an incline at the back. 



In order to make this house warm 

 and free from drafts the floor should 

 be doubled, the sub-floor consisting 

 of sheathing boards laid diagonally, 

 then covered with good, waterproof 

 building paper, and tongue - and- 

 groove flooring laid over this. 



This house is to be built with plain 

 boards nailed perpendicular and cov- 

 ered with prepared roofing. The 

 perches are along the west end, as- 

 suming that the windows and open- 

 ings face the south, as will usually be 

 found most satisfactory. 



Ventilation is secured by providing 

 a muslin-covered opening, also two ^ 

 small openings in the gable, which 

 should be closed in the winter-time 

 by tacking a heavy piece of cloth 

 over them, but left open in the sum- 



size 



Inch. 

 Sills .. ....2x6 



Sills 2x6 



Joists 2x6 



Joists 2x4 



Studs 2x4 



Plates 2x4 



Plates 2x4 



Support for drop- 

 pings platform.... 2x4 



Window sills 2x4 



Perches 



.2x4 



Remarks 



1 piece cuts 2. 



Surfaced and 



milled. 

 Surfaced, upper 



corners rounded. 

 1 piece cuts 2. 



Rafters 2x4 



Sheathing boards. ..1x10 

 Matched flooring.. ..1x4 



3% squares prepared roofing. 



100 s. f. sheathing paper for floor. 



2 plain rail window sashes, 1^4-in., 6-light, 10xl2-in. glass. 

 20 s. f. of 1-inch mesh poultry netting. 



10 V 2 s. f. of muslin. 



8 4-inch locust or cedar posts. 5% ft. long. 

 1 pair 8-in. T-strap hinges. 

 1 door latch. 



3 pairs 2-inch butt hinges. 



1 chain sash adjuster. 



2 2-inch hooks and eyes. 

 Nails, paint, etc. 



With a little more expense, the house can be built with 

 tongue-and-groove siding nailed horizontally. Trimmed 

 neatly and given a couple of coats of paint, it may be 

 made very attractive in appearance and will last a life- 

 time. 





U 



FIG. 45 LENGTHWISE SECTION OF ELEVATED HOUSE 



