36 



POULTRY HOUSES AND FIXTURES 



and the curtains made larger, possibly substituting frame- 

 less folding curtains, as shown in Fig. 89, in place of 

 hinged shutters. In the extreme south the curtains also 

 may be dispensed with and the entire front left open. 



The estimated capacity of 100 hens is based on a 



FIG. 60- 



If milled sills for the windows and curtains can not 

 readily be secured, they may be made of ordinary 2x5 or 

 2x6-inch lumber, setting them to slope outward. Do not 

 use one-inch material here, as is often done. Such sills 

 soon warp and split and must be replaced in a short time 

 if the building is to be kept in good 

 repair. It is a common error, es- 

 pecially among beginners and those 

 who are doing their own carpenter 

 work, to try to effect petty economies 

 or to do careless, hasty work in con- 

 nection with these minor details, re- 

 sulting in defective construction 

 which, allows deterioration to set in 

 almost as soon as the building is 

 completed. Like a chain, the poultry 

 house is no stronger than its weakest 



FRONT ELEVATION OF CURTAIN-FRONT HOUSE FOR 100 HENS pomt> and whether the annual depre- 

 ciation on it is to be ten per cent, 



15 



floor allowance of four square feet per hen. When Leg- 

 horns are kept, and in mild .climates where the fowls 

 seldom need to be confined to the house, this number may 

 be increased 25 per cent or .more. 



Most of the details of construction in this plan, such 

 as building up foundation and floor, window and door 

 framing, rafter cutting, etc., will be found fully illustrated 

 and described in Chapter I, pages 13 to 24, which the 

 builder is urged to read carefully before undertaking the 

 construction of any poultry house, small or large. 



A concrete foundation and floor are recommended, 

 as they undoubtedly are most economical in the long run. 

 No special skill is required in doing concrete work, and 

 where the sand and gravel or stone are readily obtain- 

 able, it is comparatively inexpensive. Even where pro- 

 fessional labor is employed, or the work regularly con- 

 tracted for, the cost will be repaid in a few years in the 

 saving of labor which will be effected in the daily care 

 of the building, and in the much lower rate of depre- 

 ciation. 



As here planned, this house is framed with single 



sills and rafter plates; studs and raft- .. 



ers are two feet on centers, and the 

 walls are covered with a good grade 

 of six-inch tongue-and-groove siding. 

 The roof is sheathed with ordinary 

 roofing boards, which should be sur- 

 faced on both sides, if such are ob- 

 tainable without too great additional 

 cost. They may be of No. 2 grade 

 or No. 2 common, as they are to be 

 covered with fairly heavy prepared 

 roofing. No lining or ceiling is pro- 

 vided except about the perches. 



Whether to use tongue-and-groove 

 siding, or rough boards to be covered 

 with prepared roofing, is largely a 

 matter of individual preference or 

 necessity. Where rough boards are 

 used, they generally are nailed on up 

 and down, omitting most of the wall 

 studs, as shown on page 17. The 

 omission of studs and the use of 

 cheap siding that could not be util- 

 ized without an outside covering, may effect an important 

 saving in cost. If regular grades of lumber are to be 

 bought, however, it will be found that boards covered 

 with roofing will cost more than T & G siding and a 

 house so constructed will depreciate more rapidly, be- 

 sides being unsightly at all times. 



five per cent often depends upon whether such details as 

 the window sills, for example, have received proper 

 attention. 



The boards for the droppings platform are cut to run 

 the short way of the platform and are nailed securely to 

 2x4-inch stringers, front and rear. The platform is sup- 

 ported in front on 2x4 posts spaced about eight feet apart. 

 These platforms sometimes are made in movable sections 

 so that they can be taken out for cleaning and disinfect- 

 ing. The advantage of being able to do this is more 

 theoretical than actual, however, and the boards ordinar- 

 jly are nailed. In fastening them in place, do not drive 

 them up tight together, but leave room for them to swell, 

 as they are certain to do when the house is in use. Where 

 this precaution is neglected the platform will buckle and 

 pull many of the boards loose, necessitating repairs in a 

 short time. 



The construction of perches, nests, etc., will readily 

 be understood from the plans shown herewith, but are 

 illustrated and described in detail in Chapter X. If plat- 

 form nests are preferred instead of wall nests, directions 



H a 



J U 



H HE 



FIG. 61 FLOOR PLAN OF ITKTAIX-FRONT HOUSE FOR 100 HENS 



for building them will also be found in that chapter, like- 

 wise directions for building trap-nests, and bill of ma- 

 terials needed. Hinged yard doors may be substituted for 

 sliding doors if preferred, hinging them to swing out 

 rather than in, as a rule. 



The bill of materials given includes everything nee- 





