LAVING HOUSES TO MEET SPECIAL CONDITIONS 



49 



FIG. 88 DETAIL. OF FRONT 

 WARM CLIMATE HOUSE 



are not considered desirable on account of the difficulty 

 of making them cool in summer, and they seldom are 

 built over 16 feet in depth, unless with a semi-monitor 

 roof. So far as the general details of construction and 

 arrangements are concerned, the house illustrated in Fig. 



89 does not dif- 

 fer materially from 

 the six - compart- 

 ment house shown 

 in Figs. 81 to 86, 

 aside from the fact 

 that low-cost con- 

 struction as d e - 

 scribed on page 

 37, is almost in- 

 variably adopted. 



Fig. 84 shows 

 a practical laying 

 house on the poul- 

 try plant of the 

 Georgia Experi- 

 ment Station. It 

 is built with a 

 combination roof 

 and a wide eave 

 which shades the 

 front a highly de- 

 sirable feature in 

 warm climates. 

 Houses in the 

 south especially 

 need rear ventila- 

 tors as shown in 

 Fig. 37, provid- 

 ing not only the 

 door under the eave, but also the windows under the 

 droppings platform. It is just as important to protect 

 fowls from heat here as it is to protect them from cold 

 in the north, and there is no better means of doing this 

 than in the manner just suggested. 



Where English sparrows are numerous, it will pay 

 well to use one-half or three-quarter-inch netting on all 

 openings in poultry houses, as the birds can get through 

 ordinary inch-mesh netting. Where the front is open 

 practically all the time, as is the case in the south, these 

 pests become thoroughly at home, multiply rapidly, 

 thanks to the good feeding they are able to secure from 

 the open hoppers, and in the course of a year's time con- 

 sume great quantities of feed. 



The house described on pages 47 and 48 is designed 

 for use in semi-tropical climates, where its free ventila- 

 tion, combined with the shade afforded by the extra wide 

 eaves, makes it particularly desirable. 

 Houses of similar wide-open con- 

 struction can be used to excellent ad- 

 vantage as colony houses for grow- 

 ing stock in all parts of the south. 

 The buildings usually provided for 

 this purpose are almost invariably 

 too close and warm. After settled 

 weather chickens undoubtedly will do 

 much better if given open-air condi- 

 tions such as are afforded by this 

 house. 



As here illustrated it is used for 

 a laying flock, the nests being placed 

 on the outside of the building and at- 

 tached to it by means of stout hooks. 

 The fowls reach the nests through 



suitable doors (seen on the left side), and eggs are gath- 

 ered from the outside, the top being on hinges. The 

 perches are arranged in two sets located on either side, 

 with a three or four-font passageway through the cen- 

 ter. They are hinged at the side to swing out of the 

 way, and in this illustration are shown hooked up, as 

 they usually are left during the day. Notice that the 

 perches instead of being placed close together as is 

 usually the practice in the north, are spaced wide apart 

 so that the fowls will not be bunched on them at night. 



No droppings boards are provided for ordinary use. 

 If a concrete floor is provided every practical require- 

 ment is met by covering it with an inch or two of clean 

 sand. For colony use the houses rest directly on the 

 ground and instead of constant cleaning are simply 

 moved to a new location from time to time. The top 

 ventilator affords an outlet for the warm air in the 

 upper part, this method of construction maintaining a 

 constant circulation through the house even when there 

 is no breeze at all. If to be used as a movable house, 

 it will be necessary to brace it well, as there are no 

 boards on the sides to help to stiffen the frame, and it 

 will quickly become racked out of shape unless thorough- 

 ly braced at all corners. 



For use in the extreme south, where protection from 

 extreme heat is the principal object sought, the house 

 illustrated in Fig. 77, has been found very satisfac- 

 tory. This house was designed by J. T. Gratigny of 

 Southern Florida and is the result of many years' ex- 

 perience in poultry keeping in that semi-tropical climate. 

 The walls of the house consist exclusively of one-inch 

 mesh netting and are about four feet high at the eaves. 

 The nests are placed on the ground under the eaves and 

 are entered by the hens from the house, while the eggs 

 are gathered from the outside. The particular house 

 here shown is portable and for that reason has no floor. 

 For permanent houses concrete floors are recommended. 

 The perches are placed on horizontal frames located on 

 each side of the house, with a four-foot passageway 

 through the center. Perches are about three feet above 

 the floor and the frames are hinged at back to swing up 

 out of the way when droppings are to be cleaned out. 



AN OPEN FRONT LAYING HOUSE 



This Type of House is Quite Popular in Sections Where 



Winters Are Not Too Severe. Front is 



Always Open. 



The house shown in Figs. 90 and 91 represents one 

 method of open-front construction. No curtains of any 

 sort are provided for this house as regularly planned, the 



FIG. 89 LARGE LAYING HOUSE IN MORRISTOWN (TBNN.) DISTRICT 



Curtains usually are closed only in extremely cold weather but, as in 

 the case with the house illustrated above, they may be partially drawn in 

 warm weather to provide shade. 



