50 



POULTRY HOUSES AND FIXTURES 



FIG. 90 A POPULAR OPEN-FRONT HOUSE 



low front and shape of roof being depended upon to keep 

 rain and snow from beating in. For a small house, where 

 the owner wishes to be free from the necessity of adjust- 

 ing curtains to meet changing weather conditions, and 

 with small-combed fowls, this plan gives good results. It 

 is being used successfully even in comparatively cold cli- 

 mates. The following description of this house is by the 

 originator, Jos. Tolman: 



"This fresh-air house is a very simple one to con- 

 struct, as will be seen by noting the photographic view 

 and plans. It is a plain hip-roofed building with the long 

 pitch of the roof to the front or south. The roof and 

 closed sides are of one-inch boards, shingled, making tight 

 walls and roof. The eaves are about four feet from the 

 ground and the peak of the roof is a little over seven feet. 

 The house is eight feet wide by 14 feet long, and has a 

 window in the center of the west side and a door in the 

 center of the east side, directly opposite the window. In 

 operating this house in summer, both the door and 

 window are removed and replaced with wire netting. The 

 south front is always open, being closed in by one-inch 

 wire netting only. This part of the house is wheie it differs 

 from other fresh-air plans. The house is run wide open in 

 front both night and day, storm and sunshine, all the year 

 around. A gate is provided in this wire front to give the 

 birds access to the yard. 



"For those who are using the Tolman house in ex- 

 ceptionally bleak, cold locations, I recommend the use of 

 a coarse, unbleached muslin curtain immediately in front 

 of the roosts. The location of the roosts in my improved 

 houses gives an excellent opportunity to place this cur- 

 tain in front of the same so that it can be operated con- 

 veniently, thus insuring the best results in the coldest 

 climate in America. The muslin curtain should be loosely 

 tacked upon a light wooden frame, the frame being hung 

 with hinges from the front roof directly in front of the 

 ends of the two side roosts and should extend no lower 

 than the droppings board. During the day when not in 

 use, the curtain can be fastened up to the roof out of the 

 way by means of a wooden button, conveniently placed. 

 If, on the last visit to the house at night, the attendant 

 thinks that the temperature is going to be many degrees 

 below zero, the curtain may be dropped. My advice is 

 never to use the curtain except in the most extreme cold 

 weather, when the temperature is zero or below. I prefer 

 to place the curtain in front of the roosts rather than in 

 the front part of the house, for if used as I advise, more 

 animal heat is retained and practically the same amount 

 of fresh air reaches the birds, owing to the arrangement 

 of the roosts and droppings board and the position of the 

 curtain or muslin screen. 



MATERIAL, FOR HOUSE 8x14 FEET 



300 sq. ft. hemlock boarding 1 . 



40 lin. ft. of 2x4 joists. 

 157 lin. ft. of 2x3 joists. 

 1 window, 7x8-inch elass. 



Window frame for same. 

 1 1 A M. shingles to be laid 5 in. for roof. 

 \\'z M. shingles laid 6 in. for sides. 



"From observations I have made I am sure that the 

 most practical and economical house will be one about 

 half as large again, or I would have my dimensions 14 

 feet wide, by 21 feet deep, with six-foot posts on the north 

 end, 4j^-foot posts on the south end, and a large window 

 in the west side. The highest part of the roof would be 

 about 10 feet from the ground. You would then have a 

 house, ideal for all kinds of weather and locations, that 

 would accommodate from 65 to 80 layers, according to 

 the breed, and from four to five males, and at a very 

 small additional cost over the figures given for the 8x14- 

 foot house." 



SMALL HOUSE WITH SEMI-MONITOR ROOF 



Lower Front of This House is Always Left Open. 



Sunlight Reaches Rear Part Through 



Upper Windows. 



The semi-monitor roof house is meeting with some 

 degree of popularity and appears to be practical and de- 

 sirable under certain conditions. The purpose of this 

 type of construction is to secure improved ventilation and 

 to get direct sunlight in the back part of the house. It 

 would appear to be especially fitted for use in houses 20 



f - 



FIG. 91 PLANS FOR OPEN-FRONT POULTRY HOUSE 



1 Floor plan, showing- location of platform, nests, etc. 

 2 East end, showing location of door and studs; 3 West 

 end, with position of window and studs. For construction 

 of front, see illustration reproduced from photo of house 

 as it appears in actual use (Fig. 90). 



