56 



POULTRY HOUSES AND FIXTURES 



100. This plan is furnished by the Alpha Portland Cement 

 Co. and will readily be understood in its general details 

 without a lengthy description. The floor should be laid 

 of one part of cement to two parts of sand and three of 

 stone or gravel. The wall mixture is given as 1:2^:4. 

 The proportions suggested for the floor seem to indicate 

 that considerable stress is expected to be borne, which, of 

 course, is seldom the case. It is probable, therefore, that 

 a mixture of 1:2^:4 will answer just as well for the floor. 

 The plan here given calls for a four-inch wall, but a six- 

 inch wall is recommended in general practice. This house 

 as here illustrated provides four pens, each 11 feet x 12 

 feet 3 inches. The outside dimensions are 16x45 feet. In 

 a general way the interior is similar to that shown in 

 the six-pen breeding house, shown in Figs. 107 and 109- 

 113. -The passageway partition, however, is somewhat 

 different, as it is intended that all feed hoppers, troughs, 

 water vessels, etc., shall be placed in the passageway, the 

 fowls having access to them through slats placed in the 

 partition under the nests. In the plan the passageway 

 is three feet wide, but we would suggest that this be 

 changed to four feet. A three-foot passageway obstructed 

 by feed hoppers, water vessels, etc., will be found ex- 

 tremely inconvenient. Four feet is none too wide for the 

 purpose, the extra width being secured by making the 

 house a foot wider or by taking it off of the pens. 



It will be noted that above the nests the partition is 

 to be of solid cement plaster on metal lath. This is an ex- 

 cellent feature and it will be a further improvement if the 

 partitions betwen \he pens are all of similar construction 

 for the first six feet back from the door, thus giving the 

 fowls a three-sided roosting closet which will protect 



them from any air currents while on the perches. As 

 will be seen in the cross-section, this house is provided 

 with collar beams, on a level with the front plate and it 

 will be an easy matter to provide a straw loft, covering 

 the beams with narrow boards and filling in the space 

 between them and the ridge with straw. If the floor of 

 this house is properly constructed, it should be dry and 

 warm, but the straw loft will greatly assist in keeping 

 the house comfortable in severe weather. The perch sup- 

 ports, of course, are to be hinged at the back to swing 

 up out of the way when the platform is being cleaned. 



Straw Poultry Houses 



On farms where small grains are extensively grown 

 and where the straw has little cash value, one of the least 

 expensive poultry houses that can be built is a straw 

 house. When properly built such a house will be found 

 comfortable and healthful for the fowls and can be made 

 convenient for the caretaker as well. 



Straw houses are seldom damp, and they are always 

 warm in winter and cool in summer. The supporting 

 frame should be substantial, as it has to carry a heavy 

 weight, and the straw roof must be carefully built in order 

 to insure its being rain-proof. In building straw sheds or 

 houses it is especially important to pack the straw by 

 persistent tramping as the walls are built up, otherwise 

 the straw will settle and separate along the line where 

 walls and top meet. If the inside of the house is lined 

 with poultry netting, this will prevent the fowls from 

 picking and scratching the straw from the walls, which 

 they are certain to do if no protection is provided. Avoid 

 trouble with mites by keeping perches away from walls. 



Showing Exterior\ 



Showing Interior 



? O .- * <?'- O 



PIG. 100 PLANS FOR COMPARTMENT HOUSE BUILT OP CONCRETE 



