60 



POWLTRY HOUSES AND FIXTURES 



FIG. 107- 



oi- i-eve/ 

 -DETAIL, OF PEN FRONT IN SIX-PEN BREEDING HOUSE 



sionally mild day in midwinter, particularly if the building 

 has for any cause become damp, as will be the case if 

 frost accumulates on the walls and vaporizes so rapidly 

 that the air will not hold the moisture and the litter be- 

 comes damp from the drip a situation which may be 

 avoided by opening both the wooden door and the burlap 

 frame. Secondly, the caretaker may close the opening 

 with the burlap frame. This is the method of securing 

 ventilation during cold weather. The coarse, meshes of 

 the burlap do not clog with dust as the finer meshes of 

 cotton do, and they allow the moisture to escape, while 

 retaining considerable heat and preventing a draft. In 

 ordinary winter weather, during the day, ventilation 

 sBould be obtained through this burlap, while on very cold 

 nights the wooden door should close the opening. Clearly, 

 it is not necessary to treat all three openings alike at the 

 same time, since one only, or two, may be opened. 



A. cement foundation wall is best and most desirable 

 for three reasons: First, it is most durable; second, it 

 gives better support to the frame than posts or pillars; 

 third, almost every poultry-keeper in these days is famil- 

 iar with simple cement construction. The wall should be 

 one foot thick at base and eight inches at the top, and 

 should be fifteen inches above the ground-level. This 

 construction allows the door to swing over the litter, 

 which is a convenience. 



When there is a supply of gravel or sand on the farm, 

 or this material can be obtained without too great ex- 

 pense, a floor of gravel and sand or gravel and loam is 



advised, on account of its naturalness, 

 and comfort. Fill in at bottom with 

 three inches of coarse gravel or small 

 stones; then four inches of finer 

 gravel, covering with a little clay,. 

 and roll or tramp hard. This will 

 make a good cleaning-line. Next 

 cover with four inches of fine sand 

 or dry loam, or a mixture of both. 

 This last layer should be cleaned out 

 every summer and replaced by a 

 fresh, clean supply. The layer of 

 sand has a fertilizing value after it 

 has been in the house for a year. If 

 it is sifted when put in, it makes a 

 suitable top-dressing for lawns or 

 hay-fields. 



Nail matched boards, running up 

 and down, to outside of frame. Paint 

 at once with two coats to avoid 



shrinkage. If a warmer house is desired, cover the walls 

 with double-ply tarred paper, in one or two layers, as de- 

 sired. If a still warmer, better-looking, or more expen- 

 sive house is desired cover this with shingles or siding. 



When the wall consists of but one thickness of 

 boards, this house may be built at as little cost as it is 

 possible to construct a comfortable and durable poultry 

 house. On the other hand, when the wall consists of two 

 thicknesses of boards with one or more thicknesses of 

 building paper or, better still, two thicknesses of double- 

 ply tarred paper between the boards, the house becomes 

 not only very warm and comfortable, but an attractive 

 farm building; and if kept in repair and painted, will so 

 remain indefinitely. Furthermore, this evolution from a 

 single wall to one with double thickness of boards, be- 

 tween which is a double layer of paper, may take place 

 at the time of building, or it may progress as gradually as 

 the owner decides. 



For the roof, matched boards and good, heavy roofing 

 paper will be found entirely satisfactory. Because a great 

 deal of heat may escape otherwise, the roof should be 

 tightly built; hence matched boards are necessary with 

 either shingles or roofing paper. It is folly carefully to 

 build a warm and tight wall to hold the heat, and then 

 cover the building with a loosely constructed roof which 

 will certainly allow the heat to escape, making the house 

 colder by several degrees. Other specifications, dimen- 

 sions, etc., will be found on the accompanying plan. (See 

 Figs. 105, 106, and 108.) 



FIG. 108 FLOOR PLAN AND END ELEVATION OF MINNESOTA MODEL POULTRY HOUSE 

 Reproduced from Minnesota Farm. Inst. Annual No. 27. 



