PORTABLE COLONY AND BROODER HOUSES 



67 



floor lay some old papers and then a second floor of 

 boards. We find these double floors very helpful in 

 keeping the house warm in cold weather. 



Next, the frame is set up and the corner boards 

 nailed on, and then we. finish boarding up, using matched 

 lumber so as to have tight joints. There must be no 

 drafts in these coops. These houses can be built at com- 



FIG. 124 SLED RUNNER COLONY HOUSE 

 Photo from J. W. Parks. 



paratively moderate cost and may be used either for 

 adult fowls, for indoor brooders or hovers, or can be ar- 

 ranged for cold brooders when the chicks are no longer 

 in need of artificial heat. We have two muslin sashes to 

 fit into the windows or openings, which we use in winter. 

 The bottom sash is put in permanently and the top one 

 slides up and down. For ordinary winter weather we 

 leave the top sash down, but when it is extremely cold we 

 generally have the top sash half-way up, leaving a por- 

 tion still open. However, the matter of ventilation de- 

 pends upon the number of fowls in the house. 



We have a sort of a bale hook that we hook under 

 the house back of the 2x4 on the side, and then attach 

 the other end to a singletree, and the team readily moves 

 it to any desirable location. In the summertime we move 

 these houses not less than twice a month, even if it is 

 only the length of the house, as that gives the chicks 

 new pasture and prevents killing the grass under the 

 house. 



It may be of interest to describe the cold hovers that 

 we use in these houses. Each house is equipped with two 

 roost poles, 2x3 inches, with rounded edges, for adult 

 fowls. When the house is to be used for chicks we rest 

 these poles on temporary strips on each side of the wall, 

 placing them so that the poles will be about 6 inches 

 from the floor. The back pole is 8 inches from the rear 

 wall and the other about 1 foot in front of it. Over these 

 we tack empty burlap sacks, laying them across the poles 

 and letting them hang down, front and back, with the 

 ends about 2 inches above the floor. We place about an 

 inch of chaff on the floor and in cold weather often throw 

 a lot of chaff on top of the sacks to keep in the warmth. 

 If the chicks get to crowding under this hover they soon 

 are exposed to the cold either in front or back, and so 



they quickly learn to spread out lengthwise. The first few 

 nights we place them under this hover until they learn 

 to perch on these, then we gradually raise them up higher. 



SECTIONAL COLONY HOUSE 



Built in Five Conveniently Handled Sections. Can Easily 

 Be Set Up or Taken Apart for Moving. 



A poultry house built in sections, so that it may be 

 taken down for moving and readily reassembled in a new 

 location, often is desirable, especially for the use of per- 

 sons who do not own their own homes and who are com- 

 pelled to move more or less frequently. To meet this re- 

 quirement the Storrs (Conn.) Agricultural College has 

 designed the house illustrated in Figs. 125, 126, 127, and 

 128. The following description is given in a circular 

 issued by the Department of Extension Service^ of this 

 institution: 



"Building in sections and putting together is a type 

 of construction which requires a minimum amount of 

 material and no extra labor. The demonstration house 

 here described was built by an amateur carpenter in fif- 

 teen hours' time. The following bill of material was 

 used: 



Best roofers 200 ft., 14 ft. x 1x6 in ....$7.60 



Sills and studs 4 pieces. 12 ft. x 2x3 in 1.08 



Furrowing 1 9 pieces, 12 ft. x 1x2 in. ... .81 



Window 1, 3-light 9x13 in 50 



Wire 8 feet 1-inch mesh. 2 feet wide 40 



Unbleached sheeting- 1 yard. 42 inches wide 25 



Hing-es 2 pairs, 4 inch T hinges 28 



Hooks and eyes 15 .25 



Nails 5 Ibs.. 6p _ . .40 



Nails 3 Ibs., 8p 24 



Screws 1 dozen, 1% inch 05 



Roofing paper % roll 1.00 



Total cost : $12.8 



"The accompanying plans are somewhat different 

 from the ordinary house plan in that each section is 

 shown as it appears when completed, lying outside down, 

 before putting together. The best boards should be 



Jf 



T-~f 



FIG. 125 FRONT OF SECTIONAL POULTRY HOUSE 



From blue print furnished by Storrs (Conn.) 



Agricultural College. 



chosen for the side walls, which may be made tight by 

 painting. Do not neglect painting, as such lumber will 

 not stand the weather. Boards which are not perfectly 

 tight may be used for the roof, as it is covered with roof- 

 ing paper. The cloth curtain in front, which is 32x39 in- 

 ches, outside measurement, slides up and down outside 



