72 



POULTRY HOUSES AND FIXTURES 



FIG. 137 CONSTRUCTION OF 

 CHICK DOOR 



Pipe-heated hovers are not recommended in small 

 brooder houses, as better results usually are secured at less 

 expense where the pens are equipped with individual lamp- 

 heated hovers. In houses 50 feet long and upwards, pipe- 

 heated hovers may be found more economical, though 

 many chick growers prefer individual hovers in brooder 

 houses of any length. Where chicks are to be brooded in 



mid - winter, houses 

 equipped with indi- 

 vidual hovers should 

 have some source 01 

 auxiliary heat. This 

 is best supplied by 

 means of a water 

 heater and a coil of 

 pipe, as shown in 

 this plan. The pipes 

 for auxiliary heat should be placed along the nprth side 

 and as low as the size of the heater will permit, but it is 

 not necessary to place the heater in a pit, as there is no 

 disadvantage in having the pipes well up o"h the wall, so 

 long as they are not above the rear windows. 



Fig. 133 shows floor plan, with six hovers, each 

 capable of accommodating about 100 chicks. The number 

 of pens may be reduced to five if preferred, and made five 

 feet wide, which is a more convenient width for the care- 

 taker. The heater is located at the farther end, where it is 

 out of the way but easily cared for. A heater with a 12- 

 inch grate should provide ample heat for a house of this 

 size. Do not make the mistake of keeping the house too 

 warm; 60 to 65 degrees is warm enough, as a rule. The 

 individual hovers can be depended upon ^to. provide the 

 necessary additional heat without at any time having the 

 lamps turned dangerously high. 



Fig. 136 shows a cross section indicating adjustment of 

 windows, etc., also construction of partitions. These are 

 to be built up of flooring or any other tongue-and-groove 

 lumber, to a height of 21 inches above the brooder house 

 floor, with three-foot wire netting above. Note location of. 

 ceiling ventilator and see Fig. 141 for detail drawing. Figs. 

 134 and 135 show elevation of front and end respectively. 

 Fig. 140 is an enlarged drawing of a pen front. Note 

 that the first eight inches is occupied by the joist carrying 

 the hover floor,. The hover floor is set back one inch 

 from face of joist and the space from top of joist to bottom 

 of pen door is boarded up with matched flooring, or with 

 a nine-inch surfaced board if desired. The doors, which 

 are 2x3 feet, have Ix3-inch frames, with one-inch mesh 

 poultry netting tacked on with double-pointed tacks, so 

 that there will be no loose ends to catch clothing. The 

 studs on either side of the door are 2x2 inches and the 



FIG. 138 CONSTRUCTION OF HOVER FLOOR IN 

 BROODER HOUSE 



partitions are nailed to them. The studs are faced with 

 IxlJ^-inch strips and spaced 23j4 inches apart, so that the 

 door will swing shut against the face of the stud. The 

 rest of the front not occupied by the doors is finished with 

 three-inch strips and one-inch netting, same as doors. 



Chain Sash 



Adfus+er 



Where the brooding pens are five feet wide or more, 

 it is desirable to have the pen doors hung on double-acting 

 spring hinges, but this cannot be done with four-foot pens, 

 as in these narrow pens the 

 door cannot swing in with- 

 out striking the hover. 



Fig. 139 'is a detail draw- 

 ing of chick door and win- 

 dow construction. Both door 

 and window are to be 

 framed, the window closing 

 against a ^xl-inch weather 

 strip. This strip is cut short 

 at the bottom to allow the 

 bottom of the window to 

 swing out when opened, the 

 window being hinged to the 

 sill, as shown. A short 

 length of chain attached to 

 the sash with a screw eye 

 and dropping over a hook in 

 the casing above, affords a 

 convenient means of adjust- 

 ing the window at any 

 angle. A spring window bolt 

 mav be used to hold the win- 

 dow when closed. The chick 

 door slides up and is held 

 open with hook and eye. Tht 

 window sill may be of plain 

 two-inch stuff, placed at an 

 angle, if desired; but it is 



easier and better to have a milled sill, spiking it flat to 

 the undersill, as shown. The chick door sill may be sloped, 

 if desired, but there is no real necessity for doing so and 

 construction is simpler as indicated. The outside doors 

 are framed, as shown in Fig. 26 on page 19. The ven- 

 tilator door, shown in Fig. 141, is hung flush with the 

 lower face of the ceiling, making the opening wide 

 enough so that the door will swing freely. It may be 

 conveniently swung on a %-inch iron rod, stapling it 



Facing Strip 



FIG. 139 DETAILS OF 

 WINDOW CON- 

 STRUCTION 



FIG. 140 PEN FRONT IN BROODER HOUSE 



tightly to the door and letting it turn in staples driven 

 into the ceiling on each side. This rod should be stapled 

 to the door just enough off center so that it will swing 

 shut when not fastened open. A couple of small blocks, 

 nailed to the upper side of the ceiling at either end of 

 the door, act as stops. The door may be held open by a 

 weight, or by attaching the cord to stud or partition. 

 These doors should be approximately under the highest 

 point in the roof, providing two in this 30-foot house and 

 spacing them 20 feet apart in long houses. 



