4 POULTRY HOUSES 



having a 6-in. face should be used for siding. If barn 

 boards are used, they should always be dressed on one 

 side, the same as the siding or flooring, so as to provide 

 an even outer surface to the building. Either pine, 

 hemlock, or poplar lumber is good for framing and 

 siding; pine or cypress should be used for the flooring. 

 In choosing lumber for poultry houses, it is always a 

 good plan to select the kind of lumber that is least ex- 

 pensive, provided it will make a perfectly air-tight con- 

 struction on three sides to exclude drafts. 



Materials for Side Walls. In very cold climates, 

 double siding with one or two thicknesses of tar paper 

 between is sometimes laid on the north wall of poultry 

 houses. It is not unusual to place tar paper beneath 

 the one layer of siding. In such cases, however, the 

 surface of the paper not only acts as a gathering place 

 for dust and dirt but also serves to harbor insect vermin. 

 Such condition may be greatly prevented by sheathing 

 the interior with flooring or by plastering the walls n .nc* 

 ceilings. Brick or cement can be used for the side 

 walls, but, when used, it is difficult, without the aid of 

 artificial heat, to keep the interior dry. Dampness, as 

 has been stated, is always undesirable for poultry. The 

 use of lumber gives more satisfactory interior conditions 

 and is always preferable; brick and cement walls have 

 not proved satisfactory. 



Building Paper. The use of building paper between 

 walls and floors is highly recommended, because it is 

 a good non-conductor of heat and a good protector from 

 cold and drafts. Many kinds of paper, ranging from 

 tar paper to the heavier grades' of building paper, are 

 used for this purpose. Any of these papers will last a 

 long time if they are carefully laid against a reasonably 

 smooth surface. Tar paper forms a protection from 

 insects, and for this reason it is often selected. Three- 

 ply roofing paper or three-ply roofing felt is the cheapest 

 of these materials that can be used to advantage for 

 the roof or the side walls, and if it is of good quality 

 and properly laid, it will last for many years. When 



