POULTRY HOUSES 9 



stand climatic conditions where the house is built and 

 follow the kind of construction that seems best suited 

 to that locality. In sections where the winters are of 

 long duration and very cold, there should be no hips or 

 pockets in the roof nor any extra amount of overhead 

 space. The ceiling should be straight and there should 

 be some means of carrying away damp cold air and of 

 keeping an even temperature and distribution of air 

 throughout the entire house. Inside conditions as they 

 exist in the coldest and dampest weather furnish the best 

 means of determining proper housing. If the interior of 

 the house is dry or nearly so when the weather is cold 

 and the air is damp, the conditions inside the building 

 are very nearly ideal for poultry. A sure test for dry- 

 ness inside of the house is freedom from frost or mois- 

 ture on the side walls and glass windows and the condi- 

 tion of the litter on the floor. If the litter is damp, it 

 indicates that the floor is damp and that the inside of 

 the building is not as dry as it should be. Dryness 

 inside the house is an absolute necessity for the health 

 of fowls. 



One of the best types of house for a very cold climate 

 is one that is not more than 6J ft. high to the eaves, has 

 a gable roof, and a loft for storing straw overhead. The 

 floor of the loft should be of strong boards to sustain 

 the weight of the straw. It may be made of planks 2 in. 

 thick and 6 in. wide, with the planks laid 4 in. apart. 

 The filling of straw overhead makes the building warm 

 in the winter and the straw will absorb whatever mois- 

 ture may arise. It may be removed in the spring, thus 

 giving more overhead ventilation and a cool house for 

 summer. 



Both glass windows and cloth-covered windows should 

 be used in every locality where the weather is cold. 

 There should be a lining of boards from 1 ft. above the 

 floor, behind the dropping-board and roosts of the back 

 wall, and on the side walls next to the roost. This 

 covering of boards should extend up over the dropping- 

 board and about 2 ft. beyond it, thus affording a con- 



