POULTRY HOUSES 19 



are attractive in appearance and furnish plenty of room 

 for exercise out in the open yet afford protection from 

 the rain and snow that makes conditions quite unsani- 

 tary when permitted to fall in small runways that are in 

 constant use. 



The walks on both sides of the flower garden are made 

 of cement. The gutters a for drainage are laid along 

 the front of the runways and next to the cement founda- 

 tion. The cement extends beneath both the runways and 

 the roosting place. A foot of closely packed earth is 

 filled in on top of the cement making a dry ground floor 

 for the runways. This earth can be dug out and replaced 

 by fresh earth as frequently as necessary, thus keeping 

 the house and yards sweet and clean and avoiding all 

 chance of offensive odors or contamination of the soil. 



Where there is sufficient room, the runways can be 

 extended and used for young chicks. Where there is 

 not space enough for this, pullets for replenishing the 

 flock must be raised elsewhere. This plan was intended 

 only for the housing of hens kept for egg production, 

 but the same construction could be adapted for breeding 

 pens. 



The baseboards as shown in the illustration cover the 

 cement foundation wall of the runways and the roosting 

 place. Openings are cut through the rear wall of each 

 runway; they are covered on the outside with heavy 

 iron screen and are closed on the inside with shutters or 

 doors hung on hinges. These doors can be turned up 

 against the roof during warm weather. The free circu- 

 lation of air through these openings will reduce the 

 temperature inside the runways during the warmest 

 weather. The same kind of ventilation can be applied 

 to the rear of the roosting place. This would be neces- 

 sary, however, only in tropical climates or where the 

 nights are excessively hot. 



The front of the roosting house is 9 ft. high and the 

 front of the runway is 8J ft. high, affording sufficient 

 space overhead and better ventilation during hot weather 

 than a lower house would give. Iron posts are attached 



