POULTRY HOUSES 



how they can be made to suffer from the heat in poorly 

 built houses. 



"The hot summer sun dries up all vegetation not arti- 

 ficially watered, the ground becomes hot and dry, and 

 the fowls prefer to stay in and close to the houses where 

 it is shady. They will not get out on the sun-baked 

 ground, but live largely in the houses during hot 

 weather. As a result, a good many fowls are lost every 

 year from heat prostration. In fact, such mortality rep- 

 resents a serious loss, and its prevention is a subject 

 worthy of most careful consideration. 



"In order to obviate the hot-box condition, provision 

 must be made to throw open the rear of the house on hot 

 days, in addition to the open front, so that every breath 

 of air may be caught and the air in the house be kept 

 moving as much as possible. There is invariably at least 

 a little breeze blowing from one direction or another, 

 and by having at least two sides of the house open 

 during the day these breezes circulate through the house 

 and keep it quite cool.'* 



Very heavy rainfall accompanied with wind prevails 

 during the winter in California. These storms are fre- 

 quently so severe as to blow away cloth curtains, and 

 for this reason they are not recommended as suitable 

 for that locality. 



Mr. Dougherty says further that trees in the runs and 

 about the houses are of great value in furnishing cool 

 shade. Deciduous trees of heavy foliage are best, be- 

 cause they furnish dense shade and shed their leaves 

 in winter. Since evergreen trees do not shed their 

 leaves, they ought not be located close to the houses, as 

 they will cut off the sun from the houses in winter. Fig 

 trees are especially fine for shade in the runs. The use 

 of two-story houses also makes for coolness, for the 

 upper story keeps the lower floor cooler than it would 

 otherwise be, and by hanging windows on all sides of 

 the lower floor the additional coolness resulting from free 

 ventilation on all sides is secured. 



A good type of house for California is a square house, 



