FARM iOIILDDNG PLANS 



Straw • Loft 

 POULTBY HOUSE • 



UMVCttWTV OF ILLINOIS 

 COCL£CC OF A<>OtCM.TUr)C 



PtAN N0.40i-2 



hrrrT-l . 1 ■ ■ ■ 



SECTION 



P 1- A. Nl 





( 



THE department of agricultural en- 

 gineering, University of Illinois Col- 

 lege of Agriculture, recommends the 

 straw-loft poultry house as the best type 

 of house for your flock. It is a one-story, 

 tightly enclosed laying house with a 

 concrete floor and straw-loft. 



One good feature of the Illinois plan 

 for the straw-loft house is that the length 

 can be adapted for size. The plan pro- 

 vides for a house 20 feet wide. A 20 

 by 20 house is about right for a 100- 

 hen flock ; a 20 by 30 house will hold 1 50 

 hens; 20 x 40, 200 birds. For 400 to 

 500 layers the length could be increased 

 to 80 or 100 feet. Of course, for very 

 large flocks, the house might also be 

 wider or consist of two stories. 



The plan allows four square feet of 

 floor space for each hen, one nest for 

 every five hens, 10 inches of roost space. 

 and two inches of mash feeder space for 

 each bird. Droppings boards are pro- 

 vided under the roosts but the plan can 

 be easily adapted for droppings pit or 

 roost rack. 



Enough windows are included in the 

 plan to provide light for the birds to 

 find their way about the house, and for 

 the operator. The ordinary window is 



Here is one design in a series oi iarm 

 building plans being issued by the U. oi I. 

 College oi Agriculture in 1945-46. It is 

 plan No. 404-2 oi a straw-loit poultry 

 house. Blueprints ior this and other plans 

 may be secured ior 20 cents by writing the 

 department oi agricultural engineering, 

 U. oi I. College oi Agriculture, Urbana, 111. 

 Persons interested in plans oi other iarm 

 buildings may secure iree a list oi blue- 

 print plans irom the agricultural engineer- 

 ing department or by consulting their iarm 

 adviser. 



not too important in adding warmth to 

 the house or letting in ultra-violet light. 

 In most poultry houses windows can be 

 adjusted to regulate the amount of air. 

 The straw-loft house does a good job 

 of insulating overhead and allowing mois- 

 ture to escape. If the house is insulated 

 with commercial insulation, there must be 

 escape ducts for moist air or the house 

 will become wet. In most parts of Il- 

 linois, the single board wall for the sides 

 is sufl^icient, but it is a good plan to in- 

 sulate the sidewalls too; a double wall, 

 or a layer of 1-inch insulation board, 

 makes the house warmer. 



More complete description on the 

 straw-loft poultry house can be secured 

 from Circular 525 made available by the 

 U. of I. College of Agriculture at Ur- 



bana, or the circular may be secured 

 from the county farm adviser. 



Let's nbt forget economy in our farm 

 building construction, says D. G. Carter, 

 U. of I. College of Agriculture. 



Farm building improvements are being 

 planned now in greater volume as the 

 war's end promises some increase in 

 materials. 



Six points stressed by Carter in farm 

 building are: 



Fit buildings to the farm. For ex- 

 ample, too many machinery sheds are too 

 small, poultry houses are too narrow, 

 and many barns built for horses are too 

 large in stable and hayloft. 



Let's make buildings more adaptable, 

 such as planning a barn or shed that can 

 be rearranged or made adaptable for 

 several different uses. It should be at 

 least 18 feet wide in order to be suitable 

 for beef cattle, sheep, horses, or even 

 for a row of dairy cows. 



Let's use more movable, temporary and 

 emergency buildings. 



Make permanent buildings durable 

 against the elements. 



Plan the buildings to save labor and 

 conserve products. 



Be conservative on cash expenditures. 



j^. 



22 



L A. A. RECORD 



