December 27, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



519 



room will be nearest to the ceiling ; and fowls open their 

 feathers when roosting to admit the warm ascending air. 



Another important point in the construction of this room 

 is to create perfect ventilation without causing a draught. 

 Now, different gases varying in their specific gravity are 

 formed in this room — namely, carbonic acid, which is a 

 heavy gas and hangs near the floor, ammoniacal gas from 

 the excrements of fowls, and carbureted hydrogen gas from 

 the exhalations of the fowls, both of which are light, and 

 consequently rise to the ceiling. It therefore becomes 

 necessary to adopt a principle of ventilation by which both 

 the heavy and light gases can be got rid of without causing 

 a draught, which would be prejudicial to the health of the 

 fowls. This i3 accomplished by two pieces of perforated 

 zinc, one opposite the other near the floor, and the same 



near the ceiling, and at least 12 inches above the roosting, 

 perches. 



THE HATCHING ROOM. 



This in my plan is situated above the roost- 

 ing room, and is composed of two compart- 

 ments — the one in which the hen sits, the 

 other where she has a supply of gritty dust 

 to perform her ablutions (see fig. 6). The 

 sides, floor, and ceiling are formed of boards 

 well whitewashed. Light is admitted through 

 a glass door from the passage, over which 

 perforated zinc is fixed to provide for effi- 

 cient ventilation. The roof is covered with 

 asphalted felt, and the nest ought to be of K . c _ c plan f 

 earthenware, the same as those for laying. hatching-room. 



THE POULTRY HOME AND VTNERT. 



Fig. 7.— Poultry Home and Vinery. 







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Fig. 8.— Plan of Poultry Home. 



A Is a glass-covered passage running the whole length of 

 the building, and from which communication is obtained by 

 means of doors to all the compartments of the homes on 

 either side. This passage ought to be about 6 feet wide 

 and 8 feet high to the rise of the roof. 



a Is a flue formed of bricks and covered-in with paving 

 tiles, with ventilators at certain distances. This flue runs 

 the whole length of the building, and ought to be about 

 9 inches wide and 15 inches deep. It serves for warming 

 the building by means of hot air, steam, or hot-water pipes ; 

 and the admission of heat to the passage is regulated by 

 means of the ventilators. 



The floor should be formed of concrete, the sides of white- 

 washed boards, and the roof of glass, with moveable frames 

 at certain distances to allow of ventilation. This passage 

 can also be turned to profitable account without extra cost 

 by being used as a vinery or greenhouse. 



B Is the roosting room, about 3 feet square and 6 feet 

 high. The floor should be made of concrete, the sides and 

 ceiling of whitewashed boards. Near the ceiling and to the 

 floor pieces of perforated zinc ought to be fixed opposite 

 one another for the thorough ventilation of this compart- 

 ment. _ The partitions of nests, 6 6 6 {fig. 8), should be made 

 of whitewashed boards, the top projecting about 3 inches 

 to prevent the droppings falling in. The nests should be 

 made of earthenware in the shape of fig. 5. 



c Is a door communicating with the passage, and d with 

 the covered run. In this door an opening ought to be pro- 

 vided with a glazed slide for the egress and ingress of the 

 fowls. In this compartment fowls should be fed in wet 

 weather, and the drinking-fountain ought also to be placed 

 here. The perches where practicable ought to be formed of 

 cast-iron hot-water pipes running the whole length of the 

 building. These can be partly covered with felt, which 

 should be removeable for cleaning. These perches should 

 be about 3 and 4 feet from the floor. 



c. The hatching-pens are immediately over the roosting- 

 room, and should be 3 feet deep, 18 inches wide, and 2 feet 

 high. This space is divided into two compartments, /and g, 

 the one for the nest and the other for the ablution of the 

 hen in dry gritty dust (see fig. 6). The sides, floor, ceiling, 

 and partition are made of whitewashed boards; the door 

 is glazed with a perforated zinc plate over it for ventilation, 

 and the roof covered with asphalted felt. The nest should 

 be of earthenware, the same as that for laying (see y%. 5), 

 with a layer of sand, which again is covered by a piece of 

 fresh-cut turf, on which the eggs are placed. See " Natural 

 Hatching" in a subsequent paper. 



D. The glass-covered run should not be less than 6 feet 

 long, 3 feet wide, 4 feet high to the rise, and 6 feet to the 

 apesTov top of the glass frame, which ought to be moveable 

 to admit of ventilation. The sides should be formed of 



