MAINE AGRICULTURAI, EXPERIMENT STATION. 75 



from all that can be learned the house was never so satisfactory 

 as the 16 ft. house at the Station, and has finally been aban- 

 doned. 



Maine is subject to long spells of severe cold weather, with 

 the temperature considerably below zero at night, and about 

 zero during the day, and with a good deal of high wind. Dur- 

 ing such rough weather the bedding on the floor has kept com- 

 paratively dry. The yields of eggs during severe weather and 

 immediately following it are rarely below those immediately 

 preceding it. It should be borne in mind that had the weather 

 been mild all that time the hens probably would have in- 

 creased in production rather than remained stationary. They 

 are doubtless affected by the severe weather, but not seriously, 

 as they uniformily begin to increase in production very soon 

 after the weather becomes normal for midwinter. 



These curtain front houses have all proved eminently satisfac- 

 tory. The egg yields per bird have been better in these houses 

 than in warmed ones. The purpose of having rooms and flocks 

 of different sizes was to compare the welfare and egg yields of 

 the birds under the different conditions. 



The Yards. 



The yards to most poultry houses are at the south, or on the 

 sheltered sides of the buildings, to afford protection during the 

 late fall and early spring, when cold winds are common. The 

 warmed house had yards on both north and south sides, with 

 convenient gates. This is a highly desirable arrangement since 

 it permits the alternate use of the two sets of runs. In this 

 way trouble from soil contamination may be avoided. The 

 south yards were used until the cold winds were over in spring, 

 when the hens were allowed to go to the north yards, which 

 were well set in grass sod. The birds are kept shut in the 

 curtain front house until the weather is suitable and the ground 

 dried out in the spring. The necessity for getting them out of 

 the open-front house, where they are really subject to most of 

 the out-of-door conditions during the daytime, is not so great as 

 when they are confined in closed houses with walls and glass 

 windows. The clear, open fronts of the curtain-front houses 



