62 POULTRY 
Dirt Floors Not Economical. Dirt 
floors should never be used in a henhouse 
because they are hard to keep clean. The 
only time that a dirt floor is really fit for a 
hen to live on is during a month or two after 
the floor has been laid or after it has been 
cleaned out and new dirt put in. After two 
months the dirt becomes thoroughly mixed 
with the droppings. In the long run a dirt 
floor is expensive to maintain, because it is 
absolutely necessary that this floor be entirely 
removed at least once a year and new dirt 
or gravel hauled to the henhouse, shoveled 
into the building, and then evenly spread. 
This, in a commercial poultry plant, or in 
any poultry plant, for that matter, involves a 
great deal of work. 
Cement Floors. A cement floor can be 
fairly satisfactory. In localities where gravel 
is handy it is a comparatively cheap floor to 
construct. But, unless it is very well built, 
it is likely to be damp, owing to the capillary 
action causing moisture to pass up through 
the foundation and into the cement. It is a 
cold floor under any conditions, and is no 
easier to keep clean than a board floor. 
