106 PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY-HOUSE CONSTRUCTION 
sound boards and timbers should be used. In many cases there 
are buildings about the farm which, with little expense for material, 
can be remodelled into efficient poultry houses by laying a 
moisture-proof floor and by providing openings for muslin curtains 
and a suitably sheltered roosting place. 
When purchasing new lumber, a good sill and Freie is impor- 
tant to insure permanence and rigidity. The very best grade of 
lumber is not necessary for roofing boards and side walls. One of 
the most economical methods of construction is to build the roof 
and side walls of tongued and grooved material, yellow pine 
“seconds ”’ being satisfactory. The roof and back wall are then 
covered with a good grade of prepared roofing paper. 
The poultry house should be planned and built as plain as 
possible; for all fancy trimming and unnecessary furnishings do 
not increase efficiency, but rather retard economy. 
Convenience.—In planning the house, thought should be given 
to practical labor-saving devices—such as double swinging doors 
between the pens, with friction stops; curtains which are easily 
and quickly raised or lowered; large, self-feeding hoppers for dry 
mash, which will require filling but once a week at the most; 
drinking vessels which are easily and quickly cleaned and filled; 
dropping boards which are easily and perfectly cleaned; nests 
which are easy of access; and an inside finish which can be quickly 
and easily cleaned. Convenience in removing litter and manure 
and in supplying new litter is important. Facility in collection of 
eggs should be considered. 
Commercial mechanical devices which are advertised and 
sold to do automatically much that should be done by the attend- 
ant do not, as a rule, prove practical, or furnish suitable condi- 
tions for the birds that are kept in such houses. 
Sunlight should penetrate every part of the house as much of 
the day as possible. Sunlight is a perfect germ destroyer, purify- 
ing the parts of the house where it shines, besides adding warmth 
and making surroundings more congenial. It acts as a tonic to 
the birds during the short winter days and induces a heavier pro- 
duction. 
The house should be placed so that the sun will shine in at 
the openings every possible hour of the day during the winter 
months. The openings in the front should be of good height, and 
so placed that they will allow of a complete distribution of the 
sunlight in the house throughout the day. If possible, the entire 
