112 PRINCIPLES OF POULTRY-HOUSE CONSTRUCTION 
houses have been used successfully, but they are expensive both 
as to cost of material and labor, and are not so dry as houses built 
of wood or tile. In most locations and under most conditions the 
use of wood with a shingled or paper-covered roof would be the 
most economical and furnish the best conditions. The house of 
tile with stucco finish offers favorable conditions for laying hens, 
but the cost is about one-third more than where wood is used. 
Height of House.—A low house, provided it allows head room 
for the attendant, is more economical to construct, easier to warm, 
retains heat better, and suffers less from various changes in outside 
weather than does the higher house. A good plan is to have the 
After Rice and Rogers, Cornell Bulletin No. 274. 
Fie. 69.—Diagram showing lines of sun’s rays in September and December. The 
front of the house is 8 ft. 6 in. high and the back 4 ft. 6 in. high, with a width from front to 
back of 20 feet. 
house high enough so that all work can be done by the attendant 
without danger of striking his head against the rafters. With a 
muslin front, this height will provide ample air for as many birds 
as the floor space will accommodate (Fig. 69). 
Shape of the House.—The nearer the house approaches a square 
the less lumber will be required to build it; therefore, the deeper 
the house, all things considered, the more economical its construc- 
tion (Fig. 70). Poultry houses which are built very narrow require 
a front and back wall of nearly the same height as a much deeper 
house. The only extra expense in the deeper house is the extension 
of the roof and part of the end walls. To increase the depth from 
front to back would give a greater floor space with less cost per 
square foot of floor space; this would mean less cost per bird. The 
limit to the depth of the house should be determined, in large part, 
by the facility with which the sunlight can get into the back part. 
\ 
