POULTRY QUARTERS 57 



for good egg production, that there be abundant 

 fresh air — dry air to remove dampness given oflE 

 from the fowls' breath and from droppings. No 

 way has been found so satisfactory as to have the 

 house rather open on the front and tight on all 

 other sides and the roof. The opening should be 

 covered with burlap or other material to check 

 draft and keep out snow and rain. Such houses 

 may be somewhat cooler than houses more tightly 

 closed, but the air will be pure, and pure air is far 

 more important than warmth. This does not, how- 

 ever, mean that warmth is not also good. 



No ventilating system compares in good results 

 with the one just suggested, but where one must 

 be put in, it is best to have the vent near the floor 

 with a tight box leading through the upper part of 

 the house and through the roof. The inflow of air 

 should enter near the bottom on the outside and be 

 conducted to the ceiling so that it will be compara- 

 tively warm before it enters the house. Thus 

 drafts will be reduced to a minimum and yet 

 there will be sufficient circulation of air to remove 

 moisture and impurities. Under no circumstances 

 should a ventilating system be given preference 

 over the more natural diffusion system already 

 mentioned. The difficulties of making the thing 

 work increase as the temperatures inside and out- 

 side approach each other, and also as the openings 

 in the house increase. 



The styles of poultry houses and the arrange- 

 ments of pens are legion. The open scratching 

 shed is favored by many since it provides space for 

 the fowls to exercise in spite of any kind of weather. 

 All sorts of modifications of this style are found 

 and good results secured as a rule. The plan has 



