4.2 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



way it can. We have actually known houses built with the 

 boards left an eighth of an inch apart, in order to provide a 

 current of air ; but such a method partakes considerably of 

 madness. Tbe plan we are about to describe is a very simple 

 one, and will cost very little, if anything ; it is equally 

 suitable to a single slope or to a gabled roof, but we shall 

 describe the latter, and our readers can adapt it to the former. 

 In the roof a small chamber should be formed, by nailing 

 balf-inch boards across the same, about midway between the 

 eaves and the apex, and we give an illustration (Fig. 1) of 

 the roof showing this method of ventilation. The crossboards 

 forming the bottom of the chamber may either be closely 

 nailed together, and have holes bored in them, or be left a 

 quarter of an inch apart. At each end of this chamber, in 

 the gables, louver boards should be inserted, or a ventilating 

 trap, such as can be bought from any ironmonger, or a few 

 holes bored into each end will do, but not so well. In 

 addition to this, a couple of traps may be fitted about half- 

 way up the walls of the house, but these are optional, and 

 can be done without. If they are used, then a square 

 wooden box, much larger than the trap, will need to be put 

 over each one inside the house, having a very few holes in, it 

 on the upper side only, so that when the fresh air comes in, it 

 will be directed up to the roof, and not strike against the 

 birds. The system of ventilation we have described is a 

 perfect one ; there is a constant current of air through the 

 ventilating chamber, carrying off the vitiated air, and this 

 prevents any draught whatever in the house itself; but, at 

 the same time, the birds always haw pure air to breathe; 

 and go into their roosting-house at any time, day or night, 

 it is fresh and sweet so far as the atmosphere is concerned. 

 In winter some of the ventilating holes can be stopped up, 

 as they will not be required, and the facility with which the 

 current can be regulated is the advantage the trap ventilators 



