AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
is often the only place where they may have this 
desire fulfilled. However, under certain condi- 
tions earth floors may become an abomination. 
If the house is poorly located in a damp spot, or 
the climate is such that heavy rains are frequent, 
then it is best to have a cement or board floor 
in the poultry house, as they will not conduct 
dampness so readily as earth, and dryness is a 
cardinal essential in every well-constructed poultry 
house. Then again, in case of disease, an earth 
floor is likely to become contaminated and the 
entire flock may become infected thereby, or the 
disease germs may lurk in the building for years; 
but a cement floor is very sanitary, as it may be 
thoroughly cleaned, scrubbed and disinfected. 
Cement floors are not chilly or hard on the fowls’ 
feet, providing the floor is kept well covered with 
litter. 
How to Combat Rats. If rats are bothersome, 
they may cause serious loss, and in such cases 
cement floors are the easiest and safest way out of 
the difficulty. Where earth or board floors are 
used, place fine-mesh galvanized wire nettings on 
the ground, thoroughly covering the space enclosed 
by the house foundation, before the floor is put in. 
If earth, this latter should consist of four inches of 
dirt in the bottom and about the same amount of 
sand and gravel on top, making the house floor at 
least half a foot higher than the outside earth—in 
order to avoid dampness. 
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