54 MAKING POULTRY PAY 



ing closet inclosed with a cloth screen in front protects 

 the fowls at night during the coldest weather. Where 

 exercise is provided by making the fowls scratch in 

 deep litter for their grain, they keep warm in open 

 houses. 



The science of. poultry house construction is being 

 gradually worked out. The latest style of house is 

 that shown in Figures 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10,. which is de- 

 scribed by Prof. James E. Rice in a. recent reading 

 course bulletin for farmers. The house is four feet 

 eleven inches in the rear and eight feet seven inches 

 in front, which is as low as it is possible to build with- 

 out danger of bumping the head while doing the work. 

 The house is twelve feet wide and twenty-four feet 

 long, divided into two pens, each twelve feet square. It 

 may be made of any length desired, but in a long 

 house» it would be advisable to make it fifteen feet 

 wid£ and the pens fifteen feet square. 



The shed roof is used because it is easiest to build, 

 provides the largest volume of sunlight and the best 

 possible conditions of sanitation, warmth, brightness 

 and dryness. There is no projection on the north side 

 or rear of the house, which enables the paper to run 

 continuously without breaking at the eaves, thus mak- 

 ing an air tight joint and preventing rain from wash- 

 ing the soil, also doing away with eave troughs. Each 

 pen is intended to accommodate from thirty to forty 

 fowls. 



The foundation is built of concrete. The wall 

 need not be more than eight to ten inches thick. It 

 should stand at least six inches above the natural level 

 of the land and need not go more than six or eight 

 inches below the surface, except in soils inclined to 

 heave badly. The floor is also made of concrete. The 

 sills are of two by fours, which should be placed upon 

 the foundation before the floor is laid, so the cement 



