Bureau of Agbicultuee. 199 



slatted sides. The cold air of a brisk January night has 

 free access to the hens, and they cannot produce eggs 

 when subjected to such temperatures and exposure. As 

 there is no room in the bottom of the house, the birds 

 are compelled to leave the house during the day, and 

 they become chilled to the marrow. The same amount 

 of money that is required in erecting such an unfortu- 

 nate type of house will, when judiciously expended, 

 erect a first-class home for the faithful hens. 



The curtain front house embodies the following 

 principles: The curtain permits the cold air to filter 

 through slowly, but the birds inside are not subjected 

 to cold drafts at any time. When hoisted, the curtain 

 front permits the sunshine to enter, which destroys bac- 

 teria and drys the house. In summer the curtain can 

 be arranged to act as a shade and prevent the hot 

 sunshine from entering. The curtain front house should 

 have a sloping, or shed, roof, which drains all the rain- 

 water to the rear, where it is out of the way. The house 

 should be about eight feet high in front and six feet in 

 rear. The space around the roosts, which are usually 

 placed in the back part of the house, should be double 

 walled or boxed in, to keep the birds warm in the win- 

 ter time. The proportions of the house should be two- 

 thirds as wide as deep. A house ten feet wide should 

 approximate fifteen feet deep. This prevents cold air 

 from blowing on the birds. The curtain should be at 

 least three feet from the floor, as the wooden wall be- 

 low the curtain will prevent cold air from striking the 

 hens when they are in the front of the house. Feed 

 hoppers, water fountains, and nests are arranged around 

 the walls. At the Experiment Station straw litter is 

 placed on the floor six inches deep, and this is changed 

 once every month. Some poultrymen advocate utilizing 

 shavings for half the litter, as the shavings absorb 

 a great quantity of moisture. At the Station the houses 

 that have wooden floors are built on posts fourteen 

 inches from the ground. This offers a cool open space 

 for the hens to rest during the warm summer months, 

 and prevents harboring nests of rats. A wooden plat- 

 form, or droppings board, is placed underneath the 

 nests, and the manure is raked from this board twice a 



