ROOF 117 



the routine work is performed. If the rear wall is built of suffi- 

 cient height for the attendant to perform his work without bump- 

 ing his head, and the front wall is to be kept as low as practicable, 

 the roof will necessarily have to be of comparatively low pitch. 

 Since shingles do not wear well on roofs of low pitch, houses of 

 the shed roof type are usually roofed with a good grade of ready- 

 to-lay patent roofing. These roofings, providing they are of 

 known reliability, have rendered satisfaction, and are to be 

 recommended. They require few repairs, but an occasional 



^Courtesy Cornell Experiment Station) 



Fig. 80. — Interior of continuous poultry house in course of construction. 

 Note the framing for pen partitions, ceiling against the rear wall in way of the 

 roosting compartments, and the dirt floor. The sills are laid on concrete walls. 



painting, and are very economical in the amount of labor in- 

 volved in laying them. 



When to Build. — ^Whenever possible it is best to build during 

 the spring or early summer, for the building then has time to dry 

 out during the hot days. This is especially true of houses which 

 are intended to have dirt floors, or those having cement floors 

 and foundation walls. Much of the sickness attributed to damp- 

 ness will be avoided in this way, also considerable trouble and 

 annoyance caused by wet, mucky litter. 



