Construction of House. 
3 
nailing on the planks which form the walls. The roof may either be of wood, covered with felt, 
tiles (which are best and cheapest), slates, or corrugated iron. In case tiles are employed, no other 
ventilation will be necessary, unless the delicacy of the breed kept should necessitate boarding or 
lath-and-plaster work underneath them. Wood alone, without felt, will do very well for a roof if 
laid perpendicularly, a strip nailed over each joint, and well tarred ; but laid horizontally we never 
found timber last very long. 
Where a choice is possible, a south or south-east aspect should be secured for the house and 
yard. But this is not of so very much consequence with hardy breeds ; and for years we have 
kept Brahmas most successfully in a range of houses fronting north-east, which is perhaps the worst 
aspect of all. If the house can be built at the back of or adjoining a stable, or behind a fireplace, 
it will have a most beneficial effect on the egg-basket in winter ; but we do not approve of warming 
the house by a stove in any ordinary English climate. Some authors have laid great stress on this, 
but we are satisfied that the effect, as a rule, is far from beneficial. In the severe weather of northern 
Scotland, or in North America, the case is somewhat different ; but where warming becomes 
necessary from the intense frost, the temperature should not be allowed to rise above forty or forty- 
five degrees Fahrenheit, or the birds will inevitably take cold in the day-time and probably perish. 
Even in situations where the cold is very severe, the necessity of artificial warmth may often be 
obviated by making the wooden walls double ; i.e., nailing planks on both sides of the uprights, with 
a few inches space between. This makes a very warm house ; and it can be easily arranged that 
the fresh air admitted shall have to pass all round the apartment before it is finally allowed to 
penetrate into the interior. 
For such a small house as we have been considering, all other arrangements will be very 
simple. Concrete, made with hydraulic lime, will make the best floor for the house itself, and, 
sprinkled with sand or earth, is easier kept clean than any other floor we know. We have often 
seen it condemned in poultry journals ; but after an experience of many years we adhere to our 
own opinion, that a hard, smooth concrete floor, well sanded every time the house is cleaned, is 
at once the cleanest, dryest, and every way the best. The perch should be near the back wall, 
as near as will not damage the tail of the cock when at roost, but the height and size will 
vary according to the breed. For Cochins, Brahmas, Creves, or Dorkings, the perch should be a 
fir pole, five or six inches in diameter, sawn down the middle to make two if worth the saving, 
and not more than one foot from the ground. Other fowls can roost higher, and the perches 
may be smaller in proportion: but as a rule they are much too high and small; for it should 
be remembered that in a small building a fowl has no chance to fly fairly down for want of 
space, and often descends with injurious violence from a high roost. The nests should be on 
the ground, except for small varieties, and may go in any convenient position where the manure 
cannot drop into them. A couple of bricks placed so as to confine a little straw will make as 
good a nest as anything. The flooring of the shed should be either loose fine gravel, sand, or 
earth sifted so as to take out all the large stones. As in most cases where there is a fowl-house 
there will also be a garden, the last will usually be the best material. It should be turned over 
to the depth of eight or ten inches once a fortnight, and once every year entirely renewed, the 
earth removed making excellent manure for the garden. 
Cleanliness in the house itself is very important. All the droppings should be taken away at 
least twice every week, which is easily done with a housemaid’s dust-pan and small scraper, or a 
board may be laid under each perch, and scraped at due intervals. A daily cleansing is best of all. 
The Canada Farmer , some years ago, gave an excellent arrangement for promoting cleanliness, 
which can be readily understood from the diagram. A broad shelf (a) is fixed at the back of the 
