November, 1915 
47 
Although somewhat elaborately constructed, the semi-monitor type is excellent for cold climates because it is deep and yet well lighted 
in different parts of the country, and, of 
course, with the type of building. In a gen¬ 
eral way, though, it may be said that a serv¬ 
iceable, permanent poultry house of the 
shed-roof type may be constructed at a cost 
approximating one dollar for each bird to 
be confined in it. That estimate is figured 
on the basis of four square feet of floor 
space to a bird, the amount of room com¬ 
monly allowed. In a small house, however, 
more space is needed per hen than in one 
which is more commodious, for it isn't num¬ 
bers which a hen dislikes as much as lack 
of freedom to move about. A house costing 
slightly under $100 has just been finished 
by the poultry instructor in one of the east¬ 
ern farm schools. It has accommodations 
for one hundred hens, is covered with good 
roofing paper, has an earth floor and stands 
on a foundation made of flat stones. The 
use of shingles in place of roofing paper 
would increase the roofing cost 50%. 
A flock of from twenty-five to thirty 
hens is quite large enough to supply all the 
eggs needed by the average household, and 
a house 10' x 12' will accommodate such a 
flock comfortably. It can be built for $30 in 
almost any part of the country, if an earth 
floor and only one sash of glass be used. 
The original Tollman house was 14' wide 
and 24' deep. That type of house is still 
in common use and will provide quarters 
for one hundred hens. If built with an 
earth floor the cost need not exceed $125 
in most sections. Concrete floors, which 
Mr. Tollman recommends, increase the cost 
by $10 and upwards. The proportionate 
cost of this kind of house decreases with 
its length. If made large enough to accom¬ 
modate three hundred hens it will be 50' x 
24' and cost about $275. 
Naturally, too, a house with a semi¬ 
monitor roof costs somewhat more than one 
with a simple shed roof, yet the difference 
is not great. For a house 20' x 20', for ex¬ 
ample, it would amount to only about $20, 
figuring five sash at seventy-five cents each. 
The Use of More Expensive Materials 
And, of course, it is not necessary to 
build the poultry house of wood. The use 
of cement is growing; field stones are some¬ 
times employed to obtain special or unusual 
effects; and terra cotta hollow tile is being 
widely recommended. Hollow tile is really 
one of the best materials to use and looks 
well whether plastered or not. It is used 
to advantage when the residence of the 
owner is constructed of tile or of stucco, 
and is especially desirable for incubator 
and brooder houses, as it is a non-con¬ 
ductor of heat to a remarkable extent and 
maintains a uniform temperature in the face 
of sudden weather changes. The cost of 
such a house varies greatly in different 
parts of the country because of transporta¬ 
tion charges. Stated in a very general way, 
it is 25 to 50% more than that of a frame 
house, but the amount is still small and 
hardly to be considered by the man who is 
laying out an estate and wants all the build¬ 
ings on it to be uniformly attractive. 
Stucco board is not very well known as 
yet, but where it can be obtained is being 
( Continued on page 60) 
Still in common use, the Tollman type of house, large enough to accommodate three hundred hens, may be built for about $2 75 
