Poultry Houses: Copyright, 1909, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY.  Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Poultry-House Management: Copyright, 1909, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Poultry Feeding, Part 1: Copyright, 1909, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Poultry Feeding, Part 2: Copyright, 1910, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Natural Incubatio: Copyright, 1909, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Natural Brooding: Copyright, 1909, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Artificial Incubation: Copyright, 1910, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY.  Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Artificial Brooding: Copyright, 1910, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY.  Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Laying Hens: Copyright, 1910, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Market Eggs: Copyright, 1910, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.
Market Poultry: Copyright, 1910, by INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London.

Formerly it was our practice to send to each student entitled to receive them a set of volumes printed and bound especially for the Course for which the student enrolled.  In consequence of the vast increase in the enrolment, this plan became no longer practicable and we therefore concluded to issue a single set of volumes, comprising all our textbooks, under the general title of I. C. S. Reference Library. The students receive such volumes of this Library as contain the instruction to which they are entitled.  Under this plan some volumes contain one or more Papers not included in the particular Course for which the student enrolled, but in no case are any subjects omitted that form a part of such Course. This plan is particularly advantageous to those students who enroll for more than one Course, since they no longer receive volumes that are, in some cases, practically duplicates of those they already have. This arrangement also renders it much easier to revise a volume and keep each subject up to date.

Each volume in the Library contains, in addition to the text proper, the Examination Questions and (for those subjects in which they are issued) the Answers to the Examination Questions.

In preparing these textbooks, it has been our constant endeavor to view the matter from the student’s standpoint, and try to anticipate everything that would cause him trouble. The utmost pains have been taken to avoid and correct any and all ambiguous expressions—both those due to faulty rhetoric and those due to insufficiency of statement or explanation. As the best way to make a statement, explanation, or description clear is to give a picture or a diagram in connection with it, illustrations have been used almost without limit. The illustrations have in all cases been adapted to the requirements of the text, and projections and sections or outline, partially shaded, or full-shaded perspectives have been used, according to which will best produce the desired results.

The method of numbering pages and articles is such that each part is complete in itself; hence, in order to make the indexes intelligible, it was necessary to give each part a number. This number is placed at the top of each page, on the headline, opposite the page number; and to distinguish it from the page number, it is preceded by a section mark (§). Consequently, a reference, such as §3, page 10, can be readily found by looking along the inside edges of the headlines until §3 is found, and then through §3 until page 10 is found.

COPYRIGHTED BY INTERNATIONAL TEXTBOOK COMPANY. ENTERED AT STATIONERS' MALL, LONDON

1. Dampness.—The first requisite for securing the health of poultry of all kinds is a perfectly dry poultry plant. Dampness in poultry houses is often caused by the gathering on the floors of moisture coming from the ground below the surface drainage. Then, too, if water from rain or melting snow is permitted to run toward the house, it is sure to prove detrimental to the health of the fowls. The most dangerous of all conditions, however, is created during the winter months, when the moisture that evaporates from the excrement, damp floors, and breath of the fowls during the heat of the day is, by the severe cold of the night, congealed on the ceiling, side walls, and window panes of the house.  If the conditions in the poultry house are such as to produce dampness, there will be among the flock many ailments, such as colds, catarrh, bronchitis, roup, and the other ills that are the natural result of just such surroundings. To avoid these evils, numerous plans have been devised to keep the buildings dry, the most successful of which are proper drainage and the use of damp-resisting floors of some kind that will prevent moisture from coming up from below.  In addition, poultry houses are often provided with open fronts. Such openings are closed during bad weather with a cloth curtain, through which there will be a free circulation of air into the house and throughout its interior. The fresh air entering the poultry house absorbs, or dries up, the moisture, with the result that the temperature is from 6 to 10 degrees warmer inside of the building than it is outside.

2. Poultry buildings should be so located that there will be little danger of dampness. Ground having a surface that naturally sheds water away from the building is preferable, and if there is a sandy or a gravelly subsoil underlying the soil, the drainage will be complete. If these conditions are not present, however, surface drainage and underdrainage must be resorted to in order to remove the surplus moisture and thus insure a dry floor in the interior of the poultry house.

3. Surface Soil—The best kind of soil on which to build a poultry house is a sandy loam having a sandy or a gravelly subsoil. Both the soil and the subsoil should be deep enough to permit perfect drainage. On soil of this kind, all infection and filth that may be present on the surface can be carried away. Soil of this nature may be easily cleaned on the surface with a rake or a hoe. If the poultry plant is a large one, a light plow or a cultivator pulled by a horse can be used to advantage in stirring the surface soil; or a harrow pulled by a team may be used to loosen the hardened surface.  Then, when rain falls on soil treated in this manner, it washes away all infectious and unhealthful matter. Cleanliness is absolutely essential for yards and runways in which fowls are confined.

4. Where the lay of the land, surface soil, and undersoil do not permit of the most desirable natural location, the most elevated site that can be used for poultry buildings should be chosen.  These buildings should be placed to the best possible advantage, and the grounds should be improved as much as possible by means of either surface drainage or underdrainage, or both. When the wash of the land is toward the buildings, it is advisable to dig drains and build banks so as to turn the water away from the yards and houses. In addition, the buildings should be placed with reference to having the most sunlight that can be obtained through the windows. These precautions, together with those previously mentioned, will improve undesirable locations and will remove to a large degree the dangers arising from dampness.

5. Exposure.—A hillside sloping gradually toward the south, is the most desirable location for all poultry buildings.   This, of course, applies to places situated in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, the exposure should be exactly opposite. When such a location has a gravelly subsoil and a sandy loam top soil that produces a strong growth of grass and other green stuff, it provides the ideal spot for poultry buildings. The incline of the land should be slight—just enough for perfect surface drainage. Buildings for poultry can be erected upon such a site with full assurance of success so far as location goes. A steep or moderately steep hillside is not so suitable, but it can be used successfully if the right conditions are provided artificially.  If yards are to be used, they should be located in front of the building and should extend away from it in a southerly direction. If the natural drainage is not good, a drainage wall should be erected in the rear of the building so as to prevent surface water from going down into or from coming up through the floor of the house. If poultry houses can be located within a shelter of trees or with a hillside on the north, the best natural protection from winds and storms will be secured. A forest toward the north and near the poultry plant is also an advantage, both as a protection from storms and as a range for the fowls; yet, at the same time, a forest may prove to be a dangerous surrounding, owing to the enemies of poultry, such as minks, weasels, opossums, etc., that it may harbor. A stream of pure water running through or near the poultry plant is also of great advantage as a natural water supply for the fowls; but stagnant water must always be- avoided.

6. Surface Drainage——In a poultry plant, it is extremely important to get rid of the surface water. For this purpose, either open ditches, through which the surplus water will be carried away from the yards, or a drainage system consisting of dry wells should be provided. Dry wells are made by digging holes in the ground until a gravel bottom is reached and then filling up the holes with stones, using large stones first, then smaller ones, then still smaller ones, and finally filling the upper part, to the level of the surrounding soil, with very small stones or gravel. The ground is then graded so that the surface water will drain into the well. In this way, an escape is provided for the surplus water that will drain away. Hard pan or heavy clay soil near the surface accumulates and holds so much water that the soil dries out very slowly. A foot or two of hard pan beneath the surface is equally injurious to healthful conditions, and in order to drain it successfully with dry wells, they must go below the hard clay into sand or gravel. It is never advisable to locate a poultry plant on low-lying, boggy, wet land or on hard pan that is too costly to underdrain.

7. Underdrainage.—A poultry plant that is located on land, the surface and top soil of which are porous enough to permit the water to filter through them, can be successfully underdrained. The drain pipes should be laid below the frost line to insure safety to the tile, and there should be enough of them used to secure good drainage. Water from rains or melting snows and ice will soak down through the soil and be carrried away through the tile. Such drainage is of great benefit to a poultry plant.

Terra-cotta bell pipe should be laid underground so as to carry away water that reaches the ground through waterspouts from the roof. These pipes, too, must be laid below the frost line in order to protect them and to insure their safety. The end of one pipe fits in the bell of the next-pipe, and in this way prevents the pipes from being displaced.

The best drainage, however, is that provided by nature in the way of a sandy loam top soil with a sandy or a gravelly subsoil. Whenever it is possible to do so it is preferable to select ground of this kind rather than to attempt to improve poor conditions. The additional expense and labor incurred in caring for poultry in undesirable places often deprives the poultryman of profit that might be gained through the same effort expended in a proper location.

8. Height of Buildings.—The natural demands of a hen are about the same as those of a dairy cow, except those due to the difference resulting from size. The hen varies, according to the breed, from 9 to 12 inches in height, and it should furnish enough natural, or body, heat to make comfortable a space 2 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 7 feet high. If the hen is to be cared for in proportion to its size and weight, a poultry building, for the comfort of the hen in winter, should be only 2 feet high inside. However, this height would be impracticable, because the needs of the attendant in caring for the hen must be taken into consideration even more than the needs of the hen herself. If this were not done, the hen could not be looked after, nor could its dwelling place be properly cared for. For these reasons, it is necessary to plan and arrange the most comfortable quarters possible, based almost entirely on the needs of the hen and the care necessary for the interior of the buildings. Buildings for poultry, then, should have sufficient height inside for the attendant to move about, and, as a rule, 7 feet in the clear is the average height from the floor to the ceiling at the highest point.

9. Floor Space.—In constructing houses for breeds of medium or small size, such as Leghorns, Minorcas, or Bantams, it is well to allow 4 square feet of floor space for each fowl.  For example, fifteen fowls of this kind should have 60 square feet of floor space, and twenty-five fowls, 100 square feet.  On the other hand, a floor space of 5 square feet should always be allowed for a Plymouth Rock or a Wyandotte, and one of 6 square feet for a Cochin or a Brahma. Thus, while a 10’ ⨯ 12’ building, which provides 120 square feet of floor space, is sufficiently large for thirty Leghorns, it will house only twenty-four Plymouth Rocks or Wyandottes, or onlv twenty Cochins or Brahmas.

10. Shape of Buildings.—So far as economy of construction is concerned, it is generally advisable to make a house as nearly square as possible. In poultry houses, however, the advantage of the square house is outweighed by other considerations, such as good, natural lighting and ventilation, which can be obtained in large houses only by making them relatively long and narrow. They should not be made too narrow, however. Under ordinary conditions, the width should not be less than 12 feet, as floor space in narrow buildings is costly. For example, a building 8 ft. 100 ft. would cost at least three-fourths as much as one 16 ft. x 100 ft., and would furnish only one-half the floor space. If large houses are required, they should be made from 16 to 20 feet in width and long enough to shelter the desired number of fowls.

11. Light—Sunlight is an absolute necessity for the health of fowls. For this reason, the buildings should be located so that the sun may shine into the windows for the greatest number of hours each day during the winter months.  In the northern hemisphere, therefore, they should face either directly toward the south or be slightly turned toward the southeast. If possible, it is well to make observations from the first of November to the end of March, and in this way determine the angle at which the building should be placed so as to insure the greatest number of hours of sunshine per day into the poultry house during the winter months.  When impossible to locate the buildings so that they will face the south, they should be placed so as to have all the sunshine possible.

12. Lumber for Poultry Houses.—For light construction, 2” 2” uprights should be used with a 2” x4” sill. This kind of construction will answer for small or individual buildings or for any style of poultry building that is not to be permanent, provided it is strong enough to bear the weight of the roof when there is a heavy fall of snow on it.  A much more substantial framing, however, can be made of 2” X 4” studs and a 4”X 6” sill.  Either barn boards, beveled siding, or jointed flooring having a 6-inch face should be used for siding. If barn boards are used, they should always be dressed on one side, the same as the siding or flooring, so as to provide an even outer surface to the building. Either pine, hemlock, or poplar lumber is good for framing and siding, while pine or cypress should be used for the flooring.  In choosing lumber for poultry houses, it is always a, good plan to select the kind of lumber that is least expensive, provided it will make a perfectly air-tight construction of three sides to exclude drafts.

13. Materials for Side Walls—In very cold climates, double siding with one or two thicknesses of tar paper between is sometimes laid on the north wall of poultry houses. It is not unusual to place tar paper beneath the one layer of siding. In such cases, however, the surface of the paper not only acts as a gathering place for dust and dirt but also serves to harbor insect vermin. Such condition may be greatly prevented by sheathing the interior with flooring or by plastering the walls and ceilings. Brick or cement can be used for the side walls, but, when used, it is difficult, without the aid of artificial heat, to keep the interior dry.  Dampness, as has been stated, is always undesirable for poultry. The use of lumber gives more satisfactory interior conditions and is always preferable; brick and cement walls have not proved satisfactory.

14. Building Paper—The use of building paper between walls and floors is highly recommended on account of the value of this material as a non-conductor of heat and as a protector from cold and drafts. Many kinds of paper, ranging from tar paper to the heavier grades of building paper, are used for this purpose. Any of these papers will last a long time if they are carefully laid against a reasonably smooth surface. Tar paper forms a protection from insects, and for this reason it is often selected. Three-ply roofing paper or three-ply roofing felt is the cheapest of these materials that can be used to advantage for the roof or the side walls, and if it is of good quality and properly laid, it will last for many years. When improperly laid and of a poor quality, however, it is not desirable. Roofing felt must be laid close and tight to the roof or side walls by tarring the edges, lapping them, and fastening them down well with nails and caps so that no wind, water, or snow can enter the house. Every crack or opening in the roof becomes a catch-basin for dampness instead of a protection from it.
   All kinds of roofing papers will prove to be more satisfactory if they are laid with hot tar or some liquid preparation that will cause the paper to adhere to the boards. In addition to the liquid preparation, nails with tin caps must be used to hold the paper tight and firm in position, as just explained.  Nothing less than a 2-inch lap of one piece of paper over the other should be allowed.

15. In Fig. 1 are shown the roof and sides of a poultry house covered with roofing paper. The roof is built without projecting over the side, and the edges of the eaves are rounded so that the paper will fit smoothly where the roof and the side meet. The first layer of paper consists of ordinary red roofing or tar paper laid horizontally on the sheathing, as shown at b. On top of this paper, three-ply roofing felt is placed in the manner shown at a, the whole being fastened in place with nails and caps, as described in the preceding article. A slanting baseboard d, covered with felt, shown in both (a) and (b), is placed at the base of the house, and a cement gutter c is built around the outside of the foundation.  This gutter opens into a terra-cotta drain pipe, through which all water coming from the roof and sides, quickly flows away. Since the roof has no projection, rain water or melted snow will run down the sides without the aid of an eaves trough.  This water is turned away from the foundation by the baseboard into the gutter, from which it easily drains into the terra-cotta pipe. With this type of construction all danger of the ground about the house being washed away is prevented.
   A well-constructed house of this style has a good air-tight roof and sides, can be easily and cheaply built, and under ordinary conditions will last for many years.

16. Shingles—A good covering for poultry buildings may be made of shingles. They may be laid on strip sheathing, which is usually made of boards a foot wide and an inch thick, or on roofing lath, which is not nearly so expensive as the close sheathing. If good shingles are used and the roof is properly laid, it should do service as long as the building lasts. The life of a shingle roof may be prolonged by giving the roof a steep pitch. If the pitch is steep, the roof will drain more quickly and the material will be less likely to become water-soaked. In this way, the danger of its destruction through mold or decay caused by dampness is lessened. If, however, the shingles are of a poor quality and turn up at the ends, snow and wind will get into the poultry house.

17. Dirt Floors.—Floors made of dirt may be used in poultry houses, provided the drainage is good and there is little danger from rats. Damp clay should be used in making dirt floors. This material should be well tamped, moistened, and then tamped again until level, hard, and smooth. Floors made in this way can be kept in a sanitary condition for a long time by sprinkling them with fresh dry dirt or clean sand each time that the house is swept or cleaned. Sifted coal ashes mixed with wet clay in the proportion of 1 part ashes and 2 parts clay, and well tamped with a heavy tamper, also make a very good floor. A tamper can be made by fitting a round handle into a block of wood. The block should be about 6 or 8 inches square and a foot long, and the handle about 3 feet long and 1} inches in diameter.  A hole to a depth of 3 or 4 inches should be bored into the center of one end of the block by means of a 14-inch auger and the handle then driven into place.

18. Board Floors.—Floors made of boards laid upon 2” ⨯ 4" joists set on edge and filled between with dirt are soon undermined by rats. When using boards, it is well to fill in between the joists with cement filling or to cover them beneath the floor with close, galvanized-wire cloth or with steel lathing, so as to keep out the rats. If floors are raised far enough above the ground to permit dogs and cats to go beneath then, there will be scarcely any danger from rats.  Elevating the board floor above the ground also prevents to a limited extept the expansion and contraction that is caused by alternate damp and dry conditions. A board floor should be made of perfectly dry, well-seasoned, tongued-and-grooved lumber, with the edges laid smooth and level.  Underneath the floor should be placed a layer of three-ply tar paper, and the tongue and groove of the flooring should be smeared with hot tar before the boards are nailed into place. This practice is often dispensed with; nevertheless, the use of tar for this purpose always pays.

19. Cement Floors.
Well-laid cement floors are decidedly the best for all kinds of poultry buildings. The cost makes them prohibitive in some instances, but since most farmers at the present time can do plain cementing, they are used extensively.  Cement floors should consist of four layers, as shown in Fig. 2. The bottom layer should be made up of stones, and the next layer of about 8 inches of coal cinders or gravel.  On top of this, to within 1 inch of the top should be placed 3 or 4 inches of concrete. The top layer of the floor should consist of cement and sand—l part of good cement to 2 parts of sand, or better still, 1 part of each. In making cement floors, each layer of filling as completed should be moistened and well tamped. The color may be. darkened with lampblack if desired. A practice that has recently come into use is to coat the concrete with hot coal tar just before the layer of cement is put down. On top of the hot tar is laid three-ply felt, and on top of this is applied another coating of hot tar. The cement finish is then laid over the layers of tar and felt, which prevent cold or dampness from coming up through the cement. If desired, the top covering of cement can be dispensed with, and the concrete filled in and tamped until the moisture, or thin portion, is brought to the surface. When dry, concrete tamped in this manner furnishes a fairly smooth floor, but not such a perfectly level nor smooth one as can be obtained with cement and sand. Good concrete can be made of 5 parts of sand, 2 parts of gravel, and 1 part of cement.  Portland cement is preferable. The gravel, or coal ashes, whichever is used in making the second layer, should be moistened and well tamped. This kind of a floor is a perfect protection against rats.

21. Gable Roof.
The A-shaped, or gable roof, shown in Fig. 4, is used for large poultry buildings. This type of roof is substantial, but it is not generally used for poultry houses because it creates more open space overhead than is desirable during cold weather.  However, when the ceiling is ceiled over and a loft left above, the interior of the building is warmer in winter and cooler in summer than when other types of roofs are employed. The loft can be used to store litter during the winter, and during the summer it will serve as a ventilator.  The ceiling should be stripped, leaving 4-inch openings between each strip. Then, when the loft is filled with straw, the straw will absorb the surplus moisture from the room below.  On clear and pleasant days during cold weather, the windows at either end of the loft should be left open, so as to permit a current of air to pass through and over the straw. In this way, the straw will be freed from the moisture and will be in good condition to absorb the dampness that will arise continually from the pen below.

22. Double-Slant Roof.—The double-slant roof, shown in Fig. 5, is especially desirable for connected apartment houses, which are described later. The longer side, or front part, of this roof should face the south, while the shorter side, or back part, should face the north. Under the back part is a passageway into which a door opens. This type of roof should be given particular attention, because it is well adapted to long buildings. It can be covered with any of the roofing materials previously mentioned.

23. Double Roof.—The double roof, shown in Fig. 6, can be used in localities in which it is necessary during cold weather to house continually a large number of fowls in a building having only limited floor space. To get sufficient light within the house, sashes should be placed in both the roof and the side wall, as shown in Fig. 26, which illustrates the double roof. A double roof should be carefully constructed and should be covered with shingles.  The roof windows should rest upon a framework, to prevent the possibility of leakage. The openings for the roof windows should be framed above the roof, and the sashes should extend over the frame an inch all around. This arrangement will prevent wind, rain, or snow from entering the house through the windows in the roof.

24. Construction of Foundations.—Poultry houses may be built directly upon the ground with the sills resting upon loose stones or brick, or they may rest upon heavy wooden sills 4 in. x 4 in. or larger that have been coated with tar.  It is better to boil the tar and apply it while hot, as it then makes a good wood preservative. Such foundations; however, are not desirable, because contact with the ground causes the sills to rot and, besides, rats work through the loose stones and undermine the floors.” Either bricks or stones laid with cement make a better foundation. Sills 4 in. X 4 in. or larger set upon concrete or laid into the concrete floors, provide the most substantial groundwork upon which to place the buildings. When buildings are intended for continuous service, it is most economical to build them upon foundations that will last. Therefore, the sills should be protected from dampness, and the floors should be made of material that will prevent rats from undermining them. While economical expenditures are to be commended at all times and under all conditions, especially when building poultry houses, it must not be taken to mean that any kind of a house is good enough for poultry. Both care in construction and economy in the use of material should be exercised.

25. Hillside Foundations.—Poultry houses that are to be built on a hillside should have foundations made of concrete or of stone or brick laid in cement. A foundation of this kind provides a surface footing for the framework, which can be supported in front or in several places by posts built of the same material as that which is used in the walls or by heavy upright posts of cedar, locust, chestnut, or any other wood that lasts well in the ground.  The flooring should be laid. above the surface level of the ground at the rear of the building. An open or enclosed scratch shed can, if desired, be provided beneath the building, as shown in Fig. 7.  When the poultry house is elevated in this way, a stairway or a permanent ladder l for the attendant’s use should lead from the basement to the room above; also, a board ladder w for the use of the hens, should lead into the roosting and laying rooms. The chief disadvantage of this style of building is that during winter the circulation of air beneath the floors is likely to be too free; but the ill effects of this may be lessened by laying a double floor above, with three-ply tar paper in between the flooring. If the basement, or scratch shed, below is enclosed during winter, it will prevent, to a very great extent, the cold drafts of air from getting into the house above.

FIG. 7

26. Poultry houses should have all the conveniences that will lessen the labor of caring for them and for the fowls, since the more quickly and easily the labor of cleaning and feeding can be accomplished, the better and cheaper it will be done. The interior fittings of all kinds of poultry buildings should be plain, substantial, smooth of construction, and as free as possible from cracks or crevices. Besides, all furnishings or equipments should be so placed that they can be readily removed for cleaning. Cracks and crevices make abodes for insect vermin, and when red mites, the most troublesome insects of all, become established in such places, it is very difficult to dislodge them. The poultryman should therefore prevent their presence, as far as possible, by erecting and equipping buildings in the manner just outlined.

FIG. 8

28. Two-Room House.—The small double- or two-room house is for the accommodation of two lots of fowls that are separated into breeding pens. It is intended for the town lot, the suburban home, or the farm, or for housing poultry that is being fattened for market. The two-room house shown in Fig. 9 (a) has two windows and a door in front, while in the rear and leading to an open yard are two small openings through which the poultry may pass when going into and out of the house. The floor plan of this building is shown in (b). When yards are used for confining fowls, the house may be placed directly in front of the enclosed yards or runways, or it may be placed inside of the yard in which the poultry is kept; also, such a house may be placed in an open field or some other convenient place. If the house is placed directly in front and outside of the poultry yard, the fowls should pass into and out of it at the north, from the rear of the building, a fence alone separating them.
   Such a house may be made attractive in appearance, the windows, doors, and siding all being selected for the purpose.  During the summer months, the windows may have a hood, or shelter, over them. These hoods should be so arranged that they can be turned up out of the way or removed entirely during the winter months and thus permit the free access of sunlight. If preferred, the window sashes may be removed and wire screens or frames covered with muslin put in their place. When a house of this kind is used on the farm for a flock of fowls, all partitions should be omitted, and the entire house made to serve both as a laying and as a roosting room.

FIG. 9

29. Combination House.—The combination house, illustrated in Fig. 10, is provided with a scratching apartment, in which the nests are located, and a roosting room. This style of house is especially adapted for farms and other places where fowls have a free range in flocks. One advantage of the combination house is that it provides comfortable quarters for the fowls. The scratching apartment is located in the door end of the building, and the roosting apartment in the other. Such buildings are usually made 16 feet wide and 24 feet long, with a partition just in front of the side window near the rear. This window c need be only large enough to admit sufficient light for the fowls when going to roost or coming therefrom. The roosting room should have six strong roosts extending the full width of the building, and each roost should be 2 inches across the top and 4 inches thick.  It will not be necessary to have more than 2 feet of open space in front of the roosts toward the partition. A dropping-board is not required in a house of this kind; but, if omitted, the floor beneath the roost must be covered with dry earth or sand, so that the droppings can be gathered with a rake Or a hoe. When the droppings are removed, the ground should be stirred and freshened with new earth so as to keep the interior of the building sanitary. The fowls go into and out of the building through the door in front.

30. The two large window openings shown at a, Fig. 10, are fitted with sliding frames b that are covered with either muslin or white duck. Such window coverings assure ventilation when the doors and windows of the building are closed. These sliding frames should be kept closed during cold weather, or when the weather is wet. The door that is used as an entrance for the fowls should be kept open constantly during the day, but it should be kept closed at night. During the warm months of the year, a wire-screen door should be used in place of the solid door, and the sliding frame should be pushed back and the window openings covered with woven wire. This arrangement will assure protection for the fowls from small animals that might destroy them, and will also permit a free circulation of air. The glass window c near the roost must be closed at all times, since the object of this window is not to ventilate, but to admit light.
   A ventilating door that can be opened or closed from the outside, should be placed in the rear of the house, close up to the peak of the roof. This ventilator should be kept open except when the nights are cool or cold. When the ventilator is open, a current of air will pass above the heads of the fowls upon the roosts, and thus keep the roosting room cool. However, such an air-current may prove injurious to the fowls on cool or cold nights, and for this reason the ventilator should be shut on such nights.

31. The floor space of the combination house is divided as shown in Fig. 11. In the rear is a room 16 ft. x 8 ft. for the roosting place. The front room is 16 feet square and contains the nest boxes, feed-hoppers, and scratching floor.  The front room, which is really an enclosed scratching apartment, is valuable during winter weather, as it helps the egg yield. The floor of the house may be any one of the several kinds previously described, although the best kind is made of solid cement throughout.

32. As shown in Fig. 12, the partition wall a of the combination house is made of matched flooring. In the center of the partition is a door and above it is woven wire.  The door consists of framework placed above a wooden sill, the framework being covered with unbleached muslin.  The small opening o in the lower part of the door permits the fowls that get off the roost early in. the morning to leave the roosting room before the door itself is opened. Appliances for holding feed and water are placed on each side of the doorway. At the right of the door is a large-sized hopper h for grain and a drinking fountain w; at the left is a small hopper g for beef scrap, grit, or oyster shells. Nest boxes n are placed along the side walls both on the right and the left.  One nest box for every four hens will suffice. This style of house is both economical and advantageous, is large enough for one hundred and twenty hens that have their freedom during the day, and will prove satisfactory in all kinds of weather.

33. Scratching-Shed Houses.—Houses with scratching sheds are suitable for the farm. A house having one of the several kinds of scratching rooms is best for all localities in which there are likely to be snowfalls and blustering winter weather.  The open room under shelter provides a workshop for the hens that is constantly dry, but yet in the open. In Fig. 13 (a) is shown an exterior view and in (b) the floor plan of one of the many kinds of scratching-shed houses. This house is 12 feet wide and 30 feet long. A room 12 feet square is partitioned off for the laying and roosting place. The room at the left is for the scratching shed, and is 12 feet wide and 18 feet long. The front opening a is closed by means of a strong frame door that is covered with woven wire, a curtain of heavy muslin or white duck being tightly drawn over it during the winter. The walls, the roof, and the partition between the rooms are made air-tight, and there is a cloth-covered door between the two rooms.  The opening b in front of the scratching shed is provided with cloth-covered frames. These frames are hinged inside so that they can be let down over the openings for protection during bad weather. The floors of the building are made of dressed, tongued-and-grooved flooring, which is cemented together with hot tar. This building is erected on corner foundations made of brick and cement, and is set high enough above the ground to allow cats and small dogs to go under it in order that they may kill rats and other vermin.

35. Fresh-Air House.—In Fig. 20 is shown a fresh-air house that may be used in mild climates. This house is 12 feet wide and 20 feet deep, and provides 240 square feet of floor space, or sufficient room for about sixty fowls. It is built low in front—about 3 or 4 feet high in the clear—and is 7 feet high in the rear. The double-slant roof provides sufficient height for the interior, and at the same time has a small amount of open space overhead. The front of the house is never closed more than is shown in the illustration.  The wire screen and the screen door protect the poultry from dogs and other animals. The screen door in front should be left open during the day, but it should be kept closed at night. Air passes through the open front into the whole house.  The door at the side is for the attendant’s use, and should be covered with heavy paper or boards during the winter months.  The house, being practically air-tight, except in front, will be free from drafts, or currents of air, while the temperature inside of it will differ very little from that outdoors; also, the interior will be dry. This house can be made warmer during the winter by closing the front from the inside by means of frames covered with muslin cloth. The windows, one on each side of the house, should be kept open during hot weather, but should always be closed when it is damp, cool, or cold.

The fresh-air house, being of low, narrow construction, like a cave, is warmer naturally than a higher and narrower house with an open front; notwithstanding this, it will be scarcely 12 degrees warmer inside of a fresh-air house during a cold night than it is outdoors. The advantage derived from the use of these houses is the close approach to natural conditions in a roosting place for the fowls, although when roosting inside of a house of this kind, they are more sheltered from the elements than when roosting in the open air. The roosting place r, as shown in the floor plan, Fig. 21, is far back from the open front, and even if the wind blows directly into the open front, very little of it will pass into the building, as there are no openings elsewhere to form a draft. What influence the wind has is a benefit, since it drives what warmth there is in the building to the rear, and not through the house and out at the other end. The nest boxes are located on both sides of the house.

36. Open-Front House.—When the term open front is used to designate a kind of poultry house, it refers to one the window openings of which are closed with cloth, or partly with cloth and partly with glass. This kind of poultry house is most favorably considered at present, but time only can tell whether or not it will prove to be the best.  shows a house that embodies all the valuable features of an open front. It is a two-room house, but the same general plan can be followed in constructing a long house having any number of rooms. The house shown is 6} feet high in the front and the rear, 9 feet high in the center, 12 feet wide, and 24 feet long. In front, near each end is a sash and glass window, and between these windows are two cloth-covered frames.  Each room is 12 feet square, and has one window opening that is closed with glass and one that is closed with cloth.  Below each glass window is a smaller hinged-sash and glass window. This low-down window permits the sun to shine on the floor close to the front of the house, and also serves as an opening through which the fowls may pass. The frames on which the cloth is fastened are hinged at the top of the opening so as to turn up inside against the roof, where they are fastened when not needed to close the window openings.  The large openings are covered on the outside with galvanized poultry netting. The floor maybe any one of the several kinds previously mentioned; preference, however, is always given to well-laid cement floor.

37. The interior arrangement of this open-front house is shown in Fig. 23. The rooms are separated by the lumber, partition d. The dropping-board is shown at p, and the roosts r are located 8 inches above it. In the rear and above the roosts is a shelter e, which forms a hood about the roost.  The air circulates about the roosting place, behind this shelter and in between the studding. The interior of the roosting place is ventilated by the opening v, Both ends of the roosting place must be closed, as shown at the end g.  The curtain f may be turned down over the front of the roosts to the level of the top of the roosts, leaving an open space between the lower edge of the curtain frame and the board p. When the curtain is down, the ventilator v in the top of the shelter should be open. The frame covered with cloth, as shown at c, is used to close the window opening, as previously described. The nest boxes n are placed 1 foot from the partition, so as to permit the hens to get on the nests from the rear.

38. House for General Use.—The house illustrated in Figs. 24 and 25 will meet the requirements of all localities where the winter temperature goes below 30° F., and with but few changes it will prove satisfactory for the warmest localities.  The house shown is 18 feet wide and can, if desired, be made from 40 to 200 or more feet long, in multiples of 40 feet.  The individual, or single, room, as shown in Fig. 25, is 18 feet wide and 20 feet long, giving 360 square feet of floor space.  If 4 square feet is allowed to each hen, the room will house ninety hens. The roosting poles r, Fig. 24, each 20 feet long, furnish an 8-inch space for each hen when roosting.  The roosts are reached by means of a walk w. The nest boxes n, 18 inches square at the base and 9 inches high, are pushed into the shelter made for them below the roosts.  Below this shelter are open slats, which are made either of iron pipe or of 2” 3” strips of wood. The rear of the shelter extends beyond the nests. The upright piece « in the rear of the nest is 9 inches high, leaving an open space o of the same height for the hens to pass through on the way to the nests. The movable shelter board s is 24 inches wide and rests upon cleats at each end. By such an arrangement, an enclosure into which the hens must go from the rear to the nests is formed about the nest. This kind of a hidden nest avoids the danger of egg eating by the hens. The eggs are gathered from the nests through hinged doors located in front.

FIG. 24

39. A sheltered roosting place for winter use, which can be either permanent or movable, is built against the rear wall, as shown at b, Fig. 25. If it is to be movable, it should consist of sections which are made up of the back, two ends, and the overhead cover. In winter, these parts are set in place around the nests and the dropping-board. During the greater part of the year, when not in use, they may be stored jn the loft overhead. If the structure is to be permanent, coops for extra male birds, or for broody hens and male birds, sould be placed on top of the shelter b. During very cold nights muslin curtains should be hung over the front of the shelter. Such curtains will seldom be needed, however, for when the roosts are filled with hens, it will be, except during the most severe weather, quite warm enough.  The floor of the loft is covered with dressed barn boards, a 6-inch space being left between them. This loft is filled with clean straw.  The straw absorbs dampness from the interior, and also helps to keep the house warm. The circulation of air through the doors on both ends will keep the straw dry. For this reason, these doors are opened when the days are fine. When filled with straw, the loft will have a warming influence over the temperature inside the house during the winter and a cooling influence in summer. Thus, it is seen that this overhead loft is valuable beyond the extra cost of building. By omitting a hall in this building, 80 square feet that would otherwise be practically lost space for housing capacity is added to each section. This 80 square feet of space will house twenty hens, and by using the space for housing capacity, the per-capita cost of the house is lessened.