Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-07-28

Poultry Houses.

An Exchange says: There are many WAYS
of constructing poultry houses, but for the
ordinary poultrymsn the house must combine
size, cheapness and sdaptability. To watch
the habits of the fowls is a prelude to begin
ming construction. 1t may be noticed that
poultry prefer an open shed in the day time
in preference to closed buildings. Glass
windows will not entice them in unless the
windows are very large and admit as much
light rs if the fowls were outside. Light is
| the delight of poultry. They will suffer cold,
hunger and exposure to storms in the light
rather than to enjoy comfort in a darkened
room or other place. So partial are they in
this respect that even houses with warm
glass fronts do not seem to compensate for
the op,n air Plenty of light and plenty of
air is posIlvely essential 10 their happiness,
and when forced to retire into quarters when
the day is passing they do so reluctantly and
with fear, hailing and saluting the first ap-
pearance Of light in the morning. 1t would
| be more profitable therefore to build poul.
try house in such a manner as to give the
fowls the advantage of an open shed in the
daytime, and SO construct it that it may be
completely closed at night.
To estimate for a dozen fowls plain
building eight feet high at the rear and sew
en- at the front will answer. The roof should
be tight and the building should be close and
free from cracks. At the front should be
double doors shutting to the center and open
ing to the inside. All that is necessary to
such house is to open the doors in the
morning. by pushing them in. one to the right
and the other to the left. The building is
then an open shed, and when night comes, bv
shutting the doors, it is close and warm. No
windows are required except pane of glass
at each end to admit daylight in the morn.
| l,Sn~ A. L.. 49, Il
removed and piece of half.inch wire mesh
placed in the same location, which protects
against minks but admits ventilation. There
are other advantages in such house, of thor
ough ventilation of the house during the day
by reason of the doors being vide open. As
it faces the south the heat of the sun is thrown
into every part. II affords good feeding
place for the fowls. and as the nests and roost
can be at the back part it can easily be
kept clean. 1t is not implied here that this
plan is the best for a poultry house, but it is
the best for cheapness, simplicity and con-
venience combined. 1t requires not over l50
feet of lumber for the sides and so feet of
lumber for the doors-two hundred feet total,
which is maximum estimate, and perhaps
allows sufficient strips for laying the shingles
The cost of the lumber, at S25. 90 per thousand
feet, is only $500. The shingles will cost
about 50 90 more, and the nails and stud
ding, together with any little extras, may in
crease the sum to three dollars more, the to-
tai cost of the house being $40 or even less.
The labor of course, is something, which de-
pends on the time spent in putting it up. A
good substantial fence for poultry may be
made of plastering lath, the cost of which is
about three dollars per 1000 and 100 will build
% feet of fence easily. This estimate is for
single building and for one yard, to accom-
modate one dozen fowls. For large num-
Der of fowls long building can be put up
and divided by lath partitions, which makes
the total cost very moderate in the savings
from the lumber at the ends.