The Republican journal., 1911-09-14

Those that were allowed to run out of
doors were not SO apt to show these
symptoms but were stronger and more
vigorous.
The next step in poultry housing was
radical one. 1t was from the closed
warm house to the curtain-front house.
These houses were constructed with two
windows in front, one at each end, and
in the center long opening. The bot
tom of this window was high enough
from the floor so that there was no d.
rect draft on the birds. The walls of
the house were built absolutely tight so
that there were no drafts. The opening
was covered only by light cotton cur
tain. This was attached to frame that
fitted the opening and was removed on
fair days or whenever storm did not
blow directly into the house. If it was
impossible to open the curtain window,
the glass windows admitted light so that
the birds could see to scratch.
To keep them comfortable during the
night warm roosting closet was built
in the back part of the house, as far
from the windows as possible, and ex-
tended the length of the house. This
was the only place where the house was
double boarded. The inside boarding ex-
tended up the back of the house and
roof from the roosting board to point
directly over the front of the, roost. The
roosting board was made tight against
the back wall, and the space between
the rafters in the front of the closet was
closed so that there was dead air space
around the back and top of the roosting
closet. This space was sometimes packed
or Oh To
closet warmer A curtain similar to the
down in front of the birds after they
went to roost.
When kept in these houses the birds
proved to be more healthy and vigorous;
there was far less sickness, and they pro-
duced more eggs than under the old sys-
tenn. During the hot summer days,
however, it was found that these houses
became overheated and the birds would
not enter them to roost until it was quite
late. When in the house they showed
evidences of being uncomfortably warm.
To relieve this condition a ventilating
shaft is provided, between the two raft
ers and studs in the center of the house,
which let's the air circulate around the
roosting closet. At the back of the
house, inches below the caves, a slide
door 10 inches wide and Is inches long
opens into the ventilating shaft. This
gives a circulation of air through the
house, thus cooling it and making condi-
tons comfortable for the birds.
oPEN-FRoNT HOUSES.
The open-front house is particularly
adapted to mild climates but is not gem
orally considered satisfactory where the
winters are severe. The Tolman house
is the best example of this type. 1t has
one window in each end and the front is
entirely open, covered only by wire net
ting. This house may be slightly modi-
fed by putting a curtain in front, but
this is not satisfactory for cold climates.
In the last two types of houses the
open windows and open fronts are the
means of ventilation, and these are more
efficient than any other method yet tried
as they give free circulation of air
through the house and quickly remove
all dampness. Under these conditions
frost does not collect on the inside of the
building, the litter is kept dry, and the
birds scratch freely in it.
DETAILS OF CURTAIN-FRoNT HOUSE,.
After several years of experimenting
the most economical in construction.
Each pen 20 by 20 feet will accommo-
date 100 birds A house may be made
UP of as many or as few sections, or
pens, as the owner desires. A door in
each partition wall makes it easy to do
the required work. In long houses, one
end section may be left for a feed room.
Three by 6 inch sills run the length
of the house. The center one supports
the floor timbers in the middle of the
house, while the outside ones rest on a
rough stone wall, high enough from the
ground for dogs and cats to go under the
building to look after rats, skunks, ETC.,
that may harbor there. The stone wall
rests on the surface of the ground, with
large openings In it every 20 feet to allow
the circulation of air. This keeps the
ground and timbers dry during the sum-
mer. The floor timbers are 2 by
inches and rest on top of the stills. The
front studs are feet high, and those at
the back are 6 feet inches high. The
TWO sides of the roof are unequal in
width, the ridge being 8 feet from the
front wall. The height of the ridge from
the sill to the extreme top of rafters is
IL feet inches. All studding is 2 by i
inches. The building is boarded with l.
inch rough lumber, then papered and
covered with rustic siding. The roof is
covered with 1-inch boards and thin
building paper, then shingled. The cost
of the building may be lessened by using
shiplap for the sides and by covering
with high-grade roofing paper.
The front of the building, or of each
section, has two storm windows 2 feet
II inches by feet 6 inches. These glass
windows are screwed on uprights 2 feet
8 inches from each end of the room.
They are 3 feet above the floor. The
distance between the windows is feet
10 inches, and the top part of it, to a
depth of feet 6 inches from the plate,
is not boarded up but is left open to be
covered by a cloth curtain when neces-
sary. This leaves light wall feet 10
inches high, extending from the bottom
of the opening down to the floor, which |
prevents the wind from blowing directly
on the birds when they are on the floor.
A door feet 10 inches wide, for en-
trance to the yard, is made in the front
wall. The lower half is boarded, the
upper being covered by the curtain.
Another door Is by Is inches is placed
inches from the floor under one of the
for the birds to pass through to
the front yard. A similar door in the
center of the back wall admits them to