The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1916-12-09
The CURTAIN FRONT
POULTRY HOUSE,
By q. Il. Conkoy.

poultryman turns his thoughts tO
the type of house that Will best
keep his birds warm and allow
them To put some of their energy
into egg production.
Where any attempt ls made TO
house fowls in an up to date man.
ner, some form OF the curtain.
front house is used more than any
other, because it IL an arrange
ment that may be applied TO al
most any klnd of house If con
structed along the right lines. II
supplies the BIRDS with plenty of
fresh air at all times, yet elimi
mates the danger of drafts
Unlike the fresh.alr type, The
curtain front house is nor fool
proof house, for the ventIlating Oh
enlngs must be adjusted to meet
the varying weather conditions,
and the house therefore requires
more or less constant attention.
1t often happens that these houses
are poorly handled through ignor
ance, neglect, or because The owner
is not always present when
changes should be made.
With the successful use of
houses OF this style depending so
much on the attention given them,
it is but natural that there should
be considerable variation IN re
suits obtained. Ho Never, since
the largest aud best poultry plants
are using curtain fronts to a great
extent, it would indicate that they
are desirable house when hand
led inteligentIy The curtain front
arrangement should appeal strong
to those who look upon u honsc
with the front open at all times az
too extreme.
The idea of the curtain front is
to allow gradual interchange Of
air bet ween the inside and outside
Of the honse, this being made pos
slbIe by the purons nature of the
cloth used. Ia winter, air filters
through the mesh of the cloth,
supplying fresh air in the building
and at the same time preventing
drafts. Nor need you feel that
the use of cloth will make cold
house, because it bas been proven
that cloth affords better protec-
tion against cold than glass win
dows. Loosely woven muslin is
the best cloth for the curtain.
Cheesecloth il too porous IN Sc.
we're weather and canvas would be
found heavy.
While white material, kept
clean, as 1T must be to serve its
purpose, Will permit certain
amount Of light TO pass through,
it has been found that muslin GOV
cred openings alone are not desira
BILE. Without some glass windows
the house would he too dark for
comfort when the front must be
kept closed in cold or stormy
weather. DO not run to the other
extreme and use too much glass
because this will make the house
cold at night, and too warm in the
daytime.
The extent to which the front of
the house is taken up with glass
and cloth covered openings will
depend upon the depth of the
building and there is no set rule
for their arrangement You will
be pretty nearly right If you allow
one square foot Of glass to each Is
square feet of floor space in the
building and then give twice as
much space to cloth openings as
to the glass. Except with a very
low building, say under 6 feet, the
different windows or openings
should be % to 5 feet above the
floor on the front of the house,
which will allow the winter sun.
shine to penetrate well 10 the rear
of the building. In an extra
large, deep house, it is a good
plan to have few long, narrow
windows above the regular open
iDgs on the front, close to the
root so that more light and sun
shine will reach the rear of the
house. By opening these win.
dows in the summer the heat in
the high point of the building will
find a good outlet.
In using cloth, tack it to
frame, (1x3 inch strips will ans
wer,) hingiDg this at the top so
that in pleasant weather 1t can he
swung up inside the building and
hooked to the ceiling. With the
front opened up in this way plenty
of fresh air will enter the building
during the day and 1t IS only IN
the coldest aud stormiest weather
that the fowls would not be com
Portable with this arrangement.
At night the front of the house is
closed according to the weather,
but don't depend on the cloth op
enings for ventilatiDg except when
the temperature goes considerably
below the freezing point. III
mild winter weather allow The
windows TO remain open a little at