Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-01-05
POULTRY
CONSULTING DEPARTMENT
Fresh Air for Poultry

There has been in recent years a
marked tendency in poultry-house
construction toward securing more
fresh afr, both day and night, by
replacing the glass windows with cloth
or muslin or by making the front
either of muslin or entirely open.
Tight houses with double walls are al
most relics of the past, even in the
most northern parts of the United
States. Fresh air is one of the prime
essentials in poultry houses, and
warmth secured by keeping the
house shut up tightly is not as de-
sirable as a lower temperature and
some ventilation. A house which gives
satisfaction in Maine will also give
good results in Texas or California,
but it is preferable TO build more
open and consequently less expensive
houses in the South than in the
North.
The back and sides of the poultry
house should be absolutely tight In
order to prevent drafts which may
cause colds in the flock. This leaves
only the front of the house of muslin
construction or entirely open. An
opening which can be closed by a
shutter may be used to advantage
in the rear wall of a poultry house in
the South, or in growing houses in all
parts of this country, but this should
be constructed so that there will be
no draft in cold weather. The front
of the house should be so high that
| the windows or openings Will allow
the sun to shine well back into the
interior during the winter. Burlap
unbleached muslin, or lightweight
duck cloth may be used for curtains
in the front. This cloth should be
thin enough to allow slow cIrcula-
ton of air without draft. This is
impossible if too heavy a grade OF
duck cloth is used or if the cloth is
oiled or painted.
For southern conditions, houses
with the fronts entirely open are well
adapted, and this type is used with
success in all sections of the United
States. They require less attention
than houses where the ventilation is
controlled by the use of curtains or
windows, but in the northern halt Oh
the United States the majority OF
poultry keepers prefer to have part
or all of the front Of their poultry
! houses under control, In order TO keep
the snow, rain, and wind from peat
4 ing INTO the mousse diu W PhoeSss
poultry during colder weather. II the
lcurtain is not attended to, however,
curtcin-front houses may be less sat
| isfactory than the open-front type
even in northern ATTITUDES.
A large amount of glass in the front
of the house makes it warm during
the day but cold at night, as glass
radiates heat very rapidly. Some glass
however, is helpful in providing light
when the curtains are closed. some
ventilation should be given IN
poultry house even on the coolest
night. 1t is usually best secured by
leaving a small window open or hay-
ling muslin curtains in the front OF
the house. If the house is shut up
tightly without any muslin. curtains
in the front there is tendency for
moisture to collect in the house and
condense on the rafters and other
woodwork on frosty mornings. 1t is
not necessary to close the muslin cur.
tains in the front of the house except
| in very cold or stormy weather. Hens
are protected by nature with warm
feathers and high body temperature
80 that they are better able to with
stand dry, cold air than warmer air
which IL damp.