The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1916-09-02
The Curtain-FrOnt House
By G. E, CONKEY.

Where any attempt is made to
house fowls in an up-to-date manner,
some form of the curtain-front house
is probably used more than any other,
because it is an arrangement that may
be applied to almost any kind of house.
If constructed along the right lines, it
supplies the birds with plenty of fresh
air at all times, and eliminates the
danger of drafts.
Unlike the fresh-air type, however,
the curtain front house it is not
fool-proof house, for the ventilating
openings must be adjusted to meet
the varying weather conditions, and
the house therefore requires more or
less constant attention. 1t often hap
pens that these houses are poorly ham
died through ignorance, neglect, or
due to the fact that 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 var
iation in results obtained, neverthe-
less. the fact that the largest and best
poultry plants are using curtain fronts
to great extent, would indicate that
they are a desirable house when han
died intelligently. The curtain-front
arrangement should appeal strongly
to those who look upon house with
the front open at all times as too
extreme.
The idea of the curtain-front is to
allow a gradual interchange of air
between the inside and outside of the
house, this being made possible by the
porous nature of the cloth used. In
winter air filters through the mesh of
the cloth supplying fresh air in the
building, and at the same time pre-
venting drafts. Nor need you feel
that the use of cloth will make cold
house, because it has been proven that
cloth affords a better protection
against cold than glass windows.
Loosely woven muslin is the best
cloth for the purpose. Cheesecloth is
too porous in severe weather and can
vas would be found too heavy.
While white material, kept clean,
as it must be to serve its purpose, will
permit a certain amount of light to
pass through, it has been found that
muslin covered openings alone are not
desirable. Without some glass Win
dows the house would be 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, but
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 the cloth openings as to the
glass. Except with very low build
ing, say under 8 feet the different
windows or openings should be 2l2 to
8 feet above the floor on the front of
the house which will allow the winter
sunshine to penetrate well to 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 openings on the front. close
to the roof so that more light and
sunshine will reach the rear of the
house. By opening these windows 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 answer, Ringing
this at the top so that in pleasant
weather it can be 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 build
ing and it is only in the coolest and
stormiest weather that the fowls
would not be comfortable with this
arrangement. At night the front of
the house is closed according to the
weather, but don't depend on the cloth
openings for ventilating except when
the temperature goes considerably
below the freezing point. In mild
winter weather allow the windows to
remain open little at night but al
ways make sure that draft will not
strike the birds while at roost. Don't
build your houses too shallow for this
shortens the distance between the
roosts and the front openings and you
will then have to keep a closer watch
on your ventilators to guard against
the possibility of a current of fresh
air striking the birds at roost.