The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1928-06-15
Poultry Houses
and Equipment
Local Conditions Determine
Largely Best Type for
Ultimate Success.

n
prepared by the United states Department
of Agricuiture:i
Certain general principles apply to
all poultry-houge construction" says
M. A. JUL and A. II. Lee in bulletin
on Poultry House and Fixtures just
published by the United States De-
partment of Agriculture. They say,
however, that local conditions deter
mine to large extent the exact type
which will give best results and per-
sons intending to build are advised to
consult the poultry department of
their state agricultural college or
state experiment station.
Comfort First Essential.
"The first essential in housing
chicks or laying hens" the authors
say, lis comfort, for unless chicks are
comfortable they will not grow well,
and pullets and hens will not lay well.
TO be comfortable house must pro-
vide plenty of room, be well supplied
with fresh air and sunlight, and al
ways be dry.
''The second essential" according to
these poultry specialists, is economy.
A new house need not be expensive,
but 1t should be durable; the more
durable the house the less the cost
of housing per year in a period of
years Avoid building, cheap, fiimsy
houses, because they soon have to be
replaced.
"The third essential, they continue,
sis convenience. The house should be
conveniently located and should be of
such shape and size that work in it can
be done with ease. Too often the mis-
take of building small houses with
low roofs is made, so that it is drudg-
cry to care for the chicks or the
layers"
The bulletin includes sections on
the location and site of the buildings,
particularly in regard to drainage and
sunlight, on brooder houses and lay
ing houses, advice as to the number
of chicks or mems of a giver size, sug-
gestionsr for yards and fencing, con-
sideration of the details of poultry
house design, the materials required,
and construction hints.
Use Of Artificial Lights.
On the topic of artificial lights for
poultry houses, which is of wide in
terest at present, the authors say.
"The use of artificial lights in laying
house during the winter months has
become a common practice on many
poultry farms, especially on the COM
mercial farms in the northeastern Sec
ti0n of the country andson the Pacific
coast. The use of artificial lights does
not increase the annual production of
eggs SO much as it increases the pro-
portion of eggs laid during the fall
and winter months, when egg prices
are relatively the highest. The lights
are used from about November l to
the latter part of March. Expert
mental work has shown that good
lighting unit is 40-watt lamp. It
should be fitted with reflector about
16 inches in diameter and the light
should be suspended about 6 feet from
the floor. This height is necessary in
order to light the ,roosts well : other
wise some birds will not leave the
roosts until daylight. Place the lights
about 10 feet apart: il the poultry
house is 20 feet long, Two good lights
should be sufficient. The lights can
be turned on by hand or automatically
for which special clocks are made"
AS to the numerous glass substi-
tutes on the market advertised to fa-
yor the entrance Of ultraviolet rays
as glass does not-the bulletin states
that "at present sufficient investiga-
tional work has not been conducted to
determine their efficiency In trans
hitting ultraviolet rays"
This pamphlet may be obtained free
by writing to the Department of Agri-
culture, Washington, D. c.. asking for
Farmers Bulletin 1554-F.