Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1886
Complete Left, 30th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 11th Oct., 1887
I, THOMAS EDWARD LANE, of 63, Dale End, Birmingham, Warwickshire,
Spirit Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to a new or improved poultry house constructed as
hereinafter described so as to contain four compartments, the first to serve as a dry
shed on the ground to shelter the fowls and in which they can be fed, the second to
serve as a nest compartment, the third as a roosting compartiment and the fourth a
compartment for rearing and fattening chickens, the whole being so arranged that the
temperature of the roosting and chicken compartments can be regulated as required
and the house cleaned out, the eggs collected and the poultry fed and attended to with
the least possible expenditure of time and labour and without the attendant having to
enter the house.
The said poultry house is preferably made of wood but it may be made of metal or
of a combination of wood and metal or other suitable substance and is preferably
rectangular in plan and of sufficient height to allow of its being divided into the four
compartments above mentioned, one above the other, and is provided with a double
lean-to roof. The first or ground floor compartment has suitable entrances and serves
as a dry shed for the poultry and in the sides are a suitable number of openings through
which the poultry can feed out of troughs running from end to end. The said troughs
are preferably hung on swivels at each end so that they can be turned upside down for
the purpose of emptying out any stale food, dirt, etc. Immediately above the first
compartment is the second or nest compartment containing two rows of nests, one row
running along each side of the honse from end to end and having a central path for
the fowl between the two rows and an entrance at the end of the path. The nests are
divided from each other and each covered by a gabled roof running across the house
from side to side and serving as the floor of the roosting compartment above. At the
end of each gable is an opening in the side of the house through which the nests can
be inspected and the eggs removed. The said openings are arranged to be closed
by a suitable locked shutter. The third or roosting compartment which is above

page_text: the nest compartment is approached by a door or doors at the end of the house the
floor being formed by the gabled roofs of the nests as above described, the ridges of
the roofs being rounded to form roost poles the gutters between each roost forming a
direct receptacle for the dirt or droppings from the fowls when at roost, which can
very readily be removed and the gutters cleaned through an opening or openings at the
sides of the house by means of a three cornered scraper. The gutters also form
receptacles for metal food troughs which can readily be introduced therein and
removed through the said openings at the sides of the house. The fourth and upper-
most compartment which is arranged to answer the purposes of a fattening house or
for chicken rearing has a flap door at each side formed of upright staves hinged at the
bottom so as to form the front of this compartment by day, and at night or in bad
weather to turn down to cover corresponding vertical openings in the roosting
compartment below. Flap doors turning on vertical hinges are provided which cover
the said openings to the chicken compartment and with the staves above described
enable the temperature of the roosting and chicken compartments to be regulated
through all seasons. A partition of staves is provided down the centre of the fourth
compartment so as to form a roost for the fowls when the compartment is being used
as a fattening coop; and when the said compartment is used as a chicken coop a flap
is turned down under the roof which fits into the staves forming the roost so as to pen
the hens to one side of the house whilst the chickens can pass backwards and forwards
through the staves and have the run of the whole compartment which can be extended
by the flap doors above described being turned down level with the floor and covered
by a suitable network. The ladder by which the fowls approach the upper compartment
answers the purpose of a door for locking the doorways of the roosting and nest
compartments.
Part of the gabled floor of the roosting compartment is made to draw out if required
so as to give better access to the nest compartment for sweetening, etc. At this point,
viz. between the nest and roosting compartments the house may be made to divide
into two parts for convenience of transit. The construction and arrangement of the
roosting and nest compartments in combination with each other and with the fourth
compartment is of the greatest importance in this invention as they not only economize
room, time and labour but render the poultry house very healthy."
Dated this 29th day of November 1886.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: T, THOMAS EDWARD LANE, of 63, Dale End, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Spirit
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This invention has reference to a new or improved poultry house constructed as
hereinafter described so as to contain four compartments, the first to serve as a dry
shed on the ground to shelter the fowls and in which they can be fed, the second to
serve as a nest compartment, the third as a roosting compartment and the fourth a
compartment for rearing and fattening chickens, the whole being so arranged that the
temperature of the roosting and chicken compartments can be regulated as required
and the house cleaned out, the eggs collected and the poultry fed and attended to with
the least possible expenditure of time and labour and without the attendant having to
enter the house.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing is a general view of the poultry house partly
in section so as to show the interior, Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation and Fig. 3 is
a sectional plan of the same through the nest compartments, Fig. 4 is a part end view
shewing how the ladder serves as a door for the house as hereinafter explained; Fig. 5
is a part front view of the same closed up as hereinafter described; Fig. 6 is a
metal feeding trough for the poultry house and Fig. 7 represents a three cornered
scraper for use in cleaning out the roosting compartments as hereinafter described.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
The poultry house illustrated by the drawing is made of wood but it may be
made of metal or of a combination of wood and metal or other suitable substance
and is preferably rectangular in plan and of sufficient height to allow of its
being divided into the four compartments above mentioned, one above the other
and marked A, B, C and D. A is the dry shed, B the nest compartment, C the
roosting compartment and D the chicken rearing and fattening compartment.
The house is covered by a double lean-to roof E. The first or ground floor compart-
ment A has suitable entrances a¹, a² and serves as a dry shed for the poultry and in the
sides are a suitable number of openings h through which the poultry can feed out of
troughs F running from end to end. The troughs F are preferably hung on
swivels turning in brackets g, g at each end so that they can be turned upside
down for the purpose of emptying out any stale food, dirt, etc. Immediately above
the first compartment A is the second or nest compartment B containing two rows of
nests bone row running along each side of the house from end to end and having a
central path 6 for the fowls between the two rows and an entrance 6 at the end of the

page_text: path. The nests are divided from each other by partitions and each covered by a
gabled roof running across the house from side to side and serving as the floor of the
roosting compartment Cabove. At the end of each gable jis an opening in the side
of the house through which the nests can be inspected and the eggs removed. The
openings are arranged to be closed by a suitable locked shutter which is hinged to
the side of the house and can be turned up to close the openings when required. The
third or roosting compartiment C which is above the next compartment is approached
by a door or doors m at the end of the house the floor being formed by the gabled
roofs of the nests as above described, the ridges j¹ of the roofs being rounded to
form roost poles, the gutters between each roost forming a direct receptacle for the
dirt or droppings from the fowls when at roost, which can very readily be removed
and the gutters cleaned, through the opening formed by turning down the shutter 1,
by means of an ordinary three cornered scraper such as illustrated by Fig. 7. These
gutters n also form receptacles for metal food troughs similar to that marked and
represented by Fig. 6 which are made to fit the gutters and which can readily be
introduced therein and removed at the side of the house by turning down the shutter 7.
The fourth and uppermost compartment D which is arranged to answer the purpose of
a fattening house or for chicken rearing has a flap door P at each side formed of
upright staves ? hinged at the bottom so as when turned upwards to form the front
of this compartment by day, and at night or in bad weather to turn down to cover
corresponding vertical openings in the sides of the roosting compartiment Ċ below.
Flap doors R turning on vertical hinges are provided which when required cover the
side openings to the chicken compartment. D and with the doors P above described
enable the temperature of the roosting and chicken compartments to be regulated
through all seasons. A partition of vertical staves S is provided down the centre of
the fourth compartment E from end to end which at their lower ends are connected
to the roost pole T and a second flap of staves U hinged at their upper ends is also
provided which can be turned down to fit between the staves forming the roost so as
to diminish the spaces between them and the hens to one side of the compartment
whilst the chickens can pass backwards and forwards through the staves and have the
run of the whole compartment which can be extended by the flap doors P being turned
down level with the Hoor of this compartment as seen by dotted lines on the right
hand side of Fig. 2. The doors R will form the ends of this extension which can be
covered by a suitable network if desired. The ladder V by which the fowls approach
the upper compartment can be used as a door (see Fig. 4) for closing the doorway 13
of the nest compartment and the doorway m of the roosting compartment by being
turned up against them and there secured by spikes e, on the lower end of the ladder
which fit in corresponding holes w, w in the floor of the house. The upper end of
the ladder fits under the projecting silla of the window X of the roosting
compartment.
2.
Part of the gabled floor of the roosting compartment. C is made to draw out if
required so as to give hotter access to the nest compartment B for sweetening, etc.
At this point Y, viz.; between the nest and roosting compartments the house may be
made to divide horizontally into two parts for convenience of transit. The construction
and arrangement of the roosting and nest compartments in combination with
the fourth compartment is of the greatest importance in this invention as they
not only economize room, time and labour but render the poultry house very
healthy.
Two or more nest compartments with gabled roof's forming the floors of the roosting
compartments may be provided in a single house one set above the other as will be
readily understood, as for instance an additional nest compartment and a roosting
compartment above it could be provided in the house illustrated by the accompanying
drawing instead of the fattening and chicken compartment D.
In conclusion I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the general
shape or number of the compartments and openings herein described and represented
on the drawing as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1. In a poultry house the use of slanting roofs to the nest holes arranged as
described to form the floor of the roosting compartment above, the ridges of
the roofs serving as roost poles and arranged substantially as herein before
described.
2. In a poultry house the combination of the rows of nest holes b, central path 12,
gable roofs, roost poles j', gutters n, openings and flap door all arranged
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in The
accompanying drawing.
3. In a poultry house having a chicken and a roosting compartment one above the
other the use of the flap door D formed of staves hinged to the floor of the upper
compartment in combination with vertical openings in the side of the lower
compartment and side flap doors R all arranged substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
4. The improved poultry house hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying drawing.
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