About twenty years ago, there was devised a poultry house that was a radical departure from this previous type of house. It was called the open front house, and gave surprisingly good results, where all previous types had failed, as regards egg production. This house was constructed briefly as follows: It was of the shed roof type; that is, had just one slant in the roof, the highest pitch being in front, and the lowest pitch in the rear. It had plenty of window light in the front side, about half of the south side, or front, being devoted to windows. The rest of the front was left open, save for a thin muslin curtain to cover the open space during bad weather. These curtains were tacked to wooden frames, and swung on hinges, so that they could be swung in to cover the open space at will. The most remarkable thing about the system was that the hens began to lay eggs, when proper feeding was obtained. Later, this led to the conclusion, now generally accepted, that the birds can stand considerable cold, providing it is not a damp cold, and that the temperature of the house is considerably more uniform between night and day than was the case with the glass house.
As a result many poultrymen who are making money with poultry use some such system as the open front house with various changes. They have found that fresh air is an absolute requirement to get the best results. But this matter brought out a few more interesting facts. It was found that dampness was a big drawback to egg production in cold weather. If the damp foul air, breathed out by the chickens, could not escape from the poultry building, the chickens did not have the health and vigor that they did in well ventilated houses. Consequently, the curtain helped considerably in allowing the fresh air to come in, and for the foul air to go out. The damp air, being heavily laden with moisture, settled to the bottom of the house, where the birds scratch, and unless the curtains extend fairly well down near the bottom of the house, the damp air has not a very good chance to escape, and consequently, there will be more or less moisture even with this type of house, if the damp air has no chance to escape.
Another common fault with a great many poultry buildings is that they are drafty. The walls should all be air tight, except the south wall, or front, as has been mentioned. If there is a draft in the house the birds will contract a cold, and will take a prolonged vacation from their job of laying eggs. It is not uncommon to find a crack in the wall, just behind the perches of the house, and when we consider that in such houses the birds stay all night in a direct draft, it is little wonder that they appear so unhealthy.
There are a few other common faults that we will consider before bringing this chapter to a close. It is often found that there are too many birds cramped into a small house. It is a good plan to allow at least four square feet of floor space for each bird that you winter. For instance, if we were planning on having one hundred birds this winter, we could have a house built twenty-five feet long, and sixteen feet deep. Multiplying these two figures, gives us four hundred square feet. Dividing this product by four, gives us allowance for one hundred birds. Then, lastly, the floor, itself. Too often the floor is cold. If a cement floor, we should cover it with about six or eight inches of good, clean, dry litter. Even if made of wood, a good substantial litter should be maintained. The best litter is probably of straw, but peat moss is fast gaining favor at present, where straw is not obtainable. With these few objections to guard against, let us next discuss just how we shall go about constructing a poultry house that will overcome the faults mentioned.
CHAPTER X.
HOUSING POULTRY FOR PROFIT.
In discussing plans for a modern poultry house, let it be mentioned at the outset that this does not necessarily mean that our modern house will be expensive, any more than the one that is built on old ideas. In fact, many of the older houses were much more expensive than the modern houses of today. As long as the poultry building includes the necessary principles for the birds’ well-being, and this can be accomplished with little added expense, that is all that is necessary.
In commenting upon the common faults of most poultry houses in the previous chapter, we found that they generally lack one, or all of such items as ventilation, dryness, sunlight, adequate floor space, protection from rats, protection from extremes of temperature, and simplicity of design. In arranging for a better house for our birds, let us plan to keep these factors in mind, so as to get the most from our birds.
Whether we are to build a new poultry house, or to remodel an old one, we can design it so that all of these factors will be in evidence. If we have an old poultry house, or if we can buy cheaply an old poultry coop, that has fairly good lumber in it, we can probably do the remodeling somewhat cheaper than if we have to buy all new lumber. If we do purchase all new lumber, it is not advisable to get cheap lumber, but buy the first grade, because it is necessary that the walls of the house be air tight, and this is seldom possible with cheap lumber.
We will first consider briefly the possibilities of remodeling an old poultry house. Probably the first thing that we will do is to cut some openings in the front of the house for windows and curtains. From one-half to two-thirds of the front should be devoted to window lights. The remainder should be left for the muslin curtains to allow for fresh air to enter, and for foul air to pass out. These should not be cut up too high, but start at least a foot below the roof, and have the window lights extend at least half way down the front of the house. The curtains should extend quite a bit further down to the bottom of the house, to allow the foul air sufficient opportunity to escape.
We should next examine the other walls and roof to make sure that they are not drafty, nor leak water. Usually these walls can be patched up with other boards, or heavy roofing paper, so that no draft is possible. In northern climates, where weather below zero is common, best results will be obtained by having two thicknesses of walls, to protect against cold nights. Roofing paper is excellent to put between the two walls, or even on the outside to aid in this matter. If the roof leaks, it might be advisable to re-shingle part of it, and here again roofing paper helps in making it weather tight.