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POULTRY OUSES

BOYS AND GIRLS POULTRY CLUB WORK

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 19

CONTRIBUTION FROM BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DIVISION

WASHINGTON, D. C.

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POULTRY HOUSES.

OULTRY HOUSES or other buildings where fowls are kept

should be dry, well ventilated, free from drafts, with plenty of sunshine and room enough to allow the birds to move about with freedom and comfort. These are necessary factors if the fowls are to be kept healthy, vigorous, and productive, in fact much more im- portant than the kind or style of building used. Poultry houses are built in a variety of shapes and sizes, and often old buildings are built

Fic. 1.—House for small flock. Will accommodate any number of fowls up to 25.

over or remodeled into poultry houses, all giving about the same re- sults, which indicates that no fixed type of building can be recom- mended as superior to all others if proper ventilation, light, and other essentials here referred to are provided.

LOCATION.

If new houses are to be built they should be located if possible on high or sloping ground and always on dry and well-drained soil.

1 Notr.—In some parts of the South “ stick-tight fleas ” are very troublesome. These fleas breed rapidly in the dry sand or dirt, but will not live or breed in damp places. Therefore, where dirt floors are used the poultry houses are often built in rather low damp places (not wet) in preference to a high, sandy, dry location.

136002°—19 3

4 Department Circular 19, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

Wet or damp ground means a damp house and a damp house not only means a cold one but invites sickness and diseases. Never build a house in a hollow, as water and cold air settle in low places and should be avoided. Have the house face the south, as it gives more sunlight and for a longer part of the day, especially in winter, when sunlight is necessary for the comfort of the birds. It also makes the house warmer, drier, and more cheerful and adds to the productive- ness of the finde

The poultry house should be convenient, substantial, and inexpen- sive. Its size or dimensions depend largely upon where you live and the number of fowls you wish to keep. On a farm or where the birds can be out of doors nearly every day in the year, about 24 square feet of floor space per bird in flocks of 20 is enough, but in a village or city or in a climate where there is a good deal of snow, making it necessary to confine the birds closely, “4 or 5 square eet per bird should be allowed. _ House for small flock—The house shown in figure 1 is a very satis- factory one for the average boy or girl who wishes to keep only a small flock, as it may be used for breeding birds or for hens kept only for egg production. It is 10 feet long, 7 feet wide, 6 feet 2 inches high in front and 4 feet high in back, and will accommodate any number of birds up to 25. The following lumber was used in its construction :

2-pieces' 4 by. 6,-12 feet lone, for cilise2 22s ee ee ee 48 8 pieces 2 by 4, 14 feet long, for joists___._._-___-~_____ 28 3 pieces 2 by 4, 16 feet long, for rafters__._-____-_ 382 13 pieces, 2: by’ 3; 12 feet long, -fer:studs and braces2===2=s255 = = = axe 78 340 pieces g-inch matched flooring for floors: and sides. . ses ae 340 100; pieces inch sheathing for the roof.) 2s a eee 100

Also 1 roll of roofing paper, 2 windows, wire for windows, hinges, and nails.

Common boards 1 inch thick may be used instead of matched flooring for inclosing the house, placing battens over the cracks. As wide boards as possible should be used, as the wider the boards the smaller the number of battens required. The use of battens is some- what cheaper and just as satisfactory although the house is not quite so attractive.

lif you live in a climate where the winters are not ope cold it is preferable to cut one large opening in the front of the house instead of 2 windows (and small opening), as shown in figure 1, cov- ering it with wire netting instead of putting in sash and glass. When this is done, cut the opening lengthwise of the building 7 feet long, 24 feet wide, and 6 inches from the roof. Such an opening provides an abundance of ventilation, fresh air, and sunshine, which are very necessary. If it is too cold, a burlap curtain may be made to put down over the opening at night and on extremely cold days. A hen

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Poultry Houses. 5

will stand a good deal of cold air, however, provided the air is dry,

and plenty of ventilation helps to keep the air dry in the house. The

house shown in figure 1 was built on runners so it could be moved to

fresh ground occasionally, but, if desired, may be put on a permanent

foundation.

House for 50 to 75 hens—The boy or girl who wishes to keep a larger number of hens must necessarily provide a larger house. If kept principally for egg production, from 50 to 75 hens may run together with good results, and for this number a house of the same type as figure 1, 16 feet long, 12 feet wide, 8 feet high in front and 5

feet high in back, is recommended. Such a house gives 192 square

Fig. 2.—Interior view of poultry house shown in figure 1.

feet of floor space and will accommodate from 50 to 60 hens of the larger breeds, such as Rhode Island Reds or Plymouth Rocks, and from 60 to 75 of the smaller breeds, such as Leghorns, Anconas, and Hamburgs, depending upon how much the birds can be out of doors.

Breeding house——The club member who wishes to separate his birds into small flocks or pens for breeding purposes may construct a house similar to the one shown in figure 2. The dimensions should be 14 feet wide, 74 feet high in front, 5 feet high in the back, and as long as desired, with partitions every 6 feet, making each pen or compart- ment 6 by 14 feet, which will accommodate from 20 to 25 birds. Doors should be put in the partitions so that you may go from one pen to the other, but aside from this, the interior of the house should be the same as described and pictured in figure 2.

6 Department Circular 19, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.

Remodeling poultry houses—Many farms have old style, closed-up poultry houses with poor light and ventilation; also old sheds and other buildings of little use for other purposes that can be remodeled or built over with little difficulty into satisfactory poultry houses. If poultry-club members are offered such an opportunity they should

Old-style hen house. No light; no ventila- Shed. Excellent material for poultry tion ; poor results. house.

Open-front hen house. Shed boarded up Side view of house constructed from old in front; poultry netting windows. shed.

Interior of same house. Good sunlight Model hen house constructed from shed

conditions. 1, Movable roosts; 2, drop- at little cost. Note effects of a coat of ping board; 3, nests. whitewash. . Fic. 3.

take advantage of it, for a building of that kind usually can be made over for less than one-half the cost of constructing a new one, and if the work is well done should give just as good results. Further- more the work performed in remodeling the building serves as a good poultry-club demonstration in poultry-house construction. The picture at the top of this page shows an old-style house,

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lacking in both light and ventilation, making it unfit for keeping fowls, also an old shed as it appeared before it was built over into a poultry house. The two middle pictures show different views of the same shed remodeled or built over into a modern house. The lower left-hand picture shows the interior of the house, and the lower right-hand picture shows the completed house after a coat of, white- wash has been applied.

Floors.—Poultry houses may be built with or without floors. In either case they should be dry, as damp floors make damp litter, and dampness is fatal to both fowls and chicks. If the house is on dry, sandy soil, a dirt floor is usually quite satisfactory, but as a rule it is

‘more damp than board or cement floors. Dirt floors should be

scraped and new soil put in 2 or 3 times a year to keep them sanitary. If board floors are used they should be both tight and smooth so as to make them dry and easy to clean. If possible they should be 8 or 10 inches from the ground to allow a circulation of air and to prevent rats from harboring under them.

Cement floors—Cement floors, especially for large houses, are quite satisfactory, as they keep rats out and also last much longer than board floors. They are also sanitary and easy to clean but are harder and more expensive to build than wooden floors. A cement floor should always be kept well covered with litter; otherwise it is cold and uncomfortable for the birds.

INTERIOR ARRANGEMENT.

The interior of each poultry house should be simple, convenient, and easy to clean. About the same arrangement can apply to any house, the only difference being that the larger the number of fowls kept the more nests and roosting room required.

Roosts.—Always place the roosts in the back of the house away from the windows or openings to avoid the cold. To catch the droppings, build a platform or dropping boards (see figure 2) about 2 feet or 2 feet 6 inches from the floor (never more than 2 feet 6 inches) and have the roosts about 8 inches above the dropping boards and 16 inches apart.

From 10 to 12 inches of roosting space should be allowed for each

hen. The roosts should be built as shown in the picture (figure 2)

and hinged to the back wall, so that they may be raised, and both roosts and dropping boards cleaned and sprayed thoroughly. All roosts should be the same height. Never build one above the other, as every hen will try to get on the highest roost and will fight and try to crowd the other off. Figure 2 also shows at the end of the roosts a small coop inclosed with wire, and having a slat bottom, for confining broody hens. Such a coop may or may not be included with the other fixtures as the club member may wish. If built it

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should be 3 or 4 inches above the platform, as shown in the picture, because it is easier to keep clean and also allows air to circulate underneath and through the slats, which is important in breaking up sitting hens. If this brood coop is not built a small, slatted coop or crate suspended from the ceiling by a wire or rope, allowing it to swing, makes a good place to break up broody hens.

Nests.—There should be a nest for every 4 hens. Nests should be at least 15 inches square and may be built singly or in rows and fas- tened to the side of the building or placed under the dropping boards, as shown in figure 2. If possible, however, nests should be somewhat secluded or darkened, as the hens seek such nests more readily and are also less liable to acquire the habit of eating their eggs. The entrance to the nests in the picture are from the back, the door in front being for convenience in gathering the eggs.

Litter—The floor of every poultry house, whether of dirt or of boards, should be kept covered with a litter from 4 to 8 inches deep at all times. Oat, wheat, or rye straw makes the best litter, but if it can not be obtained sawdust, chaff, dry leaves, or pine needles may be used. As soon as the litter becomes damp or badly soiled it should be taken out and fresh, dry litter put in its place.

3 Department Circular 19, U. S. Dep

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