636.509762 Sco 14 m Tkir Q 3 i y^ TlfTB 0 i tn nrlTi m pttet fti D □ >21 □ □ (HOD 19 LJ Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College Agricultural College, Miss. March 1914 09 eg as HO oa CIRCULAR ag MISSISSIPPI POULTRY HOUSE su 33 HO □a as HO QB BB BB BB BB 00 GET da CD on c Q Q qjeq CifflUQC -—By -- DANIELS SCOATES Agricultural Engineer W. E. JACKSON. PTR., GRENADA-. MISS BB BB BB □ B main oocziqb n so nncnana 2 MISSISSIPPI POULTRY HOUSE VERITY OF ILLINOIS l.BRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN ACES Fig. 1—Framing of Mississippi Poultry House / MISSISSIPPI EXPERIMENT STATION 3 The Mississippi Poultry House is designed especially for the Mississippi farmer. The idea was to get a house, that would house fifty fowls, be modern, adapted to the conditions on the average farm, of good appearance, and yet be reasonable in cost. The essential features of this house are:- First, it has an op¬ en front. The open front house is considered today to be the best as it keeps the fowls in better physical condition. It is not neces¬ sary to use a curtain over the front, as no parts of Mississippi have severe enough winters to need it. Second, the house is raised two feet off the ground. This is done to provide adequate shade for the fowls during the long hot summer months. It has another advantage in that it tends to make the house rat proof. Third, it can be open on all sides. Solid doors are provided on three sides. These solid doors can be raised during the summer, thus allowing the house to become as cool as possible. During the winter months these doors are closed and the house made tight and free from drafts. Fourth, it is inexpensive. This house should not cost over $35.00, and where lumber can be bought very cheap, and the work done by farm hands at leisure times, it can be put up much cheaper. Location.—Place the poultry house on a south or east well drained slope. Poultry need lots of sunshine and dry conditions. If there is a choice of soil, a gravelly loam not too sandy is the best. Face the house to the south. Have plenty of range or pasture handy. Do not let part of the range be on the back gal¬ lery of the farm house. Nevertheless, the poultry house should not be too far from the farm house as the women folks are usual¬ ly the poultrymen of the farm. Keep the poultry house away from other farm buildings on account of vermin. Plans.—Figure 1 shows the house as it will look when all the framing is done and before any boards are put on. Figure 2 shows the floor plan of the house; this gives the over¬ all dimensions, and locates the posts and studs. Figure 3 is a view showing how the house would look if cut in two. It will help in locating the roosts, and framing side doors. Figure 4 shows the finished house as the front will appear. Figure 5 shows the finished back and north side. Figure 6 shows how the east side will look. The west side will have the same appearance. Foundation.—The foundation is made of four brick piers which are 12 inches square, extending 2 feet above the ground and from 6 to 12 inches in the ground. The brick should be laid up with cement mortar made of one part Portland Cement, and three parts clean, coarse sand. Wet the bricks before they are laid. Solid concrete piers can be made in place of brick if they can be built cheaper. An eight inch clay sewer tile stood on end and filled with concrete makes a good pier. It has the additional advantage of offering smooth sides to the invading rats, and other undesirable animals. In the top of each pier should be inserted a 4 MISSISSIPPI POULTRY HOUSE Fig. 3—View through center of House to show framing MISSISSIPPI EXPERIMENT STATION 5 | by 15-inch bolt. 7 inches of this bolt should project above the top of the pier. The sill can then be bolted to the piers by means of these bolts. Framing. —The framing of the house is shown in figure 1. It is built up of 2-inch rough lumber. By studying this figure care¬ fully no difficulty should be encountered by any person handy with the hammer and saw in erecting this house. Flooring. —The flooring should be made of ship-lap in order to get the floor tight and keep the house from being drafty. Siding .—The sides are covered with 1 by 12’s and the cracks battened with 1 by 3’s. Roofing. —The roof is covered with 1 by 12 sheathing laid close together. Then it is covered with a good grade of prepared roofing. It does not pay to buy cheap prepared roofing as it will not last much longer than it takes to put it on. Doors. —The front door is covered for the most part with wire netting while a small part is solid. The size of this door is shown on the floor plan, figure 2. The solid doors are shown in view of north side, figure 5, and the view of the east side, figure 6. The west side of the house will have a solid door the same size as the east side. These doors are hinged at the top and can be held open by means of a prop or wire and hook. The openings are covered on the inside with wire netting as shown in figure 3. There is a small opening in the east side, figure 6, for the fowls to enter and leave the house. A 12-inch sliding board can be placed on the inside as a door for this. Roosts. —The arrangement and spacing of the roosts are shown in figures 2 and 3. These roosts are made of dressed 2x4*s with the top edges rounded off. It is essential that these roosts be free from knots, and nail holes. Such places offer excellent breeding places for mites. Dropping Board. —The dropping board should be made of J- inch dressed lumber, and built so as to be easily removed for painting and treating to keep free from mites. The object of the dropping board is to catch the droppings, and keep them off the floor, making it easier to clean the house. Nests. —Figure 7 shows how to build the nests. These nests can be either built off the floor and attached to the studding or they can be built separate from the building and placed on the floor up against the wall. The advantages of this style of nests are; the top is sloping, preventing fowls from roosting on top of them; they are dark, preventing the eating of eggs; and the top lift up, allowing the eggs to be removed with little difficulty. Bill of Material.— The complete bill of material for building this house is given below. Four piers 2 feet above and 1 foot below the ground and 12 inches square requires 275 brick. 6 MISSISSIPPI POULTRY HOUSE h IG. 4— V leW Ui bOUlii Side .biG. t>—view oi north side MISSISSIPPI EXPERIMENT STATION 7 Mortar: Sand: Cement: Sills: Joists: Plates: Studdings: Girts: Floor: Rafters: Siding: Battens: Slnathing: Roosts: 1 part cement to 3 parts sand 1-5 load 2 sacks 4 pieces 6 x 6 x 12, rough 5 pieces 2 x 6 x 12, rough 2 pieces 2 x 2 x 12, rough x 12, x 10, x 16, x 12, x 14, x 16, 2 3 4 1 1 5 pieces pieces pieces piece piece pieces 12 pieces 7 pieces 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 x x X X X X 4 4 4 4 4 4 rough rough rough rough rough rough x 12 x 12, rough, ship-lap x 4 x 14, rough 20 pieces 1 x 12 x 16, dressed 18 pieces 1 x 3 x 16, dressed Dropping Board: Nests: 15 pieces 1 x 12 x 14, dressed 3 pieces 2 x 4 x 12, dressed 1 piece 2x6x8, dressed 4 pieces J x 12 x 12, dressed 1 piece i x 6 x 16, dressed 2 pieces 2 x 3 x 12, dressed (Two sections) 5 pieces 1 x 12 x 12, dressed 1 piece 1 x 6 x 12, dressed 2 pieces 1 x 8 x 12, dressed 2 pieces 2 x 4 x 12, rough 4 pieces 1 x 6 x 16, rough 2 pieces 1 x 6 x 14, dressed 13 pieces 1 x 4 x 16, dressed 2.1 squares of 3-ply roofing (prepared) 2 gallons of oil and coloring Hardware: 120 square feet of poultry netting Nails: 25 lbs. 8 d. 10 lbs. lOd. 15 lbs. 20d. 4 lbs. 5d. 3 6-inch Butt hinges for front door 10 4-inch T hinges for side doors 4 bolts f x 15 inches Acknowledgements. —Much credit is due to Professor W. F. Kirkpatrick, formerly Poultryman of this station, but now at Storrs, Conn., for his assistance in designing this poultry house. The nest details are after those published in Iowa Experiment Station Bulletin 132. Doors: Corner Finishing: Roofing: Paint: Hinges: Bolts: Farm Building Plans. —Residents of the state pf Mississippi can obtain free of charge plans and suggestions for barns, poultry houses, silos and other farm buildings which they intend to build. Address all correspondence to Agricultural Engineer, Agri¬ cultural College, Mississippi. Fig. 6 —View of east side Fig. 7 —Nests