We must next examine the floor. If a wooden floor, then it is advisable to raise the house up from the ground about six inches, supporting it with posts. Some people follow the plan of placing old tin pans or plates upside down at the top of these posts and then setting the house on, thereby eliminating the danger of rats, as the rats cannot climb over the tin pans. If the house is to be a permanent structure it will be found best to lay a concrete floor, as this floor will last for all time, and will not need repairing. Such a floor is rat proof, but must be covered with a good litter. If a new house is to be constructed, then it will be best to follow the principles laid down for a remodeled house to the extent of the open front, weather tight walls and roof, good floor, and dry living conditions. Wood is the most popular material that is used in building chicken houses. Generally, 2 by 4s placed about two feet apart are used for studding. Matched lumber or rough lumber aided by battens or roofing paper compose the walls, this making them free from drafts. The matched lumber is generally placed on the studding horizontally. The lumber should be dry and free from knot holes, and well nailed together. For the roof, shingles can be used, or some of the prepared roofing paper on the market now has given good results. For quite flat roofs, two or three ply roofing paper is preferred to the shingles. We will now discuss the common types of poultry houses. The most popular type and the cheapest, is the shed roof house. This house is usually about eight feet high in front, slanting gradually to the rear to a height of about five feet. It just has one slant, and, as has been said, is cheaper to build than other types of houses. It is also much easier to keep warm in the winter, because of the low roof, which means less space has to be heated by the birds. Instead of curtain front houses in such a type of poultry house, many poultry men are using bafflers to let in the air. These bafflers are similar to a blind used to shade living houses in some parts of the country. They are composed of slats less than an inch apart, and placed in a slanting position, rather than vertical or horizontal. The gable roof house is another popular type. This differs from the shed roof type of house in that its roof comes to a peak, with two pitches, such as most modern bungalow dwelling houses have. This system leaves a larger space at the top of the house, and is not as warm as the shed roof type. It also costs more to build. However, it possesses the advantage of allowing a straw loft to be placed at the top of the house, which is an excellent way to get rid of excess moisture, when it can be expelled no other way. The straw has the power to absorb the excess moisture during the winter, but should be removed in the spring, as it furnishes an excellent hiding place for mites, an insect that we will discuss more thoroughly in a later chapter.