UTILITY CLASSIFICATION 81 



them susceptible to cold. In practice, however, it has been found 

 that the birds do not suffer severely if the house is kept well ven- 

 tilated. An abundance of fresh air and oxygen keeps up the circu- 

 lation of the blood and removes surplus moisture. The presence 

 of moist air is very detrimental and tends to produce frozen combs 

 in winter. Frozen combs and wattles must be avoided, as they 

 impair the physical condition of the birds, and greatly reduce, for 

 a time at least, the egg-laying capacity, due to the impaired vitality. 

 The close feathering does not offer the protection against cold 

 that is found in the meat breeds or loosely feathered birds. A 

 thick growth of feathers offers better protection. 



FIG. 49. Single-comb White Leghorns, the most popular of the egg breeds. (Photo by 

 International Correspondence Schools.) 



A reason which is advanced for the breeding of rose-comb birds 

 is the supposed hardiness of such combs. In practice, the wattles 

 and the spikes of the rose combs are often frozen. It has been 

 impossible to breed as high a producing strain of rose-comb birds 

 as of single-comb birds. The Leghorns, in spite of the danger of 

 suffering from cold, have proved to be one of the hardiest breeds 

 kept in this country. For winter egg production, they have proved 

 their worth in practically all sections. When provided with proper 

 houses and the right kind of feed, they are well able to withstand 

 the winters. 



Leghorns outclass all others in popularity for egg-producing 

 6 



