HOUSING OF POULTRY 167 



poor house, and very often prefers the tree to any kind 

 of a house. 



The lesson is that the hen has still a little of the wild 

 nature, and when we modernize her, when we put her 

 under artificial modes of living, we are liable to get the 

 same result that the nation got in putting the Indian under 

 conditions of modern civilization. They cannot stand it, 

 not until they have been bred to it by a long process of 

 selection. "We will get better results if we remember this 

 fact and plan our houses accordingly. That is a condition 

 that the hen imposes. 



Purpose of Housing. When we build houses for chick- 

 ens we have in mind their health and comfort. We may 

 be influenced in this by kindness for the fowls but more 

 often by selfishness that looks for a full egg basket; that 

 is, we usually build houses for fowls to make them lay 

 more eggs. We may say, then, that the purpose of 

 housing is to increase productiveness; poor housing will 

 decrease it. 



Location of Houses. 1. Soils. Chickens will thrive on 

 a great variety of soils, but certain kinds are more adapted 

 than others to successful poultry-keeping. If possible, 

 heavy clay soils should be avoided. They are hard to keep 

 clean or sanitary. A rather light, porous soil is preferable. 

 This is drier in wet weather and not as hard in dry weather 

 as a heavy clay soil. A wet soil is colder than a dry one. 

 The house should not be set in a mud puddle. That is as 

 bad as setting it in a snow bank. It was Pasteur who 

 tried to inoculate the chicken with anthrax, he did not 

 succeed until he made the chicken stand in cold water. 

 The temperature of the chicken was too high for the germ 

 to develop, but after reducing the temperature by cold 

 water on the feet and legs, he succeeded in inoculating it 

 with the disease. .This will show why certain diseases 



