404 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



It is a fact Avhich any one who has the opportunity and 

 cares to take the trouble can easily demonstrate for himself, 

 that dwarfed and stunted chickens eat as much as well-grow- 

 ing, hearty chickens of the same lots, yet hardly show any 

 increase in size, while the others are growing rapidly. Long 

 after the thrifty chickens hav^e grown out of all com})arison 

 with the runts, if a^ou separate them you may find the little 

 runts eating much more in proportion to their size and rate 

 of growth than the others, and often eating actually as much 

 as the others. Wh}^ is it? Simply because digestion and 

 assimilation are imperfect. The chick is ill nourished, not 

 because it does not get enough or the proper variety of food, 

 but because its system does not do its work properly. Much 

 of its food passes through it undigested. So with the fowl 

 which breathes impure air. Its functions are sluggish. Its 

 circulation is poor, as often shown in the chilled comb and 

 the general air of listlessness. It is reasonable to suppose 

 that digestion, too, is impaired, and the fowl gets less nour- 

 ishment from a given (quantity of food than it would if all 

 functions of the body were in a higher state of activity. 

 From this })oint of view, the observation that hens eat no 

 more, and may eat less, in cold houses, seems worthy of 

 some credit ; and it l)egins to be doubtful whether there is 

 actually, as theoretically there has been, an economy of food 

 in using warm houses. 



The strongest })oint that can be brought against the cold 

 house for poultry is that it is not suitable for fowls Avith 

 large combs and wattles easily affected by frost. This point 

 has not so much weight with farmers in this State as in places 

 where Leghorn and Minorca fowls are kept, because white 

 eggs are wanted. Here most of the fowls on the farms are 

 Plymouth Rocks, W>^andottes or Rhode Island Reds. The 

 c()ml)S of the hens of these breeds are not easily affected by 

 frost. Many of the male l)irds are almost as easily frosted 

 as Leghorns. Where only a few males are needed they can 

 l)e removed to Avarmer quarters on very cold nights; but 

 with birds not intended for exhibition, or for sale for ])ur- 

 poses where a frosted comb would count against them, I 

 would let the comb freeze and the bird lose a [)art of it. It 



