37 



eggs at the expense of her maintenance, but in fall and early winter she 

 will not, as a rule. 



The principle which the possibility of good results in cold houses and 

 the successes and difficulties with hens in warm houses combine to 

 establish is this : given hens in laying condition, and abundance of 

 proper food, egg production depends on uniformity of conditions more 

 than on high temperature. 



Such uniformity of conditions is more easily secured in a house that is 

 not much different in temperature from the outside air than in one that 

 is kept much warmer than the outer air in extreme cold weather. In 

 the open house the variations of temperature are less than in the house 

 that is kept warm in coldest weather, imless the ventilation of the warm 

 house is looked after much more closely than is customary. The open 

 house does not need close attention. The fowls in it are hardened, — ac- 

 customed to a lower range of temperatures than those in warm houses. 

 Because of this, and because, breathing always pure air, their vitality 

 and capacity to stand changes in the weather are greater, they are less 

 affected by weather changes than fowls in closed houses. 



To their better circulation and greater vitality also I attribute greater 

 perfection in bodily functions, as seen in the greater fertility of the eggs 

 from such fowls, and in the apparent fact that they get more nutriment 

 from the food they eat. As I said a little while ago, I could never see 

 that the fowls in the cold houses took any more food than fowls in warm 

 houses. Since I began the experiments mentioned in this article a great 

 many have been making observations along the same line, some inde- 

 pendently of and without knowledge of what I was doing, and others 

 because of the interest discussion of my tests excited. The general 

 verdict of these is that no more food is consumed in the cold houses. 

 Some say the fowls in the cold houses seem to eat less ; a few affirm 

 that they do eat less. Such statements seem at first thought improbable, 

 yet they are not, on consideration, wholly imreasonable. 



Tt is a fact which 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-growing, hearty chickens of the same lots, 

 yet hardly show any increase in size, while the others are growing 

 rapidly. Long after the thrifty chickens have grown out of all compari- 

 son with the runts, if you 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. Why is it? 

 Simply because digestion and assimilation are imperfect. The chick is 

 ill nourished, not Ijecause 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 nourishment from a given quantity of food than it would if all 

 functions of the l)ody were in a higher state of activity. From this jjoint 

 of view, the observation that hens eat no more, and may eat less, in cold 



