31 



Gentleness. 



No other animals on the farm respond to kind treatment as 

 readily as hens. It is advisable, therefore, to be gentle with 

 them; in fact, make pets of them if possible. If they are 

 frightened by catching, or by dogs or cats, egg production is 

 likely to drop, and some may be injured by jumping against 

 the sides of the building or equipment, such as mash boxes, 

 hoppers, etc. They may be hurt internally as well as externally. 

 A broken egg within a hen sometimes results from fright. The 

 majority of poultry keepers are very proud of their birds, and 

 like to show them to their friends and neighbors, but if they 

 are scary, when visiting the poultry house the owner should 

 precede his guests, as the hens will not be so badly frightened 

 as though a stranger entered first. As a rule, it is better to 

 make observation from outside the yard rather than to go into 

 the house. Of course, if the hens are tame, it will make very 

 little difference. 



House Management. 



It is very difficult indeed to give general directions for regu- 

 lation of the openings of a poultry house, because so much 

 depends upon the location, the nature of the openings, the time 

 of year, the temperature and the hens themselves. The house 

 should be free from draughts and moisture. If the latter 

 gathers on the ceiling in drops or in the form of frost on the 

 glass, if any, the house is too close and should be opened or 

 ventilated. Dry and draughtless houses will do much to insure 

 healthy birds, and therefore good production. The following 

 directions have reference to the house illustrated in the pre- 

 ceding pages. Unless Leghorns, or some other Mediterranean 

 breed, are kept, the opening in the door and the one just above 

 it need not be covered with cloth, but if one of the above is 

 kept it may be necessary on the coldest nights to cover these 

 two openings w'ith some kind of cotton cloth or burlap. 

 During the coldest nights the other two openings should be 

 closed wath cloth screens provided for this purpose. If the 

 weather is fairly moderate only one is necessary, and if very 

 mild both screens should be left out. During the summer 

 months both screens should be removed and the door left open 



