54 POULTRY 
easily understood fact. Since a hen has no 
urinary apparatus it is necessary that all 
of the moisture which she takes into her body 
in the form of water or in her feed be given 
off with the breath from the lungs. Thus 
hens require five times as many cubic feet 
of air per pound of live weight for proper 
maintenance of life as any other domestic 
animal. 
Too Much Moisture. If there is not 
sufficient ventilation in the house the air 
becomes laden with moisture. This moisture 
settles toward the floor, has a tendency to 
wet the litter, and collects on the glass and 
on the walls and roof. When cold weather 
comes this moisture will be deposited as 
frost. During the middle of the day, when 
the henhouse warms up, this frost will 
melt, run down on the floor, and cause the 
litter to be even damper than in summer. 
If a henhouse is damp, the hen’s breathing 
apparatus has to work harder than it should. 
She is more susceptible to colds and to all 
kinds of digestive disorders. 
Open Front Best Plan. There is, of 
course, a difference between fresh air and 
