146 POULTRY 
outdoors and every effort is made to keep 
them out, they will seldom come down with 
leg weakness. But if they are confined too 
closely, if the feed is too heavy, especially in 
animal protein, and also if they have too 
great an amount of mash, they are apt to 
develop typical leg weakness. The weakness 
is probably due to the fact that heavy feed 
forces growth of flesh to such an extent that 
the legs will not support the weight of the 
body. 
In the case of close confinement the 
remedy, of course, is to get the chickens out 
of doors. If the cause is improper feed, 
remove the mash entirely, keep before the 
chickens a constant supply of milk, and feed 
liberally on hard grain or chick feed. A 
little bone meal added to the mash may help. 
Constipation. Constipation is not at all 
infrequent in laying hens, especially in the 
late winter. Probably it is brought on by the 
system of feeding that is used in practically 
every commercial poultry plant. The mod- 
ern, efficient poultryman is feeding his hens 
on a forcing feed all the time. This forcing 
feed is, of course, in a highly concentrated 
