POULTRY-CRAFT. 125 
166. How Much Exercise ?—Poultry keepers, being human, are prone 
to goto extremes. This is as true of plain poultrymen with their methods, 
ideas and theories, as it is of fanciers with their devotion to points of form 
and color, and perfection of development of non-essential features. Having 
tried for years to keep fowls in confinement without adequate provision for 
exercise, poultrymen are now, very generally, compelling too much exercise. 
To keep fowls scratching all day —scratching busily for @// the grain they 
get, is carrying a good thing too far. As much exercise as will keep them 
in good condition is needed; more is superfluous, and, therefore, wasteful. 
Exercise has to be paid for if food is paid for. The amount of exercise 
needed will vary; it can easily be regulated by watching the condition of the 
hens. At any age a fowl in good condition is plump. A poor thin fowl 
has no reserve force. A fowl in good condition will be kept so if obliged to 
scratch about one-third of the day for one-third of its food. To bring a poor 
fowl up in condition, the proportion of food secured by exercise must be 
reduced. To reduce a fat fowl, compel more exercise — even going so far as 
for a while to oblige the fowl to exercise for all food, and to go hungry as 
long as it will not scratch.* 
167. Exercise for Heavy Fowls.— What exercise suits a Leghorn does 
not suit a Brahma or. Cochin. In the first place, the Asiatics do not need as 
much exercise as other varieties, and in just walking about they get much 
more of what exercise they need. Even in small, rather bare yards, they 
keep in pretty good condition without special exercise. As is well known, 
the Asiatics are both the hardiest of fowls and the best suited to close confine- 
ment. In the next place, scratching is harder work for them than for clean 
legged fowls. With their feathered feet and legs they do not work easily 
in heavy litter; so, while the rule of one-third of a day’s work for one-third 
of a day’s ration can be applied to Asiatics, it is necessary to so litter the 
floors that the rule will work right. 
fowl-yard — the scratching floor is not absolutely necessary, and may even be superfluous 
if the hens have access constantly to a barnyard; but unless there is some other 
convenient sheltered place to which the hens can resort in all weathers, it is best to 
make regular provision for scratching exercise at the hen house. 
* Note.— There need be no fear of injuring a fowl by this process. People are some- 
times too tender hearted to compel a lazy fowl to work. If the hens miss one or two 
meals rather than work for their food, the owners take pity on them, and feed them as 
usual. This is a common case, and one in which pity needs to be diluted with common 
sense. The truest kindness to an animal is to keep it in such good condition that it will 
feel like working — taking exercise, and when it gets out of such condition to put it in 
condition again a¢ once,— though stringent measures be required. The only case where 
an overfat fowl ought not to be compelled to exercise is when its feet are so sore (scaly 
leg) that it cannot use them. In this not uncommon case the foot disease must be 
treated first, and it will do no harm to diet to reduce fat at the same time. 
