Heating Poultry Houses. 45 



renewed every day or two. In some places the floor simply 

 consists of a few inches of fine, dry earth ; and where the 

 ground below is porous and warm there is no objection to 

 this, but it must be raked over every day, and entirely re- 

 newed every few months, or the air will be vitiated. Any one 

 with a sensitive nasal organ can, however, very soon tell 

 when there is anything the matter in this way, so that will 

 be of itself a protection ; but we do not approve of the plan 

 some people adopt, of using carbolic powder and other disin- 

 fectants so freely, that their smell may overpower any other 

 one. This is not the way to do. By cleanliness a house 

 should be kept sweet, and whilst . the articles named are 

 most valuable to the poultry keeper, yet they must not be 

 made substitutes for, but assistants to, cleanliness. 



Perhaps it may be as well, before we deal with the ques- 

 tion of fittings, to say a few words with respect to the much 

 debated question of heating poultry houses. The arguments 

 adduced in favour of artificial heating are very plausible 

 indeed, and there need be no wonder that many are misled by 

 them. The reason why hens do not lay so well in winter, is 

 because the natural heat or reserve force of the body is more 

 rapidly exhausted in winter than in summer, and there is 

 less surplus to go to the formation of eggs or flesh. Thus 

 it would appear very reasonable to. suppose, that if, by sup- 

 plying artificial heat, this rapid exhaustion can be prevented, 

 then the birds would be as productive at one time as another. 

 The fallacy of this is in the fact that birds cannot always be 

 kept healthy indoors, and if there be high temperature, then 

 when they go out, the sudden transition is very great, and 

 disease results. So that for this reason, it will be seen that 

 artificial heating is likely to do more harm than good, except 

 under such conditions as we shall presently mention. Fowls 

 cannot put on an overcoat when they leave their houses, and 

 we know the danger ourselves of going from a heated room 



