25G POULTRY PRODUCTION 



of a locati(jn near tlie dwelling-house are l)a(;]. 'i'lie soil may 

 be of a ])Oor texture or the orchard and woodlot at some 

 distance. In general, however, if the building site for the 

 dwelling has been well chosen it will furnish good conditions 

 for the hen-house. 



Dryness. — Of those conditions which help to make a hen- 

 house coiid'ortable, dryness is of the utmost importance. It 

 is a condition dependent upon j^roper location, good construc- 

 tion, thorough ventilation, and an abundance of sunshine. 

 There is no condition under which poultry is kept, unless 

 it is a state of starvation, that is more surely and quickly 

 fatal to profitable production than dampness in the roosting 

 and scratching quarters. It makes the birds uncomfortable 

 and renders them susceptible to disease. 



The chicken is of necessity a rapid breather. Its tempera- 

 ture is high (average 106° F.) and the oxidation within the 

 body is enormously rapid. Fowls live at a high rate of speed, 

 and, as with a highly geared machine, clogging spells disaster. 



Damp air compels fowls to increase their already rapid 

 respiration. It is not uncommon to see chickens confined in 

 a damp house panting on a day that is ratlier cold. This 

 extra work of faster breathing uses up energy that should be 

 employed in the production processes. 



A reason for the increased rapid breathing lies in the 

 fact that with the fowl a much larger proportion of the body 

 moisture is eliminated by way of the respiratory system 

 than in the case of other farm animals. Wliile fowls do not 

 drink as much water in proportion to their weight as do 

 other animals, there is no elimination by means of sweat 

 glands, and the anioiuit of moisture in tl\e feces is com- 

 paratively small. There is no urine passetl. In the light 

 of the fowl's high tem])erature, as well as the foregoing, it 

 seems reasonable to assume that a larger ])ercentage of the 

 water drank by fowls is gotten rid of by means of the breath- 

 ing apparatus than is the case with other farm animals. 



The elaborateness of the apparatus itself would also suggest 

 this probability. Presides a well-developed pair of lungs, 

 tliere are connected with them four pairs of air sacs of 

 considerable proportions placed on either side of the bodv 



