260 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



Pearl and Surface' liave to say, in reference to certain 

 breeding experiments: " Conditions of housing have a marked 

 and definite influence on the mean or average fertihty and 

 hatching quality of eggs." In the experiments discussed 

 it was found that both fertihty and the hatching cjuality 

 of eggs were verj' much better when tlie breeding was done 

 in a curtain-front house, whicli furnished an abundance of 

 fresh, pure air, than when it was done in what was formerly 

 considered to be a highly desirable type of heated house with- 

 out curtain front, but with a supposedly adequate system of 

 indirect ventilation. 



Ventilation and Drafts. — It is difficult to so house fowls that 

 they will have as full advantage of fresh air as they have in 

 the tree and at the same time be protected from drafts. 

 While a fowl can roost all night in a tree when it is blowing 

 a gale and not take cold or suflfer any other noticeable ill 

 effects, it will take cold very quickly if compelled to be in a 

 draft inside of a house. Colds frequently form the beginning 

 of epidemics of roup, diphtheria, catarrh and other kindred 

 ills. While ^■entilation should be ample it must be without 

 drafts. 



Artificial Warmth versus Fresh Air. — A moderate tempera- 

 ture is one of the conditions of spring which is conducive 

 to high production. The question arises whether it will be 

 profitable in the broad sense to furnish artificial heat even 

 at the expense of ventilation. There is not nearly as much 

 evidence on this point as there should be, but such as we 

 have seems to point decidedly to the conclusion that to ha\'e 

 air fresh is of far greater importance than to have it warm. 



Sunlight. — An essential of the best success of a chicken- 

 house is plenty of sunshine. Nothing helps more in the 

 effort to reproduce spring conditions in the hen-house than 

 flooding it with sunshine. The hens like it, and it helps to 

 moderate low temperature and to keep the house dry. 

 It helps to prevent disease as well. It is one of the most 

 efi'ective germicides that can be made use of. Other things 

 Ix'ing equal the house that admits the most sunshine in the 



' MaiuR Bullflin Ko. IGS. 



