CHAPTER XLV 

 ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING 



Period of Heaviest Egg Production. — The hen lays two-thirds 

 of her yearly supply of eggs during the six months beginning 

 March first, and only one-third during the remaining six months. 

 Frequently all of a hen's eggs are laid in the first six months' 

 period. 



Longer Days in the Spring. — Spring, of course, is the natural 

 breeding season, hence the heaviest production. But there is 

 another reason for this unbalanced production. In the spring 

 there are from fourteen to fifteen hours of daylight each day, and 

 about eight hours of darkness. In the fall and winter months the 

 reverse is true. There is darkness for about fifteen hours, and 

 light for about nine hours. Fowls do not go abroad in the dark. 

 They remain on their roosts. They are idle. And being idle, 

 naturally they are not so productive. 



If we humans were idle, if we laid abed for fifteen hours a day, 

 we would not get very much accomplished. And in the fall and 

 winter months most of us would have to remain idle for fifteen 

 hours each day, except for artificial light. Artificial light makes it 

 possible for us to do things on the short days. Our production is 

 about the same month in and month out. By means of artificial 

 light we add a couple of hours in the morning, and another couple 

 of hours in the evening, to our day's activities. 



Give the hen the same opportunity and she will be more pro- 

 ductive. Give her light and she will stay abroad, and being abroad 

 she will eat and exercise, and these two factors will yield eggs. 

 They must yield eggs, all other things being equal. Such is the 

 secret of artificial lighting of poultry houses. It is not a secret, 

 really; it is just common sense. And the wonder of it is that poul- 



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