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COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



imposed starvation be intercepted at the earliest possible moment. 

 Moreover, a hen that is removed from the nest on the first or 

 second day of her broody spell is much more easily discouraged 

 than if she is allowed to remain longer, and thus have her in- 

 clination become confirmed. 



There are many ways of breaking up broodiness, but common 

 sense dictates that the proper method shall not subject the hen 

 to cruelty or privation. To do so only further retards egg de- 



{Courtesy Missouri Experirnejti Station) 



Fig. 100. — Poultry house with slatted openings for ventilation instead of 



curtains. 



velopment, and thus defeats the whole idea. A sitting hen should 

 be induced to eat and drink freely and to exercise, for only in this 

 way can her productive organs be stimulated. 



Slatted Bottom. — If only a few hens are to be considered, a 

 good plan is to construct a packing box or coop with a slatted 

 bottom, and to raise it about six inches from the floor. The 

 hens' feet slip between the slats, the birds are unable to squat 

 in a comfortable position, and the sensation of currents of air 

 under them instead of eggs is disconcerting and harmlessly an- 



