Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1918 — LAYING HENS NEED FRESH AIR [ARTICLE]

LAYING HENS NEED FRESH AIR

The first three months of the year are the months that demand efficient poultry house ventilation if the stock is to be healthy and if egg production Is to be kept at a maximum, according to the poultry authorities at the New York state college of agriculture. Proof of insufficient ventilation usually is found in damp or frosted walls, damp litter, close or impure air, flock, with consequent low winter egg production. The body of the hen constantly gives off moisture, and this accumulates unless there is enough movement of the air to carry it away. Dampness fosters colds, and when a cold is contracted, the body is too weak to resist the attack of a contagious disease such as roup. It Is stated further that the house should at no time be tightly closed. The exercise of judgment, and a few trials, will show how much to leave the windows open at night. Windows should be removable so that they can be taken out during the day, If it is not storming. Experience indicatesthat the birds will not suffer from the cold If they are not in a draft, if they are kept working, and if they are not overfed. Plenty of air, may best be had by tilting windows in at the top, as this will not let in the rain nor put drafts directly on the floor. There should be a wide board at each edge of the window to keep the rain out; a strip of wood, sash-plug, or nail on this strip will hold the window at any desired angle. Both upper and lower sash, where there are two, should be arranged in this way to get the best circulation.