The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-11
Heat Pr0strations Ere quently Due to Lack of Protection From Sun; Ar tificial Shelter Easily Pro- yided
Range In Corn Field Gives Ideal Conditions For Young Stock; Trees and Shrubs Desirable
Fly MICHAEL K. BOYER Poultry Editor of The Farm Journal
 Copyright. 1e15)

Copyright. 1Dl5) To grow rapidly and develop into prof. itahle early layers. bullets must he pro- vided with shade during the summer
 months. Mature birds. moreover, will not do their best If they are exposed to the heat. In this article MT. Boyer tells how to provide shade for poultry. It is just as important to keep the poul- try comfortable in summer as 1t Is in winter. Comfort should be tne motto of every poultry keeper, and 1t should be strictly enforced. To remain healthy and vigorous, both fowls and chicks must be protected from the burning rays of the sun.
 To deprive the stock of sunlight would be fatal. A house situated where it does not get the sunlight is unfit for fowls; but if it gets the sun for only a few hours a day il may be used, Mature birds soon degenerate away from the sun. and chicks are sickly when grown with little sunlight But no fowl can thrive when long exposed to the heat of the sun, so there should be shade at least in the heat of the day. Dense and complete shade is to be avoided. Air and sunshine in moderation are important factors in the growth and thrift of stock.
 Natural shade is desirable, and fruit trees are particularly good. since they give shelter as well as crops that can be sold at profit They provide shade dur ing hot weather, and. dropping their leaves for winter, allow the sunshine to strike past their limbs in cool weather. Evergreen trees planted in hedges for windbrealSs for winter also furnish dense and cooling shade in summer.
 How to Provide Artificial Shade Shade can be furnished artificially in different sections of the yard by using branches of trees cut in full foliage; or by driving three-foot stakes n the ground and covering them with a canopy of bur lap; or by erecting frames made of wire Iinetting or lath, covered with hay or straw.
 The prime importance of sunlight in sanitation Is universally acknowledged by the medical fraternity, It Is natures great disinfectant, and the direct rays of the sun will destroy disease germs.
 So the beneficial effects of sunlight must not be ignored.
 The question is how can 1t best be con- trolled so as ~ot to do damage to the stock.
 It is not uncommon to have heat pros trations during hot weather, especially in the case of heavy fowls, the birds sud denly dropping over nsensihle. The cause
 
 sure on the brain, Exposure to the hot sun is frequentlf the reason
 l might go through the entire list of poultry ailments and find where sum shine acts as a tonic as we'll as a pre- ventive of diseases. The lesson is, then, l that we have our poultry houses so erected that the sunshine can enter at certain hours of the day to disinfect the interior, drive out dampness and destroy disease germs. The yards must be only partially shaded, so there will be no dampness, but part of 1t must be shaded so that the stock may be able to get to a cool place. Failure to provide for this may result In serious loss.
 Shade Necessary During Melting Probably at no time Is the hot sun more dangerous to fowls rnan auring molting season. Molting Is natures con- dition for exchanging the old, wornout, weather beaten suit for a fresh, ciea- one. Quite frequently individual birds Will pc almost entirely nude. and when exposed to the hot suns the skin not only quickly reddens, but is apt to blister and bee come sore. It is just as important to shelter molting fowls from hot suns as 1t is to protect them from cold storms.