Show FAR SCRATCH LITTER OFTEN MENACE may become damp and filthy in poultry house more harm than goof good sometimes results from the scratching litter it may become dump damp and filthy and thus be a menace to the health of the flock or moldy and musty straw may be used with the result that serious loss of birds follows scratching litter can be used to great advantage and most poultry keepers resort to its use during the winter months the purpose of litter in the poultry house threefold Is ls 1 enables feeding of grain so BO as to induce the birds to keep active during the day 2 acts as an absorbent bud keeps floor clean i 3 makes alakel the birds more more comfortable while these purposes are usually accomplished at the same time the litter often becomes tin an unsuspected source of trouble poultry keepers can well afford to exercise much discretion as to the quality of straw to he be used for scratching litter only bright clean straw free from dust and mold should be used as chickens are unable to stand excessive dust and hut but very little mold since since it Is so irritating to the nit air pass ages it Is to realize how delicate and complicated Is the respiratory pir atory system of a fowl As one author puts it the chicken breathes pretty much all over nver its body besides having bronchial tubes and lungs it also lias has nine air sacs located in various parts of tile the body bod 1 which form a part of the alie respiratory system |