Nostri milvum aut accipitris genus a gallinarum praeda vocant den huenerdieb, id est gallinarum furem. Rubetarium esse credo accipitrem illum (inquit Turnerus) quem Angli hen harroer nominant. Porro ille apud nostros a dilaniandis gallinis nomen habet. palumbarium magnitudine superat, et coloris est cinerei. Humi sedentes aves in agris, et gallinas in oppidis et pagis repente adoritur. Praeda frustratus, tacitus discedit, nec unquam secundum facit insultum. hic per humum omnium (accipitrum) volat maxime. Urticarum genera quaedam mortifera pullis, gallina rostro nititur evellere: in quo conatu tantum aliquando laborat, ut rumpatur interius, Albertus.

Ours call the kite or the genus of the birds of prey as den huenerdieb, that is, hens thief. I believe that the bramble hawk is that sparrowhawk (William Turner says) called by English as hen harroer. For among us he gets the name from the fact that he claws the hens. He is larger than the accipiter palumbarius - hawk of wild pigeons - and is of an ashen-grey color. The Hen Harrier - Circus cyaneus - suddenly attacks the birds living on ground in fields, and the hens in towns and villages. If disappointed by his prey, he dumbly goes away and never launches a second attack. This one among all (birds of prey) flies mostly along the ground. The hen gets busy with beak upon some species of nettles deadly to chicks: sometimes she is devoting herself to such an extent in this effort to run into inner rents, Albertus.

¶ Quae nam animalia gallinis infesta sint, dictum est paulo ante, et supra etiam in Gallo D. diceturque amplius infra in E. Gallinam ferunt eo die quo ovum peperit, a serpente laedi non posse: et tum carnem quoque eius a serpente morsis remedio esse, Albert. Qui serpentium canisve dente aliquando laesi fuerint, eorum superventus gallinarum incubitus, pecorum foetus abortu vitiant, Plin.[1]

¶ In fact what are the dangerous animals for hens has been told a little while ago and also previously in the paragraph D of the chapter about the rooster and I will speak all the more abundantly here below in the paragraph E. They say that the hen cannot be injured by the snake in the day when she laid an egg: and that therefore also her meat represents a remedy for those people bitten by a snake, Albertus. Because of the sudden arrival of those people by chance wounded by the tooth of snakes or of a rabid dog, they make to go bad the hens’ incubations and the livestock’s foetus by abortion, Pliny.

E.

E

Electio. Mercari porro nisi foecundissimas aves non expedit. eae sint rubicundae vel fuscae plumae nigrisque pennis, ac si fieri poterit, omnes huius, et ab hoc proximi coloris eligantur: sin aliter, evitentur albae, quae fere cum sint molles, ac minus vivaces, tum ne foecundae quidem facile reperiuntur, atque sunt conspicuae. propter quod insigne candoris ab accipitribus et aquilis saepius abripiuntur. sint ergo matrices probi coloris, robusti corporis, quadratae, pectorosae, magnis capitibus, rectis rutilisque cristulis, albis auribus: et sub hac specie quam amplissimae, nec paribus ungulis, generosissimaeque creduntur, quae quinos habent digitos, sed ita ne cruribus emineant transversa calcaria. nam quae hoc virile gerit insigne, contumax ad concubitum dedignatur admittere marem, raroque foecunda, etiam cum incubat, calcis aculeis ova perfringit, Columella[2]. Sint praecipue nigrae aut flavi coloris, Palladius[3]. Gallinarum generositas spectatur, crista erecta, interdum et gemina, pennis nigris, ore rubicundo, digitis imparibus[4], aliquando et super quatuor digitos transverso uno, Plin.[5] Qui villaticas gallinas parat, eligat foecundas, plerunque rubicunda pluma, nigris pennis, imparibus digitis, magnis capitibus, crista erecta ampla[6], hae enim ad partiones sunt aptiores, Varro[7].

Choice. Moreover it is not worthwhile to purchase birds if not fertile. These birds must have red or blackish feathers and black plumes, and if it will be possible all are chosen of this color or of a very similar color. If it is not possible to do otherwise, the white subjects must be avoided, which for the more are not only weak and less long-living, but it is not even easy to find them prolific, and in addition they are well visible. Because of the characteristic of the whiteness they are more often carried away by hawks and eagles. The reproducer females are therefore to be of suitable color, of strong build, sturdy, have to possess a wide breast, a big head, the small comb upright and red shining, white earlobes: and in this respect they must have them as biggest as possible, and must not to have even toes, and are held very fertile those with five toes, but must not to have spurs sticking out sideways on the legs. In fact, that one bringing this sign of masculinity, reluctant to joining, is disdainful in accepting the male, and is rarely fertile and then when brooding she breaks the eggs with the spurs of the leg, Columella. Mainly they must be black or buff, Palladius. The good breed of the hens is recognized from the upright comb, sometimes double too, from black feathers, red face, toes of different length, and sometimes also from the presence of a toe placed sideways besides the other four, Pliny. He who gets courtyard hens has to choose the prolific ones, and for the more having reddish feathers, black plumes, odd toes, big head, an upright and wide comb, these in fact are more suitable for reproduction, Varro.

Gallinas educaturus eligat foecundissimas: quas nimirum ex usu rerum et experientia dignoscet: im<m>o vero ex pluribus aliis indiciis. In universum enim quae colore flavescunt, et sortiuntur digitos impares, quaeque magna possident capita (τὰς ὄψεις μεγάλας, oculos magnos, Cornarius[8]) cristamque erigunt: nec non nigriores et corpulentiores. Eae omnes gallinae facile mares ferent: multo erunt praestantiores ad partum, ova maxima {a}edent: ac breviter, generosos excludent pullos, Florentinus[9]. {Mox} <Mos> quoque sicut in caeteris pecoribus eligenda quaeque optima, et deteriora vendenda: servetur etiam in hoc genere, ut per autumni tempus omnibus annis, cum fructus earum cessat, numerus quoque minuatur. Summovebimus autem veteres, id est quae trimatum excesserunt. Item quae aut parum foecundae, aut parum bonae nutrices sunt, et praecipue quae ova vel sua, vel aliena consumunt. Nec minus, quae velut mares cantare, atque etiam calcare coeperunt. Item serotini pulli, qui ab solstitio nati capere iustum incrementum non poterunt. In masculis autem non eadem ratio servabitur, sed tandiu custodiemus generosos, quandiu foeminam implere potuerint. Nam rarior est in his avibus mariti bonitas, Columella[10].

He who will have to raise hens must choose the most fertile: without doubt he will be able to recognize them by practice and experience: or rather, according to many other clues. In fact are generally like so those being buff in color, and receiving odd fingers in lot, and those having a big head (tàs ópseis megálas, big eyes, as Janus Cornarius translates) and holding the comb upright: as well as those of a darker color and more corpulent. All these hens will easily bear the males: they will be a lot outstanding as far as eggs' laying is concerned, they will lay very big eggs: and in a little while they will give birth to chicks of good quality, Florentinus. As in other kinds of livestock also in this one we have to keep the custom of choosing the best head and preserving them and to sell the worse ones, so that every year in autumn, when the hence coming profit stops, also their number decreases. In fact we will get rid of old hens, that is, those who overcame three years. Likewise those being few fertile or not many good broody hens, and especially those devouring their or other people's eggs. Likewise those who started to sing as well as to mount like roosters. The same is said about belated young chickens who, born starting from summer's solstice, have not been able to reach a correct growth. For the males the same criterions won't be followed, but we will keep those of good breed up to when they will be able to fertilize the females. In fact in these birds a good quality of the husband is rather rare, Columella.

¶ Gallinarium. Aedicula ista cuius parietibus corbes (quos Varro gallinarum cubilia appellat[11]) affixos vides, in iisque gallinas incubantes, officina cohortalis ob id appellatur, quod non aliter ac in officinis nostris cuncta parantur, quae in usum humanum veniunt, ita istic ova et pulli, quae in cibum. Iste qui in gallinarum scandit, et ova manibus versat, gallinarius curator vel custos recte dicetur, Gyb. Longolius in dialogo de avibus[12].

¶ The hen house. This small building on whose walls you see some hung baskets (Varro calls them nests of the hens), inside which the hens are brooding, is said laboratory of the courtyard since not otherwise than in our laboratories whatever is serving to human beings is prepared, and so here are prepared eggs and chickens serving as food. He who is climbing the hen-pen and turning the eggs by hands, rightly will be called person responsible or custodian of hen-pen, Gisbert Longolius in Dialogus de avibus.

¶ Non sunt plures quam quinquaginta in uno aviario nutriendae. labefactantur siquidem in angusto arctatae. porro numeri gallinarum pars sexta sint gallinacei galli, Florentinus. Parandi matrices modus est ducentorum capitum, quae pastoris unius curam dispendant: dum tamen anus sedula vel puer adhibeatur custos vagantium, ne obsidiis hominum aut insidiosorum animalium diripiantur, Columella[13]. Si ducentas alere velis, locus septus attribuendus, in quo duae caveae coniunctae magnae constituendae, quae spectent ad exorientem versus, utraeque in longitudinem circiter decem pedes, latitudine dimidio minores (latitudine paulo minus, Crescenti.) et altitudine paulo humiliores. Utriusque fenestrae latitudine tripedali, et co(uno)pede altiores, e viminibus factae raris, ita ut lumen praebeant multum, neque per eas quicquam ire intro possit quod nocere solet gallinis. Inter duas ostium  sit, qua gallinarius curator earum ire possit. In caveis crebrae perticae traiectae sint, ut omnes sustinere possint gallinas. Contra singulas perticas in pariete exculpta sint cubilia earum. Ante sit (ut dixi) vestibulum septum, in quo diurno tempore esse possint, atque in pulvere volutari. Praeterea sit cella grandis, in qua curator habitet, ita ut in parietibus circum omnia posita sint cubilia gallinarum, aut exculpta, aut affixa firmiter. Motus enim cum incubant nocet, Varro. Gallinaria constitui debent parte villae, quae hybernum spectat orientem: iuncta sint ea furno, vel culinae, ut ad avem perveniat fumus, qui est huic generi praecipue salutaris. Totius autem officinae, id est ornithonis, tres continuae extruuntur cellae, quarum, sicuti dixi, perpetua frons orienti sit obversa. In ea deinde fronte exiguus detur unus omnino aditus mediae cellae, quae ipsa tribus minima esse debet in altitudine, et quoquoversus pedes septem: in ea singuli dextro, [425] laevoque pariete aditus ad utranque cellam faciendi sunt, iuncti parieti, qui est intrantibus adversus.[14]

¶ In a hen-pen we have not to raise more than fifty of them. In fact being pressed in a narrow place they weaken. Moreover the roosters have to represent the sixth part of hens' number, Florentinus. The quantity of hens we have to provide is of 200 head, which has to keep busy  the management of only a keeper: nevertheless when they go around a careful old woman or a little boy are used so that they are not stolen by snares of humans or of animals which lie in ambush, Columella. If you want to raise two hundred birds you need to assign a fenced-in place, in which two large adjacent rooms must be built, facing east, both of them around ten feet long, less than a half in width (Pier de' Crescenzi says a little less in width), and a little lower in height. The windows of each room should be three feet wide and one foot higher, made of wide weaved wickers, so that they may furnish much light without through them anything usually harming the hens comes in. Between the two rooms an opening must be through which the hen-pen's keeper can pass, who takes care of the hens. In the rooms have to be many perches crossing through so that they can support all the hens. In front of each perch (as I told) there should be nesting places dug in the wall. In front of the pen let there be a fenced-in place where the chickens can walk during the day and wallow in dust. Furthermore, let there be a large cell in which the keeper stays, so that in the walls all around there are all the nests of the hens, either dug or firmly attached. For the movement is harmful when hens are incubating, Varro. The hen-pens must be build in the part of the farm looking at winter east: must be joined to the oven or to the kitchen, so that the smoke reaches the poultry, the former being very healthy for this kind of birds. The construction of the hen-pen, that is of the ornithøn, has to be altogether of three adjoining rooms, with the whole front, as I said, turning toward east. Then on this front only one and small entrance is given to the middle cell, which has to be the smallest of three in height and to measure seven feet in whatever direction: in it, on every single right and left wall have to be made the entrances to both other rooms, adjoining the wall in front of who are coming in, Columella.