Atque ut is calor conservetur, est tunicae illi {circumdicta} <circumducta> [231] caro multa, densaque ac crassa: ut non sit mirum aves solidissima quaeque posse conficere. Cum itaque iam ita omnia devorent, naturaque ventriculum largita sit tam mirifice calidum, iure merito de edacibus, helluonibusque hominibus ac omnia sua ligurientibus natum est adagium Gallorum incusato ventrem[1], quod ex Aristophane[2] desumptum videtur: ait enim:

Mihi dixerat ventrem esse Gallinacei
Velociter enim concoquet hoc argentulum.

And, so that this heat may be conserved there is much dense and thick flesh surrounding that tunic. Thus it is no wonder that birds can break into bits the most solid things. Since in this way they can eat up everything and nature endowed them with a stomach so marvelously hot, it is with justice that the proverb You will find fault with the belly of roosters has arisen, which is applied to voracious and greedy men who lick up all their things, which seems to be drawn from Aristophanes, for he says:

He had told me I had the belly of a rooster
For it quickly will digests this little silver coin.

Ut modo partum Gallinarum promoveamus, commodumque ex iis nobis percipiamus, cibos convenientes exhibebimus, cavebimusque ne devorent, quae sterilitatem inducant. Columella[3] pro optimis cibariis praeberi scribit hordeum pinsitum, et viciam, nec non cicerculam, tum etiam milium, aut panicum: sed haec ubi {utilitas} <vilitas> annonae permittit: ubi vero ea est carior, excreta tritici minute commode dari: quod per se id frumentum, etiam quibus locis vilissimum est, non utiliter praebeatur <, quia obest avibus>. Posse etiam lolium decoctum offerri, nec minus furfures modice a farina excretos: hos vero si nihil habeant farris, non esse idoneos, nec tantum appeti <ieiunis>. Palladius[4] ova maiora parere tradidit, et saepius, si hordeum semicoctum exhibeatur. Rasis idem facti<ta>turas promittit Nasturtii seminibus tritis, cum furfure, et cum vino {subactas} <subactis>, ac in cibum oblatis. Item magna ova tibi parient Gallinae, si testam Laconicam tusam furfuribus, et vino admiscueris, et subactam Gallinis obieceris: item ad eundem effectum rubricam dissolutam cibo earum admiscebis.

But in order to increase the production of hens and obtain a profit from them, we shall give them suitable foods, and warn against they swallow those which induce sterility. Columella writes that among the best foods to be given them are crushed barley and vetch, as well as chick-peas, then also millet or foxtail millet, but these last two when the low price of grain is allowing: but when it is more expensive, chaff from wheat may conveniently be given in small quantity. This grain by itself, even in places where it is very cheap, is not profitably given, being harmful to birds. Boiled darnel may also be offered as well as bran if only partially separated from meal, but if there is no meal with the bran it is not suitable nor they have longing for it when have an empty crop. Palladius reported that they lay larger eggs and oftener if you feed the hens half-boiled barley. Razi  promises that they usually will do this with crushed nasturtium seeds mixed with bran and wine and offered as food. Likewise the hens will lay large eggs for you if you mix bran and wine with a crushed Laconian earthenware pot, and offer to them after you have mixed it. Likewise for the same effect mix pulverized red earth with their food.

Sunt qui parere nequeuntibus Gallinis Melanthii semen, quod vulgo gith vocatur, exhibeant. Matthiolus[5] experientia sese compertum habere asserit Gallinas, quae hyeme, quo tempore propter algoris saevitiam raro ova parere solent, cannabis semine vescuntur, numerosiore ovorum partu gaudere, et Brasavola per totam hyemem ova {a}edere testatur. Quod certe insigni privilegio fecerint, cum alioqui, teste Simeone Sethi, cannabis semen in homine genituram instar caphurae exiccet. Sunt qui furfuribus coctis tanta crassitie, quanta sumi a Gallina poterunt matura Urticae semina immiscent, et sic per hyemem incalescere, et foecundiores fieri promittunt: aliqui etiam urticas exiccant, manibus atterunt, in futuram hyemem servant, et in aqua pro illarum cibo decoquunt ob eandem scilicet causam.

There are those who would offer hens who are not able to lay eggs the seed of nigella, which is commonly called gith. Pierandrea Mattioli asserts on the basis of his own experience that those hens who because of the severity of winter cold are accustomed to lay few eggs produce more of them when they eat hempseed, and Antonio Brasavola declares they lay eggs throughout the entire winter. They certainly obtained this thanks to a singular privilege, because in other respects, according to Simeon Sethi, hempseed, like camphor, dries out the seminal fluid in humans. There are some people mixing ripe nettle seeds with bran cooked to as great a thickness as the hen can consume, and they assure that thus they grow warmer during the winter and more fertile. Some also dry out nettles, crumble them with their hands, save them for the coming winter and cook them very well in water for feeding them, of course for the same purpose.

Sed Brasavola ex semine urticae idem promittit, quod alii ex cannabis semine. Aliqui item viscum decoquunt: cuius quidem pabulo foecunditatem dari cuicunque animali, Plinius alibi[6] author est. Crescentiensis gralegae, sive rutae caprariae[7] semen dicere quosdam asseverat, mirabiliter foecunditatem Gallinarum augere. Contra vinacea sterilitatem inducunt. Quae res nostras mulieres minime latet, quando prorsus cavent ne toto eo tempore, quo pariunt, ea degustent. Unde Andreas a Lacuna non parum hallucinatus videri potest, {γόνιμα} <γόνιμον>[8] quod ex vinaceis acinis cohiberi Florentinus scribit, firmitudinem vertens, cum foecunditatem transferre debebat: sed, ut videtur nominis vicinitate falsus {μόνιμα} <μόνιμον> legit.

But Brasavola promises the same result from nettle seed as others do from hempseed. Likewise some cook a long time the mistletoe; elsewhere Pliny says that using it as food it gets fertility for any animal. Pier de’ Crescenzi asserts that some people say the seed of gralega, or goat-rue, increases remarkably the fertility of the hens. Dregs of pressed grapes, on the contrary, induce sterility. Our women know this very well since they take care during the entire laying season that the hens do not taste them. Therefore Andrés de Laguna seems to have strayed widely from the truth in translating the Greek word gónimon – fertile - as strength, which Florentinus writes is inhibited by grape husks, when he should have said fecundity, but, as it seems, he has read mónimon – steady  - because deceived by the similarity of the word.

Vetus item hactenus opinio inolevit fabarum esum Gallinis sterilitatem conciliare: inde, ut apparet, nata, quod Theophrastus[9] earum putamina radicibus arborum apposita vitam penitus tollere scripserit: etsi interim nullam Gallinarum mentionem faciat, tantum abest, ut earum esum illis interdicat ut postmodum Clemens[10]<,> Apollonius[11], Avicenna, multique recentiores fecerunt. Cum vero fabas inflare nulli non notum sit, et inflantia omnia venerem ciere, plane videre nequeo, cur ob dictam causam Gallinae earum esu abstinere debeant. Quare etiam eorum sententiam probare minime possum qui Pythagoreos tradunt fabarum esum vetasse, quoniam comesae mulieres infoecundas reddant[12]. Quinim<m>o contra Plutarchus[13] aliam causam affert, cur Pythagoras a fabis abstineri voluerit, nempe quod omnia legumina spiritum, et humorem impurum ingenerent in corporibus atque hanc ob causam ad venerem incitent. In eadem sententia Cicero[14] fuisse videtur, cum scribit ad hunc modum. Iubet igitur Plato sic ad somnum proficisci corporibus affectis, ut nihil sit, quod errorem animis perturbationemque adferat. Ex quo etiam Pythagor{a}eis interdictum putatur, ne faba vescerentur, quod habe{a}t inflationem magnam {in cibis} <is cibus>, tranquillitati mentis qu<a>erenti vera contrariam.

Likewise an old belief which lasted until the present time inculcated the conviction that eating broad beans induces sterility in hens: seemingly this arose from the fact that Theophrastus wrote their hulls laid at the roots of the trees take away the life completely: nevertheless meanwhile he makes no mention of hens, he is so far from forbidding them to eat broad beans, as later Titus Flavius Clemens, Appollonius Discolus, Avicenna and many more recent authors have done. But since everyone knows that broad beans inflate and everything that inflates encourages sexual appetite, I certainly cannot see why hens should abstain from eating them because of the above-mentioned reason. Therefore I cannot share at all the opinion of those who report that the Pythagoreans forbade the eating of broad beans, since they render barren the women who have eaten them. Or rather, Plutarch reports on the contrary another reason why Pythagoras forbade the eating of broad beans, namely because all legumes generate an impure breath and humor inside the bodies – the favism - and thus incite sexual lust. Cicero seems to have been of the same opinion when he writes in this way: Therefore Plato advices to go to sleep with bodies so prepared that nothing is able to bring to the soul restlessness or trouble. Also for this reason, it is thought the Pythagoreans were forbidden to eat broad beans, for this food produces great flatulence which is detrimental to the peace of the mind for who is in search of the truth.

Hieronymus {Merculiaris} <Mercurialis>[15] denique medicus nostri aevi longe celeberrimus, mihique amicissimus non tantum in eadem mecum opinione est, sed de Theophrasti verbis etiam dubitare videtur, et revera nostri agricolae ut uberiorem segetem faciant, fabam prius seminant, quod pinguedinem quandam in terra relinquere noscant, unde subsequenti anno frumenti copiam maiorem colligant, tantum abest, ut sterilitatem agris inferre existiment. An vero earum cortices, ut vult Theophrastus, arbores extinguant, an non, compertum minime habeo et penes illum fidem eius relinquo. Esset vero super hac re diligens, prudensque agricola consulendus. Ego itaque fabas Gallinis minime interdixerim, sed potius laudaverim. Nam et {Bavatos} <Batavos> audio apud quos fabae vilis annona est, Columbis dare, ut ad venerem alacriores reddantur, et per consequens citius pariant.

Finally Girolamo Mercuriale, a very celebrated physician of our time and a great friend of mine, not only shares my opinion but seems even to doubt the words of Theophrastus. Actually our farmers, in order to produce a more fertile ground, first they plant broad beans, because they know that they leave as a fat in the soil, so that in the following year they gather a larger crop of wheat, so far are they from believing that they bring sterility to the fields. As to whether their hulls destroy trees or not, as Theophrastus claims, I have no knowledge whatever, and I leave him in possession of his faith. A careful and judicious farmer should really be consulted in this matter. Thus I should by no means deny broad beans to the hens, but should rather praise them. For I hear that the Dutch, among whom broad beans are cheap foodstuffs, give them to doves to make them more active sexually and hence so that they lay faster.