Gallinae alfethi, secundum expositores Arabes, sunt gallinae quae nondum pepererunt ova, Andreas Bellunen. Galli et gallinae apud vetustissimos Graecos nomen nullum peculiare invenimus, sed communi ὄρνιθος vocabulo significasse hanc speciem videntur. Aristoteles vero et alii ὄρνιθα de avibus in genere proferunt, gallum ἀλεκτρυόνα vel ἀλέκτορα vocant, gallinam ἀλεκτορίδα: rursus recentiores Graeci ὄρνιν vel ὄρνιθα in genere communi, de gallo gallinaque dicunt, ut scripsimus in Gallo H. a. Ὄρνιθα etiam hodie Graecis vulgo gallina est casu recto. Italice gallina. Hispanice similiter. Ἀλεκτορίδες οἰκογενεῖς, id est gallinae domesticae, Aristot. Gallice geline vel poulle. Sabaudis similiter, vel {genillete} <gelinette>[1]. Anglice hen, Germanice Heñ, Hün. ¶ Gallinas graciles et plumis contractioribus, neque ut aliae garrulas, Germani novellas (Merzhennen) vocant, quod anniculae sunt, neque ovum hactenus peperere. Quae vero glocientes strepitu suo molestae sunt, et agmen pullorum ducunt, veteranae sunt (Klückhennen, Gluggeren,) at omnes quod pullis educandis custodiantur, uno nomine matrices (Brüthennen) a Columella dici video, Gyb. Longolius[2]. Gallinas iuvencas et veteres Plinius[3] dixit, et Gaza (ex Aristotele) eum secutus. Gallinas teneras quae primum parie{ri}nt[4] apud Catonem legimus.

According to Arab commentators, the alfethi hens are the hens who didn't lay eggs yet, Andreas Alpago. Among the most ancient Greeks we don't find any specific name of rooster and hen, but it seems that they identified this species with the collective word órnithos - of bird. But Aristotle and others use órnitha - bird - for the birds in general, they call the rooster alektryóna or aléktora, the hen alektorída: in their turn, the most recent Greeks for rooster and hen say órnin or órnitha both accusative, as I wrote in the paragraph H-a of the rooster. Nowadays for Greeks also órnitha is usually the hen, nominative. In Italian gallina. Alike in Spanish. Alektorídes oikogeneîs, that is, domestic hens, Aristotle. In French geline or poulle. The same for the inhabitants of Savoy, or gelinette. In English hen, in German Henne, Hün. ¶ The Germans call new hens (Merzhennen - hens of discard) those who are frail and with more shortened feathers and who are not garrulous as the others, since, nevertheless they are one year old, didn't lay an egg yet. But those who with voice of broody hen annoy with their cackle, and lead the team of the chicks, are rather old (Klückhennen, Gluggeren), but all of them, being kept for rearing the chicks, I see that by Columella are called with only a name, matrices (Brüthennen - reproducers), Gisbert Longolius. Pliny said young and old hens, and Theodore Gaza followed him (drawing it from Aristotle). In Cato we can read tender hens for those who will lay the first time.

B.

B

Gallinae crista fere carent, Gyb. Longolius[5]. Gallina {plicabilem} <plicatilem> cristam per medium caput habet, gallinaceus erectam, Perottus[6]. Sunt quaedam pedibus per totum hirsutis, gehößlete Hüner. Reliqua leges in Gallo B. supra; et quaedam infra in E. de electione gallinarum.

The hens are nearly devoid of comb, Gisbert Longolius. The hen in the middle of the head has a bent comb, the rooster has an upright one, Nicolò Perotto. Some have the legs entirely bristling with feathers, gehößlete Hüner - shod hens. You can read the other things previously in the chapter of the rooster paragraph B and afterward in the paragraph E concerning the choice of the hens.

C.

C

Quae de gallinis hoc in loco dici poterant, pleraque omnia iam supra in Galli historia exposita sunt. Infra etiam in E. de cibo et pulveratione earum, deque aliis quibusdam, authorum verba referemus. ¶ Pipare proprie gallinae dicuntur, Nonius, Bos mugit, gallina pipat, Varro Aboriginibus citante Nonio. Varro pullos pipare dixit, Nonius[7]. Pipire proprie dicuntur pulli gallinacei et huiusmodi Columellae[8]. Pipatio Oscorum lingua clamor plorantis appellatur, Festus. Glocientes rustici appellant aves quae volunt incubare, Columella[9]. Gallina cecinit, Terentius Phormione. Cucur<r>ire solet gallus, gallina gracillat, Author Philomelae. Glocire et glocidare gallinar{i}um proprium est cum ovis incubiturae sunt, Festus.

Anything could be said about hens in this paragraph, mostly has already been previously told in the account concerning the rooster. Afterward, also in the paragraph E, I will quote the words of the authors concerning their feeding and baths of dust, as well as some other things. ¶ They properly say  that hens chirp, pipare, Nonius Marcellus. The ox lows, the hen chirps, Varro in the Menippean satire Aborigines perì anthrópøn phýseøs, as Nonius himself quotes. Varro said that chicks chirp, Nonius. In Columella is properly said that the chicks of chickens, and others of the same sort, peep, pipire. In the Oscan language is said pipatio the moan of a crying person, Festus. The farmers call clucking the hens who want to sit on eggs, Columella. The hen cecinit, cackled, Terentius in the comedy Phormio. The rooster usually crows a cock-a-doodle-doo, the hen clucks – utters a voice of a broody hen, the author of Philomela. Glocire and glocidare are characteristic of the hens who are about to be broody, Festus.

¶ Ex dialogo Gyberti Longolii de avibus[10]. Pamphilus, Qua de causa haec gallina canturit, officinam cortalem petens? Longolius, Non canturit, sed singultit. hoc enim verbo Varro vocem gallinarum fractam, et intra rostrum formatam imitatur. Rusticorum gens Columellae tempore glocire maluit dicere. Pamphilus, Gallus etiam subinde singultit. Longolius. Recte. sed cum cantat cucu<r>rire dicitur Latine, Graece autem κοκκύζειν.

¶ From the dialogue De avibus of Gisbert Longolius. pamphilus: Why this hen sings softly while going towards the barnyard workshop? longolius: She doesn't sing softly, but sobs. For with this verb Varro imitates the broken voice of the hens and formed within the beak. The farmers at the time of Columella preferred to say glocire. pamphilus: Then also the rooster sobs. longolius: Right, but when he crows in Latin is said cucurrire, in Greek kokkýzein.

¶ De morbis gallinacei generis supra in Gallo C. dictum est, diceturque etiam infra in E. Gallinarum nonnullae cum adeo valde peperissent, ut etiam bis die parerent, mox a tanto partu interiere. hyperinae[11] enim, id est exhaustae effoetaeque et aves et plantae fiunt, Aristot.[12] Et rursus, Nonnullae e cortalibus bis die pariunt, iam aliquae in tantum copiae provenerunt, ut effoetae brevi morerentur[13].

¶ About the diseases of gallinaceous genus I told previously in the chapter of the rooster paragraph C, and I will speak also later in the paragraph E. Some hens after laid in a very abundant way, so that they lay also twice a day, afterward died because of such a huge laying. In fact both birds and plants become hyperinae, that is, exhausted and worn out, Aristotle. And still: Some courtyard hens lay also twice a day, some reached also such a big amount that in a short time died exhausted.

¶ Ex gallinis quae Veneris appetentior est, noctu iuxta gallum proximius considit, Albert. Gallinae et perdices complura ova pariunt, non quidem multa simul, sed saepe, Aristot.[14] Ova plurima pariunt gallinae, perdices, Plin.[15] Coitus avibus duobus modis: foemina humi considente, ut in gallinis: aut stante, ut in gruibus, Idem. Gallina cum clamore accedit ad nidum, et cum clamore ab eodem recedit. quod si impediatur, mox tamen sibi relicta cantum absolvit, Albert. Gallinas in Illyria aiunt non ut alibi semel parere, sed bis aut ter die, Aristot. in Mirabilibus[16]. Gallinae pumilae minus foecundae sunt, Columella[17]. Gallinae Hadrianae multa admodum pariunt. fit enim propter corporis exiguitatem, ut alimentum ad partionem sumptitetur. Vulgares etiam gallinae foecundiores sunt generosis. corpora enim alteris humidiora, alteris grandiora et sicciora. Animus generosus in eiusmodi corporibus potius consistit, Aristot. de generatione 3. 1.[18] Gallinae coeunt et pariunt omnibus anni temporibus, exceptis brumalibus diebus, (praeterquam duobus mensibus brumalibus, Plinius, et Aristot. alibi.[19]) magna etiam generosarum nonnullis foecunditas, quando vel sexaginta {a}edunt ante incubitum. quanquam ipsae minus foecundae, quam ignobiles sunt, Aristot. Est autem tanta foecunditas, ut aliquae et sexagena pariant, aliquae quotidie, aliquae bis die, aliquae in tantum ut effoetae moriantur. Hadrianis laus maxima, Plin.[20] Pariunt in loculamentis dispositis, aut ab ipsismet electis loco abditiore, Grapaldus[21]. Gallinae veteres pariunt initio veris, iuvenes aestate. Sed autumno quoque pariunt, Albert. Gallinarum iuvencae pariunt primae, statim vere ineunte; et plura quam veteres, sed minora, Aristot.[22] et Plinius[23]. et in eodem foetu prima et novissima, (scilicet minora pariunt,) Plin. Gallinae iuvenes pariunt aestate, quum superfluus humor exiccatur in eis: et autumno quoque. Veteres autem magis principio veris: quod tum calido humido frigiditas naturae earum temperatur, Albert. Aves (gallinae) nisi pariant, laborant morbo, atque intereunt, Aristoteles[24]. Gallina multa pariens, et non incubans ovis, frequenter aegrotat, et moritur eo quod non abstrahitur a partu. exhauritur enim vis eius omnis. Ea vero quae incubat, aegrotat quidem propter affectum erga pullos, quem vox acutior indicat: sanavit tamen humore vitali in ea reparato interim dum non parit, Albert. Inhorrescunt a coitu, ac se excutiunt, saepe etiam festuca aliqua sese lustrant, quod idem et {a}edito ovo interdum faciunt, Aristot.[25] Facilius pariunt si festucam e terra ore apprehensam dorso imposuerint, Oppianus in Ixeuticis.

¶ Among hens, that one being more keen of sex, at night perches more nearby the rooster, Albertus. Hens and partridges lay a lot of eggs, nevertheless not every one in turn, but often, Aristotle. Hens and partridges lay a lot of eggs, Pliny. In birds the mating happens in two ways: the female crouched on earth, as in hens: or being upright, as in cranes, still Pliny. The hen goes towards the nest making noise, and comes away  making noise: but, if prevented from going away, as soon as left to herself she starts cackling. They say that in Illyria the hens do not lay once a day as they do elsewhere, but twice or thrice a day, Aristotle in De mirabilibus auscultationibus. Dwarf hens are less prolific, Columella. The Hadrianae hens lay a lot of eggs. In fact because of their small body it happens that the food is used for the procreation. Also the common hens are more fertile than those of fighting strain. For the body of the former is more humid, that of the latter is bigger and dryer. The combative spirit is preferably present in such bodies, Aristotle in De generatione animalium III,1. The hens mate and lay at all times of the year, however, except during the winter days (except during the two winter months, Pliny and Aristotle elsewhere), some pure-bred hens have also a great fecundity, since lay as well 60 eggs before they start sitting on them. Nevertheless they are less prolific than not pure-bred ones, Aristotle. But their fecundity is so big, that some come to lay also sixty eggs, some once a day, others twice, others lay so much that they die exhausted. The maximum praise goes to those of Hadria, Pliny. They lay the eggs in predisposed shelves, or chosen by themselves in a rather hidden place, Francesco Mario Grapaldi. The aged hens lay at the beginning of spring, those young in summer, Albertus. Young hens are first in lying as soon as the spring begins, and more than older ones, but smaller, Aristotle and Pliny. And, in the span of a same producing career, they are thus - so made, i.e. smaller - the first and the last ones (that is, they lay them smaller), Pliny. Young hens lay in summer, when inside of them the superfluous humor dries: and also in autumn. On the contrary the aged ones lay more at the beginning of spring, since in this period the frigidity of their constitution is mitigated by humid warmth, Albertus. The birds (the hens) if don't lay eggs, are ill, and die, Aristotle. A hen laying a lot of eggs and not hatching them, often gets sick, and dies because she is not withdrawn from laying. In fact any her energy runs out. But also that one who is brooding gets sick because of the love toward the chicks, which is pointed out by a more shrill voice: nevertheless she recovered because of the vital humor which regained strength in her since she is not lying, Albertus. After coitus they ruffle up their feathers and shake, often purify themselves with a straw, and sometimes they do the same thing after laid the egg. They lay more easily if they place upon their back a blade plucked from the ground with the mouth, Oppian from Apamea in Ixeutica.