22 Diseases of Poultry 



Evidence that this is the case is found in the fact, which is 

 universal wherever poultry is kept, that on the average 

 fowls kept in small flocks, of, say, under 25 birds each, do 

 relatively much better than larger flocks. The production 

 and money returns per bird are greater. The fundamental 

 reason for this is that the birds in small flocks get better care 

 as individuals. When a man has only such a small number 

 to take care of he can recognize their individual peculiarities 

 more easily. Furthermore an individual bird stands a 

 better chance of having its peculiar taste gratified in a small 

 than in a large flock. 



So while the biological ideal would be to feed each bird 

 individually, this is obviously impossible in practice. With 

 poultry the individual unit of production (the hen) is so 

 small that it must be handled in flocks. The correct prin- 

 ciple of management is to feed and handle a flock in such a 

 way as to afford the maximum opportunity for the expres- 

 sion and gratification of the individual preferences of the 

 component units, with a minimum labor cost. The larger 

 the flock and the plant as a whole, the more machine-like 

 the methods of feeding and handling must be. They must 

 of necessity be calculated to suit that mythical creature, 

 the average hen. Coincidently the total production or 

 profit per bird will diminish. Presently a point is reached 

 in size of plant where the outgo exceeds the income over a 

 period of years. Such a plant if it has a hustling business 

 man at the head takes a fancy name to itself, advertises a 

 great deal, invents a "system," writes and sells a book 

 about it, manufactures incubators and supplies, in general 

 endeavors to make a loud noise about what a profitable 

 thing the poultry business is, and finally goes dismally, 

 completely and permanently "broke." 



In the practical feeding of flocks of poultry large enough 

 to be a commercial proposition, the methods which have 



