CHAPTER IV 
FEEDING A BITTLE FLOCK 
j EEDING a small flock of hens may be a 
} complicated or a very simple matter. Ob- 
servation leads to the belief that the man 
who adopts a simple but intelligent plan will be just 
as successful as the one whose methods are more 
complex, and with much less effort. Many ama- 
teurs coddle their birds too much and overfeed them. 
Even people who keep but a few hens like to have 
them show a profit and it must be remembered that 
profit represents the difference between receipts and 
expenses. Some flocks which lay heavily fail to pay 
as well as others which produce fewer eggs but at 
less cost. When hired help is employed, the labor 
required becomes an important item. The fact is 
that hens do not need a great amount of fussing 
over. This statement is true, also, of chickens. 
The man who goes out with a lantern at 10 o’clock 
at night to give his brooder chickens a final feeding 
is not a wise poultry keeper. 
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