CHAPTER V 



MANAGEMENT OF FOWLS 



The methods of managing fowls vary according to the con- 

 ditions under which they are kept and the time that the keeper 

 can give them. Fowls ought to have an outdoor run, and it is 

 desirable that this should be large enough to be kept in sod; 

 but very few people in towns can give their fowls grass yards, 

 and the advantages of an outdoor run will not in themselves 

 compensate for neglect in other matters. Hence we often see 

 fowls under poor conditions, with good care, doing better than 

 fowls, in a much more favorable environment, that are given 

 indifferent care. No absolute rules for keeping fowls under any 

 given conditions can be made. In general, small flocks of fowls 

 that have free range or large, grassy yards need very little atten- 

 tion, while those that are closely confined require a great deal. 



With good care the egg production of fowls in close confine- 

 ment is often better than that from fowls at liberty, but if 

 the cost of caring for the fowls is computed at current rates 

 for common labor, the rate of compensation is often higher on 

 fowls running at large than on fowls in confinement which are 

 producing many more eggs. The question of profits from ama- 

 teur poultry keeping, however, should not be considered solely 

 with reference to the compensation for time used, nor should such 

 work be adjusted wholly with reference to economic results, for it 

 combines recreation, education, and money compensation, and the 

 first two results should have as much consideration as the last. 



In this chapter the methods adapted to small flocks are first 

 described for the instruction of the pupil, and then descriptions 

 of operations on a larger scale are given for his information. 



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