208 POULTRY BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT 



8. Samples of air should be taken at night with the nose 

 to determine whether the fowls are getting enough of the 

 cheapest and best poultry food on earth fresh air. A 

 good nose, therefore, is part of the equipment of a poultry 

 farm. 



9. Records are not much in favor of movable curtains. 

 It is doubtful whether they are necessary or desirable in 

 any section. 



10. Portable houses render the control or prevention of 

 diseases much more easy. 



11. After all, the house is not guilty of all the things that 

 have been charged against it. Probably the yards should 

 more often get the blame. A good house should not be 

 hitched on to an unsanitary and poorly kept yard. 



PRESERVATION OF POULTRY MANURE 



Poultry manure has a high fertilizing value. It is es- 

 pecially rich in nitrogen. Unlike farm animals, fowls pass 

 the urinary excretions in the droppings. The urine is rich 

 in nitrogen as well as in potash, and this accounts for the 

 high fertilizing value of the droppings. 



The average fowl produces at night about thirty pounds 

 of manure in a year. This varies somewhat as the method 

 of feeding varies. Fowls fed a soft mash in the evening 

 produce more manure at night than fowls that have whole 

 grain as the last feed of the day. The night droppings, on 

 the average, based on the value of commercial fertilizers, 

 should be worth 15 to 20 cents per fowl ; or at the rate of 

 $30 for 100 hens during the year, counting both night and 

 day droppings. 



A large part of the value of the manure, however, will be 

 lost unless some care is taken to preserve it. Much of the 

 loss will be prevented if the droppings be mixed with dry 



