26 POULTRY FARMING 



have achieved marked success. The breeders of pure-bred poultry 

 have united in forming National and State organizations. Every 

 breed has its favorites who have formed special breed associations 

 and clubs for the advancement of that particular breed. One of 

 the largest and most extensive poultry organizations in the world 

 is the American Poultry Association. Its members represent the 

 leaders in all branches of poultry throughout America. 



When once having started to breed pure-bred birds, due vigil- 

 ance and care in management and in breeding must be maintained. 

 Birds left to shift for themselves will tend to revert to the former 

 type and usually become less beautiful and less useful. 



The field of the breeder of fancy and pure-bred poultry is 

 limitless. 



Separate Poultry Industries. Poultry keeping as an industry 

 may be grouped under two rhain divisions, namely, exclusive 

 poultry keeping, and poultry keeping as a side line to some other 

 branch of work. The former is properly called specialized farming, 

 as all endeavors of the farmer are centred on the care and manage- 

 ment of poultry. In the majority of cases poultry keeping is 

 carried on as a side line. The extent of that one branch of the 

 farm work may vary from a very small place in the time and atten- 

 tion of the owner to that of the largest branch of the work. Most 

 poultry products are from the general farms of the country. 



Exclusive poultry keeping may be subdivided again into special 

 industries, as (1) egg farming and (2) meat farming. These 

 special industries may be, and often are, combined; but one is 

 usually given the greater prominence. Egg production is often 

 the leading one with the production of meat an adjunct to it. 

 Large, exclusive egg farms are usually located in the thickly settled 

 sections of the country, near large cities, and a special price is 

 received for the guaranteed marketed product (Fig. 23). Some 

 egg farms make a specialty of eggs only twenty-four hours old, 

 the date of laying being stamped on the shell; others sell sterile 

 eggs, for which an increased price is paid, if properly marketed. 



Poultry meat farms may be grouped under the heads : broiler, 

 roaster, or capon farms. These may be run exclusively or in com- 

 bination, or either one may be run in connection with egg farming. 

 The latter is undoubtedly the best practice. Where the production 

 of meat is the leading part of the business, it requires much more 

 careful management, owing to the fact that the returns are not 

 continuous the entire year. There are certain seasons during which 



