CHAPTER II 



Poultry Hygiene 



Second in importance only to high constitutional vigor 

 and health is attention to the basic rules of hygiene and sani- 

 tation in the management of poultry. In view of the prev- 

 alent misunderstanding or lack of understanding of these 

 principles it seems wise to devote one chapter to an outline 

 of the more important points which need to be looked after 

 in hygienic poultry keeping. Attention to the rules and 

 principles here set forth will go a great way towards pre- 

 venting the occurrence of disease. This does not mean that 

 if these rules are not followed disease and destruction will 

 forthwith result. Every one knows of plenty of instances 

 of more or less successful poultry keeping under the most 

 insanitary and unhygienic of conditions. So, similarly, 

 human beings are able, when forced to do so, to live under 

 unhygienic conditions. But every civilized country in the 

 world believes that the most economical insurance against 

 the steady loss of national wealth which the prevalence of 

 disease involves is the enforcement of sanitary regulations 

 throughout its domain. Again, many men who do not 

 carry fire insurance on their buildings go through life with- 

 out having any of them burn down. But this is no argument 

 against the fact that it is a sound economic policy to carry 

 fire insurance. In poultry keeping many may be successful 

 for a time in managing their birds in defiance of the laws of 

 sanitation and hygiene ; a very few may be successful in 

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