20 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



unhealthy places, and that unless there can be provided a 

 reasonable amount of open space, a light, comfortable, dry, 

 and well ventilated house, it is much better to do without 

 the birds altogether, and trust to buying eggs from those 

 who have more favourable opportunities for keeping them. 

 Natural laws must be respected if success is to be attained, 

 and we need to remember that fowls when wild are accus- 

 tomed to live always in the open air, to have perfect freedom, 

 and if we entirely reverse these conditions we cannot reason- 

 ably expect to do so without paying the penalty. Domes- 

 tication undoubtedly means an alteration of the habits of 

 the birds, but we must make this alteration as small as 

 possible, and the less it is the more likely are we to keep 

 them healthy and thriving. Some breeds are stronger and 

 can stand the change in their natural habits better than 

 others, and it is always well for the poultry-keeper to select 

 such if his desire is to make his poultry pay. We shall 

 show which breeds these are later on. 



There is another consideration which will affect those 

 who only wish to keep a few fowls, and that is the pleasure 

 and healthfulness of the pursuit. How many there are 

 whose occupations compel them to be indoors all day, and 

 they know that exercise is necessary to preserve their health. 

 They find it most difficult, however, to go out when they 

 have no direct object in view. Walking, especially alone, 

 soon gets wearisome ; or perhaps every spot of the district 

 around has been explored, and the result often is that the 

 exercise is not taken. The keeping of poultry has been 

 to many a very great boon in this way, compelling regular 

 exercise in the open air, and we recently met with an 

 eminent scientific man who had taken up the pursuit as 

 a hobby, on this account alone. We know that in our own 

 ease it was so, and we found not only pleasure but renewed 

 health and strength whilst attending to our feathered pets. 



