CHAPTER XXIX 



FEEDING AND CARE OF POULTRY 



Poultry husbandry is a generalized rather than a specialized indus- 

 try, for no other class of live stock is kept so widely, yet relatively few 

 rely upon poultry raising for their main income. Both on the farm 

 and on the city lot poultry consume much waste material, converting 

 it into highly nutritious and palatable eggs and meat. On the farm, 

 poultry occupy a distinctive place, for a fair-sized flock may be kept 

 to a considerable extent on land occupied by crops. Here they will not 

 only gain much free food, but they will also benefit the crops by devour- 

 ing injurious bugs, grubs, and worms. They are largely cared for 

 by the women and children, and thus do not compete for labor with 

 other lines of farming. General conditions are highly favorable for 

 the farm flock of moderate size, even tho the feeding and care often 



receive little attention. Range is 



abundant, numerous buildings and 

 trees provide protection from sun 

 and wind, and epidemics of disease 

 are much less serious than where 

 large numbers of birds are kept 

 under intensive conditions. It is 

 due to these advantages of the farm 

 flock that most of the spectacular, 

 large scale poultry enterprises have 

 failed. 



In the economy with which she 

 produces human food, the hen 

 ranks next to the pig, as is shown 

 in Chapter V. She returns 5.1 lbs. 

 of edible solids (water-free) in 

 eggs or 4.2 lbs. in meat from 100 lbs. of digestible matter in her ration. 

 When poultry are kept as a side-line, their economic efficiency is 

 really greater than these figures indicate, because a large part of their 

 food is material that would otherwise be wasted. 



Importance of poultry. — Under the term poultry are included fowls, 

 turkeys, ducks, geese, swan, guineas, pigeons, peafowl, and pheasants. 



377 



Fig. 



107. — A Brood of Profit 

 Makers 



Chicks make use of many waste 

 products and may be easily raised on 

 the farm or on a city lot. (From 

 Halpin, Wisconsin, Station.) 



