THE POULTRY BUSINESS v4 
must remember he will require a flock of 500 
at least, besides the equipment to keep it, 
before he can even expect a fair income. If 
he hopes to add to his plant it will take some 
of the income to do that. All such details 
will be gone into at length later in this book. 
When eggs are quoted at 4 or 5 cents each 
it is only natural that the uninitiated should 
think there is lots of money in chickens, or 
that they are being mulcted for the poultry~ 
man’s benefit; but if they could look in on the 
poultrymen at this time they would see the 
majority gathering about one-tenth of the 
eggs gathered when the price is 24% to 3 cents 
each. At this time it is discouraging to know 
you are feeding a dollar a day and getting 
only ro cents in return. Then it is that Mr. 
Poultryman needs a great gift of patience 
and of hope for better things to come, and it 
requires determination of a higher order to 
work as faithfully as when the hens are mak- 
ing some returns. 
Another necessary thing at this time is 
some cash saved from spring and summer or 
a little nest egg saved from some other 
source. Some of the encouraging features 
of the business, however, are as follows: The 
flock of hens can always be disposed of at cost 
