118 FISST LESSONS IN POULTRY KEEP IN a. 



ing problem,^or does not see in their true relation to it. Not infrequently the methods he 

 adopts make good feeding difficult, and sometimes some little peculiarity in a person's way of 

 managing his fowls will, when discovered, account to the experienced adviser for continued 

 poor results. Such peculiarities and trifling errors are very hard to locate through corre- 

 spondence. 



Leave Out "Original" Ideas. 



In general I think that a large part of the difficulties of amateur feeders may be traced to 

 some "original" ideas or combinations of methods that they have introduced into their poultry 

 keeping. To me the easy assurance with which novices in poultry keeping go about the 

 improvement of methods recommended by experienced poultry keepers is a never ending puzzle. 

 How few of them are willing to take simple instructions and follow them to the letter I 



Still, to be fair to the novice, I must admit that a good deal of what is written for him about 

 poultry keeping only adds to his confusion, and as those who know the least about it are usually 

 the most positive in assurances of good results if their instructions are followed, and therefore 

 seem to him the best Instructors, he is very apt to prefer the less reliable instructors and 

 instruction at first. . 



If a novice in feeding, (and by novice, in this connection, I mean any one who has not acquired 

 a fair skill in feeding), will follow the method used by any successful poultryman right through, 

 he will generally be getting fair results within a short time. It may be — and often is the case- 

 that there are poor features, or unnecessary features in the methods of the more expert poultry- 

 man. As to this, the novice should not attempt to judge, or if he forms an opinion, should not 

 make it the reason for a departure from the method, but should learn from some one of more 

 experience whether the change he contemplates would work well. 



Having adopted general methods of caring for fowls and of feeding which have given such 

 satisfaction to some others that we may call them "tested" methods, the novice should direct 

 all the attention he gives feeding to making a success of feeding by that method. 



Let him remember that whatever method he may try will give him the results he seeks only 

 in proportion to the skill be acquires in using it. There are many good methods — many tested 

 methods of feeding, but his skill is as yet undeveloped and his capacity untested. If he changes 

 methods he simply begins over again, and many a time when success comes by some method of 

 feeding adopted after a brief trial and rejection of several others, that success is not due to that 

 particular method of feeding alone, but is the result of the whole experience acquired, and 

 would almost certainly have been attained sooner by persistence in the first method adopted. 



" Practice Hakes Perfect." 



Take any good method (there are many of them) and learn to use it. . As far as the instruc- 

 tions given are definite, try to follow them to the letter. Where they tell you to use your judg- 

 ment, butgive as they usually do, some statement of what should be about right, begin by using 

 these approximate instructions and follow them until you have reason to suppose that some 

 variation from them should be made. Then make the variation slight. For instance, in feeding 

 fowls what is called " a full feed " of grain, the amount an average laying hen will take is an 

 ordinary handful— not a heaping handful, but what one would grasp in the hand with the hand 

 closed enough so that even it turned over only a few grains would fall. This is a rough nay of 

 measuring grain, but with practice many poultry men become surprisingly accurate in measur- 

 ing grain out in this way as they scatter it for the fowls. They know or slionid know how 

 many fowls are in each flock. If they expect the grain to be eaten up clean, as when fed on 

 l>are ground or very short litter, they give what they think the fowls will clean up. If they are 

 feeding in deep litter they give more — as much more as they think necessary to let the fowls get 

 a full feed of the grain in the time allowed. The judgment as to quantity docs not have to be 

 absolutely accurate every time, because as we saw In considering scientific balancing of food 

 elements, the fowl could adapt them to Its needs to some extent, so nfowl in good condition will 

 not suffer if occasionally short-fed, for it has its reserves of fat to draw upon. Also the fow) 



