WHY THE FAILURES IN POULTRY KLLPING. 53 



But with the liest ehowing that could possibly be maile iu this wuy, it would etill remain true 

 that a majority of those who undertake poultry keeping — whether for profit or pleasure^ 

 fail to realize on their expectations; and a8 we can only judge what is to be by what has 

 been — making due allowance for general progress — we have to consider it as improbable that 

 the proportion of failures to successes will be much reduced in the immediate future. 



Then putting the matter in its most favorable aspect we have to say that more than halt of 

 those who engage in poultry keeping will make a failure of it. In other words, that when one 

 undertakes poultry keeping the chances are against his success. 



If every prospective poultry keeper could be made to appreciate this before he begins, the 

 proportion of failures might be so much reduced that successes would preponderate; but, 

 unfortunately, nearly every .beginner thinks himself, or herself, the talented and favored or 

 exceptionally industrious person who is sure to succeed, and therefore neglects to take the 

 necessary precautions to avoid failures, even when advised of them. 



With very rare exceptions, those engaging in poultry keeping on any considerable scale 

 l)egiii without any adequate practical knowledge of the conditions, requirements, ^nd methods 

 of the business. Sometimes they have had a limited experience with a few fowls; but quite as 

 often they have had no actual experience, and a very limited and superficial information. If 

 they happen to have abundant capital to carry on the business until they have learned in the 

 costly school of their own experience what they ought to have known before investing a 



Vieur of Grandvieiv Poultry Yards, Aurora, N. Y. 



dollar, they may make a success of it — may finally make the business pay its expenses, and 

 give them a living besides; but the greater part of the original investment, and also of the 

 expenses for several years, may have to be charged off to cost of acquiring experience^ that 

 is, cost of learning the business. 



But the most serious cases are those of people with limited means who go into poultry keep- 

 ing expecting it to yield an income suflicient to meet all expenses and give them their living 

 almost from the start. These people engage in the business with two ideas which I think are 

 either separately or jointly responsible for their undertaking it — both of which ideas are radi- 

 cally wrong. 



The first of these ideas is : — that poultry keeping is very easy, that there is really nothing to 

 learn which any person of average intelligence cannot acquire at once and almost without effort 

 as soon as ever he gives his attention to the subject, and that the fowls require so little care thpt 

 their owner has light work and a great deal of leisure. 



The second idea is that the profits of the business are very large, and the margin of profit in 

 each of the liranches of the business so good that even if there are losses due to Inexperience 

 these cannot possibly be heavy enough to make the business run behind. 



Novices are not wholly to blame for these errors unless they persist In them after the facts 

 have been clearly presented. The people most to blame are the Interested parties who circu- 

 late such ideas. But, as far as my observation goes, the greater number of persons who once 



