24 The Truth About the Poultry Business 



bolic acid and sawdust and putting this in the bottom of the 

 nests and then putting shavings on top of the mixture, 

 trouble is avoided there. I sprinkle one end of the lattice 

 yard very slightly with water, and hens by the hundred will 

 dust themselves in it. Care must be taken to sprinkle very 

 lightly on the soft, dry dirt, so as not to get it too damp, 

 for if that is done the hens will not dust in it; if, on the 

 other hand, it is just slightly damp they are very fond of it. 

 For the large head lice I put grease on the head or use some- 

 thing equally as good, but for other than head lice I provide 

 the damp, soft dirt and the hen frees herself of the parasites. 



You must thoroughly understand that it takes experience 

 to make success, and you cannot put up my system or any 

 other and make a success of it without the necessary experi- 

 ence unless it is done by accident. You get into the business, 

 put up my system, and in a little while you have made a 

 brilliant failure and I get the blame, as it is pointed out that 

 you had a Conboie System poultry farm and failed with it; 

 it cannot, therefore, be any good. You conclude that you 

 think the system does not amount to much, and all your 

 neighbors form the same opinion. The result is that you 

 lose and I lose, because you jumped into a business without 

 knowing the first principles of success. Your venture spelled 

 failure from the start and any experienced poultryman could 

 have told you so. After you have finished this book, turn 

 back and read this part over again, so that if you are looking 

 at this business through rose-colored glasses you will see 

 your mistake. 



First learn something about the business by experimenting 

 and then go into it carefully; there is money in it only for 

 these people who do this. By experimenting, you are getting 

 experience in the cheapest possible way; you cannot lose 

 much with a small number of hens. Remember it takes time 



