22 The Truth About the Poultry Business 



stopped, and be just as sure about it as the expert is with 

 the engine. He knows instantly where to look for the trouble 

 — not from books he has read, but from having the same thing 

 occur before in actual practice. That is the main thing; 

 having the thing happen and profiting by the experience. 



The expert knows every little sound, every little false 

 motion the engine makes, and he knows just how to correct 

 it; the more experience he has had and the more troubles 

 he has had to overcome, the more expert he becomes. It is 

 exactly the same thing in feeding hens. By careful experi- 

 menting you learn why hens eat grit by the mouthful, why 

 they eat dirt, why they eat charcoal and will leave grain and 

 go for these things like mad. You also learn why a hen will 

 eat wheat and not corn, and at other times will leave the wheat 

 and fight for corn. You also learn by careful watching of 

 the droppings and by taking note of the cravings of a hen 

 what to feed her to keep her in good health and how to make 

 her lay if she is not doing so. You will learn these things 

 by carefully experimenting, and by studying this book very 

 carefully you also learn how to produce large eggs, with yel- 

 low yolks, and plenty of them; you also learn so to feed your 

 hens that in a short time after starting laying they will not 

 "turn over" or start on the downward grade and stop laying. 

 These and countless other things you learn, but, like the 

 engine man, you must have the practical experience. 



Reading these things from a book may enable you to find 

 what troubles your hens, but it can never take the place of 

 practical experience. There are always some little things 

 that come up that the book does not cover and which you 

 must study out for yourself. This is so in every profession 

 and in every trade and the poultry business is no exception. 



The poultry business is a profession, which requires years 

 of experience to learn, and feeding on a small scale and in 



