PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



losses which end in failures. Watch the following common 

 leaks and losses that often keep farm flocks from being profit- 

 able : 



Loss in purchasing. Neglect to secure good foundation 

 stock is a prime cause of failure. To make a beginning with 

 weaklings where physical vigor has been undermined with 

 disease is equivalent to making no beginning at all. It would 

 be better to pay $100 if necessary for a pen of five birds, 

 physically sound, and that meet standard requirements, and 

 to build upon this foundation, than to spend the same money 

 for a hundred specimens devoid of vigor and representing care- 

 less breeding. 



The same principle applies to the purchase of equipment 

 and feeds and the construction of buildings. It is true that 

 many poultry appliances can be made at home and will give 

 good service, but the things that must be purchased should 

 have quality and durability. Moldy feeds may be cheap but 

 in the end they will mean the loss of the flock, or, at least, the 

 loss of profits. The poultry building need not be expensive 

 but should be well built, sanitary and convenient. 



Loss from improper feeding. Excessive feeding may cause 

 intestinal trouble, liver disease or apoplexy, resulting in the 

 loss of many fowls. The lack of a well-balanced ration means 

 a loss in egg production and retarded growth of the edible 

 carcass, and these are the main sources of income. Wasteful 

 feeding often cuts a hole in the profits. 



Loss from careless handling of eggs. Let us follow an egg 

 from producer to consumer. It may be cracked at the outset 

 because the nest is not provided with suitable material. It 

 may be overheated, causing incubation and subsequent de- 

 composition. It may be frozen, cracking the shell and produc- 

 ing a so-called leaker. It may be rough handled, breaking up 

 the contents, producing a watery consistency. The same de- 

 terioration may happen in the hands of the country merchant 

 or in transportation to the wholesaler. If it goes to cold 

 storage it may be kept in storage too long and become stale. 

 When it goes to the retailer it still further may be subjected to 

 too much cold or heat or dampness or rough handling result- 

 ing in more deterioration. 



On the table of the consumer it may have a small per- 

 centage of the value it had when fresh laid on the farm. The 

 losses on a 30 dozen case of eggs, due to heat and dampness, 



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