PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



run from five cents to $3 ; due to freezing, from 10 cents to 60 

 cents per case ; clue to rough handling, from 5 cents to 25 cents. 

 This was the estimate of the food administration during the 

 world war. From producer to consumer the total annual loss 

 of the egg crop is estimated by the government at $50,000,000. 



Leaks due to incorrect incubation. Many thousand of eggs 

 should never go to the sitting hen or incubator, because de- 

 fective in size, shape and contents. Many contain weak germs 

 because of weak foundation stock or improper feeding. Many 

 are destroyed by neglect of the hen or careless handling. A 

 good average hatch is counted at 50 per cent of the eggs set. 

 Here is a 50 per cent loss that to large extent can be eliminated 

 by scientific breeding and more careful management. 



Losses due to enemies. Their name is legion. They popu- 

 late air and water, they teem in untold millions in the soil, they 

 congregate upon the surface of the earth in great armies of 

 destruction; they stand at the gateways of life and gloat over 

 their prospective victims. 



"A constant watch they keep; 

 They never slumber, never sleep, 

 Lest they should lose their prey." 



The baby chick, emerging from its shell, looks out upon a 

 world of living things in innocence, but is marked for de- 

 struction, for there is a constant warfare of life upon life. 



It is the aim of every poultry producer to bring to maturity 

 not less than 50 per cent of the chicks hatched. This goal is 

 seldom reached. Here is a 50 per cent loss that' may be averted 

 in large measure by eternal vigilance and persistent warfare 

 against the foes of the flock. 



Magnitude of Industry 



Here are some figures showing the magnitude of the 

 poultry industry. The following table shows the number of 

 fowls of all kinds on farms, January 1, 1920, also an estimate 

 of all fowls not on farms, but on the back lots of towns and 

 cities and on small estates of less than five acres. It also 

 shows the value of these fowls and the value of all fowls and 

 eggs produced in 1919. As the government does not collect 

 statistics of poultry on back lots and small estates, the figures 

 given are merely estimates and are indicated by the figures in 

 black face. 



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