PRACTICAL POULTRY 

 PRODUCTION 



CHAPTER I 



THE POULTRY INDUSTRY 



The production of poultry and eggs constitutes one of 

 our most important branches of agriculture. To thorough- 

 ly appreciate this great source of food supply the magnitude 

 of the poultry industry should be considered. 



SIZE AND EXTENT 

 Size. It has been usual from the fact that most poultry 

 is kept in comparatively small flocks on general farms, to 

 regard the poultry industry as a little business. The rel- 

 atively small size of these individual units has caused us to 

 lose sight of the fact that flocks of fowls exist on practically 

 every farm, and that in the aggregate they form an industry 

 which is of great magnitude. Thus, for example, we find 

 in the United States, according to the census of 1910, a 

 total of over 5,500,000 farms reported as keeping poultry 

 out of a total of a little over 6,300,000 farms. The value 

 of the poultry and eggs produced in the United States during 

 that year was somewhat in excess of $600,000,000.00. This 

 amount includes only the value of poultry products on farms 

 and does not take into consideration a large amount which 

 is produced by thousands of back-yard flocks in the villages 

 and towns. Taking into consideration the great develop- 

 ment and progress that has been made in poultry keeping 

 since the 1910 census was taken, and since the further 



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