44 THE BIRDS 



way. He should invest but little in buildings and stock. 

 The plant must be developed slowly. A more staple and 

 successful business can be built up by making a small begin- 

 ning than by a costly one. The few failures which occur 

 in the poultry business can be traced directly to a too heavy 

 investment at the start, and to lack of experience. But 

 experience is certain as the work progresses. 



Securing the First Birds. — When starting out to keep a 

 small flock of birds, there are three ways by which the 

 poultryman can secure his first flock. One is by purchasing 

 eggs for hatching. Another is to buy adult birds, and by 

 mating these he can produce his own eggs. The third 

 method is to buy day-old chicks. Of the three modes, that 

 of purchasing and hatching eggs is the least expensive, and 

 the buying of day-old chicks is the next. But, in all probabil- 

 ity, the most satisfactory way is to buy a small brooding 

 pen of hens and mate them with a male bird of good breeding 

 and high vitality. During the hatching season the eggs 

 from this pen should be saved. Thus the poultryman will 

 know the characteristics of his stock, and can give the birds 

 proper care previous to incubation. Eggs for hatching should 

 be purchased from a reliable breeder, and if they prove to 

 be poor or infertile, the person selling them should make 

 the sale good. 



Care in Buying Foundation Stock. — In buying the first 

 breeding pen of hens, select with great care. The first 

 requirement is absolute health, combined with plentj' of 

 vitality and vigor. Never buy birds which are, or ever 

 have been, subjected to the common poultry diseases, such 

 as roup, chicken-pox, and canker. The external signs of a 

 strong constitution are to be found in the size of the body, 

 the carriage, the prominence of the eye, the width of the 

 body, etc., and a strong constitution is essential if the birds 

 are to make good breeders and egg producers. Two important 

 requirements are size and weight. The practice is too com- 



