178 



THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY 



to heaviness and laziness ; these, in time, tend toward 

 barrenness and general unthrift. The animal economy 

 calls for food just balanced, to its needs, whether those 

 needs be bare existence, growth, active exercise, or re- 

 production. And it is one of the laws of animal being 



that lusty strength 

 to produce many 

 and vigorous prog- 

 eny rests on the 

 simple basis of 

 proper food, com- 

 bined with suffi- 

 cient free exercise. 

 The invigorating 

 and stimulating 

 power of exercise, 

 its warming, digest- 

 ing, and cleansing 

 powers, its preven- 

 tion of crop-bound, 

 diarrhoea, rheuma- 

 tism, cramps, and 

 in young chicks, leg weakness, are a long list of credits ; 

 when we add that by keeping mind and body occupied, 

 it prevents the formation of bad habits, such as feather 

 pulling, comb picking, "cannibalism," egg eating, and 

 that it also prevents gorging and logy breaking down, 

 works off surplus fat, makes eggs more fertile and in- 

 sures stronger chicks, we have a table of values which 

 Beginners and old hands alike may well look over fre- 

 quently ; lest they forget ! 



Every Beginner, who is raising his first flock, has three 



Head of Rose Comb Brown Leghorn Male, Ap- 

 proaching the Ideal. Wattles Not So Well 

 Rounded As Standard Demands. Note Look 

 of Strength 



