226 



COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



abundant pasture. It takes a large acreage of land to support 

 any considerable number of birds on the natural vegetation, be- 

 cause the fowls soon destroy it. Result, bare yards and runs, 

 in which event it becomes necessary to supply the greens in a 

 more or less artificial manner. 



When the poultry raiser's yards become bare, and this erst- 

 while plant food is not supplemented from the outside, his venture 

 is in a fair way to quit the business. He may not be aware of 

 this fact, but it is true nevertheless. Fowls will not thrive pro- 



{Courtesy Million Egg Farm) 



Fig. 144. — Relation of ordinary feed oats to sprouted oats. The pile on the 

 left was sprouted from the same quantity as shown in the right-hand pile. 



fitably without greenstuflfs of some kind. Their eggs are likely 

 to be weak and to lack fertility. \^'eak eggs mean poor hatches 

 and chicks with weakened constitutions, than which nothing is 

 more difficult to combat in the brooder. It is unreasonable to 

 expect strong, productive pullets from chicks with impaired 

 stamina, hence in a few generations the vigor and productive- 

 ness of the flock is reduced to an unprofitable level. The next 

 step is failure. 



Failure to appreciate the importance of green food is not so 

 much ignorance as indifference. Most poultr\- keepers are 



