338 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



covered outside the incubator cellars. In some cases the odors 

 were so bad as to be sickening. Eggs are animal matter, and 

 should be destroyed as thoroughly as dead bodies, especially 

 during warm weather. 



In the winter time, when snow is on the ground, it is not un- 

 common to find carcasses thrown into the snow right outside of 

 the hen houses, on the assumption, I presume, that the cold will 

 prevent their decay. No doubt it was the intention of these 

 poultry raisers to gather the bodies before a thaw, but in most 

 cases they were forgotten, or hidden by the snow, until decay 

 had set in. Furthermore, cold does not kill all germs. Some- 

 times it simply suspends life, which will be renewed at the ap- 

 proach of warm weather. 



There are but three really effectual methods of destroying dead 

 animal matter: Incineration, quicklime and deep burial. 



Placing the bodies in quicklime destroys them and all germ 

 life utterly, but it is rather troublesome to do this every time a 

 dead chick is found. Burial places the matter out of sight, and 

 may or may not destroy it. In any event, the burial should be 

 deep, so that other fowls or animals cannot dig it up. 



Cremation is the best method, not only because burning puts 

 an end to any possibility of infection, but because it is the easiest 

 to perform. Contrive some kind of an incinerator out of an old 

 garbage can or metal receptacle, raise it off the ground about 

 eighteen inches, either by iron legs or a brick or stone foundation, 

 so that a fire can be built underneath, and every time you have 

 any waste paper or rubbish from the house, keep it handy for 

 this purpose. 



Aside from destrojring the bodies of all dead fowls which are 

 found in the brooders, laying houses and other buildings, do not 

 forget to look around the range at regular intervals. Sometimes 

 chickens are killed by strange causes, or they will go off in the 

 brush and die as the result of sickness or exposure. If their 

 bodies are not found by the attendant, they are sure to be found 

 by the rest of the flock, which is likely to prove a serious menace, 

 the importance of which cannot be over-estimated. 



