CHAPTER XV 

 GROWING POULTRY 



Growth a natural process. Organic creatures grow by the con- 

 sumption and assimilation of suitable nourishment. Each, according 

 to its kind, takes from the food elements with which it comes in 

 contact as much of what is serviceable to it as it can secure and use. 

 The growth of an organism depends ( i ) on its constitution (organic 

 soundness and vitality, which determine its capacity for growth); 

 (2) on its environment ^ (fixed conditions which affect its vital 

 functions) ; (3) on the supply oi food; and (4) on protectioii from its 

 natural enemies and from accidents. 



Constitution fundamentally a matter of inheritance. From the 

 beginning of its development as an embryo each creature is sub- 

 ject to environmental influences. Within the comparatively brief 

 period of the development and growth of poultry, environment has 

 litde power to mend and much power to mar constitution. Under 

 normal conditions of incubation a young bird, as it comes from the 

 shell, possesses unimpaired the constitution transmitted to it by its 

 parents. Any unfavorable condition or circumstance during incu- 

 bation tends to destroy the bird's constitution and to diminish its 

 vitality. Conditions of incubation under which many eggs fail to 

 hatch usually impair the vitality of the birds which do hatch. It 

 is only in rare cases that all birds in a brood are perfecdy devel- 

 oped and apparently of good constitution and vitality. There is 

 nearly always a small percentage of weaklings, and often a large 

 proportion of birds which, even under the best of care, will never 

 make ordinarily good specimens. 



Initial selection. Elimination of weaklings is the first step in the 

 profitable management of young poultry. Although under favorable 

 conditions nature works steadily to bring constitution, vitality, and 



1 Strictly, environment includes food and protection, but for convenience of 

 discussion the division is made as above. The feeding of young poultry is treated 

 in detail in the chapters containing the general discussion of the subject. 



266 



