POULTRY PRODUCTION. 



CHAPTER I. 



POULTRY PRODUCTION AND THE POULTRY 

 INDUSTRY. 



Definition of Poultry.' — Poultry is a term designating 

 collectively those species of birds which render man an 

 economic service and at the same time reproduce regularly 

 and freely under his care. It includes chickens, turkeys, 

 ducks, geese, swans, guineas, pigeons, pheasants, peafowl 

 and ostriches, and refers to them whether alive or dressed.^ 



Relative Importance of the Different Species of Poultry. — 

 Chickens are of preeminent importance among the various 

 species of poultry. As shown in Table I, the total number 

 of poultry found on the farms of the United States' April 

 15, 1910, was 295,876,176 birds. Of these, almost 95 per 

 cent. (280,340,643) were chickens; a little over 1.2 per cent. 

 (3,688,688) were turkeys; less than 1 per cent. (2,904,359) 

 were ducks; a trifle under 1.5 per cent. (4,431,623) were 

 geese; while the total for guineas, pigeons, peafowl and 

 ostriches was slightly over 1.5 per cent. (4,510,873). 



While 88 per cent, of all the farms of the United States 

 reported chickens, there was but 0.1 per cent, that reported 

 any species of poultry that did not report chickens. From 

 1900 to 1910 the number of chickens in the United States 

 increased 20 per cent., while at the same time the number of 

 turkeys, ducks, and geese decreased 44.1, 39.3, and 21.9 

 per cent, respectively. 



1 Adapted from Puach, AUgemeine Tierzucht. 



' The names of the various species of poultry also designate them respect- 

 ively when dressed, there being no separate terms, as in the case of "beef," 

 "mutton," and "pork." 



' Unfortunately these figures fail to take into account the numbers of 

 poultry under three months of age, or those which are kept in the towns 

 and villageB, and which would appreciably increase both the total numbers 

 and the relative proportion of chickens to other species. 



2 (17) 



