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CHAPTER III. 
FEEDING AND GENERAL TREATMENT OF FOWLS. 
Of the three essentials to successful poultry-keeping — -proper accommodation, proper selection 
and proper feeding — we have now considered the two first, and it remains to consider tht 
third. If it be remembered that the simple object to be attained is the conversion of so mucl 
grain or other food of one kind into eggs or meat, or so much food of another kind, it wil 
be obvious that a proper system of feeding must have more direct influence upon the resull 
than even the preceding points, though perhaps not more real. If treated rightly, the domestic 
fowl is the most profitable of all live stock ; but that it seldom is treated rightly we are 
more and more convinced by the experience and correspondence of every year. 
Thus it happens that any work on poultry, to be of real use, must almost of necessity 
be dogmatic. Unless many persons are told that they must treat their poultry in a certain 
way, they will not do it ; and hence it is necessary to be definite and imperative, even 
regarding some details which might be varied with actual benefit if done judiciously, or may 
not be the very best in some particular circumstances. Again and again have editors of 
poultry organs to give the same answers to the same questions ; again and again have we 
ourselves had the trouble of reading and answering letters complaining of want of success, 
addressed to us on account of our previous writings, only to find, on inquiry, that our very 
simplest and plainest directions had been utterly disregarded. Every real poultry authority 
we know makes the same complaint. People seem to think that if they only read sound 
directions, their fowls must thrive ; and the amount of ignorance regarding poultry and their 
proper treatment is amazing. Three-fourths of any town population, even yet, believe that 
if a citizen be so insane as to keep his own fowls, every egg he obtains will cost him 
sixpence ; whereas sixpence per dozen, under proper management, would be nearer the mark 
in England ; while in America, where grain is so much cheaper, the dozen should cost five 
cents. But, always supposing a proper house for the number of fowls, and fowls properly 
chosen year by year, as in our last chapter, such a result will altogether depend upon 
judicious feeding. 
The feeding of any live stock is a very simple, but at the same time by no means an 
easy problem. All food given represents cash expended, and this is easily enough calculated ; 
but the result is not so readily seen without thought. Food may be productive , yielding more 
than its own value; or it may be simply wasted, producing nothing whatever; or it may be 
actually injurious to the animal, every penny or cent expended producing so much actual loss. 
Thus, in the case of fowls, the food may either yield a return, part repairing the waste of 
the animal tissues, and part producing either extra growth and weight, or valuable eggs; or 
it may simply maintain the bird in the same state or condition it was before; or it may 
produce unhealthy fat, and thus be really injurious. And as every living creature requires 
some amount of food to support its life and energies, such amount obviously represents the 
minimum which can be given ; and the question really is, what result is obtained by all food 
