Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1852-04-21
From the Farm Jou
Profits o. Keeping Fowls.

to have been prevalent in some parts of the
country for Il few years past, aud having
seen some very exaggerated statements, IN
regard 10 the large profits to be derived
from keeping Il large stock Of hens for
laying, IA sing chickens, Sc, and on the
contrary, Aavin5 heard it po,,tiveiy ) "sSc:'
ell BY uagy # my nc;sno,rs t..Al a,
II wei fs,. viii c,nsame u . year, Trlin
- n...r forl wo~'i. more ;teu double The
...Ue ., inc -, she vii produce ia taat
.in.e [ u,t,TuineI to ascertain WL,.nrF
any or either Ot these e,ateMea,s w,.s
correct.
accordingly commenced operations on
the first day of January, 1870, by select
in seventeen hens and one cock from our
o,hcf stock Of fowls they were mixture
of jersey Blues and common breeds, and
were considered in these parts good layers
aud of large size-thc hens weighing %
to I lbs each, and the cock lU lbs. |
appropriated part Of an unoccupei frame
building for their use, put up suitable fix
lures for them to roost on, and sundry
boxes and old flour casks laid on thri.
sides, with little hay or straw in lhcin
tor nests to lay in. Ihe door Of this Luiid
AZ opened into an adjoining yard OF about
D feet square, aud WAS kept open n.gn
and day IN the summer, bat shut eyel!
night in winter, and if very stormy 6.
c.,ld weather it was only left open aJou
i've or six hours daily. There was also i
lot of ground adjoining the yard, contain
ing about a quarter of an acre, occupied
as a nursery of young fruit trees two years
old from the graft, surrounded by good
board fence through both of which, yard
and nursery, the fowls were permitted to
roam at pleasure, the feathers of one wing
Of each being cut to prevent them from
escaping. They were fsd regularly, NOR
ming and evening, principally with corn oi
corn meal, occasionally mixed with wheat,
bran or shorts, and few boiled onions,
and some refuse meat from Il butchers
shop. ascertained by actual measure
ment that the quantity Of corn or its equiv
alent of other food consumed, daily III the
fall and winter, half Of the year, was three
quarts, and in the spring aud summer half,
young chickens and all inciuded) or bui
little over half that GuantIry. the whole
quantity of food consumed throughout the
year was equal to - bushels OF corn,
worth here, at market price, 10 cents per
hushcl lpart of the time corn sold for ~
cents and part of the year for oo cents
The number of eggs were set down imme-
diateIy when broush. in, but as we were not
particular tn mark down dates, | eau on'y
give the aggregate for this year, l hnd
on adding up the account, we obtained
1908 eons which were sold for SID, av
erarinr little less than | Il cents per d0zeH.
None were sold over 10 cents per dozen,
and some as low as s cents per dozen. We
raised ~ chickens, the rats killing Or car
rying off all the others when small Three
Of the old stock died, which when replaced
out of the young ones, left but y to dis
pose OF, which brought on an average io4
cts each. gu account "f extra Size ana
qnl!.ty the coumoa prjc- being IA e's.
each. Ia. rs Of nose lows oa.c .-.as'
ta.n c1.nI3a, .weive Of them generally
We. .hieg as much IS ff;een or sixteen Of
a.. common himd, buy We could not sell
th,m -Dy Il ghec on this account. as IA
og- lyP4lrs TO Oe an ogg, large % small.
The whole account sums up III tins marhe:
CR. BY 1903 eggs sold for ST. -
II chickens sold for %