The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-06-23
Can Poultry be Made Profitable !?
To the Editor of the 4sou,he,u p,oo,e,.

: eeoHohly ~ lts Varl0uS phaS,
is attract'ngSthe attention of our peopl
ana causing experiments to be made
"sprclaites. that viii literally. repay II
9 capital Invested and the time expended.
AT IN" earnest solicitation Of ,lumb,
9 OF gentlemen who have visited ..Groy
loltage Garden" on the eastern sub ,rI
: OF Richmond, and critically examined a
i The surroundings" have hurri div mr.,
pared the following article relative to "D,
thestic Poultry" which yeu can publish i
your next issue, or return to box l2;
hic ,i, T. o., as you may prefer.
ne SUBJECT OF poultry raising issvas,
i lymore lmpo' taht to gardeners and "frni
growers than the uninitiated dream Of
ih't 1T may be made equally valuable t,
farmers generally, have not the sbadoy
Of a doubt.
!. IS ldle to suppose that poultry can b.
made profitable without proper attention
Farmers had as we'll plant their corn. onc
leave II to grow, flourish and ripen, with
ouf work or attention. as TO expect ponl
try to increase and flourish with6u propp
care. With hardy breeds" gond omar
tiers. liberal feed, and proper attention /,
cleanliness and comfort, poultry can h.
made to pay. literally, ard that, too, on q
/ urge scale. An experience of two on
'iiree years has brought nf' tothis conciu
>fon. and submit the following remaks
thereby: - r'-''
-, In the early part Of 1866 / purchased
Gfoye Cottage" my present residence,
anu aetefmlned to make barn yard poultry
speciality. Finding it impracticable to
procure a stock of "improved'' breeds, |,
resolved to commence my experiment with
ordinary dungshill fowls, and to tha, end
hoasht OF varlnus market men two or three
hundred chickens, from which selected
at, hundred pullets, the best of them being
ihleFlor-m ny of tlrsm bringing from their
country homes the gapes, and other dis.
eases incident to neglect and all of them
being literally supplied with "vermin. -
knowing the Importance of cleanliness.
set to work to relieve my "pers" of their
back bling companions :" and, this being
accomplished, my next care was to furnish
mem with medieated walow composed
OF sand, tobacco, sulphur and lime) to ena.
bic them to keep off s.intruders."
HE HsNNERY-antf how to construct
IL, gave no little tr,uble ebu, finally.
erected a irathe building AZ feet hing 9'feet
VIDE TWO stories high, and partrionM i,
on IN the following manner: At the ea..t
end, on the ground floor, established nv
erSafary (ratsproof3 adjoining that. my
coal House; an,i at the west end, rat
proof laying room," fired up with nova.
pie nests, but witt no h,dgine accnnmoda.
IONS. In the second stoiy / erected s'mo-
vahie ro"sts across the rooms, two feet
above the Hour, in sufficient numbers To |
lodge 400 hens. The f,or of this room is
II dressed plank. perfectly tight. On the
south side of the rom. near the roof. are
sieht vent iators; on the west end, two;
1n the north side, three windows and :,
ioar-tlle east end being solid, to protect
ne hens from the cold piercing rains of
all and spring. This lodging room is car.
uily whtewasbed four times a year. the
loor swept every morning, and the roost,
md tloorthoroughly secured every month.
HE MATCHING RooM-is a shed huild
ng, IN rear of my stable, where each hen.
when | wish her to set" is pnt into a
catching box. and kept quiet until her De.
iod of Incubation has passed
The PROFITS of PoULrRY-mav he
ummed up in a few words. One hundred
ems, under three years old, will lay, on al
verase, four dozen eggs per day, which at
he very lowest estimate, will bring 81.
he same number of hens. where the fl ,or
their lodging room is daily swept and
andrd. will prodnce two bus els Of manure
er week, worth to a sklful gardener not
'ss than ST per -hushel-thus showing :
ross income of $3.50 per annum, or over
4 per hen.
10 fred 100 hens abundan.ly every day, /.
ne peck of wheat screenings, nr earn meal
'ngh. or hominy, is amply suffie't eli !
Ter Ut which will not cost over 81 % per !
u>hes. But TO make a liberal allowance
r waste HI feeding, charge The hen with
10 bushels of feed per annum deduct th :
lluable manare; reduce the average Of y
,gs to three d. zen per day certainly very !, !,
nall--and the result wllishow F.
095 doz eggs, at 25c per doz S273 IS
DO bush. feed, at 81 25 per bush. 125 On
sl4s rs
The manure will for the labor of !,
edihg, ETC., leaving the net prt6t of I
48 Is. -
From 100 hens have raised the past
ason. over four bundled. chickens, besides
Hing more eggs than enough to pay for Y
ding my entire stock of poultry. Il
CLEANLINESS is as essential to the ,
alI of poultry as to human beings, aud 81
who undertakes their real ing without q
oper preparations for their daily ablu q
ms. simply paves the way for annoyan, O
5, vexations and losses. r.
In MY poultry yard. as well a in I'll u
rts of my "heunery,"-I use lime freely. y
not wastafu,ly, as it is swept up wit N
e litter, goes to the compost heap, and o.
-nce to the garden, as fertilizer. u
FRESH WATER--frequently given, sis an ~
solute necessity, for poultry and ifan a.
casion lump Of alum is thrown into il az
are is little danger to be apprehehded of oeI
pes" 'hard crop" &c. al
FEEpING-In addition to the feed al IN
Idy mention d have the weeds, g.onnd IN
yes OF cabbages, fruit parngs, and ktch @'r'
garbage. given my hens every day, aid co
;asionaly the pot-Iiquar in. which bacon 10
/ cabbage have been cooked, is thicken, W;
with crrr meal and given them In
VI. ..,.lt