The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-09-30
The Value Of Chickens.

a breed of chickens, both large and
good layers, is the one that to every
person will be of the most value; but
of the .owl commonly found on the
farms of the Eastern and Middle
States, we now speak. We wish to
show how every farmer can yearly re-
alize handsome sum from his flock
of chickens.
In the first place, do not keep too
many chickens; with good range around
the barn, one hundred hens will be
enough, and one rooster for about CIV
cry ten hens. Let all the hens be pull
lets of the fist year, for in the first
year they produce more eggs than in
any year following.
To make the hens lay well, feed
them us much as they will eat of corn,
oats and wheat, screened, The year
round, and in the winter any uEittl meat
chopped fine; give them plenty oI fresh
water, and material from which to
form shells-lime white-wash Or oyster
shells. I find one half peck Of feed
twice day sufficient for one hundred
chickens. Suppose we take one half
peck Of corn once a day the year round,
or i6 bushels Of corn at SO cents,
amounts to $1,000. The same of oats
at 40 cents per bllshel will make $3.50,
dred chickens one year.
Now what return will they make:
A we'll fed hen of the first year will not
lay less than 14O eggs, and 100 will lay
Ia, 900 or l,166 dozen. Marketing
them at 25 cents per dozen we have the
sum of 1922. no this must be added
eight or ten barrels of manure, worth
say $25, making the produce of the
chickens 1913. Subtract the cost OF
feed, $500, leaves Il net gain of SOL
80, and this without fail.
Thus it would be il you sold all the
eggs; but it would be necessary to raise
some young ones, and in this case the
value of chickens produced will exceed
the value of eggs consumed, and we
will leave the profits stand as before.
Set few eggs early; the cold rains and
cold nights will make their growth
slow, and the ssgapes'' will most likely
carry off many; however chickens
Matched early grow larger than those
that come out late. The best time, in
the latitude of Philadelphia, to set
chickens is in the month of July, so
that the young chickens will have
warm days and nights in which to
make rapid growth. For Il week or
two after Matching keep the old hen
penned in a coop, and feed on corn
meal and wheat bran in equal parts;
be careful to keep young chickens out
of the barn yard; when young, feed
three times Il day; when older, twice.
When large enough, pen up the young
ROSTERS and fatten for market, ten
days or two weeks is long enough. The
pullets, keep for the next years hens.
The old hens you may kill off during
the fall and winter; if their feet are
rough and sca1y, dip in hot water and
peel off, and they will look like young
chickens. Have Il good warm roost
| for the winter, and keep it well cleaned
and whitewashed, and give the chick
ems boxes filled with dry ashes, mixed
with sulphur, in which to dust them
selves; if the young chickens are
troubled with lice, greese the top of
their head with 4 little lard. An
other time 1 will speak of a positive
cure for the ssgapes." Remember,
have chickens of the first year, feed
well, and have warm and clean
roost, and it will be real pleasure to
attend to the chickens, and certainly
protitable.-TU,k, IN the journal Of the
ET,)3)2