Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-02-23
Does it Pay to Buy Eggs 2
By JOHN q. NC KEEN.


Many in commencing to breed fancy
poultry are at loss to know which to do, buy
eggs, or fowls. There are two sides to the
question. IF eggs are ordered of a reliable
breeder, aud the one that buys them under
stands how to set them properly the chances
are that it will be cheaper to buy eggs as
every reliable dealer sells eggs from the
same fowls that he sets eggs from for his own
chickens. The buyer stands a good chance
to get just as good birds as the breeder does
and the breeder will not sell his best birds at
any prices. If birds are bought, leave it to
the breeder to mate them properly, and be
sure and tell him just what you want. A
green hand will not breed as good birds gen.
orally from premium birds as man that
understands his business will from disquali-
fed stock.
Usually eggs hatch we'll if properly packed
aud if they have suitable care after they are
received. If eggs are fertile, fresh and the
fowls are healthy, eggs will stand more trou-
Bile than many imagine. have shipped eggs
all distances from 10 to 1000 miles and had
them hatch well. Last spring tho eggs l
sent out averaged ten chicks out of thirteen
eggs, but all breeds will not do this and even
If they do it is not safe to count on all the
birds being No. l. If we get one exhibition
bird THAT is, one scoring from IS to 80
points( out Of Is or 20 we are doing we'll
with most breeds. OF course some breeds,
will do better. L have known one-third Of
brood Of chickens to come out premium birds
but with most breeders the chances are bet.
ter for none at all. We must remember that
a bird that will win against heavy competi
tion at our regular poultry shows, is hard to
get | know Of one mechanic that bought
l3 Partridge Cochin eggs for s150. He
got III chickens and all but one lived aud
made fine birds. One cockerel weighed nine
pounds and two ounces at six months old
and was the best cockerel that saw Of the
hatch of '76, of his breed. There were five
pullets out of the lot. These pullets are
worth 50 each to him, and the cockerel can
be sold for So cash. and three cockerels have
been sold for 81 EACH making quito specu-
ation in the egg business. But every one
does not do as we'll. l have bought eggs,
and many dozen too, in the last seven years,
and have had more than one dozen that l
have paid from s2 to S3 for turn out II rot.
ten eggs, but on the whole it has paid me
we'll | always thought did well to get a
trio of chicks fit to breed from, out of doz-
en- eggs Sometimes have done better.
If we buy poultry the first cost is more.
A good trio will cost from SO to S25, nc.
cOrdiug to quality, and the breeder, with or.
dinary luck, ought to raise ut least 25'chicks
from the trio, and probably at least 20 Of
them will be fit to breed from. We have to
run our chances of getting large share Of
cockeres. am inclined to think that it is
safer, and cheaper if one is willing to invest
enough, to buy fowls instead Of eggs. We
do not run so much risk as in buying eggs
But if you buy eggs, don't get mad and heap
all manner of abuse on the head of the poor
breeder that sends the eggs if every one does
not hatch. Many times have been wrathy,
disgusted or amused as the case happened tc
be. Those that have had no experience in
shipping eggs cannot possibly have any idea
of the patience required And those thai
have had experience will smile when they
think of their perplcxities.
| Peterborough, N. N.