Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-11-26
Poultry Business.


In former number of the FarBler l
pointed out some of the errors in poultry
keeping, and | will now name some of the
chief requisites to success. Nv recom-
mendations are the result Of practical ex-
perience. For several years have made
a business of raising poultry. and at first |
used to theorize a good deal. but now. a.
days | don't deal in theories to any
alarming extent; | stick to facts.
In the first place you must have zen
uine love for your work; you must never
look upon any part of it as mere drudgery
if you do YOU will be very apt TO shirk.
Nextly, keep no more fowls than you can
care for we'll; twenty fowls well cared for
in every respect will pay better than twice
that number cared for in a hap-hazard
kind of way. When you can manage
twenty fowls so that they will pay well.
increase your stock, but increase Slowly.
Keep good stock. Don't try to keep too
many varieties TO begin with. Watch
your fowls. learn their habits. study their
wants and supply them. Study economy
in feeding. And lastly, but by no means
leastly. you must live within striking dis.
lance of some market, and you must watch
and sell your eggs and chicks when they
will bring the. hest prices. After the eggs
and chickens are raised, n good deal de.
ponds upon selling at the right time and
in the right way. By taking a little extra
pains in February. have broilers ready
for the market by the first of May, and !
get an extra price for them-more than
they would be worth if kept six months
longer. There is money in spring chick
ems if you live near city market and get
your chickens in early enough.
| generally manage TO get little more
than the regular market price for eggs.
When eggs have been a drug in ,he city
market, | have found ready sale at TWO Il
four cents II dozen above the regular
price by putting up in small packages OF
every egg fresh.-Fdnny Field, in ono
Farmer.
WHOLE WHEAT FOR FowLs.-There
is more solid nutriment in whole wheat AS
Il feed for poultry than in any Of the
cereals, weight for weight. Ii is an ex-
cellent kind of grain for this use, though
somewhat more expensive than any other
SOllS bul lOO lnuCu Va ILLS CtllNN lGCNl ls
detrimental, particularly when fed to CO.
chins, BrahmaS, etc.
Fowls are very partial to wheat Ii
helps the laying capacity of hens, bat it
should not be used except with discretion
rs to the quantity allowed them daily. An
excess of this raw grain will induce Il
looseness in the bowels very frequently.
1t is easy Of digestion, and should be
furnished in moderation, as needful and
most desirable rartety, in conjunction
with other dry grains, such rs cracked
corn, cats, barley, buCkwheat, etc.
If not more than one-third or one fourth
of wheat is allowed with the other cereals
mentioned, for ordinary purposes, in the
laying season, hens will do quite as well,
and they can thus be kept in better aver
age condition than by great r allowance.
We have proved this by frequent practical
experiments in ng.-POuitTy World.
TURKEYs.-lt does not cost any more,
Or much more, TO raise pound Of turkey
than pound Of hen flesh. In the summer
they require TO be fed less, being mastery
campaigners on their own account, while
in the winter very likely their nervous dis
position demands somewhat more stimulus
than other fowls. If we'll fed they do not
require nearly as careful housing as the
hen, although it is good policy to make
them roost indoors; but left to themselves
they prefer to weather out the widest
storm in the tree.tops. Finally, when
brought to market, their flesh is worth
much more than that of the hen, 50 that,
other things being equal, it is economy to
keep them instead. Also, that it is well
worth considering, allowing that the per
centage Of loss Of young turkey chicks
under most perfect management is greater
than the loss of the common fowl, still
turkeys that survive reach such n great
weight that given number Of pounds of
turkey may, perhaps, be raised with less
labor than the same quantity of flesh of
the common fowls.-POultry Monthly.
EGGS FOR WINTER UsE.-It is Il foolish
plan to be seeking the best method for
putting down eggs for winter use. This
used TO be one of the first tests Of thrifty
housekeeping. But it is better and just as
easy to have hens lay all the year round.
If hens have warm house and enough TO
eat, and of the right kind, they will lay in
winter as well as in summer. Farmers
always expect to feed some grain to the
fowls; then if they would save all the
waste meat and scraps that Accumulate
from the table, and feed it o the hens in
winter they would be repaid in fresh egg,
1t is also good plan 10 hatch out some
early aud some late chickens, as in that
way the late ones will be laying when the
older ones want rest.