Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-08-13
Profitable Poultry Farming.

ticles on poultry farming for the American
Poultry journal, from one of which we con-
dense the following advice to farmers and
beginners:
We may bring ourselves at once face to face
| with the main difficulties of poultry farming,
If we carefully consider for a moment the
very nature of the undertaking. We have to
| get profitable return, IL we can-from what
From a number of small animals, which do
| not like the sheep, collect naturally into large
focks Though polygamous, the natural
| harem of the fowl is very moderate, and the
natural tendency is for each family to separate.
We have, therefore, to get our result by care
| fully collecting q vast number of small profits
constantly practicing on every side small
economies, and avoiding on every hand
| countless possible small risks and wastes.
Were it not for these facts, the problem
would be perfectly easy for it has been
proved over and over again, that no domes-
| tic animal returns such n valuable product for
her cost and food, by long way, as good
| fowl. But the difficulty is to realize that re-
turn without such an amount spent in labor
and cost of accommodation rs eats up the
profit. If we seek to diminish labor by keep
| ing very large flocks together, the natural
constitution of the animal resents the arrange
ment by decrease of eggs many of which
may also be laid away; and the risks from
diseases are enormously increased. On the
other hand, subdivision is costly in buildings
and fences, also in oversight and labor. This
was the main difficulty years ago, and it re-
mains so still.
The first proposition l will lay down is,
that poultry farming is never likely to sue
coed with any but such as combine good Or
ganiZing and business qualities with thor
ough practical acquaintance with poultry
management. The only man who is likely
to make a success of such peculiar and COM
plicated business, is the man who can 90 at it
with his own knowledge and his own money.
Spend at least two or three years in learning
about fowls. See what you can do with a
few, adding to them gradually, and learning
practically the kind aud amount of care they
require, how many eggs they lay, and other
necessary details. Then, when the novelty
has worn off, and you have learnt at least
what the fools are, if your experience still
warrants you in proceeding upon larger
SCALE you may do so with some chance of
success
As regards the production of eggs all the
figures have been able to obtain lead me to
the conclusion that anything like a profit de-
ponds upon getting II stock of fowls which
will lay an average of $50 eggs per annum
each. l once met, on one of the Clyde
steamers, gentleman who had been trying
poultry farming in Scotland, and he told me
have had 20 eggs year more from each bird
it would have paid; as it was it did not pay,
and he had to give it up.
| Now, so far as l know at present, such
laying stock cannot be purchased. The poul-
try that are bred for exhibition have, to some
extent lost their laying qualities, and other
fowls have not been systematically cultivated
for them. But the fecundity is there, and it
can be cultivated. Let any man breed for
eggs, and he will get eggs; and that good
laying stock, which will lay the prescribed
quantity, should thus be gradually built up
for stocking the farm, is, in my opinion, u
necessary preliminary to any real success.
That the thing can be done is certain.
Cases are known in which 200 eggs in year
have been exceeded, and not in one breed
only. Such numbers have been exceed
ed in Brahmas, Minorcas, Andalusians, and,
believe, in Houdans; also in Leghorns and
Hamburgs, though the eggs Of these fowls
are unfortunately small, 1t is found that
much fecundity is more or less hereditary
like other points-it only needs cultivation
By setting persistently only eggs from the
best layers, and from cocks which also come
from good laying families the end will be Sc
cured; and in this way no one need lose any
time whilst going through even long ap-
premiership to poultry keeping. He can be
, doing work which has to be done before he
can possibly succeed. The needful selection
cannot well be made from large numbers and
in large yards it can only be done where
, the eggs of each bird and character are
known; and this is weighty reason why
even people who have experience and knowl-
edge, and do not need to wait for these,
would probably still think it advisable to be-
? gin IN small way. They would want to
make the stock with which to work on a
large SCALE
The stock must of course be the best for
laying that can be got As a rule, in the
large breeds, these will be rather spare in
9 body l have in my own experience come
= across about a dozen Dark Brahmas that
=, were really remarkable layers. As far as
remember, nearly every one was rather leggy
: and thin, and very hard feathered, such as l
should have killed without hesitation. The
D best laying Houdans, similarly, are not likely
+ to be found among show birds, but in the
, lighter framed ones, with modern crests
. The regular laying breeds"-Spanish and
Hamburgs-are VIGOROUSLY light in build
3 and it seems reasonable to suppose that there
II would be some antagonism generally between
e the production of flesh and eggs. Having
y got together, then, the best laying stock b,
. can, from observation and inquiry, in mod
crate numbers, the intending poultry farme
u has TO do the rest of the work himself. II,
Q will be lucky if his average exceed 40 or 12t
o eggs, which is not paying number II,
must find out by careful observation which
u hens lay the best, and which the worst
o raise all the chickens he can from the former
Il and kill all from the latter, and 80 on. Thi
e will take time and money that no immediate
II results can pay for, no doubt; but so do tn,
O preliminary stages Of any business, and Sc
a. no reason why poultry farming should diffe
in this respect from other business undertak
. ings. TO the neglect of such essential pre-
" liminaries L think We may distinctly trace a
h least some of the past failures.