Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-07-11
miscellaneous.
Poultry Raising.
How SOME HAVE SUCCEEDED AND
OTHERS FAILED.

Don't put your eggs in one basket is
an adage as wise as it is homely. but
probably no class of men regard it less
than novices in egg and poultry raising.
Every year numbers rush into this bust
ness thinking to make money. and after
brief season of mingled success and dis
appointment, nearly all rush out. The
misfortune is, that the singed ones retire
80 quietly that they leave no warning
of the breakers and shadows they have
encountered. Very few persons have the
courage to talk about failures, and so the
unwary are led on TO repeat the expert
ments which have signally failed hun
dred times before. The fact is. success
in raising and keeping poultry depends
largely on care, shrewd management and
patient continuance in welldoing. The
mills Of the gods grind slowly and those
who make haste to be rich'' seldom wait
for the grist. We have heard several ex-
perienced poultry keepers say. that last
winter my fowls did not do as well as
expected, and have seen others exult a.
cackling hens over their achievements.
We cite cases both Of triumph and de-
feat -
John IL Baldwin Of Chicoppe gathered
1919 eggs in the months Of January and
February from Cd hens Of mixed breeds,
and best of all he sold most Of them at
40 cents a dozen, or an aggregate OF $50.
These fowls it will be seen averaged near
" ls eggs a day, and although they must
have had unusual care, they doubtless paid
their owner well A jolly couple in an
adjacent town, kept solitary hen and it
is their boast that that hen has kept them
stocked with eggs all winter, and that
they usually have a pan full ahead to treat
company with Another man the proud
owner Of about u hundred fowls Of all
descriptions has excuse for putting all his
eggs into one basket. Trudging along
TO market one day with basket in his
hand, he was accosted by neighoor with
the querrv. .'lIow many eggs have you
got this timeon Well" was the reply,
..if had one more, it would make a
Dozen" and this man doesn't go to mar
ket every day.
The spring is the general harvest time
for poultry products. but some good man.
ayers succeed in getting eggs all the year
round, A gentleman in the eastern part
of the state claims that in 1873, 81 Leg
horns averaged POI eggs each, and that
the cost OF keeping these fowls was 81 II
each. The profit on these fowls was over
80 each. This is q remarkable case. but
not an impossible one. Those fowls are
above the average that lay $50 eggs year,
and that yield profit Of 81 each. 1t is
considerable work to keep debit and
credit account with flock of fowls, es-
pecially if one is overcharged with
weightier matters, and hence there are
few reliable statistics on this subject. Ac-
cortiing to the census of 1875 the value of
the poultry in Massachusetts exceeded
$500 900 and this is doubtless nearly cor
rect.
The Matching of chickens by artificial
heat, and the nursing of them till they
can ''shirk for themselves" is a growing
industry. lncubators, as the Matching
boxes or ovens are called are getting to
be somewhat familiar. In West Spring
field, one man has Matched this season
600 chickens by this means. and another
40. We have recently seen two broods
of these chicks. one three DAYS old and an
other three weeks, and both We're as lively
and clipper rs if they had been brooded
by hen There is considerable ma
chinery, Mt least $50 worth. requisite in
starting an incubator. and then it takes
six or eight gallons of Kerosene in early
spring To keep up the temperature for
three weeks night and day. The eggs are
turned night and morning, every day. by
hand. and about 20 or so per cent. of them
usually hatch. An ingenious contrivance
has been devised. by which the fertility oi
the eggs can be proved on the third day.
As fast rs the chicks are Matched they are
placed in small paper boxes. lined with
flannel. and kept warm till they dry off.
They then are ready Tor their artificial
mothers, which may he cheese-boxes.
warmed by artificial heat and lined with
soft wool or cotton batting. under which
they can huddle and run in and out to he
fed
A hot-bed. il ventilated and shaded,
seems to be a pretty good place for young,
motherless chickens. Corn meal and
wheat shorts mixed. with little egg food
seems to agree with their appetite and
health They need care and watching all
through their infancy, and SO ii pays to
have large broods. When the incubator
was novelty at the poultry show in the
City hall here. one of our neighbors
bought a hundred chicks and lost all but
five. We have heard of incubators get
ting on too much heat and SO spelling a
batch of eggs Hence we conclude that a
henery left to take care of Itself will prove
a disappointment and failure. With care
and experience il will doubtless pay some
thing The two best breeds of fowls are
probably the Brahmas tor meat and the
Leghorps for eggs Springfield Repubii