Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-05-05
Poultry In Large FlOcks.

For given amount of capital invest
ed there IS more profit in poultry when
rightly managed than anything else on
the farm. It is well-known, however,
that small focks pay greater proper
tional return than larger ones. This is
partly because small focks receive more
attention, and partly because fowls will
not thrive when kept together in large
numbers. In venturing into the poul-
try business beginners should under
stand that if it Is intended to keep the
fowls in large focks, even when well
attended, bountifully fed, and the full
range of the farm given, success cannot
be assured. This experiment has been
tried over and over again, and to-day
there is but one farm in the United
States devoted to poultry in large num-
bers, and that one is conducted on q
different plan from that to which farm
ers are accustomed.
Poultry-raising should be encouraged.
1t can be'so managed as to give light
employment to women and children,
and is within the reach of those with
limited means. Long before Americans
discovered that there was great secret
in poultry-raising the French put in op-
Grafton method that enables them to
ship eggs to England, Germany and
Austria, as well as to supply large de-
mand at home. 1t is often remarked
that the French are the most successful
poulterers in the world, but we can do
all they can do in the matter, and more,
too, for they have no home-raised Indian
corn to assist them. They divide their
fowls into focks of not more than one
dozen. Each flock has small fowl
house, 10x10 feet, and yard of about
one hundred feet deep. divided in
the middle. The houses stand sep
arately in the center of the yards,
which are thirty feet wide. Each
house has thus a 50xS0 feet yard in
front, and the same in the rear. An
acre of ground will allow fourteen OF
these houses and yards. The fourteen
yards, With one dozen fowls each, will
accommodate 168 fowls. This is large
number for an acre of ground, but they
are kept healthy by changing them fre-
quently from one vacant yard to anoth-
er. The p .rtition fences are built very
cheaply, sometimes of wire, and again
of lath. To make this system palmer
to the reader, it should be known that
two iocks of fowls are never in adjoin-
ing yards, as perfect seclusion from
other flocks must be enjoyed by each OF
the small hocks. Thus, while one flock
is running in the yard at the front of
its house, the adjoining yard on the left
and right is empty, rs the next lot OF
fowls will be running in the rear Of
their quarters, or, to illustrate by means
of checker-board, the dark spaces
representing the occupied yards and
the white spaces the vacant ones.
As soon as the fowls are placed in
one of the yards (the front one, for in
stance) the rear one is spaded up and
seeded to grass, oats. rye, quick-grow-
ing vegetables having good large tops,
or anything else that will afford plenty
of green food. When fair growth has
been secured the fowls are turned into
the rear yard, and the front one is in
turn spaded up and seeded down. The
frequent spading of the ground not only
keeps the yard fresh and clean, but
their fertility is greatly increased by the
rich droppings OF the fowls.
There is another important matter
connected with the French system Of
poultry-raising-they are particular in
regard TO breeds. Unlike the American
farmer, any and every sort of fowl will
not do for them. They are partial t.
the non-setters. and believe eggs to b,
moro profitable than chicks, although
some are beginning to alter their opin
ions in this respect. They have demon
strated one fact in poultry-raising
which has been verified by EnglishmeI
and Americans, and that is that an acr'
Of ground will support nearly 200 hens
With a margin of one dollar profit on eacl
hen, which is not by any means large
estimate, the reader can calculate TO
himself the advantage Of this kind o
poultry-raising.
But to do as the French do, ther,
must be some person willing to give al
his time to the care of the hens Itwil
not do to attend to the horses, COWS an,
pigs and give an occasional look at tn
poultry. Some particular person mus
have the care Of them, to see that the
are fed regularly; that plenty of fresh
clean water is kept within their reacl
all the time; that ground or broken oys
ter shells, gravel, little box of sui
phur. charcoal and bones or scraps O
meat is given literally, Perfect clean
illness and ventilation are always to b
looked out for. In winter there mus
be no cracks In the houses to admit tn
wind. There is demand always TO
eggs and poultry, and there is no dan
ger OF oyerstocking the market. -Pfil
qdetphia Record