The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-06-01
P0ULrRY RAISING.

POULTRY RAISING.
For a given amount of capital invested
there is more profit in poultry when
rightly managed than in anything else
on the farm. 1t is well known, however,
that small Hocks pay greater prepor-
ional return than larger ones. This is
partly because large focks receive more
care and attention, and partly because
fowls will not thrive when kept together
in large numbers. venturing into the
poultry business beginners should un-
derstand that if it is intended to keep
fowls in large focks, even when well at
tended, 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
different plan from that to which farmers
are accustomed.
Poultry raising should be encouraged.
It can be so managed as to give light
employment to females and children,
and is within the reach of those of linn
tied means. Long before the Americans
discovered there was a great secret in
poultry raising the French put in opera
ton a method that enables them to
ship eggs to England, Germany and
Austria, as well as to supply large de-
mand at home. It is often remarked
that the French are the most successful
poulterers in the world, but we can do
all that they can do in the matter, and
more too, for they have no home-raised
Indian corn to assist them. They di-
vide their fowls into focks of not more
than one dozen. Each flock has small
fowl house, 10x10 feet, and yard of
about 100 feet deep divided in the mid
die. The houses stand separately in the
center of the yards, which are 30 feet
wide. Each house has thus 50x30 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 fro
quently from one vacant yard to another.
The partition fences are made very
cheaply, sometimes of wire and again of
lath.
To make this system palmer to the
reader, it should be known that two
focks of fowls are never in adjoining
yards, as perfect seclusion from other
focks must be enjoyed by each of the
small focks. Thus, while one flock is
running in the yard in the front of its
house, the adjoining yards on the left
and right are empty, as the next lot OF
fowls will be running in the rear of their
quarters or, to illustrate by means of a
checker board, the dark spaces represent
the occupied yards, and the white spaces
the vacant ones.
As soon as the fowls are placed in one
of the yards Che front one for instance)
the rear one is spaded up and seeded to
grass, oats, rye, quick growing vegeta-
bles 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 spad-
ing OF the ground not only keeps the
yards fresh and clean, but their fertility
is greatly increased by the rich drop
pings 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 to
the non-setters, and believe eggs to be
more 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 Englishmen
and Americans. and that is that an acre
OF ground will support nearly 200 hens.
With margin of 81 profit on each hen,
which is not by any means large esti-
mate, the reader can calculate for him
self the advantage of this kind of poul-
try-raising.
But to do as the French do there
must be some person willing to give all
his time tc the care of the hens. It
will not do to attend to the horses, COWS
and pigs, and give an occasional look at
the poultry. Some particular person
must have the care of them, to see that
they are fed regularly that plenty of
fresh, clean water is kept within their
reach all the time; that ground or
broken oyster shells, gravel, little box
of sulphur, charcoal and bones or scraps
of meat are given literally. Perfect
cleanliness and ventilation are always to
be looked out for. In winter there must
be no cracks in the houses to admit the
wind. There is a demand always for
eggs and poultry, and there is no danger
of overstocking the market.-Philddel-
phia Record
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