The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-10-01
Poultry Raising by Women

a large New England village was left a
widow with four children, and a little
less than $500 in money. Friends. after
the fashion that friends have at such
times, advised her to E'put the children
out, and perhaps she could support
herself by sewing or teaching; but, like
the plucky New England woman that
she was, she made answer: ~
My children shall not be separated
While have the health and strength to
work for them' .k3i 9e1N3
She rented house with few acres of
land adjoining, invested the greater part
of the $500 in poultry, feed, and fixtures,
and went to work. The friends pre-
dicted speedy failure.
Did she expect to support family
OF five from the profits of a few chick
ens." rfTT
Eyes, expect to- do just that, " she
anewered- when was a girl always
managed the poultry on fathers farm,
and | made itpay then, and | see no rea-
son why can't make it pay now" ~.
You'll see," said the wise ones.
Its our private opinion that YOU have
thrown away the little money that YOU
had. Five dollars for a rooster 20 and
eyes were rolled up and heads shook
over the "shiftlessness of woman who
PAID 20 tor rooster
Last winter | met this waman at a
poultry show, and she told me of her
success. She had educated her child
rem, paid for her little farm worth $500
and had $500 in the bank.
Another woman, whose husband fell
and was crippled for life, took up poultry
raising as the only thing she could do at
home. That was thirteen years ago,
nd no f,,o =
ed, and has money in bonds and in the
bank. af
A young woman whose health failed
in the close confinement of the school
room, went to raising poultry because
she was obliged to do something for a
living, and because the doctors advised
mental rest and as much outdoor exer-
else as possible. In two years her health
was fully established; but in the mean
time she had found poultry keeping so
pleasant and profitable that she refused
TO teach again. She has been in the
business five years, and she is earning
fortune as fast as ever pair of woman's
hands did.
Last winter the writer made clear
profit of nearly $1,000 on breeding stock
of some 200 chickens, ducks and turkeys.
/ do not publish this to boart of my sue
cess, but to show other women what a
woman can do under favorable circum-
stances. The favorable circumstances in
my case were Il splendid stock of. breed
ing fowls, healthy location, thorough
knowledge of the business in all its
branches, and nearness to first-class
market.
OF course some doubling individuals
stand ready to declare that tits impossi-
10 oh +crsA Il.
kept, but if they will stop and consider
that l get spring chickens into market
during the months OF April and Nav,
when they. sell readily at 81 each; that
sell ten and twelve pound capons at
thirty cents pound that I manage to
have eggs to sell in winter. when / get
from thirty to thirty-fve cents a dozen,
and that / sella few trios of exhibition
birds every year, they will see where the
big profit comes in.
Now don't stop right here and give up
all thoughts of raising chickens, Just be- 4
cause you cannot get such prices in your
locality, but wait until | give you few
hints from my experience.
/ have kept poultry in the West where
eggs sold at the stores for eight cents a
dozen in summer, and poultry sold in
the fall for seven cents pound, but |
made it pay. We lived on line of rail-
road two hundred miles from city mar
ket, but | soon found out that all the
poultry and eggs went to the city, and |
could not for the life of me see why |
could not ship such things Just as well
as the merchants, so ! sent thirty doz-
en- package OF fresh eggs to a commission
house in the city; they sold readily, and
there was call for more. ''These
small packages, every one warranted
fresh, are just what we want" wrote the
commission man. / did some more
thinking, and then put on my good
clothes and went to the city. Once there
it did not take me long to find grocer
who wanted thirty dozen of fresh eggs
week; so shipped the eggs direct to
him, and saved the commission mer-
chants profit. In the fall sold my
poultry in the same way.
There was no thoroughbred poultry in
the vicinity except that in my yards, and
when the people began to find out that
nay chickens were superior to the com
mon mongrel fowls, they bought great
many eggs for Matching. There was not
one pair OF any of the improved varieties
of ducks in the county. l sent thou
sand miles for a pair Of the Pekins, and
within a month after they arrived every
body had the duck fever, and was over
run with orders for ducks before single
egg Matched. | also procured some
bronze turkeys, and sold every egg that
/ could spare and every turkey that
raised at good prices.
Every woman that goes into poultry
raising may not be able to get III these
extras, but every woman who desires to
earn money by raising poultry, and goes
into the business with a determination
to succeed, will sure to make it pay,
even if she sells every egg and every