Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-09-03
CHICKENS AND EGGS.
Poultry Raising in Summer.

Many farmers suppose that it is not protita-
pie to hatch chicks in summer, or retain hens
that are Noting, yet while the profits Of
raising poultry i'll summer may not be as great
as during the winter months, when the cost Of
production is compared with the prices OBJ
tanned for every month in the year, it will be
noticed that fair profit can be secured ut all
seasons.
dispose of her as soon as she begins to mott,
as all hens must naturally shed their feathers.
which usually requires period of three
months. After she has arraycd herself in her
new Plumage, she takes a new lease of life and
soon begins to lay. She is then more valu-
able than when she was a pullet, as she is
fully matured, viii lay larger eggs, while the
percentage of chicks from eggs laid by
her Will be larger than from pullets' eggs.
Sending the hens to market as soon Us they
on the market at time when prices are low,
but deprives the poultry raiser of his best
layers. The Matching of chicks dur ng the
summe11months can be made profitable even
at low prices, as the food for each pound of
flesh on the chicks will only cost five cents,
and, allowing two cents for the eggs from
which the chicks is latched two eggs per
chick), the total cost for chicks, weighing two
pounds, need not be over fifteen cents each.
At only twelve and onc-half cents per pound
quite large profit would be secured in pro-
portion to the expense for food and capital in
vested. Most persons object to summer hatch
ing owing to the annoyance of lice, but good
manager should not allow the vermm to ap-
pear. AS but little warmth for the chick is
required in summer, with g cen food plenti-
full, and the prospects more favorable than in
winter, 1T is an excellent time for Matching
chickens for profit -A'ncricoM Agriculturist.
Producing Large Fo,cls for Market.
just in the same manner as & -seers are
| produced for the butcher, so may the best
| fowls for market be raised At nearly all our
fat-stock shows the best steers We're those
bred with the native as q foundation. First,
! there was q cross OF the Short-hor1l, then the
Hereford, and something Of the black Scotch
breeds. If we will begin with tho Large,
coarse-boned hens, and cross them with a
Brahma rooster, we will largely increase the
cross, mated with Dorking or Houdan, pro
duce fowls much larger than either parent.
and when the cross is still carr ed on, and the
next generation is half Plymouth Rock, the
result will be a bird that grows very rap dly,
Is hardy, and will attain tho greatest weight
possible.
In experimenting with crosses we used
pure light Brahma hen with Houdanlcock.
The chicks were forced in growth 10 order to
| observe how fast they would grow and how
quickly they would be made to reach given
weight, and the result was that they averaged
two pounds the day they were nine weeks old,
when dressed and ready to be drawn. The
weight was such as to create doubt, and as
second experiment a Pymouth Rock cock was
used with u Brahma hen, and the chicks also
reached the weight of two pounds each when
nine weeks old. The Plymouth Rock was then
crossed on the puliets Of the Houdan-B rahma
cross, and at the end Of sixteen weeks they
weighed four and one-fourth pounds each, or
more than a pound for each months growth,
the groater weight having been made during
the last two weeks. Here was the result Of
good breeding and, we may add, of good feed
ing, too, for they were fed for the purpose of
making rapid growth from. The start There
was no secret mole of feeding. The chicks
were given all they could eat, and received all
the attention possible of being bestowed
Fam, Field, and Stochnan.