St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-25
POULTRY AS A BUSINESS.
Pointers Given the Springfield
He z.,,op hy w II u IVill;op,S

FafmeP Dy w. u. b. w 1ll1AnS.
For the benefit Of those who are en-
barking in the poultry business, l wish
to add few words from practical
standpoint. There is a difference of
opinion among poultry raiserS as to
whether it is more profitable to keep
fowls for flesh or eggs. What shall
say, however, is taken from personal
experience and that of those who stand
foremost in the business. l advise
all to combine the two branches
and keep one breed for both flesh
and eggs. The best market demands
first, large brown eggs and medium
sized fowls with yellow legs and skin.
Very large and very small fowls do not
find ready sale with the best-paying
customers. and as for the blue-iegged,
biue-skinned ones. just offer one to
your best customers and see what they
say about it. Besides this, you want
breed that will give you plump chicks
at the brOiler age, for brOiler roasting,
and fowls that will fatten up quickly
and evenly. A breed that has all the
fat in one mass behind is not desirable.
Again, the greatest profits are derived
from selling broilers and layers just at
the beginning of the molting season, so
as to avoid feeding them during the
long spell when laying ceases and appe-
titles are enormous. All advantages
have their corresponding disadvantages;
so 1t is here, for at these two seasons
the pin feathers are spr0utiug like
young oats. and if your breed is one of
the colored varieties, the dressed ear
caSS will present the appearance of
having been literally peppered with
hot fOnthnr 80
filled with cOloring., matter, and it
is impossible to remove those
that have not grown sufficiently
to be pulled out. This l used to find
one of the greatest obstacles to encOun-
ter. My customers did not like the
looks of my dressed poultry during the
pin-father stage; but when ! carried
them some white fowls, they were pro-
fuse in their praises and gave me
larger order for the next time. This led
me to discard all colored fowls for white
ones, and after looking over the field
carefully, and weighing the merits of
the different breeds, | have decided that
the White Plymouth Rock fills the bill,
and is the fowl par excellence for the
commercial poultry raiser. Another adj
vantage is. that white feathers are more
in demand and at far better prices. In
starting your stock, buy few fowls of
a reliable breeder, for which you must
expect to pay a good price, but it is
money well invested. Cheap stock is
an abOmination and represents so much
time and money thrown away. Ii you
get good stock, they will not only pay
in chicks and eggs at market prices. but
you will have among the large number
of chicks raised many that are extra
fine, and these will find ready sale as
breeders, and show birds at good prices.
This branch of the business, if care
fully cultivated. will often Outstrip the
other branches referred to, thus ena-
bling one to secure as large an income
from a flock of high-scOring birds as for
merly from the entire business. and
leave more spare time TO devote to other
matters. Finally, start with small
flock and make haste slowly. Read the
poultry papers carefully; observe every
thing sharply, and, gaining experience
as you proceed, you will avoid the fate
of the man who deludes himself with
the idea that ne can easily keep thous-
and fowls and clear 81 600 q Vnar