The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-17
FARM POULTRY.
How Practical Man or Woman can
Make it Pay

How Practical Man or Woman Can
Make it Pay.
The following is S25 prize article
written for the Practical Farmer by
o. c. Mastin of Saunders county. Ne
! braSka.
a Plymouth Rock or Wyandotte
chick, Matched in April, if fed for rapid
growth, will come to laying maturity
in October, and with proper shelter and
judicious feeding will lay all through
the winter months, when eggs sell for
top prices. and keep up most of the
following spring and summer The
coclerels Matched with the pullets, if
marketed early when prices are good,
will pay for their own feed and that
consumed by the pullets until the lat
ter begin to lay. The pullets after lay
ing year, then marketed before be-
ginning to moult, will sell for enough
to pay for food consumed during the
time of laying, the eggs received being
thus practically all profit. The aver
age price should be at least Is cents
per dozen, and the number not less
than ten dozen, giving a profit of $1.5O
per hen. Twelve to fifteen dozen per
hen can be secured, and many of the
eggs being laid in winter the average
price in some places would be 20 cents
or more.
Mr.. Hunter, editor of Farm Poultry,
has averaged profit of $3.50 to SO per
hen on eggs for market for several
years past, keeping about 300. Never
theless l am convinced that a great
many keep fowls at a loss, a large pro-
portion Of their focks being non-pro-
ducers, consuming the profits made on
those that lay. However, by adopting
wise system Of manaS ement and Civ
ing the needed care at the right time,
certain and abund%nt success is as
Sured. A slight variation often means
the difference between success and fail
ure. To illustrate, we hatch pullets in
April, get them to laying in October,
keep them laying for year. and then
sell them If kept through moulting,
they stop laying for several months
and greatly reduce the profits already
made. Chicks Matched in June do not
mature before winter; cold weather
checks development and they will not
lay till near spring. do not keep them
over) Market them as soon as possible
and avoid the drop in prices that takes
place when the slow going majority
begin to market their surplus. Cock
erels kept till October or November
bring more money than if sold for
broiiers in June and July.
All VI SSuS vi IOWi is nave merit. LlI1-
tied space forbids giving details For
farmer either the Plymouth Rock or
Wyandotte combine more desirable and
fewer undesirable qualities than any
other breeds. Wyandottes are prefer
able in cold climates, having low
combs not easily frosted. The white
varieties are free from dark pin feath-
ers when dressed and are easier to
breed true to color Barred Plymouth
Rocks, unless skillfully mated, look lit
tie better than mongrels. These breeds
are hardy, mature quickly and are
good layers. The chicks are easily
raised and make the best broiiers and
have the desirable leg and skin The
standard weight of Plymouth Rock
hens is seven and one-half pounds;
Wyandottes. six and one-half pounds.
Select the best well matured fowls to
breed from. Unless eggs are used for
Matching, exclude males, UnfertiliZed
eggs keep better.
If more than thirty fowls are kept
yard them in separate f1ocks Poultry
netting is cheap and a yard 20x125 feet
seeded to redtop grass will keep green
during the growing season and furnish
thirty hens a good part of their liv-
ing. Plant fruit trees in the yard for
shade.
Experience proves that house room
of nearly ten feet square per fowl is
needed to have them remain healthy
and productive. A house 10x20 feet will
accommodate not more than thirty
Raise foundation twelve inches above
general level, fill with sand or gravel
and grade up outside with same This