Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-01-01
Written for the oxford Democrat.
POULTRY NOTES.

POULTRY NOTES.
The writer has heen making flying
visit through the ''Poultry Belt" OF east
ern Massschus.tts--if one part Of that
great poultry growing state can be thus
designated over any other-and has been
ast0nished over the growing interest in
poultry that il manifest upon every
hand. Literally dozens Of extensive
plants are springipg up, Involving ia
some cases outlaws OF several thousand
dollars for merely the necessary build
ings. To say nothing Of the cost of stock
to an them.
Poultry plants that run from 800 10
800 lsying hens are frequent ia all sec
tious of the stste, the large cities being
surrounded with such, TO say nothing of
the innumersble smaller ones
II il true that the low price of poultry
this fall has been discoursging thing
to many, aud no doubt much money hss
been lost by the producers of such low
priced stock; but despite the fact that
whilst ordinary dressed chickens were
bringing only from II l-2 To Ia cents per
10, at the outside, large, fancy and well
fStted stock-summer chickens weigh
ing four pounds and over, are even now
bringing AT wholesale l. cents per 10.
But nevertheless there has been an un-
usual glut In the poultry market, else we
should not have seen fine looking dress
ed turkeys. hanging in front of the
stores in Providence, X. l., marked to
retail At 10 cents per pound
But although poultry men are at a
loss to account for this state Of the mar
ket. the like OF which they say has not
existed for MANY years, there seems TO
DE no abatement of thu interest existing
In this branch of stock-raising.
Eggs are in the greatest demand in
Boston. Bv this mean eggs that are
strictly fresh: eggs shat have been laid
within a few DAYS of the time they are
offered for sale. The market men are
paving for such eggs all the way from
IS 10 30 cents per dozen, and they are
being bought by consumers from ~
cents per dozen, upwards. | know of
several persons who realize from the
eggs produced BY their small fiOcks of
hens 80 cents per dozen for every dozen
Of strictly fresh egg they can scare up.
IL i true this last price j. very fancy
one and could not be realized upon any
larger scale. but nevertheless vhen the
rank aud Tile of the entire egg output
that one NAV have st his disposal, can De
sold AZ between - and 30 cents per
dozen 10 dealers, there i enough in such
prices 10 make Il well worth while to
sell eggs in December.
such eggs however must be brown
eggs and of fair slze, In other words,
eggs laid by any OF the Asiatic breeds OF
fowls. White eggs are not 80 popular
ia the Boston market.
The same may be- said Of chickens;
they must De- yellow IN color 20 bring
the fancy prices.
IL i astonishing how the demand for
early chicks j. iucrea sing. BY that We
mean broilerS and roastcrs during the
mouths of April. Nav, June, July aud
August. The writer. in conversiug
" i'm one gentleman Who since last year
has been busy enlarging his poultry
plant so that his capacity may be snt-
Iicjrnt 10 raise about 10 600 chicks, MAS
told bv him that although he had not
vet completed his present plant, he was
already iiguriug upon one - much larg-
.r a. 10 dNiudle the present one entirely
into the shade This gentleman has
been approached by parties who were
ie-irous Of having him contract TO fur
ni,h, every dsv In the year, 100 brollers
That meant 30, 500 broilers a year, These
broilers would average about 81 lbs.
each. Masking total of $3.50 lbs. Of
hroilers. The average price for such
hroilers would be- in the ueighborhood OF
81 cents per pound, which i a low e.
innate. This would make the total num-
her Of broilers bring the sum of ST.
$50 -.
The actual cost of producing these
hroilers would be but little over 10 cents
per 10, hut IL We allow One-third oi
" hat they bring per To-. IL would leave
u, "A balance Of Sl4.90i l.. IL Ne then
.av that 81, ,904 l. OF the above would be-
required 10 run the plant IN the shape al
hired ahor aud sll expenses excepting
feed. which i reckoHed in the cost Of
We should still have the
handsome margin of $4,000 for the
wears business. Our friend e>timated
hat il would take about s2O.oOO Ia
huilding>-but even then il i, not very
often that oue can msSe hi, capital
bring Ia 80 per cent "a yesr of profit
Thi> i not fabulous scheme, such a.
i so often seen figured cut upon paper,
but an actual business fact. aud the
parties concerned are busily engaged III
figuring upon II.
The above i cited here, simply as an
of the manner 10 which
poultry interests are spreading and 10
show how very far the supply of Poul-
try products l. capable from filling the
existing demand.
AprOpOS of the above. the writer feels
persuaded 10 publish the purport OF a
letter lust received, Dee. 2lst) from
gentleman located but a few miles from
where this paper Is published, who
started in With small flock OF thirty
pullets, Barred Plymouth Rock, on about
Nov. 1T. Tie was rather a novice IN the
Of hens, according 10 his own
bat his courage was good.
He procured pullets that were toleraoly
eSrly hatehed. about the last OF April or
early in MAY. aud built for them pens
that had room enough for thirteen (about
l3O 81. Il. each but in which he placed
but ten birds.
The first eggs were laid Nov. 9Th, only
one or two. but they began To rapidly
increase. The last week In November