The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-03-03
POULTRY FOR PROFIT.


In raieing poultry for profit one does
not at the very outset need much cap
ital. Expensive poultry hous s and
yards are desirable, but it is better 10
start OF a small scale. a successful
poulterer must have good common
sense, a liking for his feathered pets
and never ending energy. Scrupu!Ous
cleanliness ana u~nceaeing vigilance are
the two main factors IN profitable
poultry. First determine which will
pay you best, fowls for market or eggs,
and then select the breed Of chickens
best adapted to your purpose. Brahmas
or Plymouth Rocks are the best for
meat production, and L9ghorns ! be
lieve will give the most satisfactory
results in cash as egg producers. l
find nearly ali poultry raises agree in
the belief that there is more money In
eggs than the meat of fowls unless one
happens to live neer large cities where
broIlers are IN good demand at fancy
prices. Even then II must work up
a private trade, as cold storage houses
buy broIlers when prices are down,
then flood the market when they al
vance.
The poultry raiser should always
base his estimate on the cost Of food
If eggs are the main object Use the
food best suited for their production,
then get a fowl which utiIizes this food
in the highest degree. The size Of the
hen has but little effect upon the mum
Der of eggs produced. If a small hen
will eat less and produce eggs from q
smaller amount OF food than a large
one, she is the fowl to select. If two
hens each weighing . pounds and three
are kept, 1t will be seen that each lot
aggregates IS pounds. II then the cost
of maintaining the two lots is the same
and the hens produce L egg each, it
is plain hat the group containing the
small hens is the most profitable. The
question then arises whether the food
does not give the greatest profit when
fed to the three hens. There is also a
gain of space with the small hens. The
three fowls will occupy no more space
in the poultry house than the two
larger ones, yet their laying capacity
is so per cent. greater. So after o
sidering all points l would advise
choosing Lekhorns where eggs are to
be the ources of profit. 1 personally
prefer White Leghorns, not only be
aus of their great beauty, but be
cause of upwards of 100 pens of fowls
they were awarded the prize for the
greatest number of eggs produced from
a given amount Of food.
If you are breeding for poultry shows,
the particular difficulties consist in OBJ
tanning a plumage free from yellow
tinge on hackle, saddle and often on
the back, with smooth white ear lobes
which contain no red around the edges,
or a yellow color rather than white in
the face. To obtain best results from
mating, select birds of the purest white
plumage and ear lobes, for if desired
for exhibition it is better to lose on
color Of legs, which counts for one to
six, if a gam can be made on plumage,
which counts for % to 25. The chicks
are often canary colored when first
Matched. Poultry judges have decided
that a bird scoring 80 points Is worth
81, n scoring 81 points So, one scor-
ing 80 points 81. one scoring 90 points
Sc, one scoring "a points SO. Male
birds have sod for a high as $50, hens
S. and siCUings of eggs all the way from
81 to IS.
Here, then, is an opening for anyone
who will fit himself for the work, and
it will pay we'll. There is always room
at the top IN any line Of work, and
there Is plenty of room here. Never
be satisfied with an all purpose fowl
Aim to excel ard be content with moth,
ing but the best success, The White
Leghorn is as yet unsurpassed as an
egg producer, though, like all white
fowls, they should be kept upon clear