The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-01

Foster told us yesterday in talking OF
economical feeding of livestock, the most
economical method of feeding is not al
ways the cheaDest-does not always pro-
duce the most satisfactory results
what Will be the product OF a hen in a
| year with good care2 One hundred and
nifty eggs year is a conservative est
mate; il is good average. But this
average could be increased in few
years by proper care and selection. Those
| eggs should be worth a cent apiece, the
price depending upon the time of the year
/ they are laid. From experiments now be-
ing conducted at our station, and from
keepers, think l am safe in saying
that a hen can be kept in this state at
the present price of foods for 30 cents
a year for food. Deducting this from
the amount received for the eggs, we have
profit of 81 per head per year for each
fowl; or for 100 hens, 500 profit BY max
ing the hens lay well in winter you ought
TO be able to get more than Sl-5O for $50
eggs And by proper care in breeding.
selecting the best layers each year Tor
breeding. you ought TO be able to bring
the average yearly production of eggs up
to about 200. and that would mean
profit of about 81 per year instead OF 81.
But suppose you only get $50 eggs per
year and receive an average price or only
a cent apiece, you have made a profit of
81 on an investment of so cents. or 500 on
an investment OF $50 in one year.
age farm with practically no cost for
labor. know of an eastern poultry
man, who devotes his whole time to it,
buys all his feed, and keeps an accurate
account of the expenses and receipts.
His hens lay an average of 1S6 eggs
year. at q food cost of ca cents His
hens lay in the winter, and average oyer
20 cents a dozen; so that after paying
for the food he has a profit OF about
$3.50 for each fowl at the end of the
years operations.
Now then, we are ready to go into the
business. When we know all about
profits we know all about the business.
That IS, we think we do. But there are
some other things to inquire into before
embarking. or we will be wrecked on
the rocks in a very short space of time.
There are some details, TO neglect which
details and the profits will take care of
themselves.
Amongst the many details the following
may be mentioned: Breed from the best
layers. You know from the Babcock
test that there are great differences in
the capacity of two dairv cows for but
ter fat production. One cow will make
good profit, the other will lose as much
to the owner. and the owner concludes
there is no money / dairying. But you
apply the test. kill the cow that does not
have profit from your dairy. 1t is much
the same with hens, though we have no
such test of their capacities. But by
closely observing them and selecting the
best layers each year, ii is quite possible
that the production of a flock may be
increased from 100 eggs to 200 in few
years. Another important detail: Hatch
the chickens early in the spring, so that
they will be laying eggs when prices are
high This is one of the most important /
details in the poultry business. Hatch
not later than the middle of May for the
small breeds and earlier fo- the large
breeds, and the pullets will be laying be-
fore cold weather sets in and viii con-
tinue laying during the winter. when
you have no right to say that there is no |
money in poultry. Another thing equally |
important is to keep only young stock
for laying. If you want to make money |
out of poultry 1t will not do to keep your |
hens till their teeth fall out. They should |
never be kept, under any circumstances, |
year.
Probably the most troublesome question |
in the business is to learn Just what kind |
of feeding is most conducive to egg pro- |
duction. To produce eggs the hen must |
be fed some material from which TO |
make eggs. The hen is an egg factory, |
but she must have the proper raw ma
of the egg is something like this. The |
shell constitutes 1881 per cent of its |
weight: the yolk S2.47 per cent. and the
position of the egg is about Sc per cent
water of its total weight. u per cent
protein, II per cent fat. and u per cent
mineral matter The egg weighs on an |
average two ounces. To produce one egg
the hen must digest and assimilate about
ounce of protein. about the
nearly, not quite the same amount of
fat. in addition to the necessary water,
l.3 ounces. You see the composition of
the egg is highly heterogeneous. and the
fowl must be literally fed on food rich
in protein to produce eggs. OF course
all the food fed does not go to the pro-
duction of the egg Part of it is used
In supplying the requirements OF the
body itself But to produce eggs a highly
ration must be fed. that is
a narrow nutritive ratio. You heard
about balanced rations yes
terday and the ratio required for certain
purposes and certain kinds of animals.
Laying hens require a narrower ration
than feeding animals, because the prod
Ist of the hen-egg-is rich in protein
Dr highly heterogeneous. Authorities agree
that a ratio not wider than about one of
protein to four of carbohydrates is about
right. But there is something else re-
luired for laying hens, something that
ioes not enter into the bill of fare for
horses or feeding animals: that is min
eral food You know the hen. unlike the
cow, takes particular care as to the
way she places her product upon the
market In very convenient size she
enceses it securely in a covering COM
posed of mineral matter, and SO jealous
s she of its purity and cleanliness that
she positively refuses to lay eggs If her
,ill of fare does not contain sufficient
mineral food with which to make the
Now then. what food supplies all these
This is a large question in it
SELF e nave SdlQ lfldl Ine TdliO
De about Ia. The nuptritive ratio of
wheat is about 1:9 In feeding wheat
therefore alone the hen will not get suffi-
lent egg material to produce eggs; at
my rate not in any quantity. Other
'oods such as bran, lean meat. pea meal.
IT cottonseed meal, must be fed to reduce
he ratio or make it narrower OF course
here are other foods by which this can
De done. Then the mineral matter will
De obtained by feeding cut bones or
,yster shells. Another thing in feeding
or eggs. don't starvs the hen. Not only
rive her all shs will eat, but by giving
Ter a variety of foods induce her to eat
more. because the more she eats. the
more eggs will be laid. and the greater
will be the result in profits.