Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-01-27
rro BE
PROFITS IN POULTRY KEEP
ING.
Paper read before the Farmers
Institute by Mrs. Emma Nash.

AhAS 5ANSh AS SAo oaDJSSb-
profits in Poultry Keeping" to write upon
and when 1 told them l had not seen the profits
as yet they assured me that made no difference.
knowledge of the subject was not a necessity,
In fact 1t was rather easier to theorize of what
we know little. Under these circumstances the
paper mnst be largely a chronicle of events
have kept poultry now three years. The
pronts of the first year were experience, of the
second year some more experience augmented
by SOM two hundred hen raised chicks. This
year Incubator experience pIedominated. The
incubator was a second hand one and since
then ] buy nothing second hand. The first
hatch resulted In nine chicks from one hundrei
and thirty eggs. three of the chicks
being weakly died. the remaining six were not
thought competent to fill the home made BROOD
er prepared for them aad as the brooher after
wards proved to leak and smoke and do several
other things not expected of one, 1t was not SO
bad for the brOOder. The chicks were given to
a kindly disposed hen. The second hatch was
very much like the first. but 1 was sure l knew
where the trouble lay and tried 2yssttas confident
that all would yet be well, but osofa .1,aeks
of careful watching there wer OF tee97as Sen
chicks that ever left the incnbsthe Fcj,e
again gave tile chicks to a Ieen H SSeehen
bundled out the second hand IL H., a1nnted
up the cost and listened to ! 80 Of the
house say told you SOL But Iattse odo hatch
chicks with incubators and success must come
with sufficient trying so my friends and relatives
were Informed that no presents for Christmas.
birthday or similar occasion were acceptable
except such as could be turned INTO -aaa
Incubator and brooder and at such times l was
the recipient of a box of candy with an
envelope or a book with the envelope or tile
envelope alone but always the envelope with
encouragements enclosed, until l found myself
possessed OF sufficient encouragement to order
one of Stalls best two hundred egg incubator.
the first hatch from which was not large but
taught me that I could grow chickens from eggs
with it. The second hatch doubled the first
and each one was higher than the preceding
one as l learned the better to operate the
machine, the last hatch giving me one hundred
and twenty-five fine healthy chicks, which
record l confidently expect to excel the coming
Matching season. Mrs. Cleghorn has always had
higher matches than this, being especially
successful. but probably she is not more
delighted over her larger matches than | with
my smaller ones.
The chicks from the first hatch we're put into
the old Incubator to await the coming of the
new brooder which was not ordered until proof
VI VI uSCu was IL lldEu. ~ TGcelNS llt DTOOueT
there was a small brooder house built 1Ox10 and
later a hen house l2xl4 one having been built
he previous year l2x16. The houses are low with
uilding paper put directly upon the studdinr,
and only the outer boards for covering, the
design being to board up inside when possible.
Good Single roofs are considered necessary,
the foundations are burr oak posts driven well
into the ground and boarded around. All these
1 v,Nnnpn t, Ia cn ,~a ,n-l A. 49,
the profits, but tile chickens this year have
about paid for them. OF the profits in ducks
and turkeys some one else can tell. Ducks with
me have only been a nuisance. so much so that
If one died there was rejoicing. l shall never
keep them again without suitable yards for
them. They take all food in sight whether
intended for them or not and befoul every
particle of water in sight as soon as it is put
down and make it very unhealthy for chickens
to drink. There We're great hopes built upon
the scventy-tive little turkeys that were growing
finely but as sometimes happens a colony of rats
visited us and they did not wait for Thanksgiving
to eat turkey; only a few of the older ones
q few of the older ones escaped them and part
of these the hogs ate later along with nearly q
hundred chickens.
OF the actual profits of the chickens / cannot
speak with any certainty because the feed has
always been taken from the abundance at hand
and can only approximate the cash returns, but
am encouraged to believe that we farmers
wives can do something for ourselves in this
line, and that a part of the farm income Should
come from the poultry is certain,
A considerable part of the profits of the
poultry to me last year came from the sale OF
full blood stock and eggs. In plea of full blood
poultry let me say that If full blood stock is de.
sirable so is fun blood poultry. If you do moi
believe In full blood stock you, of course, will
not be Influenced in behalf of better poultry
The first cost is greater but the later profits and
pleasures are also greater than with common
fowls.
The choice of kind of full bloods must be with
the owner. some preferiDg the heavier breeds
for market TOW and others the Leghorns fol
We must concede to them the first place as
layers, and / sometimes question if with a good
laying flock there is not as much profit in the
market eggs as In the raising of market chicks
and with less work.
The question n is often asked me would you
buy an incubator If You were me?" If you are
very strong or have others to relieve you some
what of the housekeeping cares, perhaps an
Incubator will be a good investment, but all
farmers wives raise enough poultry to know
that their care takes time and as the number
increases the work also increases. An incubator
VIII not run Itself, II reguirss Watching nigh,