Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-02-27
Poultry For Profit.
By MRS. L. NJ. ESTES

To make the keeping of poultry
profitable, raise itup on the same level
with your other stock. A farmer points
with pride to his high grade or full
blooded cattle or hogs. Then why not
the poultry also? Don't you think Mrs
Farmer would take more interest in it
if she could have chickens to feel proud
of? Give a woman pretty things to
work with and work becomes a pleas
ure. You will admit, Mr. Farmer, that
you take more pride in raising and
feeding your blooded stock than you
possibly could feel if they were mere
scrubs. Is that the only reason? No.
You know when you have them ready
for market they will bring you better
price. That should be the principle
upon which you should build up your
poultry. Any poultry buyer will tell
you that he will give from l to II cts.
more pound for thoroughbred chick
ems, and why? Because they are all
alike and sell better when dressed.
Therefore he can pay more for them.
The breeds with clean yellow legs and
skin are the favorite among market
poultrymen. So the farmer should
keep general purpose fowl, one that
will lay the largest number of eggs and
have good market value. The egg
trade of the United States is something
immense, yet we are not able to supply
the demand. New York alone ports
millions of dozens yearly. 1 think I
hear some people say, then why don't
we get better price? 1 will give you
one reason why eggs go so low in price,
especially in warm weather. I have
seen eggs come into town, so filthy,
that an egg-eating dog would turn away
from them in disgust. Send them to
market looking clean and attractive
and when you find nest of eggs in the
weeds, test them, and find out whether
they are fresh or have chickens in them.
A merchant told me last summer that
farmers were responsible for the price
of eggs, which at that time was 6 cents.
He said they had shipped 40 cases of
eggs the week before and when they
got the returns, 1G cases were con-
demned, lost entirely. Now if you
want good prices make your eggs worth
that price. Don't think for a minute
you are anything ahead when you take
dirty or rotten eggs to town, for you
are the loser in the end.
1t costs no more to raise thorough
bred poultry than scrubs, neither does
it take any more work. Then why not
make the work pay you larger returns?
House your poultry well in winter.
Build scratch shed if you have to
build it of poles and slough hay. The
hens will more than reyay you for it
and they will be busy and happy all
the day instead Of sitting huddled up
on the sunny side of fence or sitting
in the trees all day. Feed variety,
not all corn. Give them clover hay,
cabbage, beets, potato and apple skins
and table scraps.
Always supply some kind of grit and
keep water where they can get it when
ever they want it.
The keeping Of poultry has become
quite fad among business men. judi
ges of the supreme court, ministers,
doctors, lawyers, merchants Of all dis
criptions, are keeping thoroughbred
poultry. They keep chickens for rec
reation as we'll as for the money there
is in it. Then if those men and wom-
en- can make a success of it on a
cramped up town or city lot, why
should not the farmer do so too who
has almost unlimited range and have
the food question solved right on the
farm?