The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-22
Does Poultry Keeping Pay the
Farmer.

asking the question, Does it pay:"
to do this or that, or will this invest
ment pay me. 1t is after being asked
of the poultry business. says writer
in the Indiana Farmer.
There are several farmers in our
country that have large fiocks of poul-
try that require a large amount of
grain every year to winter, but scarce
ly lay an egg during the entire win
ter. The farmer seems to be contented
with them, thinking they are a neces-
sary evil that every farmer must be
blessed CD with to content the whims
of his wife. She must have a few eggs
to market and a few chicks to raise
each year or else her part of life would
be taken from her. If the farmer was
to give his wife the proceeds of the
grain these fowls eat she would be
able to buy all she had been buying
with egg money and have some left
besides. Then all the work and fuss
ing is thrown in for good measure.
From such a one the answer would all
most invariably be No"
Then, must we take from this that
it does not pay? Surely there is money
made at the business by somebody. If
you will notice the don't pay farm
crs, you will find that their poultry
have very poor shelter. The poul-
try house is full of holes which al
low draughts to blow through the
building giving them cold or else the
roup. When the farmer goes to feed
them, he throws some corn in a pile,
and all they have to do is to stand
there and eat, never so much as NOV
ing from their places unless pushed
away by some more greedy hen. The
weak must stand by and eat the leav-
ings, while the others are so stuffed
with corn that they become fat and
unfit for laying.
The fowls need a good warm build
ing that is free from cracks and holes
and variety of food given them in
such a manner that they cannot get it
without working for a part of it at
least. This exercise required in get
ting their food will keep them healthy
and use up all the fat that accumu-
lates around the egg producing or
gans. By feeding a variety it will not
take as much food and a much cheap
err food can often be used than corn
and wheat. The hen being a producer
of every complex production, the egg
she needs just such foods as will make
the egg, and not so much fattening
foods. If you have hundred hens they
ought to produce, at the very least
half the number of eggs when properly
cared for and managed. This means in
winter an income of frem so to 80
cents per day when eggs are the high
est. When they are not properly cared
for the amount ranges from about 0
to few cents, which anyone can read
lily see would not more than pay for
what they eat
1t all depends upon the way the
fowls are managed whether they pay
or not Quit depending upon corn to
feed your hens and use some other
foods as well. Cabbage is a fine food
and If you have a few heads left shat
you do not care to use for the family
they will pay you well to feed to the
hens. Potatoes, turnips and all kinds
OF vegetables are excellent to feed
the hens to make them lay. Green cut
bone and meat scraps can be had at
nearly all the meat shops and have no
superior as an egg producing food
Hens that have not been laying for
weeks will often begin laying in a few
days after they are given a diet of
green bone and meat, with their usual
diet of grain. There are a great num-
Der of other foods that are thrown to
the hogs, or wasted altogether, that if
given to the fowls would not only say e
grain but would add materially to the
egg basket.
Poultry when properly cared for are
the pest paying investment tnat can be
made on the farm, take IT year in and
year out. The raising of hogs may
surpass them some years, but it is only
a short time. There are hundreds of
mortgages that are paid off that never
would have been had it not been for
the flock of hens that kept the family
in groceries and clothes. allowing the
farmer to use all his products to ay
it off
No farmer should have to buy a dol
lars worth of clothes if lie ard his
wife cared for the poultry properly
and thus made it pay. Begin this fall
to make your poultry pay and see if
you cannot improve On the old ways
of caring for them. There is no doubt
that poultry pays, but 1t is a doubt
whether your flock pays you Study
this out and see if they are not paying.
try to find out why and then remedy
the cause, for there is no reason why
your hens should not pay as well as
anybody's. If you once learn what IL
means to properly care for them.