Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-10-12
BABY cHlCKsAnEWDlsH
Served at Hotel Tables In the
Place of Squads.
INDUSTRY WITH BIG POSSIBILITIES

Tender and Delicious, the Demand
For the Young Fowl Exceeds the
suppIy-Are Hatched In Inc.sbators
and Marketed When Six Weeks Old.
Hotels Also Buy Them Alive.
If chickens could talk great outcry
of Indignation might be heard from
the poultry yards against new indus
try recently begun in the east, says Il
Columbus MOI correspondent of the
Kansas City Star They have good
grounds for protest. for il the new
industry succeeds and spreads over the
country the lives of vast majority
of the chickens would he curtailed to
The limit OF about six weeks.
The industry is perhaps due to the
fact that the present demand for
SQUADS is ahead of the supply. y sub.
stftute was needed. and some one his
upon the idea of serving baby chickens
in place of the latter. 1t is alleged
that the consumer can't tell the differ
enee. and it is even said that the
young chickens are more tender and
the greatest delicacy that ever tickled
Il human palate. Be this as it may.
the new industry is gaining great head
way and eastern hotel and restaurant
men are Offering high prices for baby
chickens. At present the demand Is
far ahead of the supply for the simple
reason that very few poultry breeders
are aware that such Il demand exists.
Western poultry breeders are yet in ig-
norance of the new industry, which
may i'll the end revolutionize the en-
tire chicken business.
Whether it will interfere with the
squad industry cannot yet he told.
The very fact that chickens are being
substituted for squads shows how
great is the demand for the latter. 1t
may be remembered that the squad
industry owes its origin TO the search
ty of quails. When the quail supply
failed SQUADS were substituted. and
now when the demand for the latter is
ahead of the supply baby chickens are
pushed into the breach. If the new
chicken business succeeds as we'll as
the squads there is no telling what
may be used when a substitute for
chicks is demanded.
Tie poultry yards where the baby
chickens are raised for market re-
sembles SQUAD farms in the manner of
construction. Woven wire fences are
used and the whole business is con-
Quoted inside an inclosure of this kind,
the chicks not being permitted to roam
about in the old fashioned way. The
feed Is the same as that given to
chickens destined to live longer life,
but is more plentiful, as the object is
to fatten them as much as possible
at an early age. All are raised in in
cubators and the Matching is so timed
that n new brood is turned out every
day in the month. This is made neceS-
sary by the market demand. The |
buyers demand that a certain number |
be furnished regularly every day and |
make contracts with the chicken rails |
ers to this effect. The fact that it is |
rather difficult to furnish n given num- |
Der daily owing to the possibility of |
accidents or the like Is one of |
the few drawbacks to the business.
As soon as the chicks are hatched |
they are taken from the incubator and |
carried to the pens or yards. Each |
group has separate yard in which is |
a brood house kept warm by means
Of a lighted lamp inside. Each yard |
is surrounded by n woven wire fence
which is so arranged that it may be
open when it is desired that all |
the chickens should run together.
Around the small yards is high wire
fence surrounding all the pens to pro
tect the chickens from danger of rats
Or prowling animals. When the chick
ems are large enough to grow feathers,
Or about six weeks old, they are put
IN boxes and sold alive to hotels and
restaurants. 1t is usual for the owner
TO have a contract with a particular
buyer who generally agrees to take all
hat he can produce. IT can be seen
that to supply even a single large hotel
)r restaurant is big undertaking and
t is often difficult to- keep up with the
demand. The general demand has
been rapidly increasing. thanks TO the
'avenous appetite which the public
seems to have developed for infant
chickens. and the indications are that
he new industry will soon spread over
he entire country.
There are several advantages in the
lew method which should not be over
ooked. The fact that the chickens
ire marketed at such an early age not
My cuts down the expense of feeding
o a figure far below the usual cost.
,ut IN an equal proportion curtails the
LANCER of loss from accident or disease.
There are other advantages so obvious
IS TO need no mention, and, all things
II looks as if the new in