The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-09-15
How Not to Succeed.
Oh. L. Kreis, Idaho)

1t was back IN the SUS In small
town in Minnesota that I was one of
the get-rich-quick kin1. My idea was
that the chicken business was the only
sure way. 1t is the story over again,
but many are falling in the same pit
that did then, so will relate some of
the black side of this business for a
guide to others.
Ny first move was to prepare chick
en- houses about so feet long and stock
them. All chicks looked alike to me
then, but among my purchases were
some very good Barred Plymouth
Rocks. | got one of the latest and
were not too good in those days. was
then ready for the gold to flow. MY
machine was set to work also hens
and things looked lovely for a while
I built my nests on the ground under
the roosts and started all the hens
could set. Had little trouble at first
to hatch them, but the machine gave
me lots of trouble, and all the young
came from the hens and not the ma
chine. There was lots of work to see
that the hens would not get mixed ur i.
or three or four hens on a nest.
knew no other way to set them then.
I had very good luck for while, and
Matched three or four hundred chicks
About the middle of the season the
rats had 70 take charge of things. They
seemed to drop in by the shipload, and
at night they would busy themselves
rolling eggs from the setting hens.
could not prevent it without making
the houses over. will not attempt to
tell how many lost in this way.
NV next trouble was lice. and as
had no experience in this line large
per cent died before I got down to
work to check them, but was too late
did not know then that the wings of
the little things dragging on the
this a heavy wind and rain caught
about 100 young ones. The style OF
coop used at that time was open both
sides and both ends. Half of what
birds remained got to roosting in cor
ners of the chicken house, and when a
cold night came along they would
climb upon each other and smother.
To sum up, did not make dollar,
and soon after this moved to Duluth,
Mimi, and started again. This time
I got on a creek and made log chicken
houses about so feet long. Things
soon looked very promising, and eggs
were rolling in fine at good prices.
Then came the setting. I had about
$50 hens, all punched together, and
when the chicks started to roll out
the mink started to smile, and so did
the skunk They wanted share, and
got it. l guess I got enough young
for my own table.
The next season I made another
move, and went to another part of the
city closer in. I only gave part of my
time to chicks, and did not keep so
many birds. This time they found
the neighbours garden and large per
back to roost. But I did manage to
make over $1.00 per hen this season.
have followed the chicken business
more or less ever since. There are
many other things to contend with,
but experience can help a beginner
more than any one thing Would say
300 hens is enough for a beginner.
When the conditions show up as
want them | expect to take up this
work on a larger scale than l ever
did, and will make it go. These years
of experience should be a great help.
To make a success one must know
the work, must do the work at the right
time and at all times-and do it your
self unless you can find the man to be
depended upon. Have plenty of clover
runs, pure water, good shade trees,
or bushes, comfortable quarters for all
kinds of weather, meat and table
scraps, assorted cereals, bone meal,
grit, oyster shell, green feed for win
ter and clover, with winter condi-
tons as near summer as can be
made, clean and movable houses, and