The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-04-19

to justify the employment OF an assis
tant to relieve the duties Of the own
er at intervals.
Then there is the man who ha!
$4,000 and wants to have about ZOO
laying hens from eggs Matched the
! first year. He spends his capital the
first six months and incurs an indebt
edness of $4,000, which is to be paid
of course, Oct. /, when all the henI
! should be laying and at which time Il
is always represented that the plant
should be giving ample returns tt
meet all obligations. He has set 9
certain number Of eggs, of which he
Is sure to hatch rs per cent, of which
half will be pullets-therefore, he will
have as many pullets laying by the
first of October, and they will net
so much each per year. At the time
he expects to have his pullets in the
laying pens certain unavoidable cir
cumstances will have interrupted his
plans, and he has only 80 per cent.
of what he had figured. The obliga-
tons are due and payable, the pullets
are not laying quiet as early as he
anticipated, he becomes discouraged,
and-another failure.
The most common failure, how
ever, is where the travelling man or
investor who cannit give the business
any personal attention, has $4,000 or
$4,000 to invest, and he meets the
enthusiastic chicken flnancier, who,
according to his story, while thorough
ly competent and understands the
business perfectly. has had unavoid-
able hard luck heretofore, and shows
in actual figures just what he can
produce after the first yearon a Ger
tain capital. The figures are there,
and then to be conservative, the poul-
tryman goes so far as to deduct Is
per cent from the profits, which he Is
sure are already figured ridiculously
low; $1,000. invested in land, build.
ings and equipment; 5000 eggs set,
of which at least rs per cent. will
hatch and SO per cent. of the hatch
win be pullets and are sure to be lay
ing at the first of October. These pull
lets, of course. will, average so many
eggs; at so much per dozen-It's the
same old story.
When one wants to start out on a
large scale and have several thous-
and hens at the end of the first year,
it should be understood that it re-
quires great deal more capital than
the average poultryman is capable OF
figuring, or is conservative enough to
admit. Then, too, the great expense
for feed and labor required to run
that plant the first year, without any
will tend to so discourage
the investor, who cannot understand
why his managers figures are not
realized, and becoming disguised,
calls the deal off, sells what he has
'or practically nothing, and then
warns his friends to keep away from
he chicken business.
IF one wants to engage in this /
business on such large scale from |
he start, it requires capital and pa
fence enough to carry on the bust
less strictly as an investment for
he first two years, with practically
10 returns. and under no circum-
tances should one figure on an in
ONE until after the third year, as
uring the third year the plant will
title more than pay expenses and
reduce stock enough to begin the
ourth year on a large enough scale
0 pay an excellent profit during the
ourth year, To even pay expenses
he third year and be in readiness
D declare dividends the fourth year,
must be understood that the mana
err of the plant from the start has
cen a faithful worker and thorough
, competent
ITO begin the poultry business with
he idea that you are going to have
600 or 1000 laying hens the first
ear, you must be prepared to have
Ienty OF OF capital, at least so per
INT. more than the average poultry.
AN will figure as sufficient, and not
ecome discouraged, II, at the end !,