The Florida agriculturist., 1907-07-17
Growing the Best Market Poultry.


American Poultry Advocate by the
An interesting Poultry Institute was
held at Marshheld, Mass, on Saturday
February 23rd, the forenoon meeting
being addressed by Mr.. A. F. Hunter
associate editor Of the American Poul-
try Advocate, the subject being: "Pro-
fitable Poultry Keeping Eggs and
Poultry for Marlet' The afternoon
meeting was addressed by Mr. Henry
Dana Smith, of Norwell, Mass, a
very successful grower Of South Shore
Soft RoaSters, his subject being: MAR
ket Poultry Growing." Mr.. Smith is
an easy speaker, although he disclaim-
ed being "lecturer." Perhaps he is
all the more convincing because o1
that fact. Certainly his experiences
as he told them to the large audience
carried conviction. He said he didn't
claim to know it all, and that his way
was not the only way of growing good
market poultry There is much inter
est in this speciality, as is shown by
the large number Of letters he receiv-
ed asking such questions as Car
| make a success OF the business?'
'HoW much does it cost ?" "How
much capital is required to make a
llvlng? etc, etc.
The only answer that can be made
to such questions is that a man must
try for himself and determine by his
own experience whether he can sue
Ceed One very common mistake made
by the beginners is to copy one point
from one man and another point from
onn+Ior. |, Io Of
cessful man, and then go on to better
those methods. He is now keeping
about 400 head of layers, to give him
the eggs from which to hatch his
chickens. He used to buy his eggs
OF farmers around, but had found he
could grow better eggs himself anc
get better chicks from those eggs. He
kept about thirty Birds together in {
pen having two male birds with eac1
flock, and preferred to have a cock
and cOckerel together rather than two
cocks or two COckerels; the males are
alternated, one one day, the other the
next.
He starts Matching in August, for
the neXtS springs crop, of roasters
and continues Matching until April the
last of March and April matches are
to get the pullets for next years lay
ers. If he didn't keep the layers to
produce his Matching eggs he would
stop Matching in March. His incubator
capacity is for about 5000 eggs at a
time, and he keeps incubators running
tull II egg supply permits. Runs at
Io2 to 1922 for first week, then at
Io3; at Matching time likes to have
temperature to go up to Io4 or los;
wants bit stronger heat then. Ex-
poets to get from 22o to $50 chicks
from an incubator of $50 eggs.
The chicks are removed to the long
brooder houses when twenty-four
hours old, being moved in the fore
noon and first feed given in after
noon. There are eight pipes making
the hover. part of the brooder house
and the heating is by what is called
the "Open Pipe SYSTEM" excepting
that he lays cloth over one-ha1f Of
the length of pipes. in each pen; the
temperature under the pipes is kept
at about 90 for first ten days, under
the half having the cloth cover it is
about o5 degrees. 1t is important tC
have an ample warmth, but not too
hot; gradually drop the heat till last
week Of broOding it is from 65 to
20 Degrees He lets them run out
Of doors in the small yards at a week
old, even in coldest weather. Feeds five
times a day at start, feeds good chick
food, of which there are several on the
market; about third day puts a dry
mash mixture before them, consisting
of two parts corn meal to one part
wheat bran and little scraps On floor
of brOOder pens he had cut clover Coz
rQMenl haN Cit to one fourth inch