The independent., 1907-04-04
Grading Up the Farm Flock.

).
poultry on the farm lays about fifty
eggs per year per hen goes to show
that more attention should be paid TO
the grading up of the average flock OF
hens. &C to the market poultry buyer
and he will tell you that the average
farm iock of hens and chickens SEM TO
market weigh from two to four POUNDS
less than a good breed of general pur-
pose fowl and you will see the advisa-
bility for breeding for size as Well.
IT has been demonstrated by farmers
and utility poultry keepers the whole
country over that pure-bred fowls OF
good grade will produce more pounds
of meat and more eggs per hen than
anv flock of scrub chickens that you
ever saw. One way Of improving the
laying qualities of the flock and also
of increasing their average size is To
grade I'D the flock annually by the use
of n few pure-bred males of the breed
which you think would suit your pur-
poses best If you are going in Tor
eggs alone or have tendency along
that line it will be good thing TO stay
close to the Leghorns or Minorcas Ihe
Leghorn fowls can be had IN a Sood
MANY different varieties and colors,
brown with both single and rose comb.
II YOU want q heavier layer that will
consume q little more feed than the
Leghorns, but at tho same time being
a better table fowl, the Minorca, either
of the white or black variety will be
good one to try. If you want laying
qualities and table qualities as well
select something in The Wyandotte or
Plymouth Rock breeds. Neither tho
Wvandottns nor the Plymouth Rocks
will lay as many eggs as the Leghorns
or Minorcas but as general purpose
fowl they will excel them and in the
total cash receipts the general purpose
fowl will probably be much III the lead
owing to their superiority as market
fowl.
Five cockerels would be enough to
use in the average flock for the first
year II you care for a general purpose
fowl we will imagine that you haye Sc
cured five males of the White Wyan-
dotte variety. These will cost you from
81 so to So each, coming. from good stock
noted both for it's heavy laying quail
ties, its yigor, it's quick growth and
general hardness. The chicks from the
first seasons cross will average from
one to two pounds more each and will
gain this extra size on the same
amount of feed that the average scrub
chicken will consume. The puliets from
this mating will lay twice as many
eggs as the scrub pullets if only given
the same amount of care. AS a rule,
where better poultry is being bred bet
ter care and housing conditions prevail
and if this is so in your individual case
the laying qualities of your flock of
pulletS during the first winter of your
trial of grading UP your birds will pro-
duce more eggs than we have intimat-
cd Wyandottes weigh from about
seven pounds for females to nine and
half to ten pounds for the males ac-
cording to their age They grow very
quickly and are plumper and they take
on fat more readily at any stage of
growth tnan the Plymouth Rocks or
any Of the heavier breeds.
If you want fowls which are consid-
erably heavier Than the Plymouth
Rocks or Wyandottes try Langshans
or Cochins or probably the lishy Brah-
mas. Any of these breeds can be found
in most any section of the country in
the yards OF some poultry breeder who
is making a speciality of them and the
males will be easily purchased. These
three big varieties are known as the
Asiatic breeds and they grow in size
from eight pounds for females to
twelve pounds for males.
The Poultry and Fruit Com binaHon
To the average utility poultry raiser
very few instances Of combination OF
utility poultry growing and fruit grow
ing combined have come under his no
tice. The writer has visited during the
past fall and winter, q number Of
poultry farms where fruit and poultry
were combined and the project made
TO pay remarkably well one farm in
northwestern Missouri of about sixty
five acres WAS devoted to good poultry
keeping for eggs for market and some
fowls were also sold us we'll on this
place the yards and houses We're scat
tered among the fruit trees to good adj
vantage and the chicks were raised on
the colony system. The colony houses
which wero very cheap In construction.
although they were made well, were
scattered among he trees on the side
ar the hills whore The land was well
HEI fa a. 4.