The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-05-18

Iue poultry business Will never De
nyerdone. Chickens and eggs are
staples. they are indispensable on our
tables. Nothing can take their place.
The demand for fancy stock was never
before so great as at the present time.
4Cu will hear say there was Mr.. Smith
nr MIR. Brown or Mr.. Clark, or some
other fellow who went into the poultry
business and lost all. That is very
true, and I do not wonder that there
are not more failures, the way some
start in. | happen to know a few peo-
pie myself who started into the poul-
try business and made fiat failures OF
it. I also happen to know why they
did so. I will tell you how a Mr..
Brown, who had $4,000 to throw away,
went into business.
In the first place, Mr.. Brown knew
nothing about poultry, could not tell
a rooster from a hen, they all looked
alike to him. Every person he would
meet he had to tell all about what he
was going to do, going into the chicken
figured out where he could make
enough money to retire on in live
years. The way he went about it, let
contract for buildings costing him $6,-
500, consisting OF laying houses, incu-
bator house and brooder house. From
his way of thinking they were perfect,
but they were far from being so. His
buildings were completed ABOUT the
middle Of June. He was now 81 500 in
debt, and not a chicken on his place.
His next stap WAS incnhatnrs and in
door brooders, then came the buying
of eggs for Matching and feed for
young chicks and a little later colony
houses, putting Mr.. Brown $400 more
in debt. His young stock now were
requiring lots of feed to keep them
growing, going in debt still more,
Things commence to look rather dark
and gloomy for Mr.. Brown. It has
been all pay ever since he started, and
nothing coming in. Fall comes and he
finds himself several hundred dollars
in debt. Feeling discouraged with his
wears work he quits the business in
disgust. Now, it would have been bet
ter for all concerned had he never
made the venture, his condemnation
of the business and everybody and
everything connected with it will dc
untold harm in keeping others from
taking it up who might have made a
grand success of it. Many man has
built up great poultry business for
less than $500, where Mr.. Brown made
a total failure On S5,000 Motto, dc
not put so much money into buildings
You must have little capital to work
on, the profit is in the poultry, not in
the buildings. To be sure, you want
warm, dry, we'll ventilated quarters
but you must first get your stock
which should be the very best. If you
cannot afford to buy pen, which con
sists of four females and one male
buy few settings of eggs. Look vel
after your young stock and in the fal
you will have a start which any fan
cier would be proud Of. Do not expect
to make any money from your poultry
the first year. The second year yor
but the third year you should have
both stock and eggs for sale. Why sc
many fail in the poultry business is
because they Jump into it without look
ing into it. They expect to get rict
and retire after the first year.
I began the rearing of thoroughbred
poultry solely for pleasure and I be
lieve there is nothing a person can gel
more enthusiasm out of than a flock o1
thoroughbred chickens. l often won
der why more men who are so con
fined to Offices in our large cities dc
not start a little poultry plant in thei,
back yard, they would find there is al
ways something to learn to do, to plan
and to hope for and by looking well
after their stock, they would combine
profit and pleasure. A man who thinks
it beneath his dignity to keep a few
birds better get his hat on straight
If he would write to some of our fan
ciers, asking them for prices for say
Is of his best birds, and the answer
would come back $4,000, he would
drop his dignity. Birds have even sold
for nearly $4,000 apiece, $500 birds are
being sold every day.
To the farmers I would say this is
an age of improvement and when you
see a chance to improve you should
grasp it. Do little more hard think
Ing and you will do less hard work
the man who works his brains is the
man who is making the money. The
man who is earning So day is the
man who is working with his hands