The Florida agriculturist., 1907-07-17
POULTRY DEPARTMENT

il prices are good. Last season there
was change in condition Of market
by which better prices were paid fol
roasters weighing seven and hal
pounds or over; when the price was
twenty cents pound, alive, for birds
weighing seven and half pounds the
buyers would only pay eighteen cents
a pound for those weighing eight
pounds and over. He sells the birds
alive; it does not pay him to dress
them and ship to market.
In answer to sundry questions, Mr.
Smith said he did not like the in
cubators with deep drawers beneath
and got his best results when he spread
a felt diaphragm over the drawers. He
did not allow any chicks to drop dowr
below the egg trays till there were
fifty or more Matched out He f1lec
each machine full of eggs Begin to
run second day; always have large
ends OF eggs UP little; turn trays
end for end at morning turning, anC
change them from one side to the
other at evening turning. If heat was
well up air the eggs we'll at turning
i during the first week; a little Longer
the second week, and longer still the
third week. In turning and airing
Judgment is necessary. A high tenn
perature will quicken the hatch, bu
the chicks will likely be less strong
In summer time he vets down the
floor Of his incubator cellar every
three or four days. Here, again, the
Judgment of the operator is of great
Importance.
Grit is always accessible to the chicks
is in the brOOder pens when chicks
are put in. He feeds pullets for lay
ers much the same as the marke
chicks, but feeds them a dry mixture
Of one part each, corn meal, midd1ings
ground oats, and beef scraps. Sells
some pullets as SQUAD broiers whe1
they weigh 3-4 Of pound to a pound
soft rOasters pay better than brOilers
The Light Brahmas had always beer
the birds grown for large soft roast
ers, but they had fallen off in size
We rarely see a light Brahma capor
weighing over ten pounds now, where
we used to get them to twelve pounds
The Plymouth Rocks were coming tC
be grown; they lay more eggs anc
pay better. If growing capons woulo
grow them large, better price for large
birds. Buyers prefer a twelve-pounc
capon rather than two six-pounders.
His best price last year was 27 cents
pound, alive; best price for which
he had ever sold rOasters is 81 cents
Very high price is a disadvantage, as
the price is likely to fall rapidly; more
money in fairly good price we'll sus-
tanned. In keeping eggs for Matching
he would not want them to fall below
forty degrees, but would keep then
III a cool place. He had kept egg:
six weeks and had a fair hatch; tho
fresher the eggs when set the better
When chicks were first put in broOde1
house he had board set a foot in front
OF broOder pipes, so chicks could no
get far from the heat, and kept then
close to pipes three or four days
moved it away about a foot first time
then another foot next day, then took
it out.
In answer to a question as to poul-
| try diseases, Mr. Smith said if poultry
| would be no diseases. He told Of al
unsatisfactory experience with govern
ment "experts" and how the NatiOna
| and State experts disagreed, and pro
badly both were wrong. He greatly
preferred the pipe-brooder system o
broOding, had no use for individual
brOoders with lamps. Asked as to pei
cent. of losses in winter chicks he sale
he had put 1916 chicks into his broodel
house and only lost ia in the first ter
days. He considered that low rate o.
mortality, and that would have beer
lowered if he had killed every weakline
when taking them from incubators