The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1908-06-18
THE HELPFUL HEN.

full hen, but it is likely there arr
untold opportunities for the devel
opment of the poultry industry in
this state. w. S. Harwood, in the
current Worlds Work, has an
article on hens and eggs in general,
but dealing principally with the
town OF Petaluma, Sonama country.
Petaluma and the neighboring
country is devoted almost entirely
TO the poultry industry, and the
farmers and dealers, as rule,
make 1t pay. Last year the town
shipped out over 100. 600, 600 eggs,
and the price averaged something
over 20 cents per dozen. The|
poultry industry of Petaluma may
be divided into three different zones|
or districts. The first are the town.
people, who keep in enclosed pensl
dozen or two layers, and they,
figure they make clear profit of
about 10 per cent OH their invest
nent. Next is the immediate
outlying district, extending from
two to four miles from the town.
This district is divided into small
poultry farms of from two to five
acres, and keeping 1000 to /, 800
hens. One man in this district
taken as an example, was a man
who had come from Michigan a
few years before, had worked at
different things in the state, and, |
finally, feeling the need of an out
door occupation, had tried the
poultry business. He has four
acres, keeps about 500 hens, and
is making fro III these hens a clear
profit of ", $50. He does all the
work himself. 1t is outdoor work
and healthful, and, while he gives
it careful attention, does not find
the work too hard. and has com
Portable amount of leisure time.
Farther out in the country are
found the larger chicken ranches,
consisting of from 100 to 400 acres,
and keecing as high as 10000 or
IL, 900 hens. One of these ranch
men, with 400-acre ranch, is
making $6, 900 year. The aver
age working life OF a hen the
period she is fairly useful as '
layer. is from three to four years,
and SO the supply must be con
stantly sent to market. The set I,
ting hen receives little considera- :
tion among these men who have
made big business of poultry =
raising. The incubator attends :
to that part of the work. Many of !.
the ranches have incubator houses. .
and hatch their own chickens, while
others patronize the incubator
houses in the town. These whole v
sale, incubator houses are big in. y
one of them having a :"
capacity of 10000 chicks; that a
IS, it can and does turn out that .
every season. OF these :,
incubator chicks, about 10 per -
cent die. The others are sold :,
rom 5 to ~ cents each. Not q
Ill are sold to farmers of this dis.
rict, many being shipped to dis =
ant states, and even to Canada. ~
II shipping, they are sent by ex. "'
,ress, and do not need any care, as
hey can go FIVE or six davs with l.
,ut food if the journey is that far
These farmers segregate the young .
oosters aud feed them, to be sold "
S broilers, which always demand ~
good price. Another feature of pa
he poultry industry at Petaluma
S the raising of young ducks for
market. The Chinese are very Bi
ound of young ducks, weeks old to
nd buy them readily at 81 each. III
t is chiefly to supply this demand br
hat Petaluma raises ducks. OF sa
he many thousand chickens raised IN
t Petaluma, nearly all ale of the yo
White Leghorn variety, these being ira
layers, not much given ca
, setting, and very marketable DR.
owl for food. These Californians Blu
Tho have made the chicken bust al
ess are almost universally of the we
pinion that White Leghorn fowls the
re the best for all purposes. As pu
} the likelihood of the poultry am
usiness being crowded, it is point he'
out that the prices on poultry to
nd egg products have steadily in are
,eased for the past ten years, re- In
ardless of the fact that the output STR
as also been increasing, and then wo
atural upward tendency of all we
ices has. of course, had its effect. the
etaluma's poultry products tor ma
'O7 amounted to about $1,000 bag
10, which is a great deal to come Nv
ON one small town, but still not IN
oh large per cent of the total mil
e poultry product of the country
st year amounted to about $780,
0,000. This California district
particularly favored in the mat
of climate. but it is pointed out
at the same care and business
Use would make the business bio