The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-04-16

AO4uAC Ou1 "CAJ A1Illc IAIuo pesI 1OWI.
On some Of the we'll known egg farms
one man feeds and cares for from
1000 to 5000 hens.
The village poultry plant where but
a>few dozen fowls are kept must neces-
sarily have larger feed bill than the
farmer and a higher labor expense
per fowl than either farm or com
mercial poultry plant. For these rea-
sons the vi1lager who hires man to
take care Of his poultry or expects It
to earn wages for his own time is, If
the product is sold at ordinary market
rates, very likely to be disappointed.
Now, If the villager takes up fancy
poultry breeding and devotes his time
to the art he has excellent chances Of
becoming well known ass breeder and
making q good profit in the business.
Meanwhile he should have enough love
for his work so that he will be content
to get back little more than his
actual money outlay and give his time
for the pleasure of the work and the
hopes Of profits later on. ::
Poultry Farming as 4 Business.
presume there will be some who
read this course in poultry keeping
who will be DESTROYS Of engaging in
poultry production as business. TO
those I would say that after many
years Of precarious existence poultry
farming is now established as q sound
branch Of agriculture. Although there
is no greater money, to be made from
poultry than from many other branch.
es of modern scientific agriculture,
there is something about the business
that has induced large numbers Of ig-
norant people to invest their savings
In poultry ventures, hopelessly bury
ing their money in extensively equip
ped plants designed by themselves or
others equally ignorant Of the business.
AS is generally recognized, the only
sensible plan for one who proposes to
go into poultry keeping as business
is to begin in small way, either in a
village or on a farm, and keep poultry
for few years in conjunction with
some other occupation. If he is sue
cessful in this, 1T will then be time to
consider the keeping Of poultry on a
more elaborate. scale. "A few general,re-
marks on commercial poultry farming
I will append, however, as a matter; Of
general interest. -~>.s .:,.-
The branch Of poultry keeping that
has proved most universally success
full In large way is egg farming. The
broiler farms have almost invariably
been failures, and the principle is now
pretty thoroughly recognized that the
broiler should be considered as BY
product Of the egg business, just as
skimmilk is byproduct Of the produc-
ton of butter. Half or more Of all
chicks Matched will be cockerels and
must be disposed Of as broilers, for
with Leghorns and other egg types Of
fowls male birds are; worthless If al
lowed to mature. This large surplus
Of broilers from egg farms and from
the general farm Of the country Is SUI
fcient to meet the demand and to re-
duce the price to a point which will
permit of little profit to the man who
The idea of the broiler business, as
attempted fifteen or twenty years ago
was to produce chickens during the
winter and early spring season by the
use of incubators and breeders and
secure fancy prices at the season of
the year when no young stock was
coming from the general farm. This
business. which did not prove success:
full then, would be even more imprac:
teal now, al our modern methods of
cold storage have become so e6acient
that 1t is entirely practical to freeze up
a supply Of inexpensive summer brotl.
ers and to meet the demand the fol
lowing winter and early spring with
this cheaply produced stock. 81 I =.
Another phase Of poultry production
which is successfully prosecuted in
limited localities is the growing of
roasters. Id: s st f.. .
! In this style Of poultry flesh pro
duction heavier breeds Of slowly ina.
turing fowls are used, and both sexes
are allowed to reach maturity and are
then marketed as fancy stock. The
possible profits Of the production Of
extra fancy market fowls ia this man.
~ner have been limited, however, by
the custom Of fatting or crate feeding
farm grown cockerels 40 now engaged
in by poultry packers and by many
farmers as we'll. Crate or milk fed
chickens offer q prime quality Of young
poultry desh, and hence, except for q
few markets where roasters from car
tain communities already have repu.
tation, 1t. would hardly be advisable to
take up this line Of poultry production,
a recent development In specialized
poultry work Is the public hatchery
This business Is usually conducted ii
conjunction with large poultry plants
The shipping Of day old chicks Ions
distances By rail is now quits 4 fad
and has probably been overdone. An
other abuse Of the public hatchery ii
the selling of chicks from eegy Of un
certain origin. Beginners should moi
undertake public hatching. u