Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1910-12-08
CARE OF CHICKENS
BEST BREED NOT ALWAYS MOST
PROFITABLE.
Management and Care Essential Fea
turss-Gradual Dsersase IN Lay.
Inc 81 Hen After the
Flrst Year.


ne question IS 70 which is the
most proftabls bfsed Of fowls is very
frequently asked me. There are un.
doubtediy differences IN breeds, but
undue impOrlahce should not Be
placed upon breed The trap nest has
shown that thsrssia more difference IN
individuals than IN br0eds. Breed Is
not everything. says q writer n At
lanta Constitution. You must keep
away from that ldsa IN poultry keep
lfg. II one starts n the poultry bust
ness with the "best breed" as they
believe. and has with It the notion
that breed iB everything. there viii be
lnSSitabls failure The breed may
Be- al right but the fowls must be
encouraged 10 do their best BY good
care and manAgsment When eggs are
steady At 80 cents . dossn and the
hens faf TO respond, the owner is like
b 10 become unreasonable and take
Up vita another breed, and most like
y the fault vas net n the breed. The
fault is usually enc - two things;
enther the hens are Of q poor or non
productive strain Of their breed. or
The management is poor.
tits point IN management that I
wish to write Of here. one point Of
many that may be taken into account
Il poultry keeping is to be made
success. 1t is a question Of the most
profitable age Of the hen. Poultry
raisers who have kept in touch with
poultry Investigations during the past
few years are pretty well informed o.
this point, but the Importance Of thu
subject is not yet generally appre-
eiated To determine this fact line
Of experiments was conducted by sew
sFal experiment stations with the OBJ
Jet Of determining the value Of the
hen AZ different ages for egg produc.
ton. The same hens were kept year
after year under similar conditions,
and a record was kept Of production
and food consumed These expert
ments proved that the hen is different
from the COW, which retains Or Inn
proves her productivity with age. The
first year was the most profitable, and
there was q gradual decrease In pro
auctivensss each sugeseding year. Il
is safe 70 figure this decrease a y
per cant each year With average
prices for food and for eggs, II H.
not profitable to keep hens after they
have finished their second year OF
kying. The frat or pullst year, Is
very profitable, the second win give
satisfactory profe. but during the
thtFd year the egE yield win seldom
pay for the food consumed.
These cancellations apply only, Of
eoarss, where the eggs are SOLD at mar
ket prices. Fowls that have 3 special
value as breeding stock Should be
kept gonger, but the notion that the
old speekled" hen 10 the COED layer
should not be cherished unless she is
eanght In the trap nest. The fast that
she sings a joyful lay, paints her
comb q brilliant red and scratches a
brilliant scratch should not be accept
ed as sufficient grounds for commit
ing the death sentence
It is safe to say that poultry rails
ers Of the south would be many thou
sands Of dollars in pocket by vigor-
0usly killing on the hens. every two
years and replacing them with new
stOck-with exceptions noted above.
REFhav v.ufTof- awN hov. enc .1T,y.---a e,
run together 1t will be necessary to
mark them, otherwise It will be dim-
cult TO separate the old stock from the
Young when Il Is desired to market
them. The usual method Of marHing
b 10 punch q hole IN the web be-
tween the toes when the chicks are
Matched. This Is easily and quickly
done with q punch, that may be pur
chased from poultry supply houses for
Is cents. A number Of different mark
lngs may BE- made In this way. Cut
ing on one toe nafi Is another good
way Of marking chicks. Do this when
chicks are first hatched and before
the FIRST feed. When the practice is to
dispose ofeihe hens every tao years. II
will be sufficient 70 mark them every
other year.
The above suggestion is timeiy, a
the Matching season viii be over BY
latter part Of May, and It is 3 useless
expense carrying over lot Of old hens
another year. Dispose Of them be
fore they begin to moult. giving theiI
room and feed to the youngsters com
D inc rsn