The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-01-11

just starting her flock. she is en-
|couraged by the results of the first
years work to considerably enlarge
1t another year. Though prejudiced
in favor OF the white birds, Wyan-
dottes or Rocks, for certain reasons
she chose the Barred Plymouth
Rocks a breed of which she had
previously not had an especially
high opinion. For gentleness. good
sense and other henly qualities, she
now says. give her Barred Rocks.
Good Winter Laying.
For the past seven weeks. the win
she has netted $12 on the 'cackle
berries from thirty birds. Her fig-
ures may be Of interest to the vet
eran as well as to the man or wo-
man just beginning in the chicken
business.
my flock" she says, Consists of
thirty birds. twenty-five of them
pure-bred Barred Rock pullets and
eight mongrel hens. Since Nov. Is
they have laid s21 worth of eggs on
50 worth of feed the feed consisted
of III sacks of wheat, IN sacks
of corn, 8 sacks of bran, ga sacks
of oats, and grit and oyster shell.
with an occasional feed of meat
scrap in addition to the table refuse.
The eggs were sold at prevailing
market prices. no settings for incu-
baton. The feed bill of 50 furnish
ed food not only for the flock Of
thirty, but for seven cockerels. The
highest single days record was sew
enteen eggs, which Is not quite 81
per cent. but for weeks they have
maintained an average of dozen
eggs or better a day.
Are Incubator Chicks.
They are incubator chickens, and
while l cannot claim any great
success in the percentages of my
Matching, not getting more than so
chickens out of $50 eggs. the chick
ems which got Though the shell were
strong and healthy. and practically
all of them lived.
Il had at the time Of starting out
ten mongrels. l used none of their
eggs purchasing the best l could get
here at IS per fifty. At the last set
ting of the incubator. not being
able to get enough Barred Rock
eggs. I used some Bun Rocks. later
selling the birds.
An Early Bird.
THE first pullet began to lay in
August at five months, and at least
half were laying by November. The
first lot were Matched the first week
in March. From April to November
15, the ten hens which decreased to
eight and the pullets which were
laying through September and Octo-
Der produced enough to feed the
whole flock with $6.15 to the good.
was $25.45 and the egg receipts
$3.50. During that time I sold
chickens for eating and other pur-
poses to the amount of $12.35. Then
there is the $1,000 net from Nov.
Is to the present date. The incu-
bator cost SIC and $3.50 worth Of
coal oil run 1t. Estimating the value
of my present flock of 81 birds at
a dollar apiece, and I wouldn't sell
them for dollar apiece by q good
deal-the present value OF the birds.
$500, pays the cost of the eggs. the
incubator and the running OF 1t with
$3.50 to spare. There was a surplus
of $6.15 in the egg receipts over the
feed bill up to Nov. Is and $1,000 net
thereafter, also $12.35 from the sale
of birds. This gives me balance of
$40 on the right side of the ledger
Value of Good Stock.
"This is purely on an egg and
poultry for market basis. AS a mat
ter of fact, the stock is good and
we'll mated and I expect to sell eggs
for incubating at two dollars a dozen
and the cockerels at IS apiece.
This is the advantage of pure-bred
stock, that at certain seasons 1t has
a special commercial value"
This particular woman does net
assign the fact that her pullets have
laid so industriously to any particu-
lar system of feeding. but rather to
the fact that they went into the
winter In excellent physical condi-
ton. They were kept growing all
the time and are clean and strong.
They have always lived in an open
front chicken house and have never
been allowed to run. A flock Of
White Wyandottes raised under SIM
liar conditions have laid as high as
68 per cent during this same period.