Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-11
Study to Know the
Profitable From the
Improbable Hen
FOLLOW Advice and Eliminate the
Drones From Your
Flock.

II seems to me we can not over
estimate the importance of finding
out whether our hens are paving a
good profit or not; and which ones
are the drones and cutting down the
profit The only way to do this is
to keep a record. Under present con-
dltlons, when almost everything that
goes TO help produce a dozen eggs.
comes the necessity for stricter econ
omy and the knowing of what it takes
10 produce the eggs We must turn
over a new leaf and open an account
with the hens. We must charge them
with what they consume, and at the
same time give them credit for all
eggs laid at the market price. whether
they are sold or consumed BY the
FAMILY. 1t is not much work. if YOU
but have a little account book in
which to keep it, Five minutes a day
VIII do it 1t may pay you to go to
the little extra trouble in ascertain
ing Just where you stand.
The owner who has. by the use Of
the trap-nest, found out the egg pro-
ducing abilities of his flock. has taken
the first step toward separating the
Improbable hen from the profitable
one, thing that every one who keeps
hens should be able to tell or know
We are often asked the question
as to what constitutes a profitable
hen? 1t is one that will pay for
her feed, interest on the Investment
of roosting house. labor taken to care
for her, and a profit besides or
course. the cost of feeding hen
Will vary quite a little, owing to the
different sections of the country in
which it is kept Feed is quite a
little cheaper in some places than
others. 1t is but little trouble to count
the cost of feeding ten or twenty
hens If you buy the feed 1t is easily
put down. If you are raising your
own feed, simply measure out bar
rel or two of 1t, putting down the
price it is worth, then go to work
feeding it,
Farmers are beginning to appre-
ciate the worth Of the really laying
hen. They are beginning to find out
that ii does not pay to even harbOr
one that is too old to lay we'll or that
never did lay much. All such should
be cut right out of the game And
there is no way so good to determine
that fact as by the trap-nest and the
little record book.
With the ever and rapidly increas-
ing values of farm lands it is but
natural that the farmer should look
about him for some plan by which he
can increase his income without
greatly increasing his farm expenses,
or investing in more land to do il
with. The farmer has this very fac
tor in the hen, if she is a good one.
And there are good ones if we will
but take the trouble to get acquainted
with her. There are but few farms
in the country but what have from
one to three acres of land going
to waste, or rather that are not being
utilized. This is about the house and
outbuildings. If this could be fenced
and subdivided and a lot Of good
hens located therein II would soon be-
gin to give revenue rather than be
an expense to keep free from weeds
and trash l do not think 1t ad-
visable for the farmer to try to run
all to poultry, but just a hint to them
that may help them to raise money
for the taxes and various odds and
regular farm crops in tact for other
purposes. Tests show us that hens
have made a record OF 200 eggs per
year; some have done even better
than that but a good many have done
that we'll Now it is an old saying
that what has been done can be
done again so let US not fool away
our time keeping hens that will only
give us the old farm average of IS
eggs per year. That kind just about
pays for its keep, so that if we get
rid of them and keep the $50 to 200
egg kind then we get the profit that
is due us. A flock of good, thorough
bred hens, say 800, should give us
profit of $400 to $500. OF course,
you read of people making $500 from
ten hens and a rooster but that Is
from real fancy stock in which there
is all kinds of possibilities, but on
the other hand there is the chance
that you viii not make anything from
them. We have reference to the COM
merCial kind, well managed; but it
can not be done with the hit-or- miss
scrub kind. They are too much like
the Irishmans flea. you get your FIN
ger on them and they are not there