Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-05-31
Agricultural Help
The Inexperienced PouIirym,n,

10 make money in the poultry busi.
ness man who has little or no ex.
perience should start small The flock
should never be over fifty birds Less
would be better. say dozen hens and
a rooster, or twenty four birds and
two ROSTERS. This is the way to learn
the poultry business. and 10 add to
ones income while doing SO.
With such a flock he will learn
something of the troubles and JOYS OF
poultry keeping. He will learn how
we'll the flock will lay in the spring.
he will have fresh eggs for his table,
he Will learn the demand for eggs and
the prices per dozen; he viii get a
comparison of the keep of the birds
and the income from production He
will know the demands of cleanliness
and the resultant troubles from an
unclean coop ard yard He will. set
eggs for Matching and will learn some
of the habits of the hen with ner
brood to be put to good advantage
when he gets an incubator and brings
out a hundred or so chicks at a clip.
He will find out the correct points of !
mating for the production of good |
in the offspring
He will be able to choose a system
of feeding from the nsn., ~, r,o feed
advocated, and not nnls svsst W. 70 pIahfe. !
He may not the first year have b,,;i,
MS coop in the spot that will give h,,,'
he best results. He .----s+- -',,s. s..ss s.tie
coop is in a damp spot and that 1t
brings on colds and Group ana othet
flisea ses, which have TO De trea,eu.
He will find that the cure is IN pre-
in cleanliness. All these
things mean work. VIII r. he stick?
VIII he find pleasure in the work
And he must do all this in the eve
ming. Saturday afternoons, and on
Then when the fall comes and the
birds moult and do not lay. And IN
the cold weather when the laying IS
small, though the price is hiSh. All
this time the work must go on. From
twenty-five chickens. by selling or
the eggs, he will get
profit of about $50. and from that
must be subtracted the original cos,
of birds and coop and wire Tor poui-
try yard, so that if he comes out even
the first year he is doing well. The
most profit to be had under this ar
rangement is in experience.
The first year usually tells the tale
to man keeping chickens. He asks
himself. rs it worth while?" and the
man answers, Yes. Ihe
man who expected the golden harvest
usually answers No; there Is too
much work. |
There is another reason why the
answer should be Yes That reason
will be treated in another article.
man who knows the years work
with small flock will realize that
when he increases his flock the next
year by careful Matching of his best
eggs his work does not necessarily
double with that increase. 1t Will mean
more work, naturally, but not a doun-
ling. He will know them anyway,
how many birds he is able to handie,
how much time he is able TO give,
and his labors will be lightened ny the
knowledge of a year. The man WHO
remains enthusiastic after the nrse
wear is the one who will make a living
in the poultry business. or at least
will materially increase his income. In
MANY cases he will at least gain
enough to pay his rent each montn'
and in these days of high costs that Is
not to be shifted at.
From these articles it VIII be seen
that the pamphlets telling OF the
enormous profits in poultry are the
willy schemes Of men who have been in
the business long time. They, 100,
have had to make their start, ana so
have YOU. You must first learn, then
you will be in position TO oetefihihc
whether you can profit by keepihs
chickens, whether it is possible Tor you
to forego your city job for the siories
of the country.
In Hong Kong, where lapor ~ sun
very cheap and the port is Tree To tiis