The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-17
Young Man Works in City All
Day and DevOtes Balance Of
Time to His Poultry.
HAS LESS THAN HALF ACRE
Care and Hard Work Are the
Chief Factors in His
Success.

trail Massachusetts ~ "a Small poultry
plant. 1t is ON village lot, there being
less than All aero in the whole plot. Half
OF this is given TO the yarding OF hens
and the growing OF chicks. Tho rest 10
given over 10 dwelling and lawn.
The house accommodations for the poul-
try comprise single shed roof building
perhaps 10x15 feet In size: barn that
otherwise would be unusued. and "A lean-to
built against one side of the barn. Prac-
tically no money has been put Into poui-
try housing. Tho yards for tho birds are
small, bare OF grass, with common wire
fences. 1 have been hearing OF this little
poultry enterprise for five years; nave
passed II many times in my carriage. but
never went into one of the yards or into
any of the pens until recently.
The owner Of this modest venture In
poultry culture Ii a young man OF per
haps 80 years OF age, doing office work IN
a city eight miles away. He Ia compeued
20 leave home on tho 1880 morning elec-
tric, returning at 6 80 In the evening. on
Saturday he gets home Mt 2 y. M fou
may imagine that time 10 not any 700
plentiful TO undertake big stunts with
poultry. but he uses IL to best advantage'
and so obtains good results.
For three years have heard many SIDE
marks as TO this young man ana MS
poultry. If matches generally were BAD,
hie we're good. II eggs were rev IN the
nests OF his neghbors' hens. ne was taklns
them 10 the city In largo numbers As a
matter OF fact, the usual expression or MS
neiehbors as heard In public places, Was
10 the erect that ''he ia having splendid
luck" The desire to see for myseir ana
get tho facts at first hand led me 10
make an appointment to go over MS pens
get at his methods and take n look at his
index card case OF facts and figures.
found much OF interest, and am giad 10
pass the facts along.
The first pen that I went into nad
twenty-four Rhode Island Red pullets.
bstchea February IS. 1913. These laid
the first egg July 81 and had produced
cs34 eggs to March 81, an average
OF l1s eggs each, with five warm inontns
still ahead for better Work. NO iau!t 10
md with that pens work
The next pen had fifty pulles hatcheo
March al. laying the first egg on August
81 and had laid 1850 gigs up 20 March
AZ. Not so good laying as the hrst PEN
not So good house RECOMMENDATIONS either,
but still a paying tioc. II VIII DE ilo.eu
that these pullets came TO laying hhhtufHS
at five months or age.
record 1t was made up Of twenty-five
NasrlIng hens and they had laid between
October I and March 81. Just l.S3s eggs.
Think OF IL. yearlinG hens shedding
feathers, growing a new coat resting
A while and vet laying over slxty-t~o eggs
aach during the a Inter weeks and when
e,ys were selling at to cents each.
Nancy in bullets? Yes. Money IN old
nensP Yes, In hons like these. Other
uens were inspected until had seen them
all, making u total OF zoo mature fowls
ON the village plant covering but hail
acre.
with the long hours necessarily spent
AWAY from home the labor problem had
TO be thought out carefully from the
start IN 1907 no one has paid any atten-
ton to the hens and the chicks curing
the hours that the owner was absent IN
she city. The birds simply had 10 care
for themselves. Dry mash feeding was
early adopted, and two years ago the iced
ing OF all scratch grains from feeders WAS
tried out successfully. The mems no" on
the place their mothers and grand
rnothers. have been raised and cared Tor
without any hand feeding. Through the
bsyby age, the growing stage. the adult
period, from hatch TO the killing knife,
the birds may get feed when they care
to eat II.
Little chores are done in the short Sat-
urday afternoons Of the year. The only
,norn,np work ~ to Ali the water dishes
and the early evening sees the only gath
ering OF the eggs. 80 ,
Under this restricted yarding, with tho
earth bare OF growing grass or any other
green stuff. on ground that mas peen In
constant use for seven years, what ABOUT
getting chicks that would live? That 10
a fair and most practical question, ana
Investigated tho matter fully
In 1918 there were set 500 eggs. hatch
ing 537 chicks. This L. an average OF 60
per cent. actually Matched, and II GER
tainly III a credtable record.
Incubatiug Ia all done with machines
Az IN the care of tho hens and chicks,
SO with the machlnes--they are let Sc
yerely alone through the hours OF the
daytime. sixty per cent hatched Is
good any time. and especially good when
the man rs eight miles away continuously
from breakfast TO supper. The chicks
are all brooder raised, with the same dry
method OF feeding. They eat when they
are hungry, drink when thirsty and gel
under the warm hover when they require
heat.
Most practical poultrymen are deeply
Interested In costs. Upon this subject
asked many pointed questions and re-
.,eiyed full. accurate Information.
At tho tiIno the pullets began to lay In
1913 each one had cost just 14.4 cents
How could they be raised so cheaply'
Just the question ] asked, too. The cock
erels were sold for broilers, netting alive
in June IS cents pound and in July q
cents The cockerels were considered 4
by-product. and the profit from them wat
used In paying part OF the feed bills o
at the time the pullets began TO lay hao
actually cost but IA cents each. Thu
was what had been paid out for food, fo
the eggs incubated, for the oil used b,
the incubators and breeders. The frs
outlet in 1913 began 10 lay at fou
months and twenty-five days of age
great record for Rhode Island Reds an,
strong testimonial for the effclenc!
of the care for yourselves system.
This little poultry plant averaged 49,
head OF laying stock through the twelv
months OF 1913. Tho average egg recor,
for the 100 hens and pullets was 14s eggs
or IL l-3 dozen eggs per layer The cos
of producing dozen eggs was Ia Al
cents. The average selling price OF tn
year was 33L cents. Net gain per dozen
1910 cents. The profit per hen wa
e2l4.
During the past .Spur years tho ne
profit per hen, after paying all expense
excepting the item for time and branE o
the owner, was as follows:
1907, ..'''..'.. .,'.'.,.'..'.s.,.. S2O
iIlp'.''' '''''''''''' ''''''...'....., LIZ
III ls
l9lJ'.''' '.''''''' ''''''''''.. 81
Cur friends cash account showed a nc
Valance for 1913 " S33I,i7 To this shoul
be added some credit for s2457 paid on
for -four ok automatic grain feeders an
Sl7 for two JrUoders. II we consider tina