The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-22

age rooms should be kept free from this
possible danger.
Finally just before the eggs are placed
In the incubator or under the sitting hens,
| they should be tested for chicks or
cracks. This is easily and quickly done
| by gently tapping them together. Eggs
| with perfect shells give off clear, sharp
sound; those which are cracked. dull,
| dead sound. which is entirely different A
little experience will enable one to in
stantly detect in this way cracks which
are not visible to the eye
| We still have much to learn about in
! cubation and the best methods of produc-
ing and handling eggs for Matching. The
above suggestions epitomize the principal
points thus far worked out. We know
that the quantity of the eggs used has a
direct bearing upon the quantity and
quality of the resulting chicks and that it
pays well to select the Matching eggs with
greatest care.
SQUAD Raising as a Side Line
Side line poultry plants are to be found
in vast numbers in the limited area of
city and village backwards in all sections
of the country. Some are primarily de-
signed to cut down the cost of the family
living by furnishing the table with a fairly
constant supply of eggs and meat. Many
do more than this returning to their own.
ers considerable cash income in return
for the time and effort expended on them
Clerks and mechanics thus add to their
weekly wages women secure certain
amount of pin money; school BOYS eai n
their spending money making themselves
independent of their parents in this re-
spect.
= In certain sections of the country, where
markets are satisfactory, squad raising is
popular side line. Those who are inter-
ested in this branch of poultry keeping
claim that ii possesses certain advantages
over the growing of chickens. That pig
cons may be successfully maintained for
indefinite periods in very limited quarters
That absence from home for the entire
day does not prevent one from succeeding
since the hopper method of feeding may
be used exclusively, and the adult birds
attend to all the details of Matching and
rearing their young. Further that pig
cons less Objectionable than hens to
the neighbors
A Profitable SQUAD Plant
The experience of man living in n
small town in southern Delaware seems
to indicate that when conditions are fair
ly favorable flock of selected suuab
breeding pigeons may be made to return
handsome profits.
The man In question is carpenter
working regularly at his trade. His home
is In the center of the village and his en-
tire plant is compactly arranged on a
building lot of ordinary size. He attends
to his birds at odd times, doing virtually
all of the work himself
beginning was made in small way
a few years ago. Expansion came as ex-
perience was gained. OF course this is
the safe way to develop any branch of
poultry husbandry.
The inventory taken the first of last
year shows that at that time the stock
consisted of $50 pairs of selected breeders
mostly Carneaux, Duchesse and Homers
The total cost of the entire outfit, build
ings and stock, was approximately S725,
though the actual value was much
greater.
During the year these birds consumed
feed valued at s225 and produced enough
squads to return a net profit of $55472
This is very nice net income from the
use of spare time only, one which would
prove most acceptable to most of us.
AT the time the writer visited this back