The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-12-24
BY C. N. PERKINS.
Midland Park, n. ].

on every poultry pldut tHdl one
can vastly improve by thorough
ly investigating the conditions, and
making ones experience bring forth
better methods.
Naturally, this applies more to
those who have been engaged in the
poultry business for some time, but
in the case of the beginner, he should
look as closely as possible to the
more experienced for suggestions, and
thus avoid errors that have been
made by others. To get into a rut
and stay there, contented with things
as they are, just because there is
some mental or physical work at
tached to improving matters, will
spell ruin in the long run.
Study your own methods and con-
ditions, and then compare them with
the methods and conditions on your
neighbors' plants. Where you car
see that they have something or some
way of doing things that seems bet
ter than your own, adopt the change,
working gradually into the e re-
gime. 1t may be that it will not work
SO well when applied to your own
plant. If you find this to be so, don't
continue, jdst because the other fell
low finds it satisfactory-get a better
arrangement, for your plant-that's
what brains are given us for!
Experience Safe Guide.
Experience, however, should be a
guide that can safely be followed, pro-
vided one has the ability to choose
between the sound, solid result of
practical methods, and the high
sounding, flashy claims made by one
who can dream better than he can
act. Take your cue largely from the
poultrymen who have been in the
business for yearS-not months.
Usually, such persons have worked
out the various problems of the bust
ness in a systematic way, and in most
instances, their results can be relied
upon.
There are many little things on
every poultry plant that one can
change so as to make matters better.
To improve the fertility of the hatch
ing eggs means that larger matches
can be gotten from the same number
of eggs set in an incubator.
If the fertility can be brought from
rs per cent to 80, there are Is more
possible chicks in every 100 eggs set.
Not only this, but the fact that the
fertility runs so high, means also
that the entire number Of fertile eggs
are of so much better Matching quail
ity that the net Matching results of
all the eggs will likely be materially
increased.
Eliminating Infertility.
If a personal reference may be
pardoned, the writer may say that a
couple of years ago the matter of
fertility was brought forward, and
the writer decided to try to eliminate
the loss Of so many infertile eggs,
and at the same time to increase the
hatchability of all the eggs set.
After giving the matter much care
full d~eliberation and thought, two or
three methods were decided upon,
and experiments begun. Some of the
methods did little to change results.
One or two ways stood out quite sat
isfactorily. The first was to improve
the condition and Notwithstanding
and vigor-of the breeders. The other
way was the method of feeding.
To change matters in the first
method took more than a single sea
son. That Fall, practically all the
yearling and 2-year-old hens were
kept over the Winter, and also some
cock birds. Naturally, these old hens
did not lay as well as pullets, and
the expense of keeping them, there
fore, was greater. But n should be
particularly careful in the poultry
business not to look only at the re-
suits of the moment, but to plan
ahead, and see the future.
These old hens were not fed to pro
duce many eggs during the Winter
they were fed to put on good solit
flesh (care being used that they die
not become overfat), and to built
up their constitutions. The same
with the male birds. The result wal
that when Spring opened up, these
birds were not all tired out from
heavy Winter egg production, bu
were full of vigor and strength.
Breeding Selection.
When the breeding season arrived
the yearling cock birds were matet
with only about 10 of the 2-year-olt
hens, and the yearling hens wer,
mated with Cockerels that had beef