Milford chronicle., 1915-04-23

ten from time to time upon the esser
tials of the poultry business, and Will
it is really necessary that these shoul
be strictly adhered to, to attain sue
cess, yet there is another and vital
important point to be considered t
4 accomplish this end.
= The missing link, as it were, to tn
other essentials for every poultryma
& to practice, is economy. This is, afte
all, the corner stone to success, for n
II matter how productive the fiocks ma,
II be, unless one is careful of the ex
penses, his profits are caused to dwin
die, and in many instances be entirely
wiped out, thus making the business
failure, or at least one not profitable
: There is but little difference in en-
tering the poultry-raising business
from a business standpoint, than thai
of any other, and it is largely the econ.
omy practiced by the breeder which
makes the business pay a dividend.
Economy can best be practiced in
the poultry business in investment
maintenance of upkeep, and lastly, in
experiment. The first two of these
however, are the most important ones
and the last should never be INDUCED
in until the breeder has a good knowl-
edge of the business from start to
finish.
Many persons plunge headlong into
the game of poultry raising without
any thought whatever to the earning
power of their money, and thus sink
large sums in the purchase of stock,
the building of houses and other Incl
dentals to the business, without giving
any thought as to how much money
they spend. What is the result of
such actions? 1t is simply this, that
the amount invested is so large that
the hens are unable to yield sufficient
returns to meet the obligations of the
. breeders; then failure is a certainty.
This sort of business is both unfair
to the chickens and to the breeder
himself. Unfair to the flock, for the
reason that they simply are unable to
sufficiently produce to overcome over
capitalization, and are thus unable to
show their real worth, and to the
breeder from the fact that his invest 4
ment is bad and therefore unprofit-
able.
The one and only thought then that
should be uppermost in the mind of
the breeder prior to making an invest
ment should be, ''Will it pay to make
it ?" Look at every investment from
a business angle before making it, and
be governed by your decision after I
careful study. i
Of course, in making ones first +
start in the poultry business it is alb Il
solutely necessary to spend a little
money and for the first year the mar 4
gin of profit will naturally be consid- f
erably lower than is the case with the n
succeeding years. This is due to the n
fact that a place must be secured, h
buildings erected and stock purchased, / Y
but the outlay should be small in pro- n
portion. Don't go into it on too large I /,
a scale at first, but be content to build o
up as your knowledge of the business
increases.
do not advocate houses constructed
too cheaply, as this will only mean to
rebuild after year or two, which adds f,
greatly to the maintenance of the S
flock. Build simple, comfortable houses Il
that are convenient for the attendant n
and which will permit of additions and Il
at the same time be permanent fix o.
lures to the plant Much money is 81
often wasted in the building of fancy Il
houses which must be afterwards ST
either torn down or greatly altered 81
for the health and comfort of the Il
fowls. This is a waste of money, and h,
only makes the burden on the hens b'
greater. ql
The question of economics is not. 10
however, only confined to the invest
ment of moneys for the material side
Of the industry, but should to a large al
extent be practiced in the purchase of OF
birds. have never, nor will I ever pl
a n1x - | .
ness Of raising fancy poultry. This is fo
a good business for a person who is la
we'll supplied with this worlds goods. al
out surely not for the poor man or o,
ret the man with a limited bank ac- n,
,ount. AS hobby, it is fine, but from di
1 business standpoint, take my advice In
md steer clear of the rock. W
For the man who desires to earn a OF
living or assist in earning a living ar
With poultry, the raising of utility re
itock for commercial eggs and meat
s the only branch to take up.
But to get back to the subject, many ~,
persons make serious mistakes in the III
purchase of their fiocks. AZ.
Never buy old birds for layers un- g
ess they are to be used as breeders.
Never pay $500 for bird when good J.,
mes may be had for a S1.00 a head. IN
bird purchased for s1.OO. can be M
made to lay as many eggs as the one 10
or which you pay $500, and by the DO
urchase of the latter you spend S1.OO
1ore than is necessary, which only in
reases the burden on the hens, and it
certain that profits will be reduced. III,
very time a dollar is thrown away in of
he purchase Of a bird the flock will II;
ave to pay for its purchase before a sd,
rofit is given. In the end, when the ~,
200 bird has become too old to be
etained with profit, it will not bring 90;
snt more per pound in the market inc
ian will its $1.00 sister. T5 1s
Again, many persons lose sight of bat
:onomy by keeping a lot of fowls he
lat do not produce enough eggs to tbe
ay for their keep. With the high i
rice of grain to-day one is not iusti- III