Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-22

many commercial poultry farms In the |
east and west which make the main
source of their income in market or
table eggs. and in addition to this they |
breed strong. vigorous birds and are f.
In n position to sell large Numbers or
hatching eggs during the spring. rhey /
must have II large incubator capacity |
To hatch the quality of chicks when /
they require for themselves, consc' |
uuently they are in position To ,
hatch and sell large quantities of baby /
chicks. such chicks are usually of the |
very best quality because the reputa- /
tion of the owner of the iarm Is back .
of the stock. Thoy are produced .
from stock OF known breeding and .
from birds which are cared for with .
he one idea of producing hatcnaDle /
eggs. Chicks from such farms ire /
queRtly prirg from II to % cents each /
This product not only makes a con F.
siderable increased revenue ior the
commercial man who IL equipped To
handle 1t, but to the customer wishing
to make a start or to secure pullcts
tn supplement those of his own hatch .
ing.
Vigorous Chicks Are Necessary.
The first requisite To succcSSiul
baby chick trade is vigorous, healthy,
liNablo stock. The husky vigorous
chick depends upon two very definite
factors--first. the quality of the cg@
which is used for Matching, and sec
ondly. the conditions surrOundns the
egg during the Matching period. Tht
operator Of an incubator who gets
unsatisfactory and dlscoufNGlhS
matches often blamcs his machndb
| unjusty. All poor hatches are nov
| caused by the failure of the incubator
to do its work properly. but frequently
| by the poor quality of the eggs used.
The prime Matching egg must be
| produced by flock of healthy, yicor-
Gus, selected breeding birds which arc
properly housed and correctly fed,
and which are so mated thnt larse
percentage Of the eggs produced are
fertile. Ninety per cent or over OF all
eggs placed in the incubator should be
fertile during the spring months From
| the time the egg is laid until II Is
placed in the incubator it should be
kept at "a temperature of about 90 dc-
| grees and should be turned occasion
ally, or held with the small end down
to keep the air cell In its normal po-
sition Moreover. 1t should not be heid
| too long, not ober two weeks II pos
sible. Hatching eggs should he care
fully selected and only those of normal
size, of average shape and with n per-
feet shell should be set
| In the operation of the hatchery,
there arc two fundamentals which
must be followed. One Is the careful
dininfection OF all equipment tuch as
trays, nursery drawers and the interior
of the entire machine after eacn
hatch. This reduces the possibility OF
disease being communicated from one
hatch to the other. White diarrhoea
| is easily transmitted in this way
Spraying with 10 per cent solution
of some reliable disnfectant is best
Secondly, plenty OF moisture during
the progress of the hatch Is import
ant TO secure good results and to OBJ
| tain chicks which are large ana heaVy
and which will live well. The main
tenance IF the proper temperature. the
operations of turning, cooling, cand-
ling, etc. must be regularly ana sys-
tcmatically attended to.
when the chicks are counted for
shipment, only normal. husky, vigor-
Gus ones should be packed. weak
chicks will probably die before reacn-
ing their destination and VIII cause
dissatisfaction and loss OF business. IL
is a well-known fact that only chicks
which are well hatched are worth put
ting in the brooder.
Chicks Must BE Carefully Packed.
Next to the production of strong
chicks the success of the day old chick
trade depends upon having them prop
erly packed and carefully handled In
order to insure their safe arrival.
Chicks are packed after they have be-
come thoroughly dry. Special boxes
made of corrugated pasteboard are
used, each box being OF such slze
that it will hold one hundred chicks.
The interior is divided into four com
partments. to prevent injury due to
crowding or suffocation.
Baby chicks are usually shipped by
express and should be conspicuously
labeled. The route over which they
must travel should be determined in
advance, and they should be billed and
routed and delivered to the express
company at such a time that they can
be gotten off with the least possible
delay. The purchaser should be nou-
fled when the chicks are shipped and
it is his duty to get them from the
railroad. and start them in the brooder
as soon as possible.
While In route the conditions should
be as uniform as possible Losses dur
ing the early spring may come from
the packages being left for long
time on trucks at station platforms,
where they Will become chilled.
Again they may be placed near bank
of steam pipes where they will be-
come very much overheated.
The express companies have issued
special rules to their agents covering
the handling of such packages, and
any loss due to the failure OF the com
pany to handle package properly can
easily be collected by making claim
for damages in the proper manner.
II Future of the Chick Trade.
There is every reason to believe that
II the baby chick trade has n remark
able future if the poultryman uses
due care to produce only the best
chicks and to sell only those which
are of such quality that they are sure
to give satisfaction. The vitality Of the
chicks after they reach their destiIs
ton is the big determining factor ~
the future of the trade.
| Probably the greatest opportunity Is
offered to the commercial poultryman
who has an extensive Matching equip
ment and who can, by advertising,
build up a demand for thousands Of
these fluffy youngsters. A nearby
local trade covering a radius of not
over so to 100 miles is probably the
most satisfactory. The profit result
ing from the baby chick trade is
satisfactory, providing at least so per
l lao FOL W