Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-27
On Egg Farms They Are Con-
sidered a Nuisance, but
They Can Be Made a By
Product
Much Depends Upon the
Feeding and Care Along
Market Poultry Lines

Poultry keepers usually hatch chicks
to get pullets for egg production. But
usually so per cent of all chicks hatch
ed are cockcreIs. Hence most keep
ers of fowls want to know how these
cockereIs can be turned to profitable
account. To point out how this can
be done successfully is the purpose of
this article.
When pullets are raised for egg
production. they can produce no in
come for at least seven or eight
months. Even after they have begun
to lay, it takes some time for pullets
to produce enough eggs to provide a
profit above cost of feed. But this
is not the case with cockerels. In
stead of being a nuisance" as many
poultry keepers say, cockerels may be
turned into cash at a substantial profit
they are Matched. And in so doing
they will help to support the pullets.
A Difference in Breeds
CoCkerels of the heavier, dual-pur-
pose breeds of fowls are better for
making profits than the lighter and
more active breeds. White and Bar
red Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island
/ Reds, Wyandottes and Orpingtons are
excellent breeds for the quick devel-
opment of high class table fowls. Sur
plus cockerels from any of these
breeds grow rapidly after reaching the
age of 2 Y to months. These breeds
of fowls are not so active and rest
less - Leghorns, Anconas, Minorcas
and many others.
The tendency of very active cocker
els is to develop muscles instead of
putting on flesh. Consequently, the
flesh of active fowls is more or less
stringy for food purposes. This is
Especially the case If the cockerels have
free range.
To overcome this tendency, it is well
to closely confine cockerels of the
more active breeds. If this is done
mere will be no great difference in
the meat qualities of cockerels from
all breeds of fowls.
But many poultry ralsers, from lack
of room or to avoid the trouble OF
caring for their cockerels sufficient
length of time to make their most
rapid growth, dispose of them as fry
ers when six weeks or two months old
This is too early to make them profit
able. Unless young cockerels can
be put on the market as fryers very
early when prices are high. they prac-
tically cost to raise all they bring on
the market. Only a few poultry
raisers having special facilities for
hatching and raising chicks early can
marketed so young as six weeks. Their
profits come from the much higher
price fryers. sold to a select trade
around Easter time and up to the last
of May.
With the great majority of poultry
keepers, however, Matching hardly be-
gins until the middle or last of March,
continuing to about the end of May
Under these conditions cockerels can
not be sold as fryers until into June
or July. BY that time market prices
have declined. Cockerels cannot be
sold as fryers then at a reasonable
. profit because young chicks need more
care and grow less rapidly during the
first two or three months of their life
1t Is a mistake to sell cockerels, ex-
cept for a special early trade, until
they are at least four months old.
Scgregatc the Cockcrels
AS soon as their sex can be deter
mined, the cockerels should be penned
by themselves. There are several
reasons TO rthis. If allowed to run
with older fowls, they do not get their
lproper share of food for normal
growth. If young pullets and cock
erels run together, especially after
they are three months old, the cock
erels get more than their share OF
food at the expense of the pullets
which may become stunted.
II cockerels are placed by them
selves when about three months old
they grow up quite contented. are
peaceably inclined, require less at
tention, and put on flesh rapidly IL
properly fed. Since they are CON
fined, they do not run to muscle. The
1 flesh of cockerels kept under these