The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1917-05-24
POULTRY PAYS EVEN
WITH FEED HIGH
Experiment Station Expert Declares
Poultrymen Make More Money
Now Than Ever

that show good health, as they will
show handsome profit before the
winter moult sets in, is the advice of
George K. Shoup, poultry specialist
Of tie Western Washington EXper-
iment Station at Puyallup.
In an article written for the May
bulletin CT the Puyallup Station, Mr..
Shoup points out that although the
feed prices have advanced a third
above those of last year. nevertheless
tie price OF eggs had advanced CON
-sieerably more than that.
TIE following IS Mr.. Sk0up's view
of the situation
No one can tell the point to which
feed prices will advance. and until
the Government takes hold and stipu-
iates minimum and maximum prices
for feed there can be no absolute GER
tafnty as to the profit or loss in the
poultry business. At this writing
April "a the price Of eggs and poul-
the rise in the cost of production, and
we are inclined to take an optimistic
view of the future prospects.
We naturally turn back to the
conditions of year ago to get COM
parison of feed costs and receipts for
produce. We find that the average
price paid for the four months, Apli..
May, June and July. 1916 was S41.33.
The prices quoted today (April 24)
average S55.S0.
This tabulation shows an average
increase of S14.47 per ton. or about
30 per cent over prices paid last year.
Comparing the prices received for
eggs the corresponding week of last
year, We find that the price the third
week in April was 21e and the same
week in April this year is S3c, an ad
vance of 12c per dozen or 81 per cent.
Poultry brought 1Sc for Leghorn
hens and Sc for roosters in April,
1916, while the 1917 prices are 22c
for hens and sc for roostscs, an at
vance on hens of only - per cent
and on roosters of 46 pei cent. The
advance on hens has not kept up with
the procession, due no doubt to the
heavy marketing Of poultry this year
because of high Feed prices. TIE
rooster. even at the phenomenal adj
vance of almost 50 per cent, * still
the cheapest meat on the MAI ket.
There is no doubt thai the pro-
duction of eggs. due probably u tte
extremely late spring and the lack OF
sunshine and succulent green feed,
is f. r below the normal for JhIs saas-
h nT n lots
have been going through a sprin1
moult. This is an unheaHd OF pro-
ceeding. and is not due directly 10
the winter lighting. as some poultry
men have declared. The producing
of artificial daylight and summer
conditions in winter time has been
praetised for many years, and the
puIIets have never moulted before in
the spring. so it must be due to
some other cause.
I'VE note the general improvement
in the pullet fiocks as May approach
es and predict a very material in
crease in production in the next few
weeks. There are many who believe
that because of this spring rest, the
outlets
this fall. This prophecy seems not
unreasonable, because the birds have
taken on considerable flesh during
this period and are now in good con-
dition and better able to stand the
strain of continuous laying. Our ad-
vice is to hang on to all the 1916
hatehed pullets which now show good
health and probable future product
ion. There are five months more Of
LAYING before the fall moult, and If
nrices hold near the soc to 35c level
during the summer, which appears
auite probable when the prices OF all
other foodstuffs are considered, they
are sure to show a handsome profit
before the winter moult starts in.
I've advise careful eulling all this
summer. All overfat birds should
go. as they are likely to die OF apo
plexy or of an egg broken in the ov-
iduet Discard all runts, as such
have never paid and will certainly
lose money for their owner now. Get
rid of all males. The hens actually
Law better without them, and the new
coekerels coming on will produce
more fertile eggs than any old bird
next year. If the birds are not in
good condition. put them in the fat
tening coops by themselves for ten
davs. Allow no exercise, feed them
well, and they will take on half
mound weight at a cost of about &c
each. Market all broilers as soon
as they come to the pound weight
and finish them up in the fattening
crates with the sloppy buttermtlk
mash. Broilers should be put into
the fattening crates for 0 days when
they weigh about twelve ounces and
will then weigh well over the one
mound limit when marketed.
ITO reduce the feed cost, we ad-
wise feeding a larger amount of short
sprouted oats and increasing the wet
mash feed AT right. We rave recent
l., o,,t down our hard grain % per C.