The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-01-15
TOO MUCH POOR
POULTRY IN n. D.
Much tuberculosis, In State--.
More Money In Healthy
Pure Bred Chicks.
(By r. G. Greaves, North Dakota
Agricultural College)

VI ~ W. "a SCos " IL DdhOJd
Agricultural College)
A recent survey Of the poultry Of
the State of North Dakota shows that
tie f1ocks on nearly all the farms are
of decidedly mixed blood.
This condition is due not alone to
lack of interest on the part of the
farmer but also to a lack of knowledge
on bis part and also a lack of publicity
Of certain facts connected with the
poultry interests.
Observations have been made by an
interested party relative to the poultry
raising of the state gained from a
period of several weeks in a produce
house.
Poor Breeds Less Profitable.
OF the large number of birds
handled nearly all were mems which
made the care all the more interesting
from the fact that it is the hen that
makes the profit in a flock of chickens.
Of these hens in the earlier part of
the summer especially, a large part
were still producing eggs and should
have been kept on the farms for sew
eral weeks longer.
The produce houses make a distinc-
ton between heavy and light hens in
This part of the country, and the lar
ket quotations differ by about 8 cents
for the two classes because the heav-
Ter hens sell better in the eastern
markets, therefore, all hens weighing
under four pounds receive the smaller
price.
Of the large number Of hens
handled during these weeks from two
thirds to three-fourths Of them were
classed as Eight hens" their average
weight being about three and one-half
pounds, depending upon the amount of
leghorn blood in the individual.
Money In Better Breeds.
Two shipments arriving at the same
time illustrate the advantage Of rails
ing pure bred poultry. OF these two
shipments one was composed Of birds
which showed a large amount of
breeding from a heavy strain. This
lot of birds averaged over four and
one-half pounds though not specially
fattened. For this lot the owner re-
ceived a price of "a cents a pound or
an average price per hen of $1.OS.
The other lot was mixed with many
breeds, caused doubtless by a frequent
change Of male birds with the inten-
ton no doubt of increasing the laying
capacity Of the hens of the flock.
This lot apparently had had the same
conditioning as the former flock, yet
these birds averaged just a tritie over
three and one-half pounds which
classed them as light hens and the
price at that time being q cents, gave
the owner an average of IS cents each
Or a loss of SO cents from the selling
price of hens at that time.
Much Tuberculosis.
Another point which presented itself
very strong during this period and
should be noted by all poultry raisers
Is that the focks of the state in many
sections have cases of tuberculosis
among them. "
Several shipments from certain Sec
tons of the state contained birds
upon which the disease had reached a
stage where it was producing effects
which showed and in some cases which
made the bird unfit for killing pur-
poses.
In case a person has a flock which
they know to contain birds having
this disease, they should Immediately
get busy to eradicate all birds which
show lack of vitality or other indica-
tions Of having the disease and then
clean up their yards, poultry houses
and feeding troughs and start again
with healthy birds.
Points to Remember.
Pure-bred birds cost no more to keep
than mixed breeds, and the former
generally produce more eggs per hen
than the latter and when they have
outlived their usefulness, which in the
heavier breeds is after the second lay
ing year, they sell for more on the
market. -
A mixed-bred flock is generally in
bred and an inbred bird in a majority
of cases does not possess the same
amount of vitality as a pure-bred bird
aud therefore is more liable to con-
tract disease and transmit them to the
stronger members of the flock.
The mixed flocks do not possess the
same laying qualities as the p%ure-bred
birds, and their average number of
eggs per year is not nor than 60 or
20, which are laid during the summer
months.
Now is a good time to 60 through
the flocks and select all the Stacker
hens and fatten them for the market
and with this money purchase either
pure-bred birds which the breeders
will sell cheap at this time Of the
year, or hold the money until spring
when It can be used to purchase set
tings Of eggs from reliable breeders.