Poultry secrets revealed

Chapter 1 — American Poultry, . . Pa ge 5 2 — The Start

' 11

3 — Which Variety,

■ 16

4 — The Poultry House,

' 23

5 — The Food Problem,

' 32

6 — Hatching, ....

' 37

7 — Brooding, ...

' 41

8 — Young Stock,

' 45

9 — Maturing the Stock,

• 49

1 — Diseases, ....

' 54

' 1 1— The Markets, ...

' 61

1 2 — The Show Room,

' 66

1 3 — Fancy Stock,

' 69

1 4 — Poultry Secrets,

' 75

1 5 — The Townsend Tests,

' 86

Copyright 1912

POULTRY SECRETS REVEALED

=BY=

CHARLES F. TOWNSEND

WEEDSPORT, NEW YORK

President of the National Poultry Association, recognized as an authority on all poultry subjects

NATIONAL POULTRY MAGAZINE

BUFFALO, N. Y.

/ X

Foreword

In this little book I shall talk to you, so far as possible, the same as I would do if you could drop into my office from time to time. I assume that you are a novice, a beginner, in poultry culture. Therefore if this book falls into the hands of an old breeder he will probably cry out that he finds very little that is new between its covers. Well, what of it?

I am not writing for Experience. I am writing for Inexperience. The old breeder can shift for himself. The beginner needs help. And so, if I save one lone reader from loss — from discouragement — / shall feel that I have not labored in vain, and that captious critics, if they appear, may all go hang!

Fraternally yours,

THE AUTHOR.

Q.J.J.

A^OW^.

CHAPTER I AMERICAN POULTRY

Poultry raising is the biggest business on earth. Government statistics — incomplete as they are — prove that the poultry industry of the world surpasses every manufacturing business. Cotton is no longer king. Beef, pork and mutton are left far in the rear. Wheat was passed long ago; and even "King Corn" will be found in second place when the poultry industry is properly tabulated.

And this great industry is a profitable business, giving better returns for the money invested than any other line of legitimate trade. It has been proven over and again that the cost of producing poultry meat is no greater, pound for pound, than that of producing beef, pork or mutton. At the same time the market reports, month by month, show that the selling prices are overwhelmingly in favor of the poultryman. The live weight prices for the best grades of poultry run on the average from two to three times as much as the highest prices paid for the best grades of cattle, hogs or sheep; while in the lower grades the difference is still greater.

In addition to the handsome profits made by growing fowls for market we find that the egg trade yields still greater results. If the average yearly cost of producing a dozen eggs is placed at 12y 2 cents — which would probably be a reasonable estimate — and if under improved conditions and improved breeding the average pullet lays 10 dozen eggs in a year which can be marketed at prices that will level up to 25 cents per dozen, the profit in commercial eggs is self evident. And under circumstances of which any live man may take advantage this profit may be largely increased. The demand for reliable fresh eggs is always ahead of the supply. There are many consumers who will gladly pay 50 cents per dozen on yearly contract for dependable eggs. Such customers must be sought; but once found they will stick, so long as the breeder does his part.

Eggs for hatching pay still better, since one may obtain anything from fifty cents to fifty dollars per setting for such eggs. The tide of trade in this line begins flowing in February, reaches its flood in April and slowly ebbs until the end of June. The eggs for hatching trade can be made very profitable if one has good birds and a good business head.

To be a successful poultryman — no matter what line one may follow — requires good judgment, and a capacity for hard work. You cannot learn to raise poultry by sitting at ease in your city home, even though you should "bite" at every "system" swindle or fraudulent mail order poultry "school." These "system" hawks and "school" rats prey upon the ignorant, the lazy and the credulous, who have been misled by big promises in flaming advertisements.

The successful breeder has learned that the only school that can be depended on is the school of experience. The man who has graduated from this school is equipped for success in the poultry business and will not be misled by advertisements of systems or instructions by mail on how to make money on poultry for a two cent stamp.

As to location: your best location is where you are. The poultry business has this advantage — that there is no place in all this broad land where poultry and eggs will not yield handsomely. North, south, east and west, from Maine to California, and from the Yukon to the Gulf the poultryman is king. The cattle breeder is confined to the west and parts of the south; the pork raiser is largely limited to the central states; the sheep herder is equally restricted; but the poultryman has the whole nation for a field. Of course one must breed in certain localities for certain markets. Thus the Boston market demands brown eggs — the browner the better. The New York market, with equal lack of reason, demands white shelled eggs. In catering to the first the so-called Mediterranean breeds would not be as profitable as the so-called American or English varieties; while for the latter "Leghorn" eggs are most in demand. With these exceptions an egg is an egg, size and quality being the only points that count. Therefore start at home.

The beginner is often puzzled to know whether it is best to start with birds, eggs or baby chicks. A very careful analysis of each shows that each has certain advantages and also certain disadvantages. If the beginner can invest say $75 for a trio and from $100 to $150 for a pen, that will be the best way for him to start. He can raise his own chicks and, by careful line breeding, can in due time establish his own strain. But under no circumstances should a start be made with cheap birds. Like begets like and cheap birds beget cheap birds. In buying a trio or pen, always go to a breeder of established reputation. The reason is obvious: the man who has been in business for many years, whose stock has won the blue at the leading shows, must necessarily know his business. More than that he must necessarily be a man of honor. The lesser breeder may, and often does, have excellent stock. And if his birds are of the line royal, the experienced buyer may find it advantageous to deal with him. But in such cases the beginner takes a chance which he would not do in buying from an old time breeder.

If one cannot afford to buy first class adult birds, a very good way to start is by the purchase of a number of half grown chicks. Birds of good quality, six weeks of age and upwards, which have passed beyond the dangers of their baby days, may sometimes be purchased at a very reasonable price. Such birds of course have not been culled and the beginner should have an experienced breeder look them over when they have reached the age of six months and select those that are fit to retain. The remainder should be marketed at once.

The most common method is to start with eggs. This is satisfactory provided certain precautions are taken. The first is to know that the eggs are from thoroughly matured stock. While some varieties mature earlier than others, yet as a rule it is unwise to breed from any bird under one year of age. Pullet eggs are usually smaller, weaker and less fertile than those laid by hens. Another precaution is against ordering eggs too early. In the mad rush for early hatched chicks, the beginner takes a long chance if he purchases eggs laid before the first of April. The big breeders, it is true, are able to get fertile eggs sometimes in February and frequently in March. Nevertheless April and May are the best hatching months. And June is better than February.

When buying eggs for hatching, the greatest danger lies in the handling they receive en route. Distance is not objectionable. In sending out eggs for hatching from our test pens we have had excellent returns all the way from Maine to California. Careful packing has had much to do with this; careful handling, over direct lines of communication, has had more. One should buy then, whenever possible, from a breeder who can ship by a single express line so that no transfer to another company will be necessary. Eggs carry best when packed in strong baskets and safely cushioned on hay or excelsior; and the buyer should insist that his eggs should be packed in that manner.

Generally speaking, the breeder should not be blamed if eggs fail to hatch. The buyer should know, and admit the fact, that in buying eggs for hatching he takes a chance. But the chance, however, is largely in his favor. This is particularly so when buying the higher priced eggs. Some prominent breeders get as high as four or five dollars each for eggs from their best pens. And high as this price is such eggs are really the cheapest in the end; because the chances are that any bird hatched from such eggs will be immensely valuable.

It is customary to duplicate poor hatches at half price. But the buyer should learn the difference between an egg that is fertile and one that is not. Most beginners imagine that eggs which will rot during incubation are infertile; the fact is quite the contrary, for the rotten egg is almost invariably one in which the germ has started and died. This death of the germ is something for which the breeder is nowise responsible. It may be caused by rough handling, from alternate heating and chilling, from a faulty incubator, or from a faulty hen. One should not suppose that because a hen sits steadily she sits properly. A hen may stick to her job so closely that the eggs are not sufficiently aired. In such cases, and they are of frequent occurrence, the life-giving oxygen does not reach the egg in sufficient quantities and the germ dies. In using incubators faulty thermostats occasionally allow a wide variation in temperature; this is likely to prove fatal to the germ especially in the earlier stages. Therefore one should exercise common sense when making claims for infertility.

The baby chick industry has some commendable features. The buyer is saved all worry over cranky hens or cranky incubators. He can count his chickens before they are hatched; and if he could raise all that he counts, his troubles would be nil. Unfortunately these little chicks are exposed to many dangers. Packed closely for shipping they are liable to suffer from chilling, over-heating, and for want of fresh air. Any of these causes will make them susceptible to disease, particularly to the deadly white diarrhoea. But if they escape all this and are properly cared for on their arrival, there is no reason why they should not do well.

At certain times of the year, notably at the close of the hatching season, the beginner may often take advantage of bargain sales. The females purchased at such sales may not lay many eggs the following year; but if mated to a vigorous cockerel, the few eggs they do lay will be of high value.

The beginner must needs expect discouragements. But he should remember that it is only in the school of adversity that one wins the highest honors. Poultry keeping is an honorable, healthful and profitable business. Properly managed there is nothing that will yield better returns for the time and money invested.

Chapter II The Start

Well begun is half done; and this saying holds true nowhere more than in the poultry business. A bad beginning in poultry culture usually means a bad ending. The most common fault to be avoided is that of beginning on to large a scale. Better success with a trio, than failure with a thousand; and the man who begins with a thousand birds, or even with a hundred, if a tyro, almost invariably meets with failure.

The reason why so many fail at the outset is that they begin with inflated ideas. They read the Munchausen tales told by irresponsible knaves, exploiting some fabulous "strain," and having no knowledge of the facts in the case, they fall easy victims. They read, and believe, the stories told by various "system" men describing in rosy colors how profits running from six dollars upward per hen can be made by wholly inexperienced people; they pay their hard-earned money to alleged poultry "schools" for the purpose of learning by mail, in their city homes, "how to conduct a large poultry plant"; they figure, unwisely, that if a single hen pays yearly a legitimate profit of even $1.50, a thousand hens will pay correspondingly. All these things lead to failure. There is no royal road to success in poultry culture. The way to learn to raise poultry is to raise poultry, and by that is meant from small beginnings. Do not start with the idea of making a fortune immediately. Mr. U. R. Fishel, whose standing today financially is of the highest, started with a dozen birds. He "felt his way," treated his customers right, and grew as his business grew. Lester Tompkins, the noted breeder of Rhode Island Reds, Sam. Noftzger, the originator of the beautiful and useful Partridge Plymouth Rocks, and in fact almost every noted breeder began growing poultry along the same lines. The wise tyro, therefore should follow their example.

One of the most common questions put to an expert is "How much capital do I need for a start." The next is "Where should I locate?" The first is answered by saying: "Whatever amount you can afford, bearing in mind the stipulation of starting small"; to illustrate: A beginner wrote me that he had $75 to invest in birds and asked how many I could send him for the money. I told him that I would send him a trio of thorough-bred stock equal to any that he could purchase anywhere in the country. I then went on to explain that with this trio he would get started on a sure foundation, and that another year he could have a good sized flock of first class birds instead of a large flock of culls, he immediately saw a light. Had he invested his money at the outset in dollar birds, his "strain" would have been dollar birds to the end of the chapter. On the other hand, by starting with three birds of exceptional value, and by careful culling, in three years' time he had a flock of birds that placed him among the money makers.

I am writing this book for the beginner. The novice should be told the plain, blunt truth. He should have facts, not fancies. Many arrant humbugs and some downright swindlers have crept into the poultry business, and the brassy claims made by these harpies have led many people to invest beyond their means by arousing hopes impossible to realize. We shall publish facts so that the beginner may start with his eyes open.

Poultry raising is healthful and profitable. It takes one out of doors, keeps brain and body busy, and if properly managed gives better returns, dollar for dollar, than any other business.

The "back yard" breeder can make a living — and a good living from bis birds. He won't make thousands of dollars yearly on a few square feet of land, as one notorious faker claimed to have done, unless, like that unsavory person, he pitches Truth overboard and, through misleading advertisements, beguiles the credulous into paying enormous prices for third-rate stock and eggs.

But there is a multitude of breeders today who are making plenty of money, and making it legitimately, in city and village. And the secret of this is to breed intensively, from first class stock of a single variety. Such breeders may not raise many birds, but they can raise good ones and get good prices; and as their expenses are low their profits will be high.

But town lot breeding is not easy work. To properly care for two hundred birds under such conditions requires more downright labor than would the care of a thousand on free range.

Birds in constant confinement must have constant attention. Green food, animal food, grit, lime, charcoal, dust baths and pure, fresh water must be supplied. Houses must be kept clean, snug and dry. Vermin must be held in check. On free range much of this labor and expense is unnecessary.

But remember: Fowls on free range never pay as much per head as they do in confinement. The reason is that free range birds are often left to hustle for themselves; and while they may be healthy and vigorous they do not make as quick growth nor lay as many eggs as restricted birds.

Under absolutely "natural" conditions no hen would lay except for reproduction. The native jungle fowl lays fewer eggs in a year than a well-bred pullet lays in a single month. The "200 egg" hen is common in small flocks, even though she is not — and probably never will be — a commercial fact.

The town lot breeder can, and usually does, know his birds individually. Thus he can mate properly — as will be described later on — and from his small flock produce a high percentage of first class birds. Selecting some popular variety, and breeding only for the fancy, a good living can be made on a half acre.

The average farm flock is a nightmare — a jumbled mess of mongrels. A majority of farmers still think that poultry is something for the "women folks" to "fuss with" but of no real importance. This is a great mistake. It is safe to say that there is not a farm of ordinary size where general crops are grown, that, properly managed, would not pay far better with poultry than with anything else. The town breeder must buy everything for his birds. The farmer can raise everything — or an equivalent. If he has the ability he can breed both fancy and market poultry, and thus make money at both ends of the business. There are very few places where poultry and eggs fail to find a ready market at good prices; and fancy poultry is bred all the way from Maine to California.

On the farm the birds should not be cooped or penned to keep them out of the garden. No. Fence in the garden and let the birds run free. Neither should they be made feathered tramps, roosting under sheds, in barns or out-buildings. Nor should they be allowed to loaf about the kitchen door looking for table scraps. Even that alleged breeder, who pretended to have made |3,600 in one season from 30 hens, by feeding them on table scraps, did not allow them to befoul his kitchen steps. His mythical "feeding" was done at a distance.

The farmer should adopt the extensive or colony system. Therein lies the secret of success with farm poultry. Colony houses large enough for forty or perhaps fifty chicks can be built at trifling cost, or purchased, ready to put together, for a few dollars. I use the Buckeye colony houses because they last for years and cost less than I could build them. While allowing a good out door run they keep the little chicks warm, dry and comfortable, and when they are large enough to look out for themselves these buildings make admirable roosting houses.

With the colony system a large number of chicks may be cared for without much labor. They may be hopper fed and watered from a barrel so will need but little attention. The farmer, therefore, can raise hundreds while the town breeder raises dozens.

Commercial breeding, so called, is merely specializing. Generally this runs into "egg farms," with "broilers on the side." There are many of these great "farms" in the vicinity of New York, Philadelphia and Boston; and on the Pacific Coast, in California, there are others equally great.

These big commercial plants are money makers — sometimes. When managed on broad lines, by men who are big enough for big things, they pay well. The secret of success with twenty thousand hens is the secret of success in any other big enterprise. The ability to place, organize and conduct such an extensive business is unusual, demanding, as it does, qualities that only the few possess.

Fancy breeding, as the word suggests, is the breeding of ornamental or toy birds. There are enough buyers to make this branch of the business fairly profitable. Indeed there are bantam breeders who make a great deal of money every year. And there is a fair demand at all times for the Polish in all its varieties, together with the Frizzles, Silkies, Sultans and other "odds and ends."

The secret of success with these bizarre birds is to breed to the Standard — and advertise.

Chapter III Which Variety?

The beginner constantly asks the question: "Which is the best breed?" And the oft repeated answer is: "There is no best breed." Naturally some breeds are better than others. No matter how beautiful a variety may be, unless it possesses practical qualities, it is only a toy of no use save to the dyed-in-the-wool fancier. The Polish, the Hamburgs, the Silkies, the Sultans, Frizzles, and Bantams are all of this class. Among them are many odd and beautiful birds but none of them are suitable for the man who goes in for meat or eggs. The "meat" breeds, including birds raised for capons, can be bred successfully only where food products are available at the lowest market prices. These varieties include such massive birds as the Cochins, Brahmas and Langshans. They are large of frame, slow in growth, and require far more food to reach a market age than do any other breeds; but where food products are cheap they can be grown successfully and will pay great profits. Where eggs, and especially white eggs are required, the Leghorn naturally holds first place. These birds grow rapidly, mature quickly, and if care is taken to secure a good laying strain, they are, under such conditions, the best fowls for the white-egg farmer.

The well deserved popularity of the American and English breeds rests upon their general utility qualities. The Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Orpingtons, and to a lesser extent the Wyandottes, are really general purpose fowls. The fact that the Wyandottes, with some notable exceptions, generally lay smaller eggs than either of the other varieties, and that they run smaller in size, has served to lessen their popularity with the practical poultryman. As broilers, however, the Wyandottes fill every requirement; and when properly bred they are very satisfactory egg producers. The beginner, however, will find that the white variety will give the best satisfaction as a layer — owing to the fact that the comparative ease of breeding to standard requirements has enabled the admirers of this variety to give more attention to utility points than has been possible with other Wyandottes.

The Rhode Island Reds, both Single and Rose Comb, are immensely popular, both with the fancier and the market poultryman. The difficulty of breeding this variety to the Standard gives the fancier an opportunity to extend himself to the limit. And it has been a fortunate thing that the Rhode Island Reds have been in the hands of practical men to such an extent that the standard tinkers have been unable to ruin this breed. The consequence is that the Reds have retained their utility qualities along with their popularity in the show room. They are docile, bear confinement well, lay large, brown eggs, mature early and are exceedingly popular as market birds. As layers, they rank high. In the tests for laying they have been among the leaders. As fancy birds they bring high prices, ranking with the Plymouth Rocks and Orpingtons. The beginner, if he takes care to buy his stock or eggs from men who are dependable, will make no mistake in taking up this breed.

The English Orpingtons are strictly first class birds. Massive in size, stately in style, these birds are among the aristocrats of the feathered world. Rapid in growth, maturing early, laying good sized, tinted eggs, and plenty of them, their popularity in England, and their growing popularity in America, is easily understood. And despite their handicap in being touted by some of the worst fakers in the business they still are winning a commanding position because of their intrinsic merits. There are three standard varieties — the White, Buff and Black. There is no difference in the meat or egg value of either variety; although the lingering American idiocy against dark legs in chickens — though there is none in turkeys — has prevented the Blacks from having the vogue of the Whites and Buffs. This absurdity is rapidly disappearing and therefore the Black variety is growing in favor daily. It is one of the best of all varieties, especially for the town fancier.

In starting with Orpingtons, especially the White variety, one should exercise much caution. The American standard differs materially from the English. The latter, very properly, puts type above all else. An English judge will award first prize to a bird that may be bad in comb, legs and eyes, provided it is strong in type. An American judge is too apt to consider these minor points; and as a result the blue ribbon is too often awarded birds that are Orpingtons in name only. This fault must be and will be corrected; therefore the beginner with Orpingtons should buy his stock or eggs from men who breed to the English type — like William Cook and Sons, the originators of all the Orpingtons.

The Plymouth Rock is the American bird par excellence. Large, lusty, quick growing, early maturing, equally at home in pen or on range, a great layer of big eggs, unsurpassed as a market bird, this active breed is typical of American snap and go. There are many varieties of the Plymouth Rocks, each of which has its ardent admirers. The old reliable Barred variety is a business bird, wonderfully popular with the farmers of America, and equally popular in the show room. Its only objection in the eyes of the small breeder, is the fact that double mating is necessary in order to produce males and females of the same shade of color. The males naturally run light, the females dark. It is necessary therefore, as a rule, to breed from dark birds in order to produce dark males, and from light birds, especially from a light male, in order to produce females of standard color. This prevents many small breeders, who lack the necessary room, from handling this variety; but the market breeder, who cares nothing for fancy points, finds in the Barred Rock a variety that suits him from the ground up.

The Buff, Columbian and Penciled varieties are all excellent, but none of them has achieved the popularity of the others.

The White Rocks, thanks to men like Fishel, Graves and Owen, backed by their own intrinsic good qualities, have a world-wide popularity. They are phenomenal layers, grow to a large size, and are among the most popular of all market breeds. As egg producers their remarkable freedom from broodiness places them among the leaders. Our official tests showed that four exhibition White Rocks laid 861 eggs in one year — an average of 215 each. And in three years' tests, which included "a large number of birds, no ''broody" was ever seen. The White Rocks breed white and stay white. Storm or sunshine has no effect on their plumage. We have had birds of this variety reach an age of four years and moult out to a snowy whiteness. The beginner will make no mistake in taking up the White Rocks.

The latest edition of the Rock family and one that is apparently destined to become the most popular of all, is the new beauty breed, the Partridge Plymouth Rocks. As is usually the case, when anything of especial merit is produced, there are several who claim to have originated this wonderful variety. But careful investigation shows that the honor clearly belongs to Samuel A. Noftzger, of North Manchester, Ind. His strain appears to be the only one containing no Partridge Wyandotte blood.

The Partridge Plymouth Rocks possess many qualities held by no other breed or variety. Our official trap nest records show that they have outlaid all others thus far tested. A pen of six birds laid the astounding number of 1,321 eggs in a single year, an average of 220 each. Their eggs are uniformly large and very even in shape and color. This fact alone makes them particularly valuable to the egg farmer because of the labor saved in sorting for the market. They are easily broken up if they become broody, a couple of days confinement usually being sufficient; while if allowed to sit, they make the best of mothers. Their plumage is remarkably beautiful, a combination in the male, of lustrous greenish black, bright red and mahogany brown; in the female the color is a beautiful blending of mahogany, soft brown and black and both male and female are produced by single matings. Therefore the amateur and professional will find that the Partridge Plymouth Rock is not only a bird of beauty but one of the greatest money makers in poultrydom.