Success with hens

Front matter

SUCCESS

A wiin ntlN

Kb

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Profit and Pleasure With Poultry. . ii

II. Common Sense Necessary i8

Chapter I Profit And Pleasure With Poultry

Poultry raising offers pleasure, fascination, and profits to everybody. Any one having any kind of a lot should keep poultry.

If the figures were at hand to show the number of families that keep a few hens to furnish eggs and poultry for the family table it would be something astounding.

Getting away from the more congested districts and going out where the dwellers have yard space at their disposal, one will find back yard flocks almost everywhere. In such districts poultry is about as common as cats and dogs, and, of course, considered much more useful by the owners.

Why do all these people keep poultry? A few may keep themi as pets, something to look at and admire, but the vast majority keep poultry because it pays. It means strictly fresh laid eggs at times when such are scarce and expensive, and with the absolute assurance that they are fresh.

Aside from this there is a fascination and pleasure in keeping good poultry. I say good poultry, because I doubt whether any one can take as much

II real interest in a flock of scrubs. There is nothing to admire or breed for in a mixed flock, nor can anyone get as good results from such a collection.

The average town folks long for something alive, something that has a touch of nature in it, something to feed and care for and, last but not least, something that will furnish them good things to eat. What is more beautiful than a pen of fowls of one breed, of one color, of uniform size, and of one shape, basking in the sun on a bright spring day? It adds life to the home of the humble cottager as well as to the more pretentious home of the suburbanite.

One who keeps poultry as it should be kept will derive much enjoyment out of the work and time put into it. He becomes a poultry fancier; he studies their habits and endeavors in every way possible to develop their points of beauty and their capacity for productiveness ; thus doing his share to improve the domestic fowls.

He takes a lively interest in everything his flock does, and he soon becomes accustomed to easily detect when anything is wrong with any of them. He knows the individuality of each specimen, he learns the habits of every one, and discovers the shortcomings which must be overcome, if possible, in the future generation.

The interest in his little backyard flock grows on him, and he can hardly wait until his daily work is over to be home with his hens. He becomes a poultry enthusiast and the work he does in caring for the flock seems easy; in fact, he no longer regards it as work, but as a pastime and recreation. The poultry keeps him at home and he no longer goes out to look for other enjoyment which may cost money and do him no good.

The expense of keeping a small flock is little. The table scraps from any ordinary family will go far towards keeping a dozen or more hens. To this, of course, must be added a little grain fed in the litter each day, and a hopper placed before them at all times, containing oyster shells, grit, and charcoal.

People keep pets around the house which never bring in a penny, but a hen will always pay her way. There is lots of pleasure in going out into the henhouse in the evening and gathering enough real fresh eggs for breakfast the next morning. Just think of having eggs for soft boiling which can be depended upon and which have been laid by healthy hens in a clean, sanitary henhouse ! With the proper care and feeding you can have such eggs in the dead of winter, when strictly fresh eggs are at a high price.

.It does not require much room to properly house and keep a small flock. A space in the back yard eight by fifteen feet will be plenty of room to house and yard a flock of twelve or fifteen hens. Even if confined nK>re closely than that they will do well.

providing everything about the place is kept fresh and dean and the hens are given lots of straw to exercise in. Nearly everybody handy with tools can build a neat little . henhouse 6 x 8 or purchase the portable kind sold by poultry supply houses.

If you should live in a district where the neighbors do not appreciate the musical notes of the crowing cock at morn it would be well not to keep any male birds at all. The hens will lay just as well without a lord and master to call them to their meals, and sterile eggs will keep better than those containing a fertile germ. Those who keep hens in this manner can purchase baby chicks each spring to keep up their flocks and kill or dispose of all the crowers as soon as they show signs of getting boisterous.

Hens closely confined must be given sufficient exercise in an artificial way, and must have lots of fresh air. Deep litter feeding and open front houses will supply both of these necessities. Keep the hens scratching and keep the henhouse well ventilated. Fowls in close confinement also must receive a greater variety of feed, and more care than fowls which have unlimited range.

Fowls running on range find many things beneficial to them, which must be supplied in some other form when kept in small inclosures. One of these things are insects, which find a substitute m beef scraps, green cut bone, or blood meal. Another item is grit — poultry on farms find sharp gravel and other substances which grind up the grains in the crops, but those in yards must be constantly suppHed with some good manufactured grit. Then again hens running in the woods can find sufficient charcoal, while those penned must be supplied with the prepared product.

The drinking water is one of the most important things in connection with intensive poultry raising. Birds, at large, as a rule, have an opportunity to obtain clean, fresh water at all times, but those in confinement are ofttimes neglected in this respect. It is not only necessary to have water before the fowls at all times, but such water should be as pure, clean, and fresh as possible. Stale, impure, dirty water will breed disease. Not only should water be drawn fresh at least once a day in winter, and two or three times every day during the summertime, but the vessels into which this water is supplied to the flock should be scoured and well cleaned. Vessels which are not constructed in such a manner that they cannot be thoroughly cleaned, or which have any recesses which cannot be reached with ordinary effort on the part of the operator, should not be installed in the poultry plant.

Small runways must be well looked after. They must be kept clean, spaded or raked often, and, if very small, refilled with fresh loam or ashes. The latter are not recommended for yellow legged fowls, as they have a tendency to affect the color of the l6 PROFIT WITH POULTRY

legs and feet. Many back yard poultry keepers have two small runways to each laying house, thus making it possible to plant each yard alternately with oats, rye, or other quick growing grasses. Where space permits this method is preferable. On the other hand, there are those who pay little attention to the runways, thinking it only necessary to clean the henhouse and let the yard take care of itself. Such neglect is liable to result in disease.

In building runways it is well to have ,the location high and dry and running toward the south if possible. By building the yards on the south side of the house they are protected to a certain extent from the cold winds, which means much to the flock during the colder months. Soil should also receive attention. Clay, which bakes dry and hard during dry weather and gets soft and muddy during rains, is anything but satisfactory for a modern poultry yard. Such ground should be covered with a good layer of black, sandy. Or gravelly soil or may be topped off with clean cinders well rammed and rolled.

Poultry wants plenty of shade in summer, and in constructing runs this must have consideration. Trees in or adjacent to the pens or sunflower or other plants are commonly and successfully used for this purpose. Small, low runs may be partly covered with canvas or roofing paper or vines may be planted so as to give the hens a shady *-etreat. Comfort is an important factor in keeping the flock in the best laying condition, and this is just as necessary in the run as it is in the laying house.

Confined hens require more exercise than pullets of the same breed, as they are inclined to fatten more rapidly. By giving the hens a deeper litter to scratch in they are compelled to work harder for their food and the feeds, both grains and mashes, should contain less fattening matter.

Strange as it may seem, it is a well known fact among authorities on poultry raising that confined poultry when properly housed, fed, and cared for will average a larger percentage of eggs than those on large range. The vitality of the offspring may in time be diminished, but the confined flock will lay eggs and plenty of them.

Chapter II Common Sense Necessary

Poultry raising, like any other business, requires work and good judgment. The poultry business is not hard labor, but it does require a certain amount of exertion on the part of the operator. It is not a lazy man's occupation, and a person with no ambition will not be much of a winner in the poultry line.

To be a successful poultry man one must have ambition and patience. Without either poultry work should not be attempted, unless perhaps profits are not to be considered. A drone in the poultry business will not last long, and one without patience may become discouraged before he fairly gets started on the road to success. One with good judgment generally has patience. He knows that every business has its drawbacks and some discouraging features; he knows that everything cannot be accomplished in one day, and that a loss is a good lesson, although it may be costly. If his hopes are not realized he does not give up in disgust, but tries and tries again until he meets success face to face.

A man without ambition is careless; he puts off until tomorrow what should have been done today.

i8

COMMON SENSE NECESSARY i0

This will never do in the poultry business. There are things that must be done today. Carelessness spells ruin to a poultry plant. It has put more than one poultry raiser on the list of the "has beens," and diminished many a good sized bank roll.

There have been failures in the poultry business, but not any more in proportion than in any other business. When a man fails in the poultry business he immediately tells all his friends about his misfortunes and condemns this vocation in the loudest terms, and although he realizes his shortcomings he becomes a full fledged member of the *' Knockers' Club." He tells of so and so also making a failure of the business, but never mentions the countless numbers who are making good in the same line.

But the American hen goes on supplying the breakfast table with its most popular victuals and the dinner table with healthful and delicious meats not tainted with lumpy jaw and tuberculosis. And what is more, thousands upon thousands of farmers' wives are clothing the entire family from the profits of the hennery; thousands of large poultry plants are making good dividends upon their investments, and countless numbers of backyard poultry raisers are supplying their tables with eggs and fowls besides deriving therefrom some extra money in addition to the salary earned from their regular vocation. An industry which ranks next to corn in dollars and cents, and then only partly figured, in

20 COMMON SENSE NECESSARY

the United States census reports. Does that look like an unprofitable business? Could an unprofitable business grow to such an enormous industry?

The man who works and uses good common sense in the poultry business is going to make a success of it. Remember, success in this business is not always measured by the dollar you put into it. It is the management of the plant which brings about the profits. If perhaps you are going into the poultry business as an investment and do not intend conducting it yourself great care should be exercised to select the proper man to manage such an institution. Good managers are not picked up every day. There are many who pose as being capable of handling anything in that line, but when placed in charge prove themselves incompetent. On a large plant where more help is needed it is much better to have an expert poultryman surrounded with ordinary laborers than to have all half way poultrymen, and no one who is fully qualified to handle all the details of such an undertaking. One good man who knows his business can get along with inexperienced help and win out.

There are people who go into the poultry business with the idea that all they need do is to buy an incubator, say, for instance of 250 egg capacity, fill it up, hatch 250 chicks, and then sit idly by and in the fall take these 250 chicks to the market and carry home $150, the proceeds of the

COMMON SENSE NECESSARY 21

sale. They do not consider that the chicks require attention, and the result is the chicks never live until market time, having become the prey of rats, disease, vermin, or something else — another case of lack of judgment. Live stock, no matter what it may be, must have attention. It must have good care, proper feed, fresh water, sunshine and shelter, and without these it cannot live. Even with all these things there will be some losses; a few deaths in the best cared for flocks cannot be avoided.

The poultry business offers big opportunities for the poor man, as it can be started on a small scale with very little capital, from which it can be increased gradually to an independent livelihood, but it means some work and a whole lot of gocKi common sense.

Chapter III Method To Be Used

The question of method confronts every beginner in poultry raising, and such beginner must decide whether to follow the old way, hatching by hen, or using the modern method, the incubator.

Before making any definite decision along this line several things must be taken into consideration, and no one should decide such an important question without giving it lots of thought. Facilities at hand must come in for a big share of consideration; location and breed must not be overlooked.

There is no question but what incubators, the right kind of incubators, are preferable to hens, and it is also a fact that a large poultry plant could not be operated nearly as successfully with hens as with machines; but there are on the other hand many individual cases where incubators are unprofitable to operate. For instance, the poultry raiser who only wishes to raise a couple of dozen chicks would be exercising extravagance by using an incubator.

People who can find room only in the kitchen for setting a machine, where the temperature goes from one extreme to the other, had better not attempt to use an incubator. The best machine

METHOD TO BE USED 23

on the market could not turn out satisfactory hatches where there is such a difference in the temperature. A good regulator will take care of the small changes satisfactorily, but where the variation is so marked as it would be in most kitchens it is impossible to keep the incubator egg chamber at a uniform temperature.

I have had people complain to me about the poor hatches from their incubators, and upon investigation I found many of these complainants' machines being operated within a few feet of the kitchen stove. One of these same people had one of the best basements I ever saw for hatching purposes, and when I asked him why he did not set his machine down there he replied: "I want it handy so that I need not go down into the basement at night to look after the machine and see that it is running right." I told this party that if he moved his machine into the basement, regulated it correctly to start with, and looked after it each morning and evening he would not need to get up at night ; in fact, he need not worry about it during the night. No wonder this party had to get up during the night and look after his regulator and lamp flame; the temperature of his kitchen dropped considerably during the night, hence it was absolutely necessary for him to look after it.

Should the decision have been made in favor of the incubator the question then arises what kind

24 METHOD TO BE USED

and size to buy. The answer to this question is : Buy a good one, and let the size be governed by the facilities at hand to obtain the hatching eggs and the raising of the chicks.

It would be folly for a small back yard poultryman with only a small flock of, say, a dozen hens to buy a 300 or 400 capacity machine, and it would be equally imprudent for a man with 100 or 200 hens to purchase an incubator with a capacity of only fifty or sixty eggs. A small poultry raiser with a small flock would be compelled to save his eggs too long to fill one of the larger machines. Eggs may be safely kept for hatching for a period of two weeks, providing they are turned each day; but to obtain the best result from the hatches I would not advise setting eggs older than this.

Where hens are to be used for this work care must also be exercised in the selection of such hens. The disposition of some hens is such that they ofttimes are poorer hatchers than the worst incubator made. Some hens are unreliable, sit on the nest for a few days, only to forsake it again; and some hens are so clumsy and awkward they break the eggs.

Never select a wild hen; the tame ones make better setters and mothers. It is not advisable to select the large, feathered leg varieties for setters, nor birds crossed with the nonsetting varieties. Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Wyandottes,

METHOD TO BE USED 25

and other medium sized varieties make the best setters, but even in these varieties unreHable hens will be found.

It is a good idea to set either three or six hens at one time if such a thing is possible. This will give you a chance to give the results from three or four hatches to two hens to brood, make it possible to reset some of the good setters, and at the same time have more chicks of a uniform size and age.

Do not attempt to place any eggs under a hen until after such hen has been thoroughly treated with a reliable lice killer. Tobacco stems placed in the bottom of the nests will also assist in keeping the hen free from vermin. Many hens leave the nest on account of being pestered by lice, and even if they do stick it out the lice will be transferred to the chicks. A dust bath should also be provided for the setting hen, and the nest and all surroundings must be kept perfectly clean at all times during the incubation. Filth breeds vermin and disease.

Keep the setters away from the rest of the flock; feed them grain food, charcoal, grit, and clean, fresh water. A little rusty iron dropped in the drinking water during this period will act as a tonic and keep the hens in good condition.

Chapter IV Starting In Spring

Springtime is without a doubt the best time to start in the poultry business. Matured stock cannot as a matter of fact be purchased as cheaply then as during the fall and early winter months, but those contemplating embarking in this vocation at this season of the year should obtain either eggs for hatching or baby chicks. In either case these should be purchased from a reliable breeder, one who has pure bred stock of the variety to be selected.

Whatever you do get thoroughbred stock, and do not be misled into buying scrub chicks or eggs because they are cheaper. There are many reasons why good stock should be selected. For market purposes the larger breeds will dress to a more uniform size and shape. Their plumpness and even color of skin will attract special attention and will commend them to the buyers. The storekeeper who buys poultry will appreciate this uniformity of color, size, and shape, and as a rule will pay more for such dressed fowl.

A mixed flock cannot be fed with as much success for best results as a flock of one breed of uniform size and similar habits. Take, for

STARTING IN SPRING 27

instance, a small variety such as the Leghorn, which requires far different feeding and care than the larger varieties, such as the Orpingtpn or light Brahma.

In other words, they don't hitch well together and you cannot possibly get the best there is in either by permitting them to run together. One is more nervous and active, while the other is more quiet and less busy.

What is true of a mixed lot of thoroughbreds is equally true of a lot of scrubs, cross bred mongrels, which is bound to result in having many different shapes, sizes, and colors in the flock. A flock of thoroughbred hens of one variety will lay eggs of a more uniform color, size, and shape, thus increasing their market value as a fancy trade product.

The public, especially that part of the public which is willing to pay a fancy price for good things to eat, demand eggs of a uniform shape and color. Such eggs cannot possibly be obtained from a mixed flock of fowls.

Thoroughbred poultry, in keeping with all other kinds of live stock, has been bred for years and years with certain definite objects in view. We have breeds which are especially adapted for table use, while others have been bred along the line of egg production only.

Take the Leghorns, Campines, and Minorcas — ^ where can we find their equal among the scrub

28 STARTING IN SPRING

fowls, not alone as perfect egg machines, but nonsetters as well? It has taken time and skillful breeding to bring them up to their present standard of productiveness, and the breeders are still improving them in this particular line.

When you buy common eggs of unknown breed and hatch chicks from such eggs, you do not know what they will mature into, whereas, if you buy eggs laid by hens from some known breed you know, to a certain extent, whether you will have egg producers or market fowls.

Another point which should not be overlooked by the novice — when you raise good poultry, bred from good stock, you can always sell a few cockerels and surplus pullets at a price considerably better than that to be obtained from the butcher or grocer. If you are only a small backyarder you stand a show of selling good birds to your neighbors at fancy poultry prices.

The appearance of your uniform flock will bring about these sales. Such flocks are noticed and commented upon by almost everybody, whereas, on the other hand, a flock of scrubs or mixed breeds never receives as much as a passing notice. On a green, well kept place in the suburbs what is more attractive and is more noticed by the passer-by than a flock of hens all of uniform color and general makeup? It adds an air of prosperity to the surroundings.

STARTING IN SPRING 29

Should you decide to purchase eggs, and these eggs are to be intrusted to setting hens, care must be exercised in the selection of such hens. A wild, scary hen may result in broken eggs or a forsaken nest. A good plan is to try the hen out for four or five days on glass eggs, and then study her habits as closely as possible.

The purchasing of baby chicks has become popular in the last few years, and many prefer to buy these instead of the eggs for hatching. A common mistake made by the amateur poultry keeper is to buy those quoted at the lowest prices. Hatcheries which quote baby chicks at ridiculously low prices either hatch these from eggs laid by inferior stock, or the chicks lack vitality. A reliable poultry raiser can always find a ready market for baby chicks at a fair price.

My advice is, if you cannot afford to buy good chicks better buy eggs for hatching. It is a waste of time and money to buy the inferior grades.

Chapter V

The fall months offer some advantages to start a poultry plant At that season of the year good breeding stock can be purchased at a reasonable price, owing to the fact that poultry raisers are in most cases compelled to sell some of the same year's breeders to make room for the growing stock, — the pullets and cockerels that were hatched in spring.

To start in the pursuit of poultry raising in the fall of the year, it is necessary to purchase matur-ed stock. Before this is done it is absolutely important that some thought be given to the subject. The right start means much to the future success of the undertaking.

First of all you must decide wisely on the breed you wish to keep. There are many good breeds of poultry, and most every standard variety has its many friends, who are always ready to tell of the superior merits of their respective favorites. The beginner, if he has spent any time at all reading up on the subject, has no doubt had his thoughts filled with many convincing arguments as to the best breeds, etc. In fact, the opinions expressed are so varied and cover so many breeds that he is bound to be puzzled in choosing a variety.

There is only one to decide this most important question, and that one is the beginner himself. Select the variety which you most admire, providing, of course, such variety meets the requirements necessary for the particular branch of the business you wish to follow. For instance, if you only want eggs and many of them, select one of the lighter breeds, such as Leghorns, Minorcas, Spanish, Campines, Hamburgs, Anconas, Polish, etc. ; if only meat, select the heavy breeds, such as Brahmas, Cochins, Langshans, etc.; if both eggs and meat your choice should fall on the medium breeds, which include the American varieties, such as Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds, etc., or some of the foreign breeds, such as the Orpingtons, Dorkings, Faverolles, Houdans, etc. By making your selections according to the foregoing classifications, and choosing therefrom the breed which strikes your fancy the most, you cannot go far wrong.

Do not attempt to start with several varieties, one is quite sufficient and two should be the limit of your ambitions. Beginners who start with a half dozen varieties very seldom make a success of any one. Different breeds require different care, housing, and feeding, and it will be to your interest to put all your thoughts on one breed to start with and master the handling of this one breed before tackling more.

Another common mistake made by beginners is in exercising little judgment in selecting stock — buying promiscuously without any regard to the strain or future ancestors. Some even go so far as to purchase their foundation stock from the crates at their grocers and butchers, selecting therefrom birds having the appearance of the variety v^hich they intend to keep. In selecting your breeders in such a haphazard manner, a hundred chances to one you will never make such a flock profitable. You may possibly in this way get pure bred stock of the variety you want, but only get the worst culls, stunted, barren, or disqualified specimens of that breed. You cannot expect anything else as those shipped to the merchant are as a rule discarded birds, fit for only one purpose — to eat.

By all means buy from a breeder, one who has a good vigorous strain and one who has given his breeding stock the proper care and attention. You cannot expect healthy matured fowls from chicks which had much hardship to endure, possibly overrun with lice, or improperly fed and watered, or not supplied with the necessary heat during their first few weeks. Buy from a responsible breeder so that you will get just what you pay for and ofttimes a little more. When writing such a breeder tell him that you are a beginner and give him an idea, if possible, just about how much you wish to invest in breeding stock. If the breeder is honest he will take an interest in you because you are a beginner and nine chances out of every ten he will give you a fair quotation and give you full value for every dollar invested with him. Of course, there are some who will, if they get a chance, fleece a beginner, but such unfair breeders are few and far between. Poultry raisers who treat their customers dishonestly are soon found out, with the result that their advertisements will not be accepted by the better class of papers.