BROILER RAISING 383 



selection, weeding out the culls and deformed chicks at as early an 

 age as possible, and maintaining flocks of uniform size. It never 

 pays to run small birds with a flock of larger ones. (5) The in- 

 ducing of exercise keeps the birds in excellent health as well 

 as appetite. The more the birds eat the greater their gain 

 in weight. (6) Systematic feeding, similar to that recommended 

 for growing chicks, but with a greater percentage of flesh-forming 

 materials, bone and meat scrap and abundance of green feed pro- 

 mote growth and influence the color of the flesh by producing a 

 yellowish pigment. (7) In finishing broilers there is rarely a 

 special time for fattening, the custom being to mature the chicks 

 rapidly throughout the entire growth period, keeping them soft 

 and plump and ready for killing all the time. 



Prices, Cost, and Profits. — Before attempting to raise broilers, 

 it is advisable to have a clear understanding of the probable cost 

 of production, of selling prices, and of the pi'ofits under average 

 conditions. In broiler raising these factors are variable, and the 

 season of high and profitable prices is short. Generally the pos- 

 sibility of profits makes the work attractive, yet the risks are 

 great. The cost of producing broilers varies because of differences 

 in management, differences in breeds, unavoidable losses, and 

 variations in the season. On special broiler plants, the average 

 cost of producing a broiler weighing from one to one and a half 

 pounds, including price of eggs and labor, is approximately twenty- 

 five to twenty-six cents. It may be possil)le slightly to reduce 

 this figure, but not materially. Other items in the cost of produc- 

 tion are the high price of eggs at the season when they are hatched 

 for winter broilers, the loss from low fertility, and the small per- 

 centage of hatches compared with what could be obtained during 

 the natural hatching season. 



The approximate cost is given here. These figures are for 

 the winter season, and vary considerably during this period : 



1912 1920 



Cost of chick at hatching, including egg and incubator $0.06 $0.14 



Feed cost from hatching to marketing 10 .21 



Labor cost, not including picking or packing 03 .05 



Expense ofmarketing, picking, express, and commission .07 .12 



Total $0.26 $0.52 



It is probable that chicks raised under natural conditions 

 during the spring of the year can be produced for about three- 

 quarters of the above total. The cost will depend largely upon 



