THE LEGHORNS 



breed hens in their second season with early hatched 

 cockerels that have been kept separated. The fertility 

 we get has been shown above. 



The first year we netted $3.74 per hen. This was after 

 allowing an expense of $1.42 per bird. There was no 

 labor expense that year, and our price ranged from 3Sc 

 to SOc per dozen. The second year our expense per bird 

 was $1.79, including the hire of a boy for a few hours 

 daily; but as our prices ranged from 40c to 60c per dozen, 

 we had gross receipts of $5.96 per hen, which left $4.17 

 net profit for our own labor and investment. 



In these figures are not included any profit made 

 from the sale of "day-old" chicks. All eggs were charged 

 up at the price at which they would have sold as table 

 eggs. This year we shall set thirty thousand eggs, selling 

 all chicks we do not need, at twelve cents each. 



In figuring cost per bird we have charged the cost of 

 maintaining the males against the hens. That is, we 

 have divided all expenditures by the number of hens 

 kept. Before doing this we subtracted the value of the 



males used as table poultry and those sold as breeders. 

 We think this a fair enough way to keep the books. Run- 

 ning an egg farm, our unit is the layer; and if males 

 have to be kept as a part of the breeding establishment, 

 we deem it just to charge their expense against the hen 

 in figuring her annual profit. 



We also find that the cost of hatching and raising a 

 layer is fully equaled by the receipts from the sale of 

 her when we are through with her. This is more es- 

 pecially true when we consider the returns from the sale 

 of the surplus cockerels as broilers. It costs us sixteen 

 cents for feed to raise a thirty-seven and one-half cent 

 broiler, leaving us over twenty cents to apply on the value 

 of the eggs incubated, the oil, and the feed of the pullets 

 for the first two months. We can always sell our two 

 year old hens at more than a dollar apiece, and in the es- 

 timation of profit per hen we have not added the profit 

 from this source, because we have not kept accurate rec- 

 ords on these points. A more accurate method of book- 

 keeping would merely show a larger profit per hen, than 

 that already credited. 



Leghorn Broilers for the Hotel Trade 



The Production of Squab Broilers a Most Profitable Branch of the Poultry BuHiness. Best Methods 



of Killing, Picking, Packing and Shipping Broilers to ^ew York Hotels. 



Forcing and Fattening Broilers. 



Propr 



J. Courtney PunHerford 



of Monmouth Poultry Farms, I 



THE broiler end of the poultry business is a problem 

 which is of deep interest to every breeder, es- 

 pecially the large producer. We usually figure 50 

 per cent cockerels from our entire season's output of 

 young stock. Now, take the farms which aim to hatch 

 6,000 chicks, and mature 2,500 pullets for the fall trade 

 and their own use. They will have anywhere from 2,500 

 to 2,700 cockerels to dispose of. Naturally, no one farm 

 could sell the above number of matured males, nor one- 

 half that number. So the question arises how to dispose 

 of them in the most profitable way, and clear the farm of 

 them as soon as possible. 



Any well conducted farm will have special cockerel 

 matings from which they expect to select their show 

 birds for the coming season, also their breeders and sell- 

 ing stock. The average run of males from these matings 

 will be of a much higher grade than from the general 

 utility pen. These are the males we keep, and the large 



quantity of utility cockerels are left to be disposed of 

 within 10 to 12 weeks from birth. 



Disposing of the Utility Cockerels 

 The question then comes up, how to dispose of them, 

 when to dispose of them, and the price to be obtained. 

 There are two classes of broilers; squab broilers, weighing 

 14 ounces to one pound and the lJ/2 to 1^ pound broilers. 

 From my experience there is more money in the squab 

 broilers as they can be ready for market in from seven 

 to eight weeks and command within 20 cents of the 1^ 

 to 1^ broilers, which need from 10 to 11 weeks in which 

 to be ready for the market. 



When one has a large number of broilers to market 

 he ought to make a contract where he can obtain the 

 highest price, not be satisfied with- the market quotation, 

 which is extremely low, and will not pay for labor and 

 tVi.-il. Tl-e high class New York hotels are the places to 



This illustration shows the Office of Monmouth Poultry Farm, also a portion of the Buff Leghorn Breeding House. Pens 

 are 10 by 14 and runs 75 feet long. Young apple trees are planted in the yards for shade, and are bearing for the first 

 time this year. Muslin frames are used in winter time. This House is 150 feet long and contains 200 breeders all put up 

 In special matings. 



