CAUSES OF DIFFERENCES IN POULTRY PROFITS 



By R. L. Mighell, Assistant Research Professor, and 

 F. H. Branch, Extension Specialist, 

 Department of Farm Management.^ 



Purpose and Timeliness of the Study 



Expanding production, increasing enipiiasis on high quality products, 

 and other changes in the economic situation lend timeliness to an analysis 

 of the factors affecting profits from poultry in Massachusetts. With the 

 individual poultryman, the future outlook raises such questions as: What 

 can I do to offset possible lower prices of eggs and poultry? What changes 

 in organization and operation should I make? Should I keep more hens? 

 Should I produce more eggs in the fall months? The purpose of this 

 bulletin is to help answer these and related questions by determining as 

 nearly as possible on a dollar and cents basis just how much influence 

 certain factors had on profits from poultry on Massachusetts farms in 

 1926 and 1927. 



Basis for the Conclusions 



Tlie data upon wliich this study is based were supplied by poultrynien 

 who participated in a cooperative poultry account project which has been 

 conducted by the Extension Specialist in Farm Management. The pur- 

 pose of this project has been to improve the accounting methods of poul- 

 trynien and to collect information to be used in the analysis of the poultry 

 farm business. The data rejiresent poultry production under actual farm 

 conditions. Records were kept by each cooperating poultryman in a 

 standard poultry account book. Monthly reports were sent to the Farm 

 Management Department of the Agricultural College, -where the tabula- 

 tions, summaries, and final analyses were prepared. The poultrymen were 

 visited once or twice during the year by the Extension Specialist in Farm 

 Management. 



The poultry accovmt year began November 1 and ended October 31. 

 The years for which complete records are available ended October 31, 

 1926, and October 31, 1927. The geographical distribution of the records 

 analyzed in this study each year is indicated in Table 1. 



Variations in Poultry Profits 



Farm records nearly always show wide variations in returns from farm 

 to farm. This is true in this instance, as shown in Tables 2 and 3. Labor 

 return per flock and per bird is taken as a measure of earnings. Labor 

 return is the amount of money left to pay labor (including that of the 

 poultryman and his family), after all other expenses including interest on 

 investment have been met. Credit is allowed for poultry products used 



' Acknowledgment is due to Miss Marian Brown who had direct charge of the 

 clerical work in connection with the analjsis of the i-ecords. 



