GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



General Correspondence 



COMMERCIAL EGG PRODUCTION 



A Resume of the Business from the Question of 



Building to the Hatching and Feeding of 



the Chicks 



BY J. E. HAND 



From the dollar-and-eent point of view 

 it is, perhaps, advisable for the expert bee- 

 keeper to concentrate his capital and ener- 

 gies upon his chosen profession. There are 

 conditions in human existence, however, that 

 are infinitely more desirable than the mere 

 making of money. " Variety is the spice of 

 life;" and the human mind becomes broad- 

 ened and invigorated by branching out upon 

 different lines of thought and action. 



Beekeeping is not a year-around occupa- 

 tion, hence a beekeeper on even a quite ex- 

 tensive scale may relax the tension upon his 

 mind, broaden his views, and increase his 

 finances, by branching out and taking on a 

 side-line winter occupation. Among all rural 

 industries, jDerhaps none is so well suited 

 for this purpose as commercial egg produc- 

 tion, since it is largely a winter occupation, 

 though virtually an all-the-year avocation. 

 While poultry-keeping alone is by no means 

 the money-making bonanza or the highway 

 to wealth that it is too often painted, yet 

 with intelligent management it will give 

 good returns for the capital and labor ex- 

 pended, including a reasonable profit. And 

 you don't have to wait six months or a year 

 for it; for after the plant is in operation, 

 with proper care and attention to every 

 detail commercial egg production will yield 

 a daily and hourly income, rain or shine, 

 summer and winter, with no off seasons. 



You carry out the feed in the morning 

 and bring in a basket of eggs at night to 

 pay for it, including a profit commensurate 

 with the investment, pi'oviding you attend 

 strictly to every detail of your occupation. 

 Born and reared on a farm, and familiar 

 with every branch of rural husbandry, I 

 know of no line where more skill is required, 

 or where a little neglect is so quickly felt in 

 the profits returned as in the poultry busi- 

 ness; nor do I know of any that will yield 

 as prompt returns for extra care. Let no 

 one who may read this article delude him- 

 self with the idea that he can, without any 

 previous experience or knowledge of the 

 business, step into a profit-yielding business 

 of commercial egg production on an exten- 

 sive scale — a business where vastly more 

 science and skill is required than in th" 

 production of fancy section honey and the 

 control of swarming. 



A beginner should start with 50 to 100 

 pullets, and increase his stock in proportion 

 to his experience and ability. I emphasize 

 these points because it is the purpose of this 

 article to help beginners instead of leading 

 them astray by painting the situation in 

 roseate hues to foster hopes and ambitions 

 that can be realized only upon the condi- 

 tions herein mentioned. This does not nec- 

 essarily imply a constant grind of ceaseless 

 toil and arduous labor, but it does demand 

 a constant supervision and strict attention 

 to the most minute details of the business. 



The first thing to be considered is the 

 location and buildings. It is very desirable 

 to have the ground sufficiently undulating 

 to admit of ample surface drainage. A side 

 hill sloping south has advantages along this 

 line. If in an orchard, all the better for the 

 poultry as well as for the trees, for the hens 

 will scratch the ground and pick up innu- 

 merable injurious worms and insects, and 

 in return for the favor the trees will pro- 

 vide protection for the fowls in winter and 

 refreshing shade in summer, all of which 

 are important factors. While the buildings 

 need not be expensive, it is imperative that 

 they conform to sanitary rules, as well as 

 to conditions that favor winter egg produc- 

 tion ; for pure air and cleanliness means 

 health to the fowls, and the healthy hen is 

 the one to lay eggs in winter, when they 

 bring the highest price, and we should as- 

 sist her by imitating nature and making 

 conditions as near normal as possible. 



While we do not claim that the system 

 herein outlined is superior to all others, we 

 feel justified in recommending it in prefer- 

 ence to any other for two reasons. First, 

 it has been uniformly successful with us, 

 and we are not sure that other methods 

 would be. Second, it is practically the same 

 system that is practiced by the leading poul- 

 try-men of the country, therefore we don't 

 feel justified in confusing the beginner with 

 a multitude of systems and innumerable 

 visionai-y theories. So please don't consider 

 it egotism that leads us to outline one par- 

 ticular system instead of branching out 

 upon unexplored territory. 



It is advisable to have the laying-houses 

 in a continuous row, extending in a line east 

 and west, and fronting south. This is im- 

 perative, since the warm and penetrating 

 rays of the sun reflected through the win- 

 dows dispel the gloom of an otherwise dull 

 monotony, and bring happiness and content 

 to the inmates, even in zero weather, as will 

 be attested by their scratching and singing, 

 likewise by a better filling of the egg-basket. 



