THE GENESEE FARMER. 



275 



KEEPING POULTRY ON A LASGE SCALE. 



Eds. Gen. Fakmer: — Since the publication of 

 the "American Poulterer's Companion," in 1845, 

 we have been repeatedly applied to for information 

 in relation to the management of poultry on a large 

 scale^ — that is, to make a business of it; basing 

 their calculations, no doubt, on the favorable ac 

 counts heretofore published, where from ten to one 

 hundred fowls have been kept and expenses noted, 

 showing a profit varying from thirty-five cents to 

 one dohar i)er head as the result. Now, say they, 

 if one hundred hens can be made to pay one dollar, 

 or even fifty cents each, why can not one or two 

 thousand be made t'.> i)ay at the same rate? A 

 very reasonable calculation, to be sure, but some- 

 how or other very ditficult to accomplish. 



The only poultry establishment on an extended 

 scale' of which we have any personal knowledge, 

 that even made an approach to success, is the 

 one attached to the Astor House farm, situated 

 in Union township, New Jersey, seven miles from 

 Hoboken. 



Some four or five years ago, a farm of 234 acres 

 was purchased for tlie purpose of supplying the 

 Astor House with fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs and 

 poultry. Seven acres were apfiropriated to poul- 

 try, which was divided into four sections, one of 

 which contained one thousand hens and chickens. 

 The poultry-house is two hundred feet long and 

 forty feet wide, also divided into four parts, and 

 containing twelve hundred nests for hatching. The 

 poultry included 2,500 hens and chickens, 2o0 ducks, 

 200 turkeys, with a limited number of geese. In 

 the yards were fifteen hen-houses and no less than 

 one hundred chicken coops, where hens with their 

 broods shelter and keep to themselves their respec- 

 tive families of pin-feathered fledglings. It was 

 both an amusing and a musical scene — such a nu- 

 merous combination of poultry of all sizes, ages, 

 and viried voices and plumage, many of the hens 

 being of rare breeds. 



Everything went on prosperously for the first 

 year or two, when a most fatal malady broke out 

 among the fowls and swept them otf daily by the 

 hundreds, like, rotten sheep. About this time we 

 visited the establisiiment by invitation, and were 

 shown a number of invalids in the ditterent stages 

 of the disease. At first it was supposed they w-ere 

 poisoned, but on dissecting and analyzing the crops 

 no traces of poisou could be detected. The disease 

 was a singular one. In some ^cases they would 

 drop lifeless from their roosts to the floor. Others 

 would seem to lose the use of their legs, and f'irce 

 themselves along on the breast by the aid of their 

 wings for a few days, when death would relieve 

 jtliem. None attacked was ever known to recover. 

 This was three years ago, since which we have 

 never heard how the enterprise turned out. 



Fowls are very fond of animal food, and "will 

 ttirive well upon any kind of otial. In this respect 

 t\ey were well cared for — their principal foiKl 

 consisting of the ottals of the Astor House, which 

 of course embraced a great variety of nutritious 

 su'kstances. 



iut it takes a Frenchman to know how to make 

 the most of things. A Mons. de Soea, in France, 

 discovered the secret of making hens lay eggs 

 eveiy day in the year by feeding them on horse- 



flesh. The fact that hens do not lay eggs in winter 

 as well as in summer is well known, and the sim|)le 

 reason appears to be that they do not get the sup- 

 ply of meat in winter wliicli they readily obtain in 

 tiie warm season, by scratcliing the ground for 

 worms and insects. M. de Soka was aware of 

 these facts, and set himself earnestly at tiie con- 

 struction of a henery which should be productive 

 twelve months in the year. He soon ascertained 

 that a certain quantity of raw mince-meat given 

 regularly with other food produced the desired 

 result; and commencing with only some three hun- 

 dred hens, he found that they averaged the first 

 year some twenty-five dozen eggs each in the three 

 hundred and sixty-five days. To supply this great 

 consumption of meat, M. de Soea availed himself 

 of the constant supply of superannuated and dis- 

 abled horses which can always be gathered from 

 the stables of Paris. 



We have said he commenced with three hundred 

 hens; another season it is said he had several thou- 

 sand at work, with a fair proportion of cocks, and 

 the proportionate result was the same. 



The sheds, offices, and other buildings are built 

 around a quadrangle, inclosing about twenty acres, 

 the court in the centre forming the general feeding 

 ground. This latter is subdivided by fences of open 

 paling, so that a limited number of f>wls are 

 allowed to herd together and these arranged in 

 tlie diflerent compartments according to age — no 

 bird being allov/ed to exceed the duration of four 

 years of life. At the end of the fourth year they 

 are placed in the fattening coop for about three 

 weeks, fed entirely on crushed grain, and sent alive 

 to Paria. 



M. DE SoRA permits the males and females to 

 mingle freely at all seasons. After a fair trial of 

 all the various breeds, he has cleared his establish- 

 ment of every Malay, Shanghai, and all other out- 

 landish fowls, breeding only the common barn-yard 

 chanticleers and the feminin.es of the same species. 

 He contends that the extra size of body and eggs 

 pertaining to these foreign breeds can only be pro- 

 duced and sustained by extra food, while for capon 

 raising, the flesh is neither so delicate or juicy as 

 that of the native breed. 



The manure produced in the French establish- 

 ment is no small item, and, since it forms the very 

 best fertilizer for many descriptions of plants, it is 

 eagerly sought after at high pyces by the market 

 gardeners in the vicinity. 



We now come to the most wonderful and inter- 

 esting feature of this establishment (if such an 

 establishment WP3 ever known, of which we have 

 our doubts), viz : The sales of eggs during the 

 winter averaged about 40,000 dozens per week, and 

 snld at the rate of six dozens for four francs, mak- 

 ing the actual sales up to $5,000, in round numbers, 

 fur every seven days, or $260,000 per annum. 

 The expenses, including wages, interest, and a fair 

 margin for repairs, etc., are in the neighborhood of 

 $75,000, leaving a balance in his tavor of $185,000 

 per year ! 



The foregoing account of a French henery; if 

 true, clearly demonstrates that tlie keeping and 

 rearing of poujtry on a large scale can be made 

 profitable ; but we think it smacks a little too much 

 of Munchausanism. o. N. bemext. 



Poughkeepide, A iifftist, 1860. 



