20 California Poultry Practice 



hatch every year unless from a desire to have some ready to take the 

 place of others at molting time. 



The Anconas are claiming- great attention just now as layers of 

 large w'hite eggs. Some authorities go so far as to prophesy they 

 will run the Leghorns off this Coast as layers. 



The hatching season must be governed by the quantity of eggs 

 needed, and strict tab kept on all expenditures and income so that 

 you may know where you stand financially at any time. 



A California General Purpose Poultry Ranch — There are more 

 general purpose ranches in California than just special egg farms, 

 and the small fruit ranch where natural shade abounds is of all places 

 the best for a general purpose poultry ranch. Fruit, poultry and bees 

 are just right for those who can handle bees. The poultry breeds 

 best adapted to the general purpose farm are the American and 

 English classes. The birds of both these classes are good layers of , 

 colored eggs. These eggs do not count as firsts in some markets, 

 but as there is but about one cent difference they more than make up 

 in price by numbers during the winter months when eggs are highest. 



The chicks should be hatched in rotation as on the egg farm, 

 because by so doing you have broilers to sell nearly all the time, 

 and that brings in an income that should help out the feed bill. 

 The broilers command the highest price and if you keep them for 

 fryers and roasters they bring more. But it requires room and shade. 

 When the hens are to be disposed of, namely, when they have out- 

 lived their usefulness as layers, they will still bring what it cost to 

 raise them and a profit or wages for the labor. For instance, a 

 crate of Orpington hens, twenty-five in number, was shipped to a 

 commission man at Los Angeles. The quotations were, small hens 13 

 cents ; large hens 18 cents. The twenty-five hens brought $27.57, and 

 this was a poor price, though all expense was paid and this was net. 



Now let us see what twenty-five small hens would bring and 

 average them at four pounds each, something they don't do unless 

 fed on corn. The twenty-five would bring, if they weighed four 

 pounds each, just $13.00, a few cents over half what the heavier or the 

 general purpose fowl brought. Did it take that much more to raise 

 the large hen? 



That is a question that should be asked more frequently. I 

 claim it does not take any more to raise an Orpington than a Leghorn 

 and not near so much as it does to raise a Minorca. To the casual 

 observer this will not be seen, at least they want "to be shown." The 

 fact is it only requires common sense, and any one can see. The 

 Leghorn chick is a restless, wiry piece of living activity; the chicks 

 of the larger breeds are contented; they can eat and rest, using up the 

 food consumed to build up bone and muscle. The small breed chick 



