BROILER RAISING 383 
selection, weeding out the culls and deformed chicks at as early an 
age as possible, and maintaining flocks of uniform size. It never 
pays to run small birds with a flock of larger ones. (5) The in- 
ducing of exercise keeps the birds in excellent health as well 
as appetite. The more the birds eat the greater their gain 
in weight. (6) Systematic feeding, similar to that recommended 
for growing chicks, but with a greater percentage of flesh-forming 
materials, bone and meat scrap and abundance of green feed pro- 
mote growth and influence the color of the flesh by producing a 
yellowish pigment. (7) In finishing broilers there is rarely a 
special time for fattening, the custom being to mature the chicks 
rapidly throughout the entire growth period, keeping them soft 
and plump and ready for killing all the time. 
Prices, Cost, and Profits—Before attempting to raise broilers, 
it is advisable to have a clear understanding of the probable cost 
of production, of selling prices, and of the profits under average 
conditions. In broiler raising these factors are variable, and the 
season of high and profitable prices is short. Generally the pos- 
sibility of profits makes the work attractive, yet the risks are 
great. The cost of producing broilers varies because of differences 
in management, differences in breeds, unavoidable losses, and 
variations in the season. On special broiler plants, the average 
cost of producing a broiler weighing from one to one and a half 
pounds, including price of eggs and labor, is approximately twenty- 
five to twenty-six cents. It may be possible slightly to reduce 
this figure, but not materially. Other items in the cost of produc- 
tion are the high price of eggs at the season when they are hatched 
for winter broilers, the loss from low fertility, and the small per- 
centage of hatches compared with what could be obtained during 
the natural hatching season. 
The approximate cost is given here. These figures are for 
the winter season, and vary considerably during this period: 
Cost of chick at hatching, including egg and incubator........ $0.06 
Feed cost from hatching to marketing....................... 10 
Labor cost, not including picking or packing................. .03 
Expense of marketing, including picking, express, andcommission .07 
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It is probable that chicks raised under natural conditions 
during the spring of the year can be produced for about three- 
quarters of the above total. The cost will depend largely upon 
