CHAPTER I 

 The Market for Poultry ? 



Opportunities to make money in poultry raising 

 have never been better nor more numerous than 

 today. Commission men and poultry specialists all 

 over the country agree that high prices of grain 

 have tended to reduce the number of fowls kept, 

 more especially the poorer ones, since none but 

 profitable fowls are worth keeping. They also say 

 that the high prices of meat in the cities have pro- 

 duced an unprecedented demand for poultry and 

 eggs thus encouraging the consumption of poultry 

 and eggs because these have been more economical 

 than beef, pork and lamb. This demand has also 

 tended to reduce the size of poultry flocks and thus 

 to widen the opportunities still more for poultry 

 culture. In short, the outlook for raising poultry 

 is exceptionally good. The greatest demands un- ' 

 doubtedly are for chickens and eggs. What the 

 markets require are plump, young birds ranging 

 from the broiler age up to yearlings. Just as 

 voraciously they demand eggs that are really 

 fresh, not called " fresh " so as to make them sell. 



So far as poultry flesh is concerned, the breeds most 

 in demand the country over are American. The 

 two most favored are the Barred Plymouth Rock 

 and the Rhode Island Red. These are preferred 

 in New England, in the West and in the South, 

 because their skins are of a popular color; viz., 

 yellow, and their breasts are of good form. The 

 Light Brahma is a popular market fowl in New 



