130 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



is always a demand for birds to provide a change of blood, and 

 there are probably fifty poultry-keepers, who have only a few 

 fowls for their own household purposes, to every farmer who 

 could go in for the business we have mentioned, there would 

 even then be plenty of room for all ; and we may reasonably 

 suppose that the number of small poultry-keepers would in- 

 crease as rapidly as the larger ones, if, indeed, not more 

 rapidly. Not only is the demand for pure-bred stock greater 

 for this purpose than for cross-breds, but the prices are 

 much greater also. There is always a pleasure in looking at 

 birds which have a decided individuality of their own, at 

 least, where the keeping of them is made a hobby; and it is 

 surprising how much greater pride is taken in fowls of this 

 kind than is taken in mongrels. Cross-bred fowls will sell 

 for very little more than killing prices, and their eggs, for 

 hatching purposes, will only realize market prices per dozen ; 

 whilst pure-bred ones, even though the parents in each case 

 may be of the same family, will bring twice and often three 

 times the money. Thus it will be seen that the keeping 

 of a stock of pure-bred birds is the best paying system of 

 the two. 



When commencing, the best plan is to purchase one or 

 two pens of pure-bred fowls, if there are none that can be 

 used for the purpose already in the yard, tile cocks to be of 

 a breed that will help the qualities of the hens. Each pen 

 will require to bo kept by itself, and should have a good run, 

 or perfect freedom, as exercise' has much to do with the hardi- 

 ness of the chickens. If the houses are placed a good 

 distance from each other, there will be very little danger of 

 intermixing. Only the eggs from these pens should be 

 hatched, and (calculating that half will be cockerels) in 

 sufficient numbers to completely stock the yard with laying 

 hens in the autumn, when the present stock of hens, if any, 

 can be fattened and killed off, just before they go into the 



