220 Profitable Poultry Keeping, 



CHAPTER XIX. 



EARLY EGGS AND CHICKENS. 



Early Eggs and Chickens bring High Prices — How to Secure Tbem. — Pullets to 

 be Used— Hens to be Mated Earlj — Good Housing and Feeding. 



The first object of every poultry keeper, who wishes to 

 succeed in his business, is to have his produce ready for market 

 when the commodity is scarce, as, of course, he can get a 

 much higher price then than at any other time. This holds 

 good in everything, and if we compare the cost of articles 

 in season and out of season, it will be seen how large the 

 margin is to pay for the additional labour and trouble 

 which must be expended in order to obtain the articles 

 out of due time. That this labour and trouble is needed, 

 no one need doubt for a moment, and the getting of early 

 eggs and chickens demands it, but the profit far more than 

 compensates. Really fresh eggs can be sold, in many towns, 

 from November to March at forty-five to sixty cents a 

 dozen, and fine, plump chickens vary from twenty to 

 thirty-five cents a pound until May, the highest prices being 

 obtained in Eastern cities. We do not mean to say that 

 these are the prices actually obtained by the producer, 

 for, unfortunately, middle-men take far too large a share, 

 of the profits ; but, wherever there is a large permanent 

 population, customers can always be found for really fresh 

 eggs and plump home-fed chickens, and at the best prices. 



