POULTRY RAISING 



CHAPTER VIII. 



An egg plant for profit. 



I will now tell you how to run a large poultry 

 plant for the greatest possible profit. This will re- 

 quire more labor, but will pay the most profit, labor 

 considered, of anything I know of at the present time. 

 I have experimented to my entire satisfaction, that 

 fowls to be kept in perfect healthy condition, should 

 have free access to feed at all times, and they will lay 

 fully one-third to one-half more eggs a year — and eggs 

 that will hatch, for they will be produced nature's 

 way. 



I have found nothing so good as good qualit}' 

 wheat screenings to be kept before them at all times. 

 So you must keep a hopper of wheat screenings always 

 before them; also one of beef scraps; and they should 

 also have grit, oyster shells and charcoal before them 

 at all times. Now, if possible, in order to get your 

 great profit, you must have a free range plant, such as 

 I have described, and it should be a leghorn plant, and 

 of all the leghorn family there is none that will pro- 

 duce you mOre eggs and larger, finer eggs than the 

 single comb White Leghorns. 



I am positive an average of 200 eggs a hen can 

 be produced under this system of feeding and caring 

 for them. 



One good man could care for five thousand layers 

 during the summer, providing someone cared for the 

 inarketing of the eggs. But for winter care, say from 

 November ist to April ist, it would keep two men 

 busy, for my aim here is to tell you how to produce 

 •eggs the year around in the greatest possible number. 



I will begin with the winter care, say November 

 1st, when your stock should all be properly housed in 

 the colony houses. I have told you how to build. 

 We will presume you have a leghorn plant of three to 

 five thousand layers. We usually have much cold 

 weather during November in this part of the state. 



