SUCCESSFUL POULTRY KEEPING 



SUCCESSFUL BROILER RAISING 



CHOOSING THE BREED— HOW TO FEED AND 

 FORCE BROILERS FOR MARKET— EXPERT AD- 

 VICE GIVEN IN DETAIL— TW^O POUND BROILERS 

 AT EIGHT WEEKS OLD— PRACTICAL AD- 

 VICE FROM THE SCHOOL OF EXPERIENCE 



ARTHUR G. DUSTON, South Framingham, Mass. 



I believe that many lose courage in raising broilers by not 

 obtaining the right stock at the start. At the request of the 

 editor I am going to present to the readers some hints on broiler- 

 raising as exemplified by me on my farm. 



Many try ■ Brahmas. They might do far worse. Let us 

 take the Brahma from the egg and follow it. Mr. Felch says 

 Brahmas are superior for this purpose. Yet, in an argument 

 with an incubator manufacturer his first and best-proved claim 

 is, that they do not hatch as well artificially as eggs from the 

 American or Mediterranean classes. Does it pay to put eggs in 

 machines that will make the chick cost, on coming into the 

 brooder house, 25 to 50 per cent more than others? Once in 

 the brooder, Brahmas prove very strong as little chicks, but 

 look out for leg-weaknesses, their heavy bodies proving too 

 much for small legs. Again, anyone watching chicks raised 

 artificially knows that they will attain their height earlier than 

 those raised with hens. So a Brahma chick has that against 

 it as a broiler, for long legs with feathers on them hurt a broiler 

 in the market. But properly taken care of, Light Brahmas 

 will prove fairly satisfactory as broilers. As roasters, which 

 subject cannot be even touched on in this article, they are 

 choice. 



While the Brahma is under consideration it seems well to 

 take up two of the more popular crosses made with them, viz: 

 Leghorn on Brahma and Wyandotte on Brahma. Leghorn on 

 Brahma have some very good points which are: Yellow skin 

 and legs, fairly plump bodies, and they also feather early, but a 

 large proportion of the early cockerels wiU be so near full blood 

 Leghorn that they would easily be taken for them by a casual 

 observer, and to force them, giving a liberal quantity of meat 

 or ground bone, together with the heat, will develop extremely 

 large combs, which gives the appearance in a dressed bird of 

 its being old — a point against us. Furthermore, the nervous 

 temperament of this cross (taken from the Leghorn) keeps them 

 from making flesh, where other varieties would take on fat. 

 I have run this cross where at fifteen weeks I could not force 

 at least twenty-five per cent of them to weigh more than from 

 one and one-half to one and three-quarters pounds. 



The Wyandotte-Brahma cross is almost ideal, being hardy, 

 low-combed and not getting "stagy" at an early age, as with the 

 Leghorn cross; but there is something to the feathered leg that 

 is not inviting to the buyer. To see. a neat, yellow breasted 

 broiler with feathers on the legs and feet will detract from its 

 appearance more than one would think unless he has had the very 

 fastidious market of Boston to cater to. The carcass of this 

 cross is plump and yellow, only a small proportion coming so 

 dark as to have black pin-feathers enough to injure the looks. 



To leave the Asiatics, we will touch on the Barred and 

 White Plymouth Rocks. The rich yellow legs and bodies of 

 these justly popular fowls, the quick growth, with not enough 

 comb to hurt, gives us a broiler hard to beat — one of the worst 

 faults being dark pin-feathers in the Barred, which are always 

 somewhat objectionable in a broiler, for the reason that they 

 are put on the market at an age when it is impossible to get 

 them all out. 



I can not go through all the breeds, but will only take up 



those I have honestly tried. This brings me to the last, the 

 White Wyandottes. ' To be frank, I will state that I once thought 

 of discarding this breed as not fitted for my business purposes, 

 but after "summering and wintering" them I now feel that I 

 would drop all other breeds before I would the reliable White 

 Wyandottes. 



Let us note their faults. The first is that in some birds, 

 more especially those bred for extreme whiteness, you will find 

 they are not yellow-meated. At the same time I have seen 

 the whitest plumage birds have rich, yellow skin, beak and legs. 

 In buying stock look for yellow beak, and as yellow a leg as you 

 could naturally expect at the time of year you are buying; that 

 is, make allowance for a bird hived up in a yard, with sand to 

 dust in, as it will surely bleach the legs to a flesh color. 



Another trouble you may have with the Wyandotte, as 

 perhaps you would have with no other breed, is, when confining 

 a large number in a small pen they easily take up feather-puUing. 

 I think this is due to the peculiar way in which they feather. 

 Some will grow to weigh one and one-half pounds before they 

 have any but neck and wing feathers. Then the pin-feathers 

 start all at once, making the habit easily formed by the "chicken 

 act" of striking one another, or picking off any soft food that 

 may adhere to the feathers. But plenty of green food will 

 obviate that to a great extent, especially should that food be 

 freshly cut clover. Of course it can not be obtained in winter, 

 but well-cured clover rowen can. With care a;fter this warning 

 you need have no trouble in this direction. 



■Regarding white skin, I will tell you how to overcome that 

 by the use of the right kind of food, making it yeUow enough 

 to suit anyone. Now that we have seen the faults of the White 

 Wyandottes in their worst light, let me extol their virtues as 

 broilers, for they have many. 



The eggs being reasonably thin shelled hatch as well as any 

 you can get. They mature as laying pullets a full month earlier 

 than Plymouth Rocks, thus giving you eggs for early hatching. 

 Their clean, yellow legs, low combs, white pin-feathers, and quick 

 growing qualities, render them the best broilers I can put out. 



I have sold hxmdreds to dress eight ounces (one-half pound) 

 and they were as round as a "butter ball," this being one of 

 their most important merits, that when properly fed they are' 

 at all times ready for market. 



They will stand all the forcing any chick can. If you try- 

 to raise Rocks and Wyandottes in the same pen, the experiment 

 will prove to you this fact. Your Rocks will go "off their legs," 

 while the deep-breasted, plump-bodied, smooth-skinned, active 

 little Wyandottes will take their medicine five times a day and 

 stand as straight as matches. Remember, it is generally the 

 bird that can stand the greatest amount of food that makes the 

 quickest grown broiler, and must be the bird you should adopt,, 

 as every additional day means additional cost from labor, coall 

 and feed. 



I have written this article from the market point of 

 view, that is, the sales-counter, as that is where our returns for 

 broilers come from. Now, for one moment let us look at the- 

 matter as epicures. Take any one of the varieties mentioned 

 above, and the Wyandotte, besides having the extra flesh on 

 breast, as I stated before, caused by the great depth of breast- 

 bone, is as juicy and delicious as any, and, in the opinion of 

 "our folks," more so, a dish luscious enough for a king. 



This is just my experience briefly set before you. If I have- 

 written anything that will in any way aid my brother poultry- 

 men, I am satisfied. Do not be in hurry to cross your stock,, 

 as no one can make me believe again that there is anything 

 gained by crossing, for there is no place that a thoroughbred of 

 some variety will not fill the bill, and once you start to cross- 

 where can you stop? The labor and skill of years come to naught 

 when you destroy the integrity of a breed or strain by crossing 



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