POULTRY FEEDS AND FEEDING 



cient eggs in the spring to make them very profitable at 

 that time. The market price per pound received for hens 

 in the early summer is only a few cents lower than that 

 paid early in the spring, so that the hens will return a 

 good profit by being kept until June, July or August, de- 

 pending upon the condition of the stock and on the sec- 

 tion of the country. 



SELLING HENS ALIVE 



The market for live hens in many large cities has 

 been so good in recent years that it is often more profit- 

 able to sell hens alive than to dress them for market. 

 The question of which is the more profitable method de- 

 pends therefore upon market conditions and what facili- 

 ties and labor are available for dressing the fowl. The 

 best market periods for live poultry in New York City, 

 which is one of the very best markets for this product, 

 are during the Jewish holidays. The Jewish trade takes 

 a large part of the live hens marketed and this demand 

 is what makes the live poultry market of New York 

 City so good. The dates of the Jewish holidays vary each 

 year, being as follows from October, 1921, to June, 1922 : 

 October 3 to 4, October 12, October 17 to 18, October 

 24 to 25, March 4, April 13 to 14, April 19 to 20, and 

 June 2 to 3. 



In catering to a market of this kind for live poultry 

 the produce must be shipped so that it will reach the 

 market from 3 to 6 days previous to the holidays in 



176 



