82 



SUCCESS WITH POULTRY 



same material nailed on the upper side at each end. The lid 

 is hinged with 3-ineh strap hinges and held down by a 3- 

 inch hasp. The hinges should be screwed into the cleats 

 in order to give greater strength. 



. One and- one-half inch finishing nails should be used 

 for the sides, 1% inch box nails for the bottom, and No. 4 

 wire nails or screws should be used on the cleats. Cleats 

 should be nailed across the bottom on each end to fortify 

 and to stiffen the crate. The upper cleats serve as side 

 bandies. After the orate has been completed it should be 

 sandpapered in .order to smooth off the rough edges and the 

 ends ,and then oiled. The crates are much neater in ap- 

 pearance and are more easUy cleaned if they are oiled and 

 shellacked, instead of painted. . They can be made in sizes 

 holding multiples of three dozen each; that is, three, six, 

 nine, twelve, fifteen, up to thirty dozen. Therefore a three 

 dozen case would be one filler deep, a six-.dozen case two 

 fillers deep, and so on; all the crates holding up to fifteen 

 dozen being of the same length and depth, and differing 

 only in ,height. 



. Preparing the Product for Market. 



The first principle of good marketing is to have good 

 quality to sell— quality sells , itself . Tew poultrymen have 

 a, right understanding of what is meant by good quality 

 when applied to strictly fancy eggs or choice dressed poul- ' 

 try, unless they have been schooled in the experience of 

 selling products to high-prieed, critical customers. 



A fancy egg should oe new laid; that is, not more than 

 one week old when it is delivered to the customer, it 

 should be free from any foreign flavor due to improper 

 feeding or to absorption of objectionable odors. The albu- 

 men must De firm, for beating. The yolk must be of a rich 

 color and not rupture in poaching. There must be no blood 

 clots. The shell should be spotlessly clean, uniform in shape 

 and color, hard and smooth in texture. A fancy egg must 

 be of large size--not less than two ounces each. To pro- 

 duce eggs of the highest quality requires skill and care. ' 

 First, one must keep pure-bred fowls in order to secure 

 uniformity in color, shape and size of egg. This is also true 

 in raising broilers and roasters. There are many other ad- 

 vantages, also, in keeping a pure breed. Second, eggs must 

 be selected each year for hatching that fulfiiil all the market 

 requirements for strictly fancy eggs; and no others should 

 be used. At first only a small per cent of the eggs laid by , 

 the average flock, even of pure bred fowls, can be used for 

 hatching. Each year, however, by this rigid system of se- 

 lection, the percentage of disqualified eggs will be leas and 

 less until even a large percentage of the first eggs from 

 pullets can be marketed as fancy stock. ■ Third, care must 

 be taken to feed rations which contain sufficient nutriments 

 of the right kinds to make perfectly developed eggs of 

 good flavor and sound shell. Absence of shell-making' mater- 

 ials Jesuits in soft-shelled eggs. A deficiency of meat or 

 suitable grain will affect the firmness of the albumen. Lack 

 of vitality in the hens will cause the membrane which sur- 

 rounds the yolk to be weak and easily ruptured. Rough 

 handling of the fowls will cause the follicles to burst pre- 

 maturely and blood clots will be formed in the egg. Im- 

 pure water or musty food will affect the odor or the flavor 

 of the egg. An insufficient supply of yellow corn, clover 

 and grass wiil cause the yolks to be light colored. 

 Keeping Up the Supply. 



The poultryman who can not get a reasonable number of 

 eggs every month in the year can not hope to secure the 

 highest-paying trade. Consumers, large hotels and dealers 



are looking for the man who can furnish them with a defi- 

 nite, reasonable number of eggs during October, November 

 and December. To such a one they will pay the highest 

 prices, and they will take his eggs all the year round; m 

 order to have the privilege of getting them when eggs can 

 not be obtained elsewhere at any price. 



These rich' customers will not consider for a moment 

 dealing with a producer who ' can not supply eggs during 

 the three months mentioned. Therefore, one of the first 

 requisites in working up a 'high-class trade is to be able to 

 deliver tlie products regularly and continuously. Unless this 

 can be done, one can not hope to secure much, if anything, 

 above the regular market price throughout the year. 



Every Egg Should Be Spotlessly Clean. 



A dirty egg ii a disgrace to the one who sells it. Do 

 not blame the hens for dirty eggs; they always lay clean 

 eggs, and they prefer to lay them in a clean plaoe. Eggs 

 for a first-class trade must be gathered regularly each day 

 from nests that are especially fitted. The nests should be 

 so placed as to be convenient for gathering. Life is too 

 short to crawl under the barn and through the hay lofts 

 each day to gather eggs. 



If there is any doubt about the freshness of the eggs, 

 give .the customer, not the eggs, the benefit of the doubt. 

 Do not take any chances — do not sell them. One bad egg 

 will ruin the reputation gained by selling a thousand good 

 ones, the bad egg "unpleasantness" will nev^er be forgotten 

 even if it should be forgiven by the customer who is paying 

 forty to fifty cents a dozen for his eggs. As soon as the 

 eggs are gathered they should be carried to a cool place and 

 covered by a clean cloth so dust cannot settle, on them. 



A good nest is secluded and roomy and should contain 

 an abundance of clean, soft straw and fine hay. Clover and 

 sawdust are likely to stain the eggs. Excelsior is lumpy 

 and sticks to the fowls' claws. Rye straw is too coarse and 

 stiff. Clean floors and platforms and well-drained ground 

 will do much to keep the feet clean, and thus prevent soiled 

 eggs- 

 Cleaning, crating and packing eggs must be done reg- 

 ularly and carefully. This requires considerable time, buij 

 it is time well spent.- Give the children one cent a dozen 

 to gather, clean, crate and pack the eggs; They will make 

 good wages and you will make good profits. A damp cloth 

 is required to rub off any slight discolorations. If it is 

 necessary to wet the eggs,_they should be wiped dry before 

 being placed in the crate; otherwise they will gather dust. 

 They should not be washed unless absolutely necessary, be- 

 cause washing destroys the natural appearance of .the shell 

 by removing the secretion which covers the pores of the 

 eggs and' which prevents rapid evaporation from the eggs. 

 Washed eggs do not keep so well as eggs in their natural 

 condition. Sapolio or vinegar are both useful for removing 

 stains. A little extra care and skill in preparing poultry 

 for market will often make a large increase in the selling 

 price. A casual glance at the dressed poultry offered for 

 sale in most markets will reveal the fact that much of it, 

 which is of inferior grade might have sold for top prices 

 it it had been properly picked' and packed. People judge 

 poultry by appearances. A choice, ybung fowl, with skin 

 dried and torn, often looks less attractive to a purchaser 

 than an older and poorer fowl that has been neatly picked, 

 plumped and packed for market. The expense' of killing, 

 picking and packing poultry is small in comparison with 

 the first cost of raising it. It is a pity to see good poultry 

 that has been properly fattened, sell among the inferior 

 gi:ades because of careless handling. 



