PROFITS IN POULTRY I7 



poultry culture in every line were begun, and where, at 

 one time, fifty poultry plants were operated — today 

 but ten successful ones remain, and forty monuments 

 are erected to the memory of men who overestimated 

 ■their ability and capacity. 



Yet, with all that, the fact cannot be disputed that 

 a good, honest living can be made on a poultry farm, 

 but when we say "living" we do not call for profes- 

 sional incomes. We mean the equal of the wages re- 

 ceived by the average mechanics. Our observation has 

 taught us that 300 hens, properly cared for, and 

 the egg crops partly used for broilers, will be more 

 profitable than a larger concern, excepting probably 

 500 hens kept for egg farming exclusively. 



It costs about fifteen cents a pound to produce a 

 marketable broiler, and the average profit on a broiler 

 is about ten cents a pound. Where part of the time is 

 to be consumed in broiler raising, not more than 300 

 liens should be kept. This will give all the work a man 

 and a good toy can perform. That number of hens 

 would run from three to five 200-egg incubators stead- 

 ily and leave a large lot of eggs over for market pur- 

 poses. Three hundred hens would lay from ioq to 150 

 ■eggs a day. To run three 200-egg incubators steadily 

 ■would require about thirty eggs a day, leaving from 

 ■seventy to 120 left for sale in market. 



Three 200-egg incubators run regularly should 

 produce from 300 to 400 chicks every three weeks. 

 These, however, will not all be raised to broiler size, 

 "but supposing that only 100 pounds can be marketed 

 •each week, there would be an income of $10 a week, 

 clean money. Also, supposing that only seventy eggs 

 a day could be sold, that, at an average price of two 

 cents each, would give $9.80 a week. Therefore, we 

 are safe in saying that from $15 to $20 a week can be 



