56 MY POULTRY DAY BY DAY 
T have the offer of a small house and garden, and 24 acres of paddock 
and outbuildings, for a rental of £20. It is a few miles from 
Colchester. 
““My manner of living is very moderate. We seek no pleasure 
outside our work. My wife’s people are successful farmers. I 
should be greatly obliged if you could give me your advice and 
opinion as to whether I ought to be able to make a living (say, 
£1 per week).” 
ADVENTUROUS SPIRITS 
I have an idea that hundreds of others besides my correspondent 
are similarly thinking they would like to take up poultry-farming, 
but hesitate to make the plunge. 
My advice to every one in a similar position is that if making 
a decent living elsewhere they should stick to it. A bird in the 
hand, etc. At the same time, there are adventurous spirits— 
not always to be discouraged—who will probably make the effort, 
and if I can assist any such by advice, I will gladly do so. 
If any reader with £200 capital has made up his mind to try 
poultry-farming, there is no good reason why he should not go on. 
My correspondent does not say so, but I assume that he knows 
enough about the rearing and feeding of poultry to justify the 
venture. His idea to run 100 White Leghorns, 50 Minorcas, and 
50 of another good breed is a good one (I suggest Rhode Island 
Reds as the third class). But where is he to get them ? 
With his £200 capital, out of which he must live for the greater 
part of a year before a profit begins to loom in sight, he can hardly 
afford to buy 200 pure-bred fowls, with sufficient housing accom-. 
modation. At the present prices of food they will cost at least 
£2 per week to feed. 
To begin poultry-farming with 200 adult fowls is quite impractic- 
able on £200 capital. If he were to wait till January, and buy, 
say, two pens of White Leghorns, one pen of Minorcas and one 
of Rhode Island Reds, he could begin to breed almost at once, and 
rear his own stock of 200 pullets (400 fowls), which would be ready 
