The RURAL. NEW.YORKER 
393 
The Henyard 
The Back-yard Poultry Flock 
WHAT BEEED DO I WANT? 
The Question of Selection. —With¬ 
out any attempt to settle for the reader 
who contemplates “going into *poultry” 
the question of what variety he shall 
keep, I believe that a fair discussion of 
the merits and demerits of the commonly 
kept breeds will be of interest to the ama¬ 
teur who wishes only a backyard poultry 
plant and has no unconquerable preju¬ 
dices as to the variety best suited to his 
purpose. I have little regard for the oft- 
repeated statement that a man will do 
best with the variety that he likes best, 
for no amount of admiration will change 
the characteristics of a breed or alter the 
market quotations for poultry products. 
Anyone is likely to like best the variety 
that does best for him, but, after he has 
selected any one of the standard sorts he 
should guard against the constant tempta¬ 
tion to make a change simply because he 
hears of other flocks of different breeding 
that surpass his own in performance. 
There is much truth in the statement that 
there is more in the feed than in the 
breed. 
Eggs or Meat. —In selecting a variety 
one should decide first the chief purpose 
market defects in consideration of its 
greater size in body, as well as in product, 
and of its unquestioned beauty in carriage 
and sheen of feather. The question of 
variety among the Leghorns is one that 
must be settled by the prospective owner 
according to his own individual prefer¬ 
ence. The Browns lay a slightly smaller 
egg, as a rule, than the Whites, but the 
difference is wholly immaterial, and the 
beauty of a well-kept flock of Brown Leg¬ 
horns appeals strongly to a real admirer 
of barnyard fowls. Few sights are pret¬ 
tier than that of a flock of small Brown 
Leghorn chicks in the soft tones and 
stripes of their characteristic plumage. 
As to productiveness, it is rather one of 
strain than of variety, though the Single 
Comb White Leghorns have the practical 
endorsement of the most of those to whom 
poultry keeping is a calling. Both Minor- 
cas and Leghorns are, comparatively 
speaking, non-sitters, but this character¬ 
istic is one by comparison only. Where 
only a few chicks are to be raised by nat¬ 
ural means each year, these breeds may 
be depended upon to do their whole duty 
as mothers, and to do it well. 
General Purpo.se Fowls. —Where 
there is no unreasoning discrimination as 
to color of eggs, or where this may be dis- 
Japancse Woman 
for which he wishes to keep fowls; he 
should then consider his facilities for 
housing andi yarding them and the mar¬ 
kets available for thw^nost profitable dis¬ 
posal of surplus products. If the flock 
is to be kept wholly for the purpose of 
supplying the family table, meat may bo 
as much desired as eggs, possibly even 
more. In this case, a wise selection would 
bar the light breeds that surpass in egg 
production but furnish a very small car¬ 
cass for the table. If eggs, however, are 
the chief consideration and meat of sec¬ 
ondary importance, there are some of the 
lighter breeds that are altogether likely 
to prove superior to the heavier ones. In 
a general way, fowls may be divided into 
meat-producing, egg-producing and all- 
around purpose classes. There is no dis¬ 
tinct. line of cleavage between these class¬ 
es, however; they simply express general 
characteristics. All fowls lay eggs and 
all produce meat. It is quite true also 
that some of the general purpose breeds 
are now crowding the “egg machines” 
hard for honors in the laying contests. 
Standard Breeds. —The meat producers 
may be represented by the Brahmas, In¬ 
dian Games, I.angshans and Cochins. As 
none of these are likely to be kept by 
other than specialty breeders, we will not 
consider them further. The most popu¬ 
lar egg producers are the I/eghorns and 
Minorcas, while the best-known general- 
purpose fowls are found in the Plymouth 
Book, Wyandotte and Rhode Island Red 
class. These, of course, are only a few 
of the over 100 standard varieties recog¬ 
nized in this country, but they furnish a 
sufficiently wide range in choice for any 
prospective poultry keeper. To -most, the 
choice will lie between some variety of the 
Leghorns, the Minorcas or one of the gen¬ 
eral-purpose breeds. Even if one has the 
fancier’s instinct, there will be sufficient 
room for its gratification in the widely 
Varying plumage and types to be found 
among these varieties. 
Egg Producers. —An egg is an egg, 
anywhere except in the market. When 
the presence or absence of pigment in the 
shell makes a difference of several cents 
per dozen in price, as it does in those 
markets controlled by New York City, 
breeds of fowls laying brown eggs are 
sadly handicapped. Such fowls must 
make a strong appeal upon other grounds 
if they are to hold their own with those 
that set the fashion with a chalk-lined 
product. In color and size of egg. the 
Minorcas hold undisputed pre-eminence, 
but the greater productiveness of the Leg¬ 
horns. together with the market prefer¬ 
ence for yellow skin and shanks, has 
placed the latter in the lead upon com¬ 
mercial egg plants. The custom of selling 
eggs by the dozen, instead of by weight, 
has also operated to make the Minorca a 
favorite only with the small poultry keep¬ 
er who can afford to disregard that bird’s 
Feeding Her Hens 
regarded, the general purpose fowl comes 
into- its own, but, when it comes to mak¬ 
ing a choice between the three represen¬ 
tative breeds mentioned, it is wise to re¬ 
frain from giving advice. The Plymouth 
Rocks have long held their position as one 
of the best known and most popular of 
the American breeds, and they have been 
bred both for egg production and attract¬ 
iveness in the show room. In addition to 
type and other characteristics, the pecu¬ 
liar barring of one variety of this breed 
has furnished ample scope for all the fan¬ 
cier’s skill in breeding. The Wyandottes 
probably hold second place with the Ply¬ 
mouth Rocks in popular estimation, 
'though countless individual owners prefer 
them. They are of the same general type 
and characteristics, though possessing 
their own individuality. They also pos¬ 
sess the advantage of true American 
origin and of long breeding for both pro¬ 
ductiveness and beauty. More recently, 
another general purpose fowl, developed 
in New England, has come to the front 
with an exhibition of extraordinary ca¬ 
pacity for egg production. This is the 
Rhode Island Red, a breed that gained its 
name in New England, its fame in New 
Jersey. The recent performance of a 
strain of this breed developed in the lat¬ 
ter State at the Vineland contest has 
challenged the breeders of not only other 
general purpose fowls, but of tin’ “egg 
machines” as well. It is entirely within 
the bounds of possibility that we shall, 
some day, have a dual-purpose fowl ex¬ 
celling all others in both egg and meat 
production, and clothed in red. M. b. d. 
Figuring the Chicken Business 
Next Summer I intend to start about 
500 baby chicks on a farm in Northern 
New Jersey. Would you tell me what 
breed you think best to have for the 
greatest profit, taking everything into 
consideration? If half of them are cock¬ 
erels, how many eggs per day should I 
receive from the remaining 250 pullets of 
your specified breed? j. m. r. 
This is about the way many people 
afflicted with the chicken fever approach 
the subject. Probably White Leghorns 
will pay as well as any breed in Northern 
New Jersey. We prefer the Reds, but 
the Leghorn men are in great majority. 
When you come to counting pullets be¬ 
fore they are raised and eggs before they 1 
are laid, you are up among the clouds. 
You cannot hope to raise every baby 
chick you buy. If 300 out of 500 come 
to maturity you will do very well. Your 
150 pullets may average 140 eggs a year, 
and there will be at least 10 per cent loss 
from disease or accident Figure it out 
on that basis and work out the cost of 
feed and equipment. 
ff 
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/Ever Saw- 
nr 
1 1 
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If 
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V DEPARTMENT D 96 CttAMBEGS HTSTREET • ITew VOQK CITY^#tNt 
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Verov 
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UTICA HEATER COMPANY 
Bo* 50, UTICA, N. Y. 
Also manufacturers of “Superior” Warm Air Furnaces 
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