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Show PROCEED WISELY WITH CHICKENS Suggestions of Specialists of Department De-partment of Agriculture. MAKE START WITH PUREBRED Householders Usually Desire Not Only Eggs for Table, But Alee an Occasional Occa-sional Chicken to Eat Light Breeds for Eggs. Y'ou want to start a backyard hennery hen-nery or improve the one you have you have gone that far in your determination deter-mination to help the meat and egg supply how shall you begin? What kind of fowls shall you keep, how many and how shall you procure them? These are your next considerations. considera-tions. Here are the suggestions of specialists of the United States department de-partment cf agriculture on these points. They will help the beginner especially, but should also help the town householder to make his flock more serviceable. First, the kind of breed. This will depend somewhat on whether you desire eggs, meat or both eggs and meat. Householders usually desire not only eggs for the table and for cooking, but also an occasional chicken to eat. If this is your desire one of the general-purpose breeds, such as Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red or Orpington, is preferable to the smaller egg breeds, such as the Leghorns. Not only do the mature fowls of these breeds, because of their larger size, make better table fowls than the Leghorns, but the young chickens for the same reason make better friers and roasters. Chickens Chick-ens of the egg breeds nre suitable only for smaller broilers. Hens of the general-purpose breeds also are more "broody," making good sitters and mothers, which is a decided advantage when it Is desired to hatch and raise chicks. Hens of the egg breeds seldom become broody and are in any event rather unreliable sitters and mothers. Lighter Breeds for Eggs. If, however, the desire for eggs outweighs out-weighs that for an occasional table fowl the lighter egg breeds undoubtedly undoubted-ly will be more practicable because Ihey lay as many eggs and eat less 'feed, with ihe result that they produce the "g more cheaply. It is by nil means advisable to keep some pure breed or variety. If this is done sales at a profitable figure often can be made of breeding stock which it is intended in-tended to market or of eggs for hatching. hatch-ing. The size of the flock which can be most efficiently kept will depend, first of all, upon the space available and, secondly, upon the amount .If table scraps or waste which is available for feed. It is a mistake to try to overstock over-stock the available space. Better results re-sults will be obtained from a few hens in a small yard than from a larger number. The backyard poultry flock rarely will consist of more than 20 to 25 .ens, and in many cases of not more than eight or ten, or occasionally of only three or four. For a flock of 20 to 25 hens a space of not less than 25 feet by 30 feet should be available for a yard. If less space is available the size of the flock should be reduced, allowing, on the average, 20 to 30 square feet for eacli fowl. A few her.s sometimes may be kept successfully with a smaller yard 'allowance than this, but if the space is available a yard of the size indicated should be used. Ordinarily, the best way for the city poultry keeper to Jtart a flock is to buy pullets in the fall when they are cheaper. Unless there is a scarcity in the community now, however, there is likely to be little trouble in securing secur-ing a few hens at this time, although prices probably will be higher. Pullets obtained at this time will give better returns if eggs are desired, while if the intention is to raise chicks older laying hens may be used, or day-old chicks can be purchased and a start made in that way. How to Buy Hens. When pullets or hens nre to be purchased pur-chased it is well, if possible, to go to some farmer or poultryman who is known to the prospective buyer. IE there is no opportunity to go into the country for pullets, they often can be selected from among the live poultry poul-try shipped into the city to be marketed. mar-keted. The advice of some one who knows poultry should be sought in making such a purchase to make sure that pullets or young hens are obtained ob-tained and that the stock is healthy. Often the local poultry associations are glad to help the prospective poultry poul-try keeper to get stock by putting him in communication with some of its members having stock for sale. Sometimes Some-times the local board of trade or chamber cham-ber of commerce is glad to help in bringing together the prospective purchaser pur-chaser and the poultry raiser. In a later article suggestions as to how an inexpensive poultry house may be built or converted from an unused shed will be given. Feeding Ducks. Ducks may be fed on the rations recommended for fowls and chickens, but better results are usually secured by feeding more green and vegetable feeds and a larger proportion of mash. Eggs from Pekin ducks are used largely for hatching, and the profit is secured In producing green ducklings (ducks fattened and marketed mar-keted at the age of eight or twelve weeks) ; therefore these ducks are fed a maintenance ration after Ihey stop laying in the summer until about December De-cember 1, when a laying ration is given and the amount of m.-ish increased. in-creased. Indian Runner ducks have been introduced as producers of commercial com-mercial eggs, so they should be fed hiving rations throughout t lie year if kept, for egg production. Don't keep a male lijrd unless y,ui want fertile' eggs. Kens lay Just as well without a male. Don't overstock your yard. Twenty to thirty square feet for each ben Is nn average allowance. If you can get them, purchase well-matured well-matured pullets rather than hens. Keep the hens confined to your own land. |