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Show POULTRY BUSINESS. Professor Drydcn has this to say about the poultry business in Utah: Better methods of feeding and management man-agement would easily add 25 per cent to the value of tho poultry products. The last census estimated tho average aver-age yield per year at svcnty-llvc eggs per hen. We llnd no dllllculty at the experiment station, with an average flock of hens, In getting a yield of 150 eggs per hen. With extra breeding wo have had them avcrago over 200 eggs. But leaving breeding out of the question, by killing off the old hens and giving tho layers extra care and feed they can be made to average 150 eggs per year per fowl, or Just double the yield that the census says the hens of Utah produced in 1899. In the first place, on the average farm, there is no consideration shown for tho comfort of the fowls. Is is useless to talk to a man about the right way to feed fowls unless ho is willing to give them at least the same care In regard to housing that he gives to his live stock. In regard to feeding, there Is an Ignorance that is profound among fanners In general as to what food or foods the hen requires for profitable egg production. An egg Is made up of certain materials, and the hen must be fed those materials, otherwise other-wise where are the eggs to come from? We might as well look for llgs on a Scotch thistle tree as to look for eggs from the food that the average hen gets in winter. To sum up: Utah poultry products have a value of about one million dollars dol-lars a year, and the amount Is Increasing Increas-ing at a rapid rate. Only the hay crop, the wheat crop, the wool and live stock and the dairy products exceeds ex-ceeds tho value of the poultry products. pro-ducts. The market Is unlimited and prices are good. This State is well adapted to the production of poultry and eggs. Without Increasing the number of fowls in the State tho product pro-duct could In doubled by Improvement Improve-ment along three lines; first, by breeding breed-ing a selection of layers; second, by renewing the flock every year, or at most every two years, and, third, by better methods of feed and management. |