Show The TJ EI e E Finding ne Egg gg Out Why Thousands of Dollars Wasted Each year by Improper Care of Fowls Writ Written n Especially for The Salt Lake Telegram By BILLY SEARS ONT waste yOur ur time trying to D DONT figure a hen bert lays a white get egg the egg Where this saying originated I do not know but well wel I remember when I first heard It Several years ago while talking to toa toa a country storekeeper an urchin capie cate Into the store and said sad Mamma Iamma sent me to get a dozen eggs laid by a black hen boil TIle The proprietor answered that he couldn't tell tel what color a hen was wasby wasby by the egg she laid You bet I can the bo boy said The boss told him to go ahead and pick them out and while was busily engaged at atthe attile the tile the egg basket tile the man laughingly said Dont waste your time trying to figure figue etc The young fellow picked out a dozen eggS paid tile the storekeeper 15 cents you you can readily guess this waS not very ery recently and started out At the thedoor thedoor door lie he turned and called caled back bacle I cant can't tell tel a black hens hen's egg either r but butI I got a a dozen of the biggest eggs out or of that basket and out he went We both had a good laugh at this demonstration of juvenile strategy and andt andI t I presume the merchant has long since forgotten the occurrence This incident incited the writer to inquiry study and experiment ex- ex covering a period of nine years The very sight of an egg caused me to wonder what color hen might have been that had laid it f. f Chicken men were interrogated in the hope of a solution to this question queston It learned At the very outset was that knowledge on this subject was of the none or of which bore any marks of scientific authenticity Inquiry of veteran experts professors and editors elicited elcied little Ute or no Through it all al ran raa the as- as as one farmer expressed it make no difference dif dif- An eggs egg's an egg dont don't di- di ference what color it is Often Oten I was about reconciled to the thought or of giving up the quest but curiosity strongly protested and I 1 continued con con- my search for this information wIthout success when one day into my mind came a new question Why does a n hen lay an egg at all al This thought was rather encouraging as no doubt ft f presented the logical line lne to follow In search of a solution to this now perplexing problem in cause and effect In an endeavor to get an answer to this new question queston I was really realy surprised surprised sur- sur to that of tile the many people met who were keeping fowls some with and others without success few wih seemed to be any too well wel acquainted with wih the underlying reasons of egg production Shortly Shorty after this becoming so situated situated sit sit- that I 1 was able to have a few tew hens myself and realizing there is no wiser or truer teacher than nature I 1 decided to seek the answer irs in my own back 10 It I was obvious if I 1 could succeed in making hens lay I would at least be able to draw some conclusion conclusion sion of value as to why they laid and it was fair to assume I might learn the cause for some hens hens' eggs being one color and some hens hens' another About this time I had formed the erroneous idea that the fundamental of success with chickens was a secret well wel guarded by nature and unless a person was possessed of more than average luck and hung the proverbial rabbit foot over the henhouse door I they could not expect a balance on en the I credit side of the ledger At any rate a few liens hens offered poS poS- so th the plunge into chicken chicken- I dom was made on a small smal scale I can canI bear painful testimony to the fact that I the first year was vas sure one d- d thing after another If I I was ready I once I was ready rEady a dozen times to give Un UD Every problem I solved only de- de ve i another and harder one to take its is place At the conclusion of the first year I balanced my chicken books and they showed no profits but rather a substantial deficit I felt fel repaid in other ways After a careful analysis or of the episode two facts stood out vivid vividly I both of which have been made more certain to my mind each ensuing S year The First secret of success is not a secret nor is it to attain The Second cause for success or failure lies not in the hens but almost sI- sI most entirely with the attendant Poultry raising is and Is not a ence It I is an applied but not a pure science so unfortunately we cannot judiciously treat it as a science We should be able to but we cant can't because because be- be cause probablY no human being exists who possesses the foresight and judgment judgment judg- judg ment necessary to make it i a science Science is exact chicken culture is not exact If I it were exact we should I have the good fortune to calculate in advance the amount in dollars and cents we would have at the end of a given time from a given number of hens or from a given investment This happy state of conditions does not exist however much we should like to have it i. i Mathematics Is science We Weare Weare are positive that seven subtracted from eleven invariably leaves four The reason rca rea- son for this is that the conditions governing governing gov- gov the result resul are fixed It I makes no difference where or when we attempt attempt at- at tempt to solve a problem in mathematics mathe- mathe matics if the processes involved are carried carriEd out according to the rule of the tho science the tho result wm will always be bethe the tue s some me Every effect has its is' is cause that is natures nature's law and you wf find she never departs from it When a person succeeds or fails In any line lne of human endeavor there are underlying causes tile the result resul did not come by chance Therefore wo we may conclude cone that poultry poultry poul- poul try raising is a science only that it is too far beyond u us to thoroughlY understand under under- stand Like conditions produce like resultS with chickens as with wih everything else The only reason their keeping cannot be resolved into certain definite laws Is that the conditions on which results fixed as asIn asin depend are ever changing not In mathematics If I conditions were fixed you would need only to observe certain laws to attain the state of success you desired But conditions are so varied and so changing that a perfect state is out of the question queston Thero is no guarantee or of success with wih chickens nor is it i a mere gamble or chance In fact there is no element clement of chance involved To go farther the element clement of chance does not exist in inal all al the universe Nothing comes by chance these most peculiarly successful successful success success- ful results corn com come from rom the proper or of causes If I the human mind were brad enough to foresee conditions condi- condi tons as they are and will wi be there would be no such incomprehensible successes or failures with chickens I night flight here it might be well wel to cautIon cau- cau tIon ton yOu u against becoming mystified it is all al simple enough If i you will wi just I spend a little time learning how The thing for you to do is to study conditions condi- condi tons as well wel as possible draw upon all al sources of knowledge and experiences experiences of the trail trai blazers ahead and then apply tile the best methods that such knowledge and intelligent reasoning can suggest I You suggest will wi find that success lies les within with with- wih I in yourself in your own brain yom own ambition ambion your our own pluck and de- de termination ase your expectations or of success upon a solid sold foundation of your our obligation to your time and meney men men- mon money ey invested and last but not least leat to the much abused profitable little hen Do this and you will wf succeed others have and what has been done can be bedone done LOSS AND WASTE By visiting and talking wih the owners of back yard flocks the startling discovery discover was made thade that th thI the average flock fock is kept at an actual lessin loss less lossin I in dollars and cents which in the agI aggregate ag- ag amounts to thousands or of dollars del dol- I lars yearly It I is inconceivable that I this reprehensible condition should exIst ex- ex 1st in spite of all al the volumes of literature liter liter- lter- lter and circulated upon po l- l try husbandry compiled by reliable and able authorities It I is a corroborated fact that the average av- av erge back yard hen as at present neglected ne- ne could have a Thrift stamp pasted upon her leg be given away and the donor come core out ahead at the end of one year If I people would only keep a set of books or records or of their flocks and see the deficit many may or of them would be to administer a 0 dose f of poison polson to the innocent hens The following figures will wf give you some food for thought The total number or of birds divided by the number or of flocks focks visited gives an average of twenty one one fowls to the flock Using figures obtained from records records rec- rec kept of flocks focks as the nucleus we have an average cost or of upkeep of per bird per annum This Included included In- In only feed litter medicine etc Interest on investment being negligible is disregarded as is also stock buildings build build- buld- buld ings repairs labor etc The he f following o in ta tabulation of r d debits anti ana IS upon data DebIt Dolt Credits 1 p r ct kt at O 10 P. P C 1164 S 5 per PO aol ct k kept t st at profit prU ot or 7 75 p. p I. I r. r 8 6 per Oat I t et at prom o o 50 I p. p a 0 52 16 14 per pe ct k kept t at of 15 2 P. P a C 1411 5 B 2 per c pad their thIr o 2 fO 2580 Ii 1 p PC r t k kept t at loss of o 21 2 per p ct 1 13 per pr mit rt kept at c 50 I per pe rent et me OutGO 0 8 per 11 teat k kept t at Ices c o 75 70 p per r ret 70 eo 4 per eit ct k kept t at loss los of o 91 9 per PO ct 1 1164 I 8 00 O 21 79 By subtracting the credits credis from the debits debis we find an actual loss or of on flocks or per flock or 38 cents per hen Understand the above represents actual loss Let us go a little farther anti and estimate the waste A small smal flock which does not return return re- re turn per cent on upkeep is rightfully right right- ruBy fully considered below belo the possibilities hence we will wf ake upkeep plus per cent equals credits flocks should have shown During the period considered the up of my hens and I know ot of others kept as economically was per bird so it is fair to figure a waste of 28 per bird or 2688 This we add to credits birds should have shown which gives Inasmuch Inasmuch In- In as the birds showed credits or of we subtract this which gives toss and waste on flocks or 2296 per fleck fock or per bird Just a minute Let us go still stI farther There are approximately two twenty thousand families in the city of Salt Sal Lake Lake It I is a conservative estimate that one in every three families keep chickens For the convenience ot I round numbers let us figu figure on a basis of sev seven n thousand flocks or a total loss and ad waste or of eight hundred sixty thousand s seven ven hundred twenty twenty ty dollars dolar yearly Impossible you say Well Wel I dont don't know that I blame you I had hada a hard time swallowing that total myself my- my self sel but for forget t not that it is not far from correct Would you my reader not like that money Were We're friends lets let's be hon hon- est so woud I. I If I you are now keepIng keeping keep keep- ing hens at a loss would you not like your share of it That much at least you ou could have had as well wel as not This unhappy state or of affairs Is no fault of the so called caled feathered slacker slacker slack slack- er who Is ready to deliver delver the goods but sadly needs your help People who keep hens at a loss are prone to charge It to the hens They will wf tell tel that they have good coops feed lots of this or that and so on If I one cares to start a volca lc eruption just drop the re- re that it is their fault and not the hens that they are buying store eggs ggs They're ready with wih more alibis than there are stars in the firmament They are emphatic that a hen that does not lay eggs eggs' with the care they give just will wf not produce that's all al All AI their arguments to the contrary those who understand still defend the little brown hen They know the trouble trou- trou trou ble is traceable only to the attendant and his methods Many persons In an endeavor to tomake tomake make chickens pay put forth strenuous ous efforts torts but still they fail fai Then they wonder why The efforts may have been great enough sufficient energy may have been expended but it was expended blindly It I is essential that you deal with wih specific instances be intensive rather than extensive Different conditions require different differ differ- ent treatment The first step is to find out what the conditions are If I they are not known they may be learned by digging to the bottom or of the heap Draw upon all sources of knowledge and experiences of others which may may assist you in arriving at a correct conclusion but and this Is a very important important im- im but before you can form any conclusions or of value you must banish your own opinions in so far as they contradict facts Many failures can be traced directly to some primi- primi tive method handed down from tallow tallow- c candle days Get this down somewhere the ultimate ul- ul ulti- ulti mate success depends upon method and application The well weI Their temples pyramids and the Sphinx have withstood the str stress ss ot of the elements for ages They knew what materials to use and how to apply them and their judgment has endured Here then is the real fundamental or of success principles principles prin- prin and application Whether you are building or raising chickens the princIples are valuable only as they are applied The method of has much very much to todo todo do in determining the future Next Saturday Mr Sea Sears will wil discuss discuss dis dis- cuss the cases of success or failure in the pursuit of The Elusive Egg |