AN AMATEUR'S EXPERIENCE
In April, nineteen hundred and one, I purchased four broody hens, two settings of White Wyandotte eggs, and two of Plymouth Rock. I live in a suburban district where dogs and cats abound and poultry cannot have free range. I therefore made two wire-covered board runs, six feet by eight, eighteen inches high, and against a six-inch hole sawed in one end of each I placed a box turned on its side for a coop. Of twenty-eight Wyandotte eggs, twenty-six hatched, and three chicks died. Of twenty-six Plymouth Rocks only three hatched, and these I put with the Wyandottes in care of the two most motherly hens.
Every morning I fed a mash of meal, shorts, and beef scraps, in equal parts, mixed dry with boiling water; at noon and night oatmeal, cracked wheat, or occasionally cracked corn, and clean table scraps at any time. Oyster shells and fresh water were always before them. Mothers and children ate together, each taking what she liked best. As often as they soiled the grass I shifted the runs, and on fine days I let the families out for an hour before dark into an adjoining field, keeping an eye on their wanderings.
October first I sold the four hens, which had laid meanwhile fifteen and a half dozen eggs. Twelve chicks were cockerels, which were killed as needed.
November first I reduced the daily feed to two meals—a warm mash at half past eight A.M. so that they would scratch awhile before being fed, and for supper grain, generally oats, scattered about the yard, with a few handfuls inside the house to induce more scratching. They had all they would eat, but if they left any food I skipped the next meal and let them get hungry. The water was renewed often, dishes kept clean, and field excursions continued occasionally.
November sixth I sold the first dozen eggs, and for eleven months the supply never failed. The eggs were large, and the hens were active, healthy, and happy. Any success I attribute to moderate feeding, exercise, and cleanliness.
May 1, 1901, to August 15, 1902
| EXPENSES | |
| Eggs, White Wyandotte | $2.00 |
| Express | .25 |
| Eggs, Plymouth Rock | 1.00 |
| 4 hens | 2.60 |
| Boards, net, and boxes | 1.22 |
| Grain, 15½ months | 31.41 |
| ——— | |
| $38.48 | |
| RECEIPTS | |
| Eggs, 14 pullets, 162 dozen | $47.33 |
| Eggs, 4 hens, 15½ dozen | 3.92 |
| 12 cockerels, 55¼ pounds | 10.35 |
| 4 hens | 2.00 |
| 14 hens (sold by reason of my illness) | 8.00 |
| 2 barrels dressing | 1.50 |
| Runs, etc., on hand | 1.00 |
| ——— | |
| $74.10 | |
| 38.48 | |
| ——— | |
| Profit | $35.62 |
Belle S. Cragin