Poultry for profit

by R. A. Power

Some poultry raisers get in touch with local or neighboring hotels and restaurants, and agree to let these parties have their entire output of eggs at a certain margin above market price. For instance, it is a common method to make an agreement with such parties to sell them their eggs at ten cents above market prices. If the market quotations for fresh eggs were thirty-two cents for a certain day, the hotel keeper would pay forty-two cents, if the eggs were delivered on this day. Usually, the restaurant or hotel is glad to pay this premium over the market price, because he takes quite a chance with store eggs, in that some of them are often stale, and this is a matter that reflects against his business. Also, if such an agreement can be made, the hotel or restaurant man can advertise the fact that he serves nothing but fresh eggs, which is good business for him.

When one is getting a big yield daily, he can usually plan to sell his eggs by the case to city commission men, who will always pay a good premium over local markets. If one has not enough eggs to sell a case once or twice weekly in such a manner, this difficulty is often overcome by combining with neighbors who are willing to take the proper care in producing clean, fresh eggs for market. However, such neighbors must be in sympathy with what is expected for fresh eggs, and who have the courage to refrain from putting in eggs that are not clean and fresh. If one case is sent in to these commission men and the quality of the eggs is not of first class, quite a dockage will be deducted from the check, and your reputation will thereby suffer. Never wash eggs that are soiled, but use them in your own kitchen, as the washing will remove the natural bloom, or fine powder that is found on the untouched egg. One can secure clean eggs by keeping the bedding in the nests clean.

There is always a splendid opportunity to sell hatching eggs in the spring of the year, if one has had the foresight to get started in purebred poultry. There is always a large demand for hatching eggs and most hatcheries can not fill their orders. For the one engaged in the poultry business, even on a small scale, this offers a splendid opportunity, especially when eggs are selling cheap on the market, as they do in the spring of the year, to divide the mature birds up into small pens of about ten females to one good male bird, and sell these eggs at anywhere from $1.50 a setting to as much as you can get. The higher the quality of the stock, the more money one can demand for such hatching eggs.

Then there is another good source of revenue from selling adult birds for breeding purposes. If your flock is composed of good individuals, you should experience little difficulty in selling your surplus birds from $5 up. A little well planned advertising is often a good thing to do, to let people know what you have got for sale. Often an advertisement in the local paper, or a rural weekly will bring in many inquiries in regard to the birds or eggs that you have to sell.

Probably a cheaper way of advertising, if you really have good birds, is to show a pen, consisting of four females and one male, at some of the neighboring poultry shows. If you can succeed in winning a premium, this will be a splendid factor in your efforts in selling breeding stock. It is usually permissible to place a little card on the outside of your pen at the poultry show, giving your name and address, and stating that you have breeding stock for sale, or that you are now taking orders for hatching eggs in the spring.

CHAPTER XVII.
IN CONCLUSION

I have tried to explain in this little booklet that there is a splendid opportunity for one to engage in the poultry industry, whether it be on a large scale, or a small scale. There is considerable pleasure as well as profit in this work, for the one that is posted on a few of the essential principles, as has been laid down in this short treatise. It will probably be well to repeat a few facts that should be remembered first, however, before closing.

Do not expect to make a great amount of money from your poultry the first year. Getting started right in the poultry business will cost something, so for the first year, if you just break even you will do well. Plan to learn as you go along. Every poultry raiser should take at least one poultry journal, to keep posted on the latest facts concerning the business. These journals always carry a great amount of advertising matter in regard to stock for breeding and in regard to poultry house equipment, etc. Many useful ideas can be secured from pretty near every issue of a standard paper.

Get acquainted with the other poultry people in your own locality. This is especially true in regard to those who have the same breed that you have. If your locality boasts of a poultry association, become a member of this association. You can then get much valuable information in regard to your business.

Get in touch with your state agricultural college, and especially with the poultry department. Write to them and ask them to send you all the bulletins that they have published on poultry, and tell them to place you on their mailing list, so that any future bulletins that they may publish will be sent you free of charge. Then the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture has many excellent bulletins on different branches of the poultry industry that are worth sending for. It is located at Washington, D. C. Another splendid thing, if you can succeed in interesting others in your community, would be to send to the Motion Picture Lab., U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Wash., D. C., and have them send you their film on culling, entitled, “Select the Laying Hen.” It certainly brings out in a splendid manner, just how to cull your flock. Most any moving picture house would be glad to run this reel free of charge. The only expense of securing this film is the transportation charges from Washington, D. C., to your home town.