Paynter's System of Poultry Rearing; Or, 500 a Year from Hens (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 edition. Excerpt: ... matter how persevering and attentive, will not avail unless it is supplemented by such knowledge. To produce the best commercial results a properly designed dry small-holding in a proper situation for such a purpose should be used. Proper eggs, in regard to freshness, etc., must be obtainable at reasonable prices, produced by a proper age of hen mated to cockerels hatched at the proper time of the year. The eggs must be incubated in incubators properly selected for the purpose in view, and the chickens must be reared in properly selected fostermothers, and then transported to a proper type of commercial house in a properly designed system of runs. The birds must be properly fed in a proper manner on foods bought at commercial prices, and be of a proper breed. The holding should be properly situated near a railway station within one mile or so, and the birds properly and regularly marketed in a proper condition immediately they have arrived at their most profitable stage. The necessity of having such a chain of proper conditions can only be appreciated by some one who has had many years of practical experience as a table chicken rearer. I think that a fair estimate of the total cost of a plant to produce a table chicken is 1s., i.e. for incubators, foster-mothers, houses, feeding utensils, and everything; and the profit as a reward for a small-holder's labour should be about 1s. per bird. Approximate estimates of capital required and financial results which may be expected from the individualistic effort when applied to table bird production under practical working conditions: Pre-War Conditions An output of 4000 table chickens per season would just about keep a boy and man fully employed for six months. During the other six months they could put...