COST OF RAISING CHICKENS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10652, 13 May 1895, Page 6

COST OF RAISING CHICKENS.

j The experiment station at Geneva, New | York, recently issued arsporb on an expert- j ! meat conducted there to ascertain tho | cost of raising chickens. For the purpose ! c£ the experiment two breccia wore selected i —Cochins and Brown Leghorns. One j hundred and seventeen Cochin eggs and one hundred and one Brown Leghorn eggs j were set. In the case of the Cochin ogga I I 46’1 per cent ware represented by strong, j healthy chicks. In the case of the Leghorns j 73’3 par cent were so represented. Charging the Cochin eggs at 24 cents per dozen, the cost of each chick, when hatched, including the coat of keeping the hens while setting, was 4'S5 cents. Charging tho Leghorn e.cg.i at 34 cants per dozen, the coat of each chick when hatched, including, as before, the keep of fcho hens while sitting, was 2 - 83 cents. Taking the two breedo together the cost of every strong, healthy chick hatched was 3’5S cents. Tho young chicks were kept indoors a fow days and then put in an apple orchard aud allowed to run at will. The food fed to the growing chicks waa mixed grain, cracked wheat, skim milk, desiccated bsef and finely cut fish bones.

T7hen tho young fowls were put into tho poultry houses and tho cexes separated, which was for tho Cochins at the average age of one hundred and nine days and for the Leghorns at tho average age cf eightyfour days, the Cochins averaged 4’05 pounds in weight and tho Lsghorus 1’33 pounds. The total coet of all food consumed up to this time averaged 19T7 cents per chick for tho Cochins and 977 cants for the Leghorns. Tho coat per pound gain in weight mado hy tho Cochins was 4’90 cents, and ox that by fcho Leghorns, 5’63 cents. Including tho cost of hatching, the average total cost cf each Cochin chick at’ this time was 24’36 cents, and of each Leghorn 12*59 cents, or 6’ol cents per pound for the former avid 9 88 cents for the latter. The Cochin pullets average 3’5G pounds in weight and tho cockerels 4"32 pounds. I Tho Leghorn pullets averaged 1*63 pounds and tho cockerels 2*06 pounds. The Cochin cockerels were fed separately for a short period and thea capoaizsd and

; ussfi in another feeding trial. Had they | boon, spiel when separated at the local 1 market price, 13 cents per pound, they would have more than paid the cost of i food up to this time for all in tho lot. 1 Tho cost of feeding tho pallets from this | time, Sept. 17, until Nov. 21, was an ! average of 20’07 cents per fowl. Deducting ; the market poultry value of the cockerels I at the time separated from the total coat I of all tbs lot 7;oul« leave tho not coat of ! eggs, hatching and food for the Ccchin I pulinta svcrsg'mg 5*50 pounds iu weight, | 18’24 cents apiece. ! The Leghorn cockerels were fed for soma | time attar they were separated from tha pufioca before being sold. The cost of I feeding tha Leghorn pulk-ta from SepI tembiir 7 to November 21, was IS-09 cents apiece. Deducting the local market voluo of tho cockerels at fcha time of tho removal from tho total cost of all birds in tha lot would have left the total not coat for tho Leghorn, puUota averaging 2'Sl pounds, at 16’78 cents each, Tho sexes wars about equal with the Cocluec, but thoro was a a | unusual esceaa iu tho number of pullets | among , the Leghorns hatched, 37 > per cent more pullets than cockerels, so that tho poultry value of the cockerels represented a Issuer proportion 0? tho value cf food consumed. Had the sexes been equal, and considering tha poultry value of the cockerels, tha net coat of Leghorn pulkiß would have beau 13'50 cents I apiece, nearly tho oarao as that of tho I Cochins.