THE COST OF LIVING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 196, 23 September 1914, Page 6

THE COST OF LIVING.

AUGMENTING THE INCOME. THE FOWL BUN. [By the Agricultural Editor of THE SUN.] A previous article upon this subject dealt with vegetable growing as a means of Avorkers and town residents minimising the high prices current for the necessaries of life by augmenting their income from side lines, apart from their ordinary avocations. There are various other means of this being done, even where the ground available is quite a small area.

| Poultry-keeping, like most other busij nesses, has undergone considerable ! change in recent years. The Americans, who pay a great deal of attention to. the business, have dispensed with the big runs< usually associated with keeping fowls. "What is known as the intensive system has been adopted, by which it is possible to.keep a large number of fowls upon a very small area. • Progressive poultry-farmers in the Dominion are using the method largely where the saving of space is a consideration with them. By adopting this method a householder with a modest; quarter-acre section can keep a fairly large flock. Some Advantages.

There are-special advantages attached jto poultry-keeping that should reeomJTOend it to; town residents, and more especially to heads, of families. The work entailed is mostly of a lightcharacter, such as can be carried but by any member of the household. Feeding and so forth/could be entrusted to the juvenile members of the family. It would tend to'give the children of the suburbs an interest in ■■■'••■■ some wealth-producing work, and thus encourage thrift and self-reliance. It is certainly worthy of encouragement, the interesting of the .young folk in matters of this kind. Thehj again, "very little capital is necessary to commence. T/ke desideratum of poultry-keeping under the intensive system is the production of eggs. •With' the 'co-operative marketing schemes; inaugurated by the various egg circles the price of eggs, has,been much Hnpr-oved, and is not now. subject to the fluctuations that made poultry-; keeping unprofitable in years past. Further inore, a good demand from the western ports of America has sprung, ,up in recent years for New Zealand (eggs, which will apparently continue; | Under the intensive system the fowls ! are kept under cover all the time, and j this dispenses with the sloppy conditions that usually exist in small fowlyards in the wet weather. The building 4,8 completely roofed over,.and the fowls, kept dry. In order that the birds may have sufficient exercise, a thin coating of straw upon the floor of the building keeps them employed scratching for grain, and apparently this is equally effective as a run." In ; "addition, the straw keeps the pen beautifully sweet and clean,: and the sight of a hundred pure-bred fowls in a house 16 feet by 20 feet is quite pleasant. It contrasts with the keeping of a few "barndoors" in a muddy run. .. . ... V ? ' The Profits.

1 As. the management of poultry counts for much it is difficult to state definitely what is a fair profit to make from a given number of fowls. •' As much as £1 per week can be obtained from 100 layers, and this after, allowing, that grain is dear. Expert poultry keepers estimate the cost of keeping a laying hen at 6/- per annum. Where only a moderate number is kept the table: scraps should materially reduce the feed bill. Specialisation in poultry breeding has evolved strains of. layers that are veritable egg machines, and, assuming thati good stock is bought at the commencement, feeding, care, and ati tention should give an average, yield* of 15 dozen eggs per lien. These should be worth from 1/- to 1/2 per dozen: most egg circles average the latter price t6 their subscribers, and where the public has a guarantee of reliability, such as the egg. circles give, they are not averse to paying these .figures. It is not. too much to- expeet from 9/to 10/- per. annum .as the net income from each layer kept, so anyone wishing to, engage in -this profitable hobby can gauge their profits from' this.j The Outlay.

It is perhaps necessary to emphasise the wisdom of securing .eggs 01; birds to commence with of an undoubted laying strain. A beginner should secure his foundation stock from a reputable breeder who can guarantee the egg-lay-ing capacity of his birds. A house large enough to hold 100 hens should not-cost more than £7 10/- for building material, and a handy man with tools would have no difficulty in putting it together. The lean-to type of building with, iron roof is suitable, weatherboarded on three sides, and the trout, whielr" should be made to face the north, if possible, may be netted. This gives a compact and inexpensive, building. Whether to buy eggs and rear his own stock or to buy birds is a matter for the beginner to decide. Poultry specialists will usually supply day-old chicks, and this is one of the best methods of commencing with good stock. It reduces the work considerably, especially where one of the jioiisitting breeds arc kept. Many small poultry keepers rely upon this fnethod of renewing their stock, and it has much to recommend it. To get 100 pullets by this means it would be necessary to buy about 250 day-old chicks, Avhk'h would cost about £l2. About 2/- per head should rear the chicks till ttoey are six months old. Then there should be at least 100 cockerels to sell, j at, say, 2/- per head, and the pullets would be worth 5/- each. At this rate the pullets, assuming 100 have been reared and the allowance made for deaths has been specially large, would have cost in the neighbourhood of 4/each. They would probably bring' in the market 5/- per head. Breed Suitability.

The matter of selecting a breed usvjally gives the beginner some trouble. Having in mind that the production of eggs is the sole object in this system, naturally the light breeds find most favour. The 'Leghorns are very popular, but there are other breeds that are useful. Breed.is not such an important question as strain, feed, and attention.