The Chemawa American, June 01, 1914, COMMENCEMENT NUMBER, Page 21, Image 21

THE CHEMAW A
AMERICAN
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more eggs on a given amount of food than any other breed. The Leg­
horns are the most profitable producers; that is, they will produce eggs
at a lower food cost than any other breed. But eggs are not the only
product of this domestic flock. They also produce meat. Egg and
meat production go hand in hand. The hens must be killed off at least
every other year, and considerable money is made from the sale of the
old hens. The Plymouth Rocks, or hens of that type, are worth twice
as much as the Leghorns for eating purposes on account of the larger
size and the greater proportion of meat attached to the bones.
The Plymouth Rock has a body of medium length; the Wyandottes
have a shorter body and shorter legs, and a more blocky form. The
Rhode Island Reds have more the shape of the Plymouth Rock. Per­
fect specimens of Plymouth Rocks should weigh as follows: Cock, male
one year old or over, 9 1-2 pounds; cockerel, less than a year old, 8
pounds; hen, over a year old, 7 1-2 pounds; pullet, less than a year
old, 6 1-2 pounds. These weights are given by the Standard.
As a whole the Barred Plymouth Rocks are the most popular breeds
in this country; they are found more on farms than any other breed.
On special poultry farms Leghorns are the most popular breed; while
in the farming districts of Rhode Island the Rhode Island Reds are al­
most entirely used. As a general-utility fowl the Wynandottes enjoy
considerable popularity. The Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks
both lay brown eggs. The Leghorns lay a white egg which is the cause
for their higher demand on the market, although there is no difference
in the quality of a white or brown egg. In selecting a pen of fowls for
egg and meat purposes it is best to select those that have health and
vitality.
A fowl with constitutional weakness is shown in various ways:
Small in size, lack of breadth and depth of body, thin, wabbly legs
and knock-knees, and shallow breast usually indicate lack of vigor. It
is a safe plan not to use any pure-breds that do not come up to the
Standard weights. That a chicken is a pure-breed is no sign that it is
profitable to keep, In purchasing be sure to select fowls with vigor,
alertness and size. Vigorous “ mongrels” are better than “ pure-breds”
lacking in stamina.
Generally speaking, it pays to keep pure-bred fowls. The one ad­
vantage is that their offspring are more uniform in size and shape.
Uniformity of products, whether of eggs or dresssd chicken, always has
a market value. The barnyard lowl with a mixed ancestry will usu­
ally produce chickens of different sizes, and shapes, different in color of
skin and legs, and different in quality of flesh. The thing to be avoid­
ed, however, is the buying of chickens just because they are pure-breds,