Mrs. Lambeth Shares Her Success in Poultry Club, Jan. 20, 1921

By Mrs. R.L. Lambeth, Sanford, N.C.

In 1918, when I started work in the Poultry club, I kept 25 hens and one male bird. I hatched my checks with hens and raised about 150 from which I sold for breeding $25 worth and culled for market $50.

That fall our home demonstration agent brought Mr. Oliver, State Poultry Club Agent, to see my flock, and he advised me to get some fine cockerels for the next season’s work. These he selected for me from birds exhibited at the Charlotte Poultry Show, one of them being a prize winner. With these two males and 38 hens I hatched out 240 chicks and only lost a few. This season my eggs hatched better in consequence of this change.

Circumstances prevented my having a breeding pen built, so I was not able to breed from my selected hens, but sold $25 worth for hatching at $1.50 a setting, and $35.22 worth for market. Int he fall I sold for breeding stock amounting to $58.50. I failed to keep a record of chickens used at home, but sold eggs for market amounting to $32.85.

In the fall of 1919, on Mr. Oliver’s advice, I exhibited at the Lee County Fair, and won first cockrel and first pullet on my Barred Plymouth Rocks. From 222 eggs set I hatched only 135 chicks and raised 110. the eggs this season hatched very badly, even the setting I sent to New Jersey for. This was a place recommended by Mr. Oliver, but out of the setting at $15 I only hatched six chicks and raised five. From these I am expecting to get the males for next year’s breeding pen, for we finally secured the wire and the pen is enclosed.

To July 1 we used at home about 48 pounds of frying-size chicks and sold for market at 60 cents a pound about 33 pounds. I have not sold any for breeding purposes. This season I killed off my old male birds and am now selling infertile eggs for market.

I feel that the help received through joining the poultry club has been of inestimable value and the bulletins dealing with all phases of the poultry work are a good reference library at all times. I followed the general plan for brood coops suggested by the Poultry Club office, having dry, raised floors in all of them. I have a poultry house also. My poultry is on free range and all that I have spent in cash for feed since January 1 is $3. Part of this was for meat scrap during the cold weather. This was ordered for us by our home demonstration agent, four of us dividing 100 pounds.

(As printed in The Mount Airy News, Jan. 20, 1921)